The rain was still falling.
Raindrops the size of beans crazily pounded the top of Coral Middle School’s wall, splashing up tiny droplets of water.
The damp, cold evening wind, carrying the rain, howled through every corner of the campus.
Ye Ning held an umbrella and quickly ran to the school wall.
She looked around, confirmed no one was nearby, then swiftly closed the umbrella and hid it in the shadow of the wall.
She took a deep breath and gently waved her fingertips.
A faint pink magical halo instantly surrounded her.
Her pinkish-white hair gently fluttered in the magical light.
Her ordinary clothes gradually faded away, replaced by a light pink gauzy battle skirt.
The hem was embroidered with fine white feather patterns, and the cuffs and collar were decorated with silver bells that made a crisp sound at the slightest movement.
Behind her, a pair of light white wings slowly unfolded, covered in tiny raindrops, making her appear exceptionally graceful.
After transforming into her Lark Form, Ye Ning’s figure became even lighter.
She lightly leaped, flapping her wings slightly, and easily cleared the high wall.
Her movements were smooth and agile, making no sound at all.
After landing steadily, she immediately canceled the transformation.
Her battle uniform changed back into her ordinary school uniform, except the tips of her hair were tousled by the evening wind and slightly damp.
Ye Ning smoothed her pinkish-white long hair, held the umbrella, and quickly ran toward the teaching building.
The rain wet the tips of her shoes, bringing a slight coolness.
‘I hope that child has already gone back. She shouldn’t get caught in the rain.’
The teaching building was empty.
The students had already gone home, leaving only dim lights reflecting her hurried figure.
Ye Ning walked up the stairs step by step toward the rooftop, her pace getting faster and faster.
Finally, she reached the rooftop door.
She grasped the cold doorknob, took a deep breath, and gently pushed the door open.
A gust of damp, cold wind mixed with dense raindrops instantly hit her face, wetting her cheeks and sleeves.
On the rooftop, the rain was extremely heavy.
There was no shelter.
The rainwater ruthlessly washed the ground, forming small streams.
Only under the eaves of the corner was there a narrow space that could slightly block the wind and rain.
Ye Ning held up her umbrella and slowly swept her gaze across the entire rooftop—it was completely empty, no one was there.
She let out a long breath, and her tense body instantly relaxed.
The heavy stone in her heart finally dropped, and even her breathing became much smoother.
But involuntarily, a trace of inexplicable loss quietly surged in her heart.
“It’s okay, it’s okay…”
Ye Ning muttered softly, a faint smile curling at the corner of her mouth, her eyes full of relief.
“That child has finally changed her temperament. She’s not as stubborn as before. She knew to go back when it rained, instead of foolishly waiting for me.”
She was about to turn around and leave, not thinking too much, but at that moment, from under the eaves on the other side of the rooftop, a weak coughing sound suddenly came, intermittent and with a hint of frailty, almost drowned out by the rain.
If she didn’t listen carefully, it was almost imperceptible.
Ye Ning’s body instantly stiffened.
The smile on her face vanished.
Her heart sank.
She immediately gripped her umbrella tightly and quickly ran toward the direction of the coughing.
Under the narrow gap of the eaves, a small figure was curled up there.
The tiny body was tightly huddled, knees drawn up, head buried deep between them, arms wrapped around her legs, shoulders trembling slightly.
Her school uniform was already completely soaked by the rain, clinging tightly to her body, outlining her slender figure.
Her hair was wet and plastered to her cheeks and neck.
Rainwater continuously dripped from the tips of her hair, creating a small puddle on the ground.
Ye Ning was slightly dazed. In her mind, an image of Chu Lingyan from the past suddenly flashed—at that time, Chu Lingyan was like this too: when she was wronged or hurt, she would only curl up alone in a corner.
A sudden sharp pain hit her chest, as if an invisible hand was gripping her tightly.
Heartache and guilt instantly overwhelmed her.
She rushed over and steadily held the umbrella over Chu Lingyan’s body.
Her fingers holding the umbrella handle turned slightly white from the force.
“Chu Lingyan? Chu Lingyan? How are you?”
Ye Ning’s voice carried urgency and trembling.
She gently reached out to touch her shoulder, but was afraid of hurting her, so her movements were especially gentle.
Hearing Ye Ning’s voice, the curled-up girl slowly raised her head.
Her long eyelashes were wet and stuck together.
Her eyes seemed a little blurry, as if she was not fully conscious.
But when she saw that the person in front of her was Ye Ning, the corners of her mouth slowly lifted into a simple, gentle smile.
Her voice was weak and hoarse, with a hint of barely noticeable joy.
“Ye Ning… classmate? You came? I thought… Ye Ning wouldn’t come.”
“Idiot!”
Ye Ning looked at the girl’s rain-soaked school uniform, her pale cheeks, her wet hair.
The heartache in her heart grew stronger.
Her voice carried anger and a hint of barely concealed grievance.
“Are you stupid? If you thought I wouldn’t come, why didn’t you go back yourself? Getting soaked like this will definitely make you sick! Why can’t you take care of yourself!”
But she didn’t care at all.
She just gently shook her head, still wearing that simple smile.
Her voice was so weak it was almost inaudible, but it was full of tenderness.
“It’s okay… What if Ye Ning just had something to do and was late? What if I left and Ye Ning came and couldn’t find me? She would cry, right.”
Ye Ning looked at her like that, hearing her words.
Her eyes instantly turned red, her nose slightly sour, tears spinning in her eyes, but she held them back.
Her voice was a bit choked and stubborn.
“No way! Are you stupid? I wouldn’t cry! Hurry up, let me help you up. We need to go back, or you’ll get a fever!”
“It’s okay, I can get up by myself.”
Chu Lingyan said, reaching out to support the cold ground, trying to stand up.
But her body was too weak.
As soon as she pushed up a little, she seemed to go limp all over and fell forward.
“Be careful!”
Ye Ning exclaimed, quickly reaching out and holding her steadily in her arms.
Chu Lingyan’s head naturally buried itself in Ye Ning’s neck.
Her small body trembled slightly.
Her hot breath gently hit Ye Ning’s neck, bringing a burning sensation.
“Ye Ning, I’m so cold… really cold…”
Cold?
Ye Ning didn’t think so.
The girl’s body in her arms was frighteningly hot, like a burning charcoal.
Even through the soaked school uniform, she could clearly feel that burning temperature.
“You have a fever.”
Ye Ning’s voice was full of deep concern, and her tone became especially gentle.
She gently patted Chu Lingyan’s back, carefully held her tight, and wrapped her own jacket tightly around the girl’s cold body.
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll find you some fever medicine. You’ll be better soon.”
Ye Ning carried Chu Lingyan, carefully avoiding the dense raindrops, and walked step by step toward the rooftop door.
Chu Lingyan seemed a bit delirious, leaning in her arms, her small head gently rubbing against Ye Ning’s neck, murmuring softly in Ye Ning’s ear.
Her voice was weak but exceptionally clear, every word falling into Ye Ning’s heart.
“Ye Ning, the reason I called you to the rooftop is because I saw that bracelet on your wrist… I made that for my teacher myself. It’s a charm I gave her. My teacher was very kind. She pulled me out of the shadows. She taught me how to live well. But she suddenly disappeared without a word. I’ve been looking for her for a long, long time. I’ve looked in many places. I never gave up. I don’t want to let go of even a single clue. I don’t want to lose her again…”
Ye Ning’s lips tightened slightly as the dusty memories were gently stirred by Chu Lingyan’s words, carrying a hint of barely noticeable guilt.
“If your teacher were still here, she definitely wouldn’t want to see you like this. She would want you to take good care of yourself, not foolishly getting soaked in the rain and hurting your body.”
Chu Lingyan didn’t speak.
She just moved her fingers slightly, her slender, cool fingertips quietly intertwined with Ye Ning’s little finger, gently shaking it.
The action was cute and dependent—Ye Ning was very familiar with this gesture.
It was how Chu Lingyan used to act spoiled and beg for forgiveness when she did something wrong in the past.
“I’m sorry, teacher.”
The girl’s voice was soft and aggrieved, with a hint of coquettishness, gently reaching Ye Ning’s ears.
Ye Ning was momentarily dazed.
The girl in her arms, the coquettishness and dependence in her eyes, quietly overlapped with the tiny Wu Wang Wo from the past.
“Don’t do this again next time!”
She said the same words as in the past, with reproach in her voice, but more with inseparable affection and heartache.
As soon as the words fell, the burning sensation of the girl in her arms suddenly dissipated.
The originally weak and hoarse voice became clear, with a hint of sly laughter, gently ringing in her ear, every word carrying certainty.
“Teacher, it seems you’ve still exposed yourself~”
Ye Ning’s body instantly froze. The expression on her face also froze.
Her breath stopped for half a beat.
She slowly lowered her head, stiffly turning it to look at the girl in her arms—at this moment, Chu Lingyan had already canceled the frail act.
A faint pale golden magical halo surrounded her.
She was in the magical girl Wu Wang Wo form.
Her light brown short hair was still soft, her brows curved, a sly smile on her lips, her eyes sparkling, looking at her with a smile, her eyes full of joy and triumph, without any trace of the weak, sick appearance from before.
Ye Ning was silent for a moment.
The heartache and guilt on her face gradually turned to anger.
Her brows suddenly furrowed, and her tone instantly became stern, carrying the authority of a teacher as she spoke firmly to Chu Lingyan.
“Don’t you know what you did wrong? Go sit on the chair! Reflect on your actions!”
“Huh?!”
Wu Wang Wo was clearly stunned.
The sly smile on her face instantly froze, and her eyes were full of shock.
She clearly didn’t expect Ye Ning to react like this—she thought that after her teacher was exposed, she would feel guilty, explain, and hold her and cry, but she never expected her teacher to immediately get angry and make her reflect.
But shock aside, the habit formed over many years made her obediently get down from Ye Ning’s arms, lower her head, like a child who had done something wrong, walk step by step to the chair nearby, and sit down properly, hands on her knees.
Ye Ning looked at her obedient and aggrieved appearance.
Although the anger in her heart hadn’t subsided, it softened a bit.
But then she thought, this child actually pretended to be sick to deceive her, deliberately set a trap to make her expose herself.
If she didn’t teach her a lesson, what would happen to her authority in the future?
Ningning was very angry now, extremely angry.
So she decided to strike first.