Chapter 65: Mind Reading (6)

As usual, Tong Ling thoroughly examined the female supporting character’s social media accounts.

Given the large number of friends, Tong Ling decided to enlist the system’s help. She had it organize and categorize the friend list while she browsed Saint Hieria Academy’s official website on her phone.

Even without special admissions for impoverished students, the rigid caste division at Saint Hieria ensured that equality among pupils was unattainable. Resources heavily favored higher-ranked students, leaving E-grade students with the lowest privileges across all aspects.

E-grade students typically consisted of nouveau riche children or those with exceptionally poor academic performance and dismal social standing. Some students, however, possessed adept networking skills; despite their inferior background, they could garner enough votes through popularity alone to squeeze into C-grade.

Advancing beyond B-grade became significantly more challenging. At Saint Hieria, there were only around a dozen A-grade students, each one either an heir to a major corporation or a “noble” related by blood to the royal family. Among them, Yan Ling received the highest number of votes within the A-grade category, but even as the top A-grader, there was still a considerable gap between her vote count and that of the S-grades.

Since student rankings were publicly available, A-grade students garnered immense attention, explaining why so many sought Yan Ling as a friend.

Many students, after seeing photos and profiles, would attempt to “befriend” these high-ranking individuals; however, their sincerity was often questionable.

The A-level students were already idolized to great heights, and S-level students even more so. Every move they made garnered intense attention, with forum threads mentioning them consistently staying at the top of热度 (popularity). Tong Ling checked the forums herself and noticed that her visit to the HR Club today had also become a trending topic.

The thread lacked substantial content, possibly due to Gu Li’s strict management over club members’ disclosures. Not a single person revealed her relationship with Xiao Lingfei. All classmates could glean was that the college’s goddess had interacted with S4, but the specifics remained unknown to them.

Other popular threads included “Xiao Lingfei’s Basketball Practice Live Updates,” which upon clicking revealed a series of high-resolution close-up photos of Xiao Lingfei. This post likely originated from a member within the basketball club, significantly boosting its popularity. The comments below were filled with praise, akin to celebrity fanfare.

Tong Ling casually saved a few photos on her phone—after all, he was her supposed “fiancé,” and she needed to keep tabs on him.

“Luu Yifan Confirmed for Drama Club’s New Play”—this thread served as promotion for the drama club. It seemed uncertain whether Luu Yifan could secure other S3 participants, so the post temporarily focused only on introducing Luu Yifan himself.

“President Gu Li - Study God Worship Thread,” as the title suggested, this thread was filled with people praying to the ‘Study God’ for good grades.

“Congratulations to Jin Yingyao on Winning Another Fencing Championship! Live Updates with High-Resolution Photos…” Tong Ling clicked in and saw that Jin Yingyao had represented Saint Hieria against students from other colleges. The thread listed his rankings across various competitions. Not just within the college, even among Olay’s entire youth division, he was consistently considered a top contender for championships.

After browsing through the forum, Tong Ling asked the system, “Around what time does Gu Li usually leave school?”

m577 instinctively grew cautious: [What do you want to know?]

“Don’t answer my question with another question.” Tong Ling’s tone turned colder.

m577 promptly replied obediently: [Once he finishes student council affairs and all club members have left, he is typically the last one to depart.]

To gather more information, m577 infiltrated the gatekeeper’s surveillance recordings, retrieving data from the past week. After analyzing it, the system stated: [He usually leaves around 7:30 pm. Today, due to hosting you, he might stay even later.]

Tong Ling issued a command to the system, “Notify me as soon as he exits the club.”

”… Alright,” m577 responded.

Just as Tong Ling finished speaking, her phone rang.

The contact displayed was the driver from the Yan family, assigned to chauffeur her to and from school.

Driver: “Miss, why haven’t you contacted me today? It’s getting very late. Are the club activities still not over?”

Tong Ling: “I apologize, but I have some crucial work that needs completion here. Regarding my late return, I will call Father and Mother to explain the situation.”

Driver: “Then… whenever Miss requires transportation, please feel free to contact me at any time.”

After expressing her thanks, Tong Ling hung up and casually tossed her phone aside, showing no intention of calling Father and Mother Yan.

She tidied up her backpack, intentionally placing certain exercise booklets inside along with girl-specific skincare items, cosmetics, a comb, and a mirror. Checking herself once more in the dressing mirror, satisfied with her appearance, she left the apartment when the time was nearly right.

Shortly after stepping out, m577 alerted her: [He has left the club.]

“Are there others still inside the club?” Tong Ling asked.

m577 replied: [No, he left alone.]

Tong Ling instructed, “Hack his phone and prevent him from contacting anyone.”

Weakly, m577 asked: 【Can’t I just skip it?】

Tong Ling smiled, “What do you think?”

Reluctantly, m577 complied without further protest.

As dusk fell, the students outside the club dispersed, and the bustling Saint Hieria suddenly quietened down.

Taking a shortcut, Tong Ling hurried to the academy’s entrance. Upon exiting, she spotted Gu Li frowning at his phone under the streetlight. Despite the late hour, he maintained his composed demeanor, standing straight with no hint of impatience showing.

Before Tong Ling could approach, Gu Li noticed her and gently inquired, “Schoolgirl Yan, it’s so late already, haven’t you returned home yet?”

As the student council president, Gu Li had comprehensive knowledge of all Saint Hieria students’ records. He was aware that Yan Ling, unlike Jin Yingyao and Xiao Lingfei, had stricter familial obligations requiring her to return home daily at a set time.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Tong Ling whispered, “I-I overslept in my apartment.”

From their earlier conversations within the club, Gu Li had observed that this young lady wasn’t as poised as she appeared on the surface. However, the excuse of oversleeping genuinely… made him want to laugh inexplicably.

Instead of fabricating an excuse, she straightforwardly admitted it, which surprised Gu Li and gave him a more nuanced perspective on Yan Ling.

Though she appeared as a perfectly poised young lady externally, beneath that facade, she seemed rather trusting, honest, and slightly absent-minded.

“Student Gu, why are you here so late?” Tong Ling approached Gu Li.

Before he could respond, realization dawned on her, “Ah, as the student council president, your work must have kept you detained…”

Gu Li chuckled lightly, “It wasn’t any significant matter, just some miscellaneous tasks. Before I knew it, the time slipped away.”

“That sounds exhausting,” Tong Ling sighed. “If I were as busy at school like you, I wouldn’t have much energy left for studying at home.”

“Just keeping up with daily coursework is bothersome enough, let alone regular music practice, dance lessons, and learning to handle various complex affairs. Student Gu probably doesn’t face such worries…” Realizing she might have shared too much, Tong Ling quickly pursed her lips and lowered her head, saying, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned these things…”

Seeing the girl’s mood dampen, Gu Li couldn’t resist comforting her, “Actually… I do have my own share of concerns.”

The girl lifted her gaze curiously towards him, inadvertently stirring Gu Li’s desire to confide further.

“After securing first place for the first time, I only set higher expectations for myself each subsequent occasion. Especially surrounded by such exceptional peers, all I can do is strive even harder. You must know how people outside refer to me…”

She responded, “As the Study God.”

“Yes, the Study God.” Gu Li shook his head, “I’m not truly deserving of that title. My achievements are solely the result of hard work; there’s a significant gap between me and genuine prodigies.”

“How could you say that!” The girl protested with a blush, “You’re so remarkable, I couldn’t catch up no matter how much I tried!”

Gu Li chuckled, “Imagine feeling this way when your friends barely pay attention in class, yet still manage to crack open their books just before exams and consistently land in the top ten of our grade.”

“But aren’t you always ranked number one?” Under the moonlit sky, the girl’s eyes sparkled brightly as she asserted firmly, “It’s you who comes first. Even if you’re not considered a genius, you outperform them anyway. To me, those who work diligently shine brightest anywhere!”

“In my eyes, Gu Li, you’re far more impressive than them. Hardworking people shine brightly no matter where they go!”

Warmth filled Gu Li’s heart, and he turned away slightly, feeling somewhat flustered. “I…”

He had intended to comfort Yan Ling with his own example, only to find himself being consoled instead.

“However, I feel much better now,” the girl smiled. “Don’t you think if we shared our worries, others would find them quite trivial?”

The corners of Gu Li’s mouth curved upward slightly, ”…Indeed.”

“Let’s talk about something more ordinary then.” Perhaps due to their newfound openness, Gu Li felt at ease around Yan Ling. He raised his phone and said, “My phone seems to have some issue; I can’t contact anyone. Normally, I’d call for the driver at this time, but without being able to make calls, there’s nothing I can do.”

“So that’s why you haven’t left yet.”

“I’ll help you reach your driver.” As she spoke, the girl opened her backpack. After rummaging through it briefly, her cheerful expression slowly, gradually froze. “I didn’t bring my phone!”

She hastily searched again. “And the apartment keys aren’t here either…”

“Wah…” The girl furrowed her delicate brows, and her clear eyes began to glisten with tears. “How could I oversleep!”

Her frustrated expression was utterly adorable, starkly contrasting her usually perfect and composed demeanor. Gu Li shouldn’t have laughed; he never found amusement in others’ difficulties, as such behavior would be grossly impolite.

Yet, upon seeing Yan Ling’s dismay, he couldn’t suppress his smile. His eyes sparkled with mirth, the corners of his lips curved upwards, and his mood felt unprecedentedly joyful.

It wasn’t until Gu Li received an indignant glare from the young woman that his cheerful grin instantly transformed into a fluttering unease within his heart. He hastily stopped laughing and stammered an apology, somewhat flustered, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”

Didn’t know why he couldn’t control his emotions.

This isn’t like me, thought Gu Li.

He prided himself on being reserved and courteous, always maintaining proper decorum to ensure everyone around him felt at ease. Such uncontrolled emotions were out of character for him.

It was wrong.

“Give me your phone, let’s try something.” Yan Ling held out her hand, then shot him another glare when he hesitated. “Don’t just stand there, oh great president of ours! Whether I have a place to stay tonight depends entirely on you.”

Gu Li handed over his phone, inadvertently studying the person before him closely. She held his smartphone with both hands, her gaze intense as if tackling a world-class puzzle. Despite the situation, why did he still find her so… adorable?

This was not right. Gu Li recalled what he had told Jin Yingyao earlier—she is your good friend’s fiancée; you shouldn’t interfere with their relationship.

Composing himself, Gu Li quickly regained his composure.

“Done.”

Strangely, the malfunctioning phone sprang back to life in Yan Ling’s hands. It was almost as if even the phone was creating opportunities for them.

Gu Li dared not dwell on it and asked steadily, “Do you remember the chauffeur’s number? Or is there someone else you’d like me to contact?”

“What time is it now?” Yan Ling posed another question instead.

“It’s 9 PM,” Gu Li replied.

The young girl bit her pale pink lip, looking at him through misty eyes, hesitantly murmuring, “Um… could you possibly…”

Gu Li wasn’t one to make others feel uncomfortable, especially towards Yan Ling, being his friend’s fiancée. He naturally felt inclined to take extra care of her.

“What’s wrong? If you have any requests, feel free to ask,” Gu Li said with a gentle smile. “I’ll do my best to fulfill them.”

“Then… please shelter me.” Yan Ling placed her clasped hands over her chest, her expression pleading. “Please, Gu Li, if I go home at this hour, my parents will scold me severely. I can’t return to my apartment either; you’re the only one who can help me.”

“I beg you, would you shelter me?”

For a moment, Gu Li looked taken aback, his handsome face reflecting a mix of emotions. “How could you ask me to shelter you… Aren’t you afraid…”

“You’re President Gu Li, and I trust you completely,” Yan Ling replied, her eyes filled with utter confidence. “Moreover, if it’s you sheltering me, my parents might consider your reputation and overlook my ‘mistake.’

“Just tell them you’re helping me with my studies, okay?”

Gu Li found himself utterly unable to refuse this plea. Her soft, earnest entreaties rendered rejection impossible.

“All right.” Gu Li lowered his gaze. In that instant, he didn’t even consider asking Xiao Lingfei, her fiancé, to pick her up; instead, he simply responded, “I will help you.”