Chapter 28: The School Dad Carries the School Beauty on His Back

Reviewing, reviewing.
Pulling an all-nighter to review.
The feeling Lin Shu had when she saw the sun the next morning was no less intense than Andy Dufresne’s the moment he successfully escaped from Shawshank.
The midterm exam papers at this school were truly perverted.
After the exams, aside from a few top students comparing answers, everyone else remained silent. When the final science composite paper was over, Lin Shu sat blankly on the steps, her life flashing before her eyes like a flickering film reel.
It felt like death was imminent.
Zhou Ya tapped her on the shoulder, looking curious.
"What’s wrong?"
Lin Shu turned her head and adjusted her face mask. "Oh, this? Someone in our exam room had a cold and kept coughing. I was afraid of catching it and affecting my performance in the upcoming exams."
At this time, people hadn't experienced widespread outbreaks yet, so they were quite curious to see someone wearing a mask.
Zhou Ya sat down beside her. "Speaking of which, so many people have caught colds lately. The infirmary is packed with people getting IV drips. Gangzi went too, and even asked me to take his test papers to the infirmary for him."
"My god, Gangzi caught a cold?"
"Yeah, and he’s usually the strongest one of us all."
Lin Shu pulled out an individually wrapped mask and pressed it into Zhou Ya’s hand, telling her to wear it too. The proficiency exams were coming up, and with the rain getting heavier, more people were bound to fall ill.
Zhou Ya nodded and tucked it away.
...
The first day of the proficiency exams.
Lin Shu got up early to take the bus, only to find it stuck at an intersection, unable to move forward.
Experimental High School was located in a low-lying area. The manhole covers were clogged, and the water had risen to their calves. As the buses spat out the students, they had no choice but to walk along the stone ledge lining the residential houses.
Lin Shu got off the bus and waded through the water to the ledge.
It was a good thing she was wearing leather shoes; otherwise, her socks would be soaked by now.
She pressed against the wall and moved slowly. The boy behind her kept bumping into her. She said something to him, but he ignored her, let out a couple of snickers—who knows what he was so happy about—and kept pushing.
Lin Shu really wanted to kick him into the water.
Just as she was thinking about it, the heavens opened up—the boy who was pushing her let out a yelp, slipped, and fell right in.
Lin Shu grinned, but before she could enjoy it, the wave caused by the boy’s fall surged toward her. Seeing the water about to swallow her feet, she shrieked and leaped like a grasshopper, squatting onto the windowsill of a house.
"What are you looking at? Never seen someone climb a window before?"
Someone laughed at her.
Lin Shu squatted there, pouting as she retorted.
Everyone else had been wiped out; their clothes were soaked, so they just gave up and waded through the water.
Lin Shu was still dry, stuck in a predicament.
A figure appeared at the perfect moment.
"Xie Buchan!" Lin Shu roared.
Xie Buchan held an umbrella and wore black high-top rain boots. Perhaps because he was tall, he didn't look precarious in the water; instead, he seemed to be taking a leisurely stroll.
She hated these tall guys.
Hearing Lin Shu’s voice, the boy turned his head and looked at her, perched on the narrow windowsill, with a calm expression.
"It's time for the exam. What are you playing at?"
"Who's playing?" Lin Shu gritted her teeth. "I'm trapped! Which bastard built this sewer? It's a national disgrace! What are you standing there for? Come help me!"
She wanted to get down, but it was easy to get up and hard to get down.
There was no foothold.
Xie Buchan walked over and offered his shoulder.
Lin Shu held onto him to climb down, then continued to scrape along the wall with her hands and feet—gecko mode—*friction*—*friction*.
Someone sighed behind her.
A very audible sigh.
There was no need to guess who it was.
Lin Shu glared at him indignantly.
Xie Buchan put the umbrella into Lin Shu’s hand, turned his back, bent over slightly, and moved his fingers. "Get on."
...
"Xie Buchan, what are you doing?"
Lin Shu asked, knowing the answer.
Xie Buchan didn't look back and started his classic "The Road to Shu is Hard" routine. "Three—two—"
Lin Shu jumped up, clinging to his back like a frog on a tree, holding the umbrella in her left hand and awkwardly resting her right hand on his shoulder.
The air was humid.
The murky stagnant water sent constant chills their way.
Xie Buchan’s back was so hot. Was he a fireball?
And his back was so broad—it felt like he could carry two of her. There wasn't an ounce of fat, but it didn't feel bony to the touch either; through the fabric, she could feel resilient, toned muscle.
Well, she finally understood Elva Hsiao’s taste.
Lin Shu didn't move, playing the mummy.
Xie Buchan carried her into the school.
The security guard smiled kindly and said, "Parents aren't allowed inside. Sir, put the child down."
Lin Shu jumped off, stomped her feet, and expressionlessly presented her admission ticket.
Xie Buchan fished his out and handed it over as well.
After checking Lin Shu’s ticket, the guard looked at him in surprise.
Xie Buchan straightened up, his hormone-filled frame and handsome student face looking a bit awkward, but he maintained his composure.
He looked at the guard and said, "Uncle, I’m here to take the exam too."
"Ah, you’re here for the exam? Oh, oh... wasn't that girl student just now..."
"I’m not her father."
...
Lin Shu had long since vanished.
Could anything be more embarrassing than this?
She had barely been "his father" for a moment before he became "her father"!
If she had known, she wouldn't have let Xie Buchan carry her. Even though no one at the experimental high school knew them since students were shuffled from various schools, being mistaken for father and daughter was just too hilarious!
Was this trying to kill her?
She might as well be dead.
Lin Shu untied her mask. The proctor compared her face to the photo and waved her in. She sat down in the exam room, feeling a bit annoyed, but once the bell rang and the exam started, she entered her zone in a second.
She hadn't been rained on, nor had she waded through water. Having worn a mask since the exams began, she hadn't caught a cold this time and managed to maintain her focus until the very last session.
"It’s over, finally..."
Lin Shu handed in her paper fifteen minutes early and walked out of the exam room happily.
As soon as the proficiency exams ended, the reference answers were posted in the group chat.
She held her umbrella, reading as she walked.
Before she could finish checking the answers, Zhou Ya’s call came in frantically. "Damn, Lin Shu, you finally answered! Have you seen the school forum?"
"What? I just came out, I’m still waiting for the bus."
"You should take a look..."
Lin Shu opened the First High School forum. Under the permanent hot posts, a new one had appeared titled: *All the good cabbage has been arched by a pig. Take a look, everyone, come in and look. You simps, this is your 'white moonlight'!*
...
What a moronic title.
The stench of it was off the charts.
Lin Shu clicked in, her chest tightening.
Unbelievable.
How did someone manage to snap a picture of Xie Buchan carrying her into the exam room? Which dog did this?
Aside from "666" and "What the f***," the rest of the discussion was far from friendly.
The original poster’s comments were even more repulsive.
Things like "They’re definitely dating," "Wouldn't be surprised if they’ve already slept together," "Looked so pure, never thought she was such a slut," "She hid it so well, fooled all the brothers..."
It was hard to imagine these were the words of high school students.
Taking a step back, who she dated was none of their business.
Where did this bizarre sense of possessiveness come from?
Lin Shu clicked on the poster’s account.
Judging by the post history, it should be a guy. Not from their class, nor from Xie Buchan’s class. A complete stranger, yet so disgusting.
Oh.
Not entirely a stranger.
He had been "checking in" on the "School Beauty" thread for five hundred consecutive days; he was one of Lin Shu’s "brainless fanboys."
Unprovoked love and hate were truly terrifying.
...
Six black dots appeared in Lin Shu’s mind. She sent a private message asking him to delete it.
*RZ, Reject Loneliness: You think I'll delete it just because you asked?*
*Looking Back Again: Which class are you in? Who is your homeroom teacher?*
*RZ, Reject Loneliness: ...Are you a teacher?*
*Looking Back Again: Never mind who I am. Your actions are seriously damaging the personal reputation of a student and the school's reputation. Do you have any camaraderie for your fellow students? Any sense of collective honor for the school? Or do you think the internet is a lawless land where you don't have to be held accountable? Is this how you talk about your mother in your daily life?*
...
Lin Shu was quite eccentric in her daily life.
Except for the class group, which had a normal avatar and nickname, on other platforms she was either "AAA Construction Material Wholesale Manager Wang" or "Thirteenth Generation Disciple of the Tai Chi Xingyi Fist School."
Her forum nickname was the hallmark of a middle-aged man: *Looking Back Again.*
Her avatar was a melancholy ocean.
Combined with that old-fashioned, pretentious tone of voice, and the account history filled with nothing but generic likes and lottery check-ins, even a real middle-aged man would have to call her "Big Brother."
[RZ, Reject Loneliness], as the original poster, started to panic and began frantically deleting his lewd comments, but the post and the photos remained. As the traffic grew, it seemed a real teacher from the high school had actually seen it...
A disaster from out of the blue.
Lin Shu had no heart to check her answers, calculating what to do.
After thinking about it, she decided to notify Xie Buchan first; he was one of the parties involved, after all.