Detective of the Noble Male Academy 8

BBS Forum HOT THREAD... Topic: What happened on the third floor of the Library today?? 0L: What did you do to the school beauty??? (crying) (crying) 1L: They only went in for a few minutes, probably just a kiss at most (weakly) (crying) 2L: Did anyone go in to see? What happened, tell us quick (crying) 3L: Good question, but this is Noble Male Academy's F4 territory, we're just powerless nobodies (crying) (fist) (fist) 4L: Um... Yan___ came out first, then the school beauty. We only saw he was missing a mask, his eyes were red 5L: Yan___, what did you do to the school beauty!!! (crying) (crying) (crying) 6L: Speaking of which, recently Yuwen___ also seems to be asking about the school beauty? Does he have something on his mind? (confused) (confused) 7L: Maybe it's because the school beauty hasn't been paying attention to Yuwen___ lately, and has been hanging out with Li___ instead.. 8L: The school beauty hasn't been paying attention to the top student either (giggle) (giggle) 9L: The school beauty's love is like a butterfly, fluttering here and there (heart) (heart) 10L: Stop disturbing the school beauty from doing his major coursework! (angry) 11L: Could it be that he's fallen for Li___... (crying) (crying) 12L: Speaking of which, that person is coming back... haven't heard news about him in a long time, did he win the succession war? 13L: Celestial F4, assemble! ------------

Just as he sat down with his coffee cup, the nobody looked up and found a stranger sitting across from him. No, not a stranger—this was the school beauty he'd just replied to on a hot BBS Forum thread! Ji Yue sat down across the table, hands folded, resting his chin on them: 'Hello, Lu. You were in yesterday's general education class too, right? Something happened—may I interview you about it?' Today Ji Yue wore a baseball cap, probably trying to keep a low profile—a pale blue cap with a long brim. After sitting down, he had to tilt his chin up slightly to see the person across from him. Combined with his usual expressionless face, being looked at by him gave the feeling of being coldly regarded from above. Honestly, the real person was far more stunning than photos. Up close, his eyes were this deep, dark blue—not a bright, cheerful blue, but the kind of color found in the deep sea. The fine patterns in his iris brought to mind certain deep-sea scenes. Today he was also wearing a pair of earrings—simple silver hoops that swayed gently when he lifted his face... Wait, was he just talking to me? 'Sorry, what did you just say? Could you repeat it?' The nobody adjusted his posture, suddenly nervous, as if facing an interviewer. 'Did anything special happen in yesterday morning's general education class?' 'I can't recall. It was a perfectly normal class.' 'For example, a student being bullied.' 'Oh... if you mean that, the top student probably offended Li Xihé. I overheard them talking today, basically trading passive-aggressive remarks. But I heard the top student already quit working at this Café—probably couldn't stay after that incident.' 'Do you know Si Jing?' 'Our school rarely has top students or transfer students. I've heard about him before—supposedly excellent grades, no idea why he decided to apply here. This place isn't suited for him.' 'How would you describe Si Jing's relationship with the F4?' 'Nonexistent.' 'Do they normally interact at all?' 'Never seen it, except for today.' 'Yuwen Qing was in the classroom yesterday too, wasn't he? Did he do anything to the top student?' 'No, Yuwen Qing left halfway through class.' Ji Yue fell into thought. How strange—the plot had deviated again. Yuwen Qing hadn't 'bullied' the top student, so where did he go halfway through class? Could there be something more important than the top student? He leaned back, staring at the ceiling, when the nobody called out to him again. 'Yuwen Qing has been investigating things about you lately.' The nobody hesitated. 'His personality... you might want to watch out for your personal safety.' 'Thank you, I'll be careful. I really appreciate the information.' The nobody stared at him blankly. Though he didn't understand why Ji Yue was asking these things—did the boy enjoy conducting interviews like this?—during these few minutes of conversation, the youth's eyes had been sparkling with spirit. The nobody didn't know that was the light of a detective.

Today's assignment was a religious mural. Ji Yue carried a water bucket—he'd need to wash his brushes later—and on the way ran into a familiar figure: blond hair, dark skin, tall and lean, the weather had turned cold but he was still showing off his figure in minimal clothing. Impossible to miss. Yuwen Qing walked past a group of art students wearing dirty sleeve protectors, then stopped in front of one of the classrooms, looking for all the world like a gangster collecting debts. Ji Yue walked past him with the bucket. The bucket was heavy and swayed with his momentum, nearly splashing onto Yuwen Qing. Actually, it did splash a little on his shoes. [Next he's going to say these shoes are from Meters○bonwe, kid, you can't afford to pay for them!] 'Sorry, it wasn't on purpose.' '...' Yuwen Qing didn't respond. He lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over the head in front of him from above. Ji Yue had two cowlicks on the crown of his head, his hair a deep black that made the small exposed section of his nape look pale as paper. Indeed, as the rumors said—frail and sickly, couldn't even carry a water bucket. Ji Yue had no intention of apologizing again, but he didn't leave either, waiting for the other's reaction. Yuwen Qing asked him only one question: 'Which Art Studio are you in?' 'Number three.' With that, Yuwen Qing left.

Over an hour later, the System heard Yuwen Qing's voice outside. [Is F2 waiting for someone?] 'He's still here?' Ji Yue opened the Art Studio door and peeked out. Sunlight streamed through the corridor windows, and across the way in the opposite classroom sat a blond young man, with an old professor beside him holding a document—who, according to the original novel, was also a member of the Yuwen family. The two were discussing something. Ji Yue decided to send Si Jing a text. Moon: [What are you doing?] The reply came instantly. sj: [I'm studying at the Library, why?] Moon: [Send me a photo.] sj: [【Image】] Moon: [Come here (location)] sj: [Okay.] [Why is the top student so obedient? Is it because you took him in for a night before? He even washed your underwear!] [You called him here to advance the top student and F2's storyline!] Ji Yue peeked outside again, confirming Yuwen Qing hadn't left. He was still there. This glance accidentally met Yuwen Qing's gaze head-on—the other had just walked out of the classroom. Ji Yue closed the door. The next moment, someone blocked the wooden door just as it was about to shut. The first thing in Ji Yue's line of sight was a dark-skinned hand, prominent veins on the back, wearing a watch. This hand pressed against the door and pushed it open with one push. 'Why are you coming in?' 'You looked at me many times just now. I should be asking you what you want.' Yuwen Qing sneered. [I get it, last time you were caught lurking outside F2's house, he's still suspicious of you!] Ji Yue chose not to answer, remembering what the nobody had said about being careful around Yuwen Qing. An old man walked in from outside—Professor Yuwen, one of Ji Yue's teachers. He looked at the mural sketch, said nothing, then turned to Yuwen Qing: 'Wait here for me.' Yuwen Qing raised an eyebrow: 'Right here?' [Hope F2 won't cause trouble and ruin your assignment! In the original novel he really dislikes the sneaky detective who lurks around every day!] Ji Yue didn't think about it that much. After a moment's consideration, he picked up his brush again, dipped it in ochre, and continued drawing lines on the wall. The room fell quiet, with only the faint sound of brush against wall. He'd always loved human religion and painting—sometimes it made him forget the F4, forget his role as a detective. He was so focused that it took him a while to notice Yuwen Qing hadn't left. The man had taken a stool and, at some unknown point, sat down beside him, silently gazing at the half-finished work on the wall just like Ji Yue was. It was a religious mural—the saints' eyes watching them, the paint still wet, carrying a moist quality of compassion. The atmosphere was strangely peaceful. Neither Ji Yue nor Yuwen Qing spoke, as if under the gaze of the divine, everything had returned to silence.

Until the door was tapped lightly a few times. 'It's me.' Si Jing's voice. The door opened. The first thing Si Jing saw was a familiar face—different from usual. His long hair, rarely tied up, was gathered at the back of his head, a few strands of black hair escaping to scatter messily across his cheeks. A touch of vermillion pigment stained his face, like a strawberry on a cream cake. 'You called me to help?' Si Jing only needed a glance around the Art Studio to roughly understand why Ji Yue had called him over. He didn't understand why Yuwen Qing was also there, didn't ask, and pretended not to see him. Ji Yue thought for a moment: 'Help me hold the ladder.' Originally he'd called the top student over to create shared space with Yuwen Qing, but this Art Studio wasn't a Café or a cinema—there wasn't much room to maneuver. How to get Yuwen Qing to come over and have some contact with the top student? The answer was nothing—he could only use this opportunity to let Yuwen Qing notice the top student at close range. By the time Ji Yue finally put down his brush on the ladder and lowered his head to climb down, more than half an hour had passed. During that half hour, Si Jing hadn't said a word. Seeing Ji Yue preparing to come down, he held the wooden frame, watching the boy's first foot reach down, and reminded him softly: 'Careful.' [The top student has become a laborer.] The System commented. Ji Yue ignored it, stepped firmly onto the ground, wiped the pigment from his hands, looked around—Yuwen Qing was nowhere to be seen. Ji Yue asked him: 'Did Yuwen Qing talk to you?' 'No.' Si Jing shook his head. 'If there's nothing else... should I go?' He waited a moment, but Ji Yue showed no intention of keeping him, so he had no choice but to leave.

After a while, Ji Yue checked the time again—it was time for lunch. He went downstairs and immediately saw someone passing by, walking slowly while looking down at a screen—just slow enough to make out that face. It was Si Jing. 'I was just wandering around nearby,' Si Jing said, his expression unchanged, his calm gaze settling on Ji Yue. 'Have you eaten? Together?' [When did you two get so close?] 'Maybe Si Jing also noticed that I'm investigating him.' Ji Yue turned and asked directly: 'What do you think of Yuwen Qing?' Si Jing described the situation lightly: 'I've heard from others that Yuwen Qing's personality is rather aloof. Just now he didn't even come hold the ladder—maybe he's just that kind of isolated personality... not saying anything bad about him.' Seeing Ji Yue looking at him, he lowered his head again, his voice growing much softer: 'Unlike me, who only knows how to feel sorry for you painting for so long.' [Uhhhh? Why does it sound like he really dislikes Yuwen Qing?] Ji Yue stroked his chin, unable to tell for the moment whether this was a joke. They arrived at the Restaurant. He ordered, and while waiting for the food, ran into Yuwen Qing again—the man pushed open the door, holding a bottle of soda, apparently just back from outside. Ji Yue looked at him, then at Si Jing. [The moment to create an opportunity has arrived!] The System rubbed its hands together. 'Eat together?' Ji Yue called out to him. 'Three people, you're quite the arranger.' Yuwen Qing sneered coldly. 'I still don't know—what's your relationship with the top student?' 'Classmates.' Yuwen Qing smiled ambiguously, said nothing, pulled out the chair next to Ji Yue, and sat down. Si Jing slowly closed the book in front of him. The air at the table suddenly grew tense, and even the entire Restaurant became much quieter than before. Ji Yue sat between the two, quietly thinking about having ice cream later.

At the same time, several planes swept low in the distant sky, their roar loud enough to hear inside the Restaurant. Ji Yue's gaze was drawn over. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking far in the direction of the school's Helicopter Pad, many service staff were already lined up waiting. Yuwen Qing, unsurprised: 'That's He Yuanxi.' Si Jing glanced over and explained to Ji Yue: 'You just transferred here, you haven't seen him before.' Ji Yue looked toward the windows again—this was his first time seeing the F4's true grandeur. The roar subsided, and a convoy of black cars drove out one after another. The cabin door opened, and someone descended the private plane's stairs, stepping onto a red carpet. Too far to make out the person's appearance. Surrounded by attendants, they entered one of the black vehicles and quickly disappeared from view. Now, all the targets were assembled.

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He Yuanxi, a relatively mysterious member of the F4 in the original novel, had previously been busy with family succession struggles. Unlike the other F4 members, his storyline was a campus youth painful romance. After a series of research, Ji Yue determined that He Yuanxi would be in some classroom in the Academic Building in the afternoon, but after wandering around the Academic Building several times without finding anyone, he found a public classroom to read and review. He was so absorbed in reading that he didn't notice someone coming in. By the time the other sat down, Ji Yue noticed the other was wearing a pair of white gloves. White gloves easily reminded him of Mickey Mouse's hands, the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. [This is He Yuanxi!] 'What's your English name?' Ji Yue asked him. [In any case, not Mickey!] The System pointed and commented: [The F4 wears gloves because his hands were injured by gunfire and left scars, which will fade in a while according to the plot.] 'A phonetic translation of my real name.' He Yuanxi took two books and sat beside him. 'Why do you ask?' Running into an F4 member in a classroom was still uncommon—reportedly this person was quite studious. 'Have you heard of the top student? Excellent, handsome, reserved.' Ji Yue began his investigation, trying to deepen the F4's impression of the top student from the original novel. 'Don't know him.' He Yuanxi, uninterested, lowered his head again.

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BBS Forum TOP THREAD... Topic: Rate this, three people at the Restaurant... 0L: 【Image】 1L: The school beauty and his two bodyguards?? (angry) (angry) 2L: I can't, this scene is kind of funny 3L: The school beauty... seems to really want them to get along... but... (giggle) (giggle) 4L: School beauty, don't expect a harem to live in peace! (crying) (crying) 5L: A somewhat familiar scene, earlier the school beauty and Li___ went to the Restaurant where the top student works (confused) 6L: 【Image】, Yuwen___ even waited for the school beauty in the Art Studio, so weird... 7L: I don't want to say this but, school beauty, you're not far from a dark room (crying) (fist) 8L: None of the F4 are mentally stable, school beauty don't be fooled by them (crying) (fist)