The time of the city

The weather was getting colder. Mo Yu stayed in bed for five more minutes before getting up. She opened the curtains and saw a thick layer of ice mist on the glass. Her fingers felt cold just by touching it.

Thick clothes had already been placed at the head of the bed. Mo Yu knew that Shang Xue had prepared them for her. In winter, the school allowed students not to wear uniforms, so many girls who pursued beauty shivered in the cold winter wearing thin gauze skirts.

Mo Yu was extremely confused. She only cared about warmth and not about style. Every winter, she would wrap herself up like a dumpling, covering everything except her face.

After finishing her routine, Mo Yu went outside to find Ni Jiamu already waiting for her. He was dressed lightly, wearing only a sweatshirt, and beads of sweat were beading on his forehead. Mo Yu thought, he must have just returned from a morning run.

Ni Jiamu stared at the little Zongzi Mo Yu for a while, his eyes full of disbelief. "It's only been a short time, and you're already wearing such thick clothes?"

"I'm afraid of the cold," Mo Yu said, tightening her strawberry scarf around her neck. Ni Jiamu was in a good mood today, and he even stopped to buy Mo Yu a cup of steaming soy milk to warm her hands.

When they arrived at school, Moyu was about to get off the bus with her schoolbag on her back, but she was wearing too many clothes and couldn't carry it on her back. Ni Jiamu smiled, grabbed Moyu's arm and helped her carry the schoolbag. Moyu suddenly felt that this scene was like that of a mother and daughter, and at this moment, Ni Jiamu was full of maternal radiance.

"Thank you, brother." Mo Yu bounded into the school in a flash. The car still carried Mo Yu's unique scent of gardenias. Ni Jiamu sniffed his own hand and found the same scent on his.

After the first class, the monitor went to the office during break and called Mo Yu over. After Mo Yu left, a few gossipy girls surrounded the monitor and asked, "Monitor, why did the head teacher call Mo Yu over?"

"Don't spread rumors," the monitor lowered his voice, "It seems to be because of the big-character poster incident. When I went there, Gu Bai from the next class was also in the office." The girls almost got excited after hearing this, but fortunately the monitor stopped them in time.

"Sorry, class monitor, I'm so excited," one of the girls said. "I don't like her at all. She's so arrogant just because she's pretty and is best friends with Lin Xiao, the daughter of the Lin family. Last time, I asked her to lend me my homework to copy, but she refused." Another girl followed up with a vivid description.

Hostility between girls often comes from jealousy. If one person slanders her, and she happens to be good-looking, there will be more than one person slandering her. Mo Yu is the best example.

On the way to the office, Mo Yu kept wondering why the head teacher called her. Her grades had improved instead of declining, and she didn't think this was the reason. Was he asking about her plans for her senior year? That shouldn't be the case.

She walked to the office door in anxiety. She looked inside the half-open door and when she saw Gu Bai, she knew why the head teacher called her.

She knocked politely, and after getting permission from her homeroom teacher, she walked into the office. Gu Bai looked up and made eye contact with her, then lowered his head and stopped looking at her. "Teacher Xu, you're looking for me?"

Teacher Xu nodded and straightened her eyes. She was the school's top teacher, with over 20 years of experience and countless outstanding graduates. However, she was a rather old-fashioned teacher, and her class rules were quite strict.

After Mo Yu was assigned to a new class, Teacher Xu took over the original gentle and beautiful head teacher. After a month of working with her, the students began to complain, but their class's grades were much higher than other classes. The students also felt that under her guidance, their self-awareness in learning had improved, and they gradually accepted her.

"Mo Yu, are you and Gu Bai dating? The school has been talking about you two lately, you should have heard about it."

"I know you, a very beautiful girl. I just asked Gu Bai from my class, but he didn't say anything. Now that you are here, tell me what happened." Teacher Xu had just finished asking Mo Yu when the head teacher of Gu Bai's class followed closely. She suddenly felt a lot of pressure.

"I..." Mo Yu pursed her lips, ultimately remaining silent. "Mo Yu, answering the teacher's questions is a basic rule. If you don't tell me, the teacher will find out. You should know that our school has a clear rule prohibiting dating. Besides, you're already a senior in high school. Even if you have good grades, you'll be punished for violating the school rules."

Mo Yu's lips turned pale with fright at Teacher Xu's words. She glanced at Gu Bai beside her, but he still didn't seem to be ready to say anything.

"Teacher Xu, what's written on the poster isn't true." She tried to calm herself by picking at her fingers, but she couldn't stop shaking. A single demerit in her school days was like a prison sentence to Mo Yu. She had always been a good student, so she had never experienced anything like this.

"It's not true. What does it look like? If you explain it clearly, perhaps the punishment will be reduced. Think about your wording first."

After that, the two teachers tacitly left the office. Mo Yu, having been extremely nervous just now, collapsed on the sofa.

"Are you okay, Xiaoyu?" Gu Bai asked. "Gu Bai, let's tell the teacher that we are in love. This is indeed the truth."

"But...Xiaoyu, you know that in our school, if we find out you're in a relationship, we'll be punished and have to go home and reflect on it for a week. We're already in our third year of high school, so this has a huge impact on us."

"But what can we say? The photos show the facts, and the teacher can check the surveillance footage."

Gu Bai fell silent again. Seeing him like this, she felt both angry and helpless. After thinking it over, Mo Yu decided to tell the truth. She didn't like lying, and if she was punished in the end, she would accept it.

Not long after, two teachers came in, followed by the principal. The principal looked very angry. He was very confident in his management and had always thought that under his management, no one dared to break the school rules. Now, not only did someone break the school rules, but it was two students with good grades.

"What's wrong with you two? There are big-character posters all over the school, and even people from other schools know about it. Now my colleagues are laughing at me for not knowing how to manage."

The last time Mo Yu saw the principal was at the award ceremony. At that time, the principal asked her to keep working hard. But when they met now, she didn't expect that he would scold her.

"Call your parents first." Following the principal's order, Mo Yu picked up the phone and paused before calling Ni Jiamu. "Hello, who is this?" Almost the moment Mo Yu dialed, Ni Jiamu answered.

"I... I'm Mo Yu. Brother, can you come to school?" Mo Yu said almost in tears. "Okay, wait for me." Ni Jiamu immediately turned the car around.

"Don't blame me for being cruel. You all know that our school is being ranked nationally. If you dare to violate school rules at this critical juncture, you are going against me." The principal's face turned red with anger, and his pot belly heaved violently.

"I'm sorry, teacher. I did..."

"She really has nothing to do with this matter." Mo Yu knew it was Ni Jiamu almost the moment she heard the voice.

He stood at the door, breathing heavily, his hands on his knees and his back hunched, looking very tired. Mo Yu knew he had run up.

"The person in the big-character poster is me. I am Mo Yu's brother. Is there anything wrong with me coming to pick up my own sister?" Ni Jiamu's eyes dimmed, his brows slightly furrowed, and a watery color seemed to ripple in his blurred eyes.

"Even if the person in the photo is you, what about the fact that Gu Bai kissed Mo Yu?" The principal's face became even uglier when he saw Ni Jiamu being so arrogant.

"Our Xiaoyu is a lady from a prominent family after all. Do you think she will like him?" Ni Jiamu crossed his legs and leaned crookedly on the cabinet, looking down at Gu Bai with a look of disgust on his face.

"Principal Xu, I heard that the Ni family seems to be the largest investor in this school? Recently, your school seems to be competing with several schools in City A. I see that the school next door is on par with yours, and they are looking for investment from our Ni family again. Maybe I can persuade my father to consider it." Ni Jiamu's words were full of nonchalance, and the principal's face beside him became more and more ugly.

"Are you from the Ni family?"

"Not only me, but Mo Yu too. This matter should have nothing to do with my Xiaoyu. The study in the third year of high school is quite intense. I will take Xiaoyu back to the classroom and will not disturb you teachers." Ni Jiamu took Mo Yu's hand and walked out. Mo Yu turned around and saw Gu Bai staring at her blankly. His numb face had a stagnant look like a clay sculpture or stone carving.

Mo Yu felt uneasy when she looked at her, feeling like a betrayer. As she walked out the door, she shook off Ni Jiamu's hand and said, "Brother, I can't let Gu Bai take the blame alone. I need to go back and explain everything."

"Stop, you're protecting him so much, but has he protected you? Do you think your love for him is great? Is it earth-shattering and awe-inspiring? You and him shouldn't have been together in the first place. No one will bless you. He should pay for this mistake."

"Whether we are wrong or not, I should bear the responsibility with him."

"You don't have to bear the responsibility, you have me to protect you." Ni Jiamu stood in front of Mo Yu. He was very tall, and Mo Yu was just at his chest level. She couldn't see his face clearly, but she could feel his chest heaving violently with anger, and his beating heart. She felt surrounded by him, and his scent was all over her body.