Redemption from the Abyss: The School Beauty Insists on Pulling Me Out of the Mire

"Clang—"

The crisp sound of the porcelain spoon hitting the rim of the bowl was like pressing the mute button on the restaurant.

Su Qinghe remained frozen in that trembling position. A few drops of hot soup splashed onto the back of her hand, quickly leaving red marks, but she was completely unaware.

Her mind was replaying her mother's words over and over:

"Bring him back to meet us."

It wasn't a question, it wasn't opposition, but rather... an invitation?

Seeing her daughter's alarmed expression, Lin Wanyi's eyes flashed with a mixture of helplessness and amusement. She gracefully set down her knife and fork, took out a wet wipe, and gently took Su Qinghe's scalded hand, carefully wiping it.

"Why are you so scared? Am I that scary?"

"Mom, I..."

Su Qinghe's throat was dry, and he tried to explain, but he didn't know where to begin.

Should we say Xie Wang is a good person? Should we say we're just classmates? Or should we be honest and tell the truth?

"Alright, don't be nervous."

Lin Wanyi set the wet wipes aside, her tone regaining its usual composure and rationality, as if she were discussing a worthwhile investment project:

"I didn't mean anything by it. Your dad just said that it's amazing how a kid can go from being at the bottom of the grade to fifth in the province. Besides, I heard he's always been very protective of you at school."

Su Chengyun also chimed in at the opportune moment, smiling as he smoothed things over:

"Yes, Qinghe. Our family isn't some old-fashioned one. Since he's a friend you acknowledge and is so outstanding, wouldn't it be polite to invite him over for a simple meal to thank him for his kindness?"

"But..." Su Qinghe hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice, "His family situation..."

"I know."

Lin Wanyi interrupted her, her tone calm yet exuding a confident air of control:

"As long as he has a clean background, good character, and outstanding abilities, a hero's origins are irrelevant."

After speaking, Lin Wanyi picked up her chopsticks again, placed a piece of spare rib on Su Qinghe's plate, and made the final decision:

"How about this weekend? Ask him if he's free."

Su Qinghe looked at the ribs in the bowl, her feelings extremely complicated.

……

After dinner, Su Qinghe locked himself in his room.

She paced in front of the floor-to-ceiling window for a full ten minutes, her phone screen lighting up and turning off repeatedly.

Finally, she took a deep breath and dialed the number pinned to the top of her chat list.

"Beep—beep—"

The phone rang twice and was answered immediately.

"Hello, Teacher Su."

Xie Wang's lazy voice came through the receiver, with the faint sound of keyboard typing in the background:

"You already miss me after only a few hours apart? Is it because the food at home isn't as good as my sweet and sour pork ribs?"

Hearing his familiar voice, Su Qinghe's nerves, which had been tense all night, relaxed a little.

She leaned against the curtains and whispered:

"Xie Wang, there's something I need to tell you."

"Hmm? Go ahead and say it." Xie Wang sensed something was wrong with her tone, and the keyboard clicking stopped. "What's wrong? Did you get yelled at?"

"no."

Su Qinghe pursed her lips, looked at the neatly trimmed shrubs in the garden outside the window, and spoke with difficulty:

"My mom... knows about you."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Then Xie Wang let out a light laugh, still in his usual irreverent tone: "So what if you know? Someone as outstanding as me, second in the grade, can't hide it even if I wanted to."

"Stop joking," Su Qinghe interrupted him, her voice a little tense. "She knows we're together, and she knows we went on that trip together. And then..."

She paused, then conveyed the "supreme instruction" word by word:

She said she wants you to come to her house for dinner this weekend; she wants to meet you.

This time, there was complete silence on the other end of the phone.

Five full seconds passed without any sound.

Su Qinghe's heart jumped.

"Xie Wang, if you don't want to come, I'll cancel. I'll just say you need to study, or..."

"go."

Xie Wang's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting her retreat.

No longer the nonchalant air he had just displayed, but instead a calm and composed demeanor:

"Since Auntie specifically asked for my name to go, wouldn't it make me look like a coward if I didn't?"

"But my home..."

"Do you have a tiger in your house?" Xie Wang laughed. "Or are you afraid your parents will look down on a poor boy like me?"

"That's not what I meant!" Su Qinghe exclaimed anxiously. "I was afraid you'd feel uncomfortable. You know my mother, she has a very strong presence, and when she speaks..."

"Su Qinghe".

Xie Wang called out to her from the other end, his tone incredibly gentle:

"Don't worry about me."

"Since I want to walk alongside you, I have to get through this hurdle sooner or later."

"Besides, I should thank my uncle and aunt for having such a wonderful daughter as my classmate."

Su Qinghe held his phone, his eyes welling up with tears.

He's always like that.

They may seem unserious most of the time, but when it really matters, they are always more reliable than anyone else.

"Okay." Su Qinghe sniffed. "That's Saturday night."

"See you on Saturday." Xie Wang paused, then added, "Don't worry, I'll do my best. I'll try not to embarrass Teacher Su."

……

【8:30 PM · Room 1602】

hang up the phone.

Xie Wang's smile slowly faded.

He tossed his phone onto the table and leaned back in his chair.

Go to the Su family's house.

See Su Chengyun and Lin Wanyi.

These two are top business tycoons in Jiangcheng, with sharp eyes and countless experience in dealing with people.

Xie Wang looked down at his old T-shirt.

Is it stressful?

Of course there are.

But he knew even more clearly that if he wanted to stand proudly beside Su Qinghe, he couldn't stay in the shadows forever as a marginal figure.

"call……"

Xie Wang stood up and walked to the wardrobe, rummaging through it.

They only had school uniforms and a few casual clothes; they didn't even have a decent shirt.

"Looks like I need to go buy some clothes."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly.

I sat back down at the computer.

On the screen, the chat room invitation sent by the mysterious hacker "K" was still flashing.

He originally intended to ignore the other party for a few days.

But now... perhaps he needs to speed things up a bit.

Xie Wang's eyes sharpened, and he placed his hands on the keyboard, typing the command to enter the mysterious chat room:

Connect.