After Transmigrating, I Saved the Saintly Male Lead
o0o
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Ji Anche grabbed a handful of lemon candies from the fruit bowl, planning to give them to the male lead when they met later.
The male lead had gone to take the retest for the math competition and hadn’t returned yet.
Ji Anche timed it perfectly and called the male lead as soon as the exam ended.
"Beep—beep—"
The call connected quickly.
Ji Anche hurriedly asked, "Are you done?"
Gu Hanzhou chuckled.
"Yeah."
"Ge, how could I have come out if I hadn’t finished the exam?"
Ji Anche awkwardly rubbed his nose, realizing he had asked a pointless question.
"How did the retest go? I heard the competition questions were really hard this time. Even our class’s math representative cried after the exam."
When he didn’t hear a response from the male lead for a while, Ji Anche assumed the result wasn’t good. He was about to comfort him.
Gu Hanzhou subtly probed, "Ge, how do you know the math representative cried?"
The math representative, Tong Xiaotao, was a cute girl, and many boys in the class liked her.
Ji Anche, completely unaware, replied, "Li Xiangwen told me. He seems to be pursuing her recently."
Gu Hanzhou tightened his grip on his phone.
"Oh, I see. I thought you were interested in her."
Ji Anche laughed.
"No way. I don’t have those kinds of worldly desires."
He couldn’t be bothered with dating. Being single was just fine.
"That’s not important!"
Ji Anche held his breath nervously, even his breathing softened. "First, tell me how you did!"
Gu Hanzhou said, "There weren’t any questions I couldn’t do. I finished all of them."
Hearing this, Ji Anche let out a sigh of relief. He instantly felt that the exam results were in the bag.
"Amazing! Ge will treat you to barbecue tonight. We’ll drink until we drop and stay up until dawn!"
A faint smile spread across Gu Hanzhou’s lips as he quickened his steps toward the school gate.
At the corner, he suddenly ran into Tian Junxiong.
Gu Hanzhou’s expression froze for a moment, and he hid his phone behind his back.
He restrained his smile and politely said "Hello, Teacher Tian."
Hearing the words 'Teacher Tian' suddenly, Ji Anche was startled. He didn’t dare make a sound and focused on listening to what was happening on the other end.
Tian Junxiong’s voice was dry and hoarse. "You finished the exam?"
Gu Hanzhou replied, "Yes."
Tian Junxiong’s murky eyes flashed with malice.
"Come with me to the office."
After saying that, he turned and walked toward the office.
Gu Hanzhou unzipped his backpack and put the phone inside. The screen was still lit, showing [Call in Progress].
When they arrived at the office, Tian Junxiong sat at his desk with a cigarette between his fingers, his legs crossed.
Over the past month, he had aged several years.
This year’s awards and evaluations were canceled, and the promotion and raise he had been certain of fell through. Not only did he not get promoted, but his position was also demoted.
He had only embezzled 10,000 yuan from the school’s financial aid fund, and for such a small matter, the school had fined him 30,000 yuan. He heard the fine would be tripled and returned to the victims. Why should he pay the money and bear all the bad reputation?
Tian Junxiong took a fierce drag of his cigarette, the thick smoke filling his lungs and making him cough violently.
But at least the more serious issues hadn’t been exposed yet. If those were brought to light, he would truly be finished.
The resentment in his heart swelled, almost driving him mad. Tian Junxiong couldn’t swallow this anger no matter what. He needed an outlet.
He held the cigarette between his lips, the tip glowing red. "Gu Hanzhou, you must be really happy to see me suffering, huh?"
"No."
Ji Anche sensed something was wrong and pressed the call recording button.
Tian Junxiong sneered sarcastically, "The competition questions were very hard this time. I suggest you give up early and leave the opportunity for students who really need it. A backward place like H County could never produce a Tsinghua student. After all, poor mountains and bad waters breed troublemakers. I’m not discriminating against your region; I’m just stating the facts."
"Even if you get into Tsinghua, it won’t change the fact that you crawled out of the mud."
Tian Junxiong’s words were like a blunt knife stabbing into Ji Anche’s heart. No one could change their birth environment. Using that to attack someone was utterly despicable.
Just listening through the phone, Ji Anche was already furious. He didn’t dare imagine what expression the male lead might have.
The male lead must be very upset and angry.
Contrary to Ji Anche’s expectations, Gu Hanzhou’s face showed no anger. His dark eyes were as still as a dead well.
He listened quietly to Tian Junxiong’s personal insults, so quietly that it almost seemed detached and indifferent.
To him, Tian Junxiong was nothing more than a fly that could be swatted at any time.
Would a person get angry at a fly?
No.
In the past, he would have already dealt with these annoying flies.
Why were they still buzzing around this time?
The image of a certain young man’s face flashed in his mind.
Perhaps it was because, every time he faced malice, there was always someone who would stand in front of him without hesitation, shielding him from the storm.
Gu Hanzhou’s pupils churned with desire, a tingling sensation rising from the depths of his bones.
That intoxicating feeling was like a poisonous opium, addicting him.
Ten minutes later.
Tian Junxiong’s expression softened slightly. Venting his anger had indeed made him feel better. But Gu Hanzhou just stood there like a block of wood, which was boring.
"Are you mute? Can’t you even say a word?"
Gu Hanzhou remained expressionless, his dark eyes staring straight at him, sending an inexplicable chill down Tian Junxiong’s spine.
Tian Junxiong swallowed nervously, suddenly feeling something was off. Normally, Gu Hanzhou would retort a few times. Why was he so obedient today, enduring all the insults without a word?
But Gu Hanzhou was just a poor kid with no background. He couldn’t possibly cause any trouble.
Seeing Gu Hanzhou’s expressionless face, Tian Junxiong grew increasingly irritated. He waved his hand impatiently.
"Get out of here."
Hearing the sound of Gu Hanzhou’s footsteps as he walked out the door, Ji Anche gripped his phone tightly and tentatively whispered.
"Xiao Zhou?"
The phone emitted a faint static noise.
"Ge, I'm here. I forgot to turn off the phone earlier."
"...You didn’t hear anything, right?"
Ji Anche’s voice was hoarse.
"I heard it."
Ji Anche gritted his teeth in anger. "I’ve recorded everything he said just now. He’s definitely done for this time."
"Don’t pay attention to that trash. It’s not worth getting angry over garbage."
Gu Hanzhou’s muffled voice came through.
"I’m not angry."
Ji Anche comforted him, "How insecure must Tian Junxiong be to attack someone based on their background? It just shows he has nothing else to boast about besides his own origins."
"Don’t be upset, okay?"
"Ge, am I really as worthless as Tian Junxiong said?"
Gu Hanzhou’s voice was soft, as if he were discussing something trivial.
Even though he didn’t show much sadness, it still made Ji Anche’s heart ache fiercely.
"Don’t believe what he said. In my heart, you’ll always be the best. No one can compare to you."
"Really?"
Ji Anche said with heartfelt sincerity, "Really!"
"Little Gu Hanzhou is the kindest and most adorable kid in the whole world."
A tingling sensation spread from his bones to the depths of his heart. Gu Hanzhou’s fingers curled slightly, and his expression softened like spring rain.
"Ge, am I the most important person to you?"
Ji Anche didn’t hesitate.
"Of course."
In this unfamiliar world, the person he knew best, felt closest to, and trusted the most was Gu Hanzhou. Naturally, Gu Hanzhou was the most important person to him.
Gu Hanzhou pressed his ear tightly against the cold phone, as if doing so could bring him closer to the boy.
His pupils churned with desire, revealing a deep attachment as he whispered, "Ge, will you abandon me?"
"Don’t overthink it! How could I ever abandon you?"
Gu Hanzhou’s voice on the other end still sounded upset. Ji Anche felt at a loss, not knowing what to do. Holding his phone, he quickened his pace, eager to see the male lead as soon as possible.
After crossing the intersection, amidst the noisy traffic, Ji Anche spotted the tall, slender figure at a glance.
A light drizzle fell from the sky.
Ji Anche hung up the phone and broke into a run.
Cold raindrops landed on his cheeks, but he didn’t care about anything else. All he wanted was to reach Gu Hanzhou as quickly as possible.
He dashed across the road, weaving through the crowd, and wrapped his arms around Gu Hanzhou’s cold body.
"Be good, don’t be sad anymore."
Gu Hanzhou staggered back a few steps before steadying himself.
The boy’s body was warm and radiant, the heat seeping through the thin fabric of his clothes. A fresh lemon scent enveloped them, dispelling the gloomy, oppressive cold.
As the dark clouds cleared, a glimmer of light appeared in Gu Hanzhou’s eyes.
He tightened his arms, pulling the star into his embrace.
"Ge, you’re here."
o0o