My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

The doctor gave Shi Nian a note of absence but the girl unexpectedly declined and insisted on coming to school. Of course, Qiang Fei was the first person to protest but she knew how stubborn Shi Nian was when she had made up her mind. Furthermore, she always had an idea of what she was doing, never letting Qiang Fei worry about her. It rendered Qiang Fei helpless in face of her insistence.

"Why do you insist on going to school anyway?" Qiang Fei couldn't help asking.

"Just…because." Shi Nian murmured under her breath. The girl had been out of it since Jiang Jinyan showed no sign of waking up for the whole morning. However, the doctor assured her that everything was fine. He had just lost quite a lot of blood thus he needed a longer time to recuperate.

Shi Nian received the school uniform from her mother and changed into it in the bathroom.

Seeing Qiang Fei's mildly anxious look, Shi Nian felt distressed on her behalf. "Mama, I am okay." She assured the worried woman with a smile. "There's just something important I have to do."

"Fine." Qiang Fei sighed. Fortunately, Shi Nian didn't sustain any injuries, which was one thing Qiang Fei had to be grateful of. "Mama will drop you off, okay? Do you bring your phone with you? Make sure to call me or Detective Xu if something happens."

"Okay." Shi Nian pocketed her phone and ushered the woman out. "Let's go or else I will be late!"

School was just as intense and boring as always. Mock exams, make-up lessons, quizzes, reviews, practice papers. Now that December was arriving in two weeks, everyone had started to get serious. Some had even registered to additional cram schools such as Chen Jiawei who strived to get into a top university in the Capital. Some were relatively calm, especially those who were certain to follow the affiliate program and enrolled into Sangzhe University, such as Mo Ling and Shi Nian.

As long as they didn't flunk the exams and got a lower than average score, then Sangzhe University would definitely open its arms for them.

Because of yesterday's event at the cafeteria with Zhang Jiancheng, Shi Nian was once again subjected to the students' heated discussion and gossip. Hushed whispers would follow wherever she went. Usually, Shi Nian would be uncomfortable to be the center of attention but today, she didn't even notice a thing.

When the school bell rang and students swarmed out to get to the cafeteria, Shi Nian waved toward Chen Jiawei and Mo Ling. [Can you grab a seat for me first? My tummy hurts.]

"Are you okay?" Chen Jiawei worriedly asked.

"Do you need me to accompany you to the infirmary?" Mo Ling held onto Shi Nian's arm as if she was going to collapse anytime soon. She leaned forward and whispered. "Is it that time of the month?"

Shi Nian gave a furtive smile which further confirmed Mo Ling's guess. The latter's expression relaxed and she slung her arm around Chen Jiawei, dragging her out. "Okay then, we will wait for you! Just take your time slowly!"

Chen Jiawei: ???

She wanted to say something but Mo Ling whispered into her ears. Her expression smoothened and she nodded in understanding. "I have heat packs in my bag if you get cramps. You can get it from me later."

Shi Nian didn't know whether to laugh or cry and jokingly shooed them away. Chen Jiawei and Mo Ling went to the cafeteria together while Shi Nian turned around and descended two flights of stairs and arrived at the second floor. The hallway and classrooms were quite deserted because the majority had rushed to the cafeteria as soon as the bell rang.

Shi Nian walked along the familiar path which led to the Moonlight Pavilion. As always, the gate was locked by a heavy string of chain and large padlock. A few meters from it was the music room and washrooms separated into two areas for males and females respectively.

Shi Nian turned into the female washroom. A row of five cubicles was set on one side of the wall while the other was sinks and mirrors. There were two girls inside who were reapplying lip gloss and combing their hair before sauntering out, all the while chatting and laughing. Shi Nian waited by the side patiently until the girls left, only then did she walk to a sink and open the faucet.

Cold water rushed out, chilling her hands. Shi Nian shivered minutely and splashed some cold water onto her face. The reflection on the mirror showed a slightly fatigued girl. She had large eyebags and a pale complexion. Even her golden eyes dimmed considerably, making her look quite dull and pallid.

The closed cubicle on the second left opened and Ruo Tingran stepped out. Upon seeing Shi Nian, she showed a slightly surprised expression before calming down quickly and there was even a hint of derision in her eyes. Acting as if Shi Nian wasn't there, Ruo Tingran strode toward the sink and washed her hands.

Shi Nian closed the faucet and dried her hands, her eyelids lowered to hide the emotions within. All of a sudden, she asked. "It's you, isn't it?"

For a while, Ruo Tingran couldn't react. She wasn't even aware it was Shi Nian who had just spoken. Shi Nian lifted her eyes to stare straight at her through the mirror, the rims of her eyes reddened. Only then did Ruo Tingran realize in astonishment that it was Shi Nian who was talking!

"You—" She gaped in shock. "You can actually speak?!"

No change of expression could be spotted in Shi Nian's face. She continued to say, it was no longer a question but a statement instead. "The one who asked people to teach me a lesson twice, also…the one who posted the forum discussion with Li Qing's phone, it's all your doing."

.

.

.

A/N: It's Ruo Tingran! Do you see it coming or have you suspect her all along?? (ʃƪ¬‿¬)

anddd, with this chappie our mass release ends! Thank you everyone for your GT! Please cast MDG with your grace so that we can have another MR when it reached 200! Cya~