Chapter 44: Direct Confrontation
After resolving Lianbing’s issues, I was given a brief period of free time to enjoy a peaceful school life.
Lianbing’s problem was mostly resolved, and she agreed to re-establish contact with me. However, she made one request: she would only re-establish our fated connection after her one-month maid’s term was over.
She explained the reason: receiving memories and emotions from the previous world in her current state would only make her more confused. She wanted a month to adjust. Of course, if she couldn’t adjust within that month, she would give up.
It felt like a death sentence reprieved. It was a strange feeling.
In any case, Lianbing’s storyline was considered complete. I gained her permission and unlocked her maid outfit, but unfortunately, I also learned that the negative effects would continue to spread.
Li Nai’s route was stuck. With her stubborn personality, I figured the only way to get her to agree was to complete the side quest of confessing to Xinran Xiang. But finding a good solution for that mission was proving difficult at the moment.
So, the remaining tasks were to find out who the horned person A Liang saw that day was, and another important matter: I had to start Xue Qing’s route as soon as possible.
“Here, have some tea.”
“Oh, thank you. You’re really thoughtful.”
“That’s only natural.”
It was lunchtime, and Lianbing and I were eating together. However, we weren’t at our usual spot in the pavilion. The weather had become too cold to eat outside.
So, we came to the staircase that led to the roof to eat. Recently, to prevent students from going to the rooftop, the door had been locked, and the entrance was blocked with tables and chairs. We could sit on these tables and chairs to eat.
Actually, during lunch break, I had originally intended to eat alone. But after Lianbing called me “Master,” I knew I couldn’t eat in the classroom anymore.
I thought she wouldn’t call me that at school. Was she trying to trick me?
“Master, I need to buy groceries for dinner after school. Could you provide me with some shopping money?”
“Lianbing, please don’t call me Master at school.”
“Why?”
“Why are you asking? Young Miss, are you genuinely unaware, or are you pretending not to know?”
“But I am your maid now. I should consider you my Master in any situation. That is a maid’s duty.”
She didn’t seem to be teasing me. It seemed Lianbing had such an unconventional side to her. No, perhaps it was more accurate to say her understanding of a maid was too orthodox.
But to other students, it would look very different.
Having a classmate call me Master felt like we were engaging in some special play, and it would lead to misunderstandings about our relationship and my character.
Our classmates, however, were a discerning bunch, and they loved gossip. Lianbing’s unintentional “Master” must have been overheard by them, and they were now eagerly whispering amongst themselves, analyzing the relationship between Lianbing and me.
*Sigh, I give up. My reputation is beyond salvaging.*
Besides, being called Master actually felt pretty good.
The last person who called me Master had now become my teacher again.
“Fine, do as you please. By the way, my wallet is in your hand. Use it as you see fit; you don’t need to ask me about such things.”
“Hehehe~ Thank you, Master.”
“Mas—”
That voice came from beside me. I turned my head and saw Lili, holding her textbooks, frowning as she looked at us.
Ah, speak of the devil. The last person who called me Master appeared.
If it were any other teacher, I might have panicked, but seeing Lili, I relaxed.
This was because Lili had embarrassed herself in front of me too many times; she had lost all her dignity and self-respect.
“Classmate Juncheng, our school does not permit improper interactions between boys and girls. Are you two doing anything unhealthy?”
“We’re just eating together. There’s no feeding scene involved.”
“Oh? Are you hoping I’ll feed you? I apologize, I didn’t realize your desire. This is my dereliction of duty~ Please punish your little maid~”
This was clearly intentional. She spoke those misleading words in a voice so sweet it was sickening, right in my ear, clearly doing it because Lili was there.
Don’t cause trouble now. Look, Lili’s face is turning almost liver-colored.
“Then why is she calling you Master?”
“There are many complex reasons for this, but it’s definitely not what you think, Lili.”
“At school, please call me Teacher Yang, Classmate An.”
Her tone grew colder, and even the way she addressed me dropped a level, becoming just “Classmate” followed by my surname.
“Yes, Teacher Yang.”
This wasn’t difficult for me, so I corrected myself immediately.
“Oh, right, Teacher Yang, why are you here?”
Since the rooftop was closed, few people came here. Why would Lili come? It couldn’t be that she came specifically to catch me cheating, right? *Pah, catch me doing what? There’s nothing to catch.*
Lili didn’t answer my question immediately. Her brows furrowed even deeper, her grip on her textbooks tightened, and she hugged her legs tightly as if she felt unwell, her body slightly hunched.
*This is wrong. Lili in this world hasn’t signed a master-servant contract with me. Last time I called her Teacher, she didn’t react either.*
I thought she might be thinking about something else, so I repeated her name a few times.
“Teacher? Teacher Yang?”
“Enough, what’s enough…”
I was a bit confused. Lili covered her cheeks, silent for a moment, then said,
“Forget it, just call me by my name.”
“Heh-heh-heh~”
Lianbing let out a chuckle, unable to contain her laughter.
Lili’s face turned red, and she turned her head away. I was still half-clueless, not understanding why Lili suddenly told me to change how I addressed her.
But it was indeed more comfortable for me to call her by her name.
“I was looking for you. Someone from your class said you were here, so I came to find you.”
“Why were you looking for me?”
“The Principal is looking for you. You might be summoned by broadcast at any moment.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the school broadcast began.
“Class 3-3’s Juncheng An, please come to the Principal’s office. Class 3-3’s Juncheng An, please come to the Principal’s office immediately.”
Is the Principal looking for me about the organization?
SF Light Novel
“I understand. I’ll head over now.”
“I’ll take you there.”
“Okay, Lianbing, you can go back after you finish eating. You don’t need to wait for me. I’ll go straight back to class after visiting the Principal’s office.”
“Hehe, understood, Master.”
I walked past Lili and went down the stairs first, saying,
“Let’s go, Lili.”
“Mas—”
As I passed by, I heard her unconsciously utter the word. I immediately turned back and called her name again.
“Ah, it’s nothing. Let’s go then.”
Lili shook her head and walked past me, taking the lead.
I gazed at her graceful back, somewhat dazed.
Does the title “Master” bother her so much?
Or does Lili’s heart still hold some “traces”?
Following Lili to the Principal’s office, this was the first time I’d seen Nana since the world changed. I wondered what changes she would have undergone. I took a deep breath and knocked on the Principal’s office door.
“Come in.”
I opened the door and walked in.
Nana was still Nana, but her expression was icily cold. There was no trace of warmth in her gaze as she looked at me, completely like she was interrogating a criminal.
I finally understood. She was no longer the Nana I was familiar with, the Nana who knew me.
“No point in beating around the bush. I’ll ask directly: Juncheng An–no… Who exactly are you?”
