Chapter 2: The King of Tardiness

At that moment, Zhang Xiaopang was sitting alone in an old classroom on the second floor of the third teaching building at Mingde High School.

Beside him was an empty trash can.

Seeing Jiang Lili’s message, he hurriedly looked around but still didn’t see anyone.

The entire building was eerily quiet.

Zhang Xiaopang felt a chill run down his spine and quickly typed a reply:

[Finally, someone replied to me! Sister, I’m in the old classroom! I was wrong, okay? Please stop scaring me!]

Thinking about the bizarre scene that had just happened, cold sweat broke out on his forehead:

[Let me tell you, I saw a ghost!]

[The soda can and banana peel I just threw into the trash can are gone! It’s terrifying! Please come out already!]

Dididi—

Jiang Lili received Zhang Xiaopang’s reply, and when she saw him mention the “soda can and banana peel,” her pupils dilated in shock.

Weren’t those the exact pieces of trash that had fallen out of her basket?!

Jiang Lili carefully examined the basket in her hands. From the original owner’s memories, she had learned that it was used by bailiffs to make prisoners catch fish.

The fish, of course, were for the officials to feast on.

The basket was slightly larger than a standard backpack, made of woven bamboo, and was heavily worn.

So, this basket connected the past and the present?

Jiang Lili couldn’t help but laugh. Who would’ve thought that Zhang Xiaopang’s terrible habit of being late would turn out to be a blessing in disguise for her?

Oh, the king of tardiness, Xiaopang!

She quickly sent a message to the group chat:

[Xiaopang! Do you have any food left on you?! Hurry up and throw it into the trash can! I’m starving to death here!]

[Also, there are wolves here—ahhhhhhhhhh!]

After sending the message, Jiang Lili, worried that Zhang Xiaopang might not understand, sent three voice messages in quick succession. She briefly explained that she had transmigrated and that the basket she carried could connect the ancient and modern worlds.

Not long after sending the message, Jiang Lili heard a noise coming from her basket. She quickly reached in and felt around, pulling out a packet of compressed biscuits.

Jiang Lili’s eyes lit up with hunger. She tore open the packaging and devoured the biscuits ravenously.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaopang seemed to be digesting the overwhelming information from Jiang Lili’s voice messages. After quite a while, he finally sent a message in the class group chat:

[Zhang Xiaopang: Are you for real? o.0 @Jiang Lili]

Although what Jiang Lili described sounded utterly absurd, Zhang Xiaopang still decided to throw some food over first, just in case.

[Jiang Lili: No time to explain, got any more food? This is barely enough to fill the gap between my teeth!]

The QQ chat interface looked just like it did on their phones, complete with all the usual features.

Curious, Jiang Lili tapped the camera icon above the chat box, wondering if she could take a photo to prove she wasn’t joking.

A camera interface appeared beside the chat window, but since it was nighttime, the screen was pitch black.

She tapped the “flip camera” button and then pressed the shutter. The sudden flash of the bright light made her instinctively shut her eyes. Without thinking, the selfie was sent directly to the chat.

It wasn’t until after sending the photo that Jiang Lili saw her own selfie. In that instant, she wanted to die of embarrassment.

In the photo, she held the soda can that Zhang Xiaopang had thrown over. Her eye sockets were sunken, her lips were chapped, her hair was a complete mess, and there were even signs of a beating on her face. She looked worse than a refugee—more like a zombie on the brink of starvation!

[Zhang Xiaopang: Oh my god, Sister Lili, you’re about to turn into a zombie! I’ll go find food for you right now!]

Seeing Jiang Lili’s pitiful selfie and the items in her hands, Zhang Xiaopang was utterly convinced. He didn’t dare waste another moment.

Jiang Lili looked like she was truly starving to death!

Jiang Lili had always sat in front of him in class, frequently letting him copy her homework. Not to mention the time she had nearly saved the entire class during a school fire.

This was a life-and-death bond!

Shoving his phone into his pocket, Zhang Xiaopang grabbed the trash can, and sprinted toward the convenience store near the school as fast as his legs could carry him!

As Zhang Xiaopang rushed past the school’s security office, he didn’t forget to shove a hundred-yuan bill into the hands of the stunned security guard.

“Uncle, I’m buying the trash can in the first classroom on the second floor of Building Three!”

The security guard stared blankly at the money in his hand, completely dumbfounded.

What in the world? Who spends 100 yuan to buy a classroom trash can? Was this some deep and profound love for their alma mater?

After finishing the packet of compressed biscuits to settle her stomach, Jiang Lili finally regained some strength from her hunger-induced haze.

She glanced around the dirt pit she was trapped in, intending to ask Zhang Xiaopang to send her something like a ladder. But then she noticed something she had missed earlier in her hunger-addled state—a thick hemp rope hanging down from the top of the pit.

The rope’s sudden appearance was strange, but Jiang Lili didn’t have a choice. Staying in the pit was a death sentence, while climbing out offered at least a slim chance of survival.

Resolving to take the risk, she gritted her teeth and started climbing.

After about fifteen grueling minutes, Jiang Lili managed to haul herself up to the surface, collapsing onto the ground and gasping for air.

However, before she could fully catch her breath, she felt something furry brush against her shoulder.

A rank, gamey smell typical of a predator wafted over her from behind.

Jiang Lili froze. She didn’t need to turn around to know what it was—it was a wolf.

A cold wetness trickled down her neck as the wolf’s drool dripped onto her skin.

Instinct kicked in, and Jiang Lili rolled to the side just as the wolf lunged.

Sure enough, the powerful creature landed right where her neck had been moments ago, narrowly missing her in its attempt to deliver a fatal bite.

Dodging the attack by a hair’s breadth, Jiang Lili immediately scrambled to her feet and started running for her life.

Using sheer desperation, she fired off frantic messages in the group chat via mental command, begging for help.

The sound of the wolf’s heavy footsteps grew louder behind her, closing the distance with every second.

As Jiang Lili looked ahead, she saw her escape route blocked by a fallen tree.

There was no way out!

Desperation gripping her, she turned to face the wolf. The beast, towering nearly half her height, was now just a few steps away.

At this critical moment, Jiang Lili suddenly felt herself being yanked away, and her vision went black.

A pair of warm, dry hands covered her eyes.

“Ugh—”

The wolf let out a pained whimper. Jiang Lili felt a few warm droplets of liquid splatter onto her neck.

The faint, metallic tang of blood filled the air, making her shiver uncontrollably.

“Don’t be afraid,” a man’s voice sounded near her ear, clear and smooth like jade, but with a hint of raspiness.

The hands covering her eyes moved away, and a breathtakingly handsome face came into view.

Jiang Lili’s mind instantly supplied the man’s name: Xin Che, the heir to the Marquis of Zhaoping. A classic example of the ” beauty, strength, and misery” archetype, he was known for his stunning looks, formidable strength, and an equally devastating fate—betrayed by the current emperor, Emperor Qingning.

Xin Che’s pale lips and tousled hair framed his sickly yet still strikingly refined features. Despite the illness evident in his countenance, his back remained straight and proud.

In his hand, he held a thick tree branch, one end sharpened to a deadly point and dripping with blood. The wolf lay lifeless on the ground, its throat pierced clean through. Xin Che’s sheer strength and skill were undeniable.

From the memories Jiang Lili inherited, she knew that Xin Che had been sacrificing his own food for the Marquis and his younger family members. He hadn’t eaten for three days and nights, relying solely on his iron will to keep going.

“Why did you leave the camp tonight?”

His voice was calm but carried an edge of authority.

Tonight’s atmosphere was indeed strange—the bailiffs tasked with guarding the prisoners had all inexplicably fallen asleep, their vigilance practically nonexistent.

Xin Che’s sharp, phoenix-shaped eyes bore into Jiang Lili with a probing gaze, his tone measured but commanding.

Xin Che’s overwhelming aura of a battle-hardened warrior made Jiang Lili avert her gaze. Before she could think of an excuse, she noticed his body sway unsteadily. Startled, she hurried forward to support him.

It seemed that the earlier strike had drained all of Xin Che’s remaining strength.

Jiang Lili propped him up with her small frame. “It’s a long story, but I’ve been doused with wolf-attracting powder! We’ve fallen into a trap!”

Xin Che’s gaze darkened upon hearing her words. “As long as I’m alive, they can’t be at ease for a moment,” he said, his tone carrying a cold determination.

He stepped back slightly, putting some distance between them, though he still steadied her with a light hand.

“There’s no need,” he said curtly, his voice frosty.

Jiang Lili shrugged, sensing his disdain. Clearly, he disliked this troublesome princess consort.

The original owner had been spoiled and pampered in the Shangshu Manor, throwing tantrums all the way through their exile journey. The Marquis and his wife, burdened by guilt, had protected her at every turn.

As for Xin Che, she barely knew him—they’d met less than half a month ago. Their relationship was distant, almost indifferent.

Jiang Lili didn’t mind. All she cared about now was Zhang Xiaopang hurrying up with some supplies.

Unfortunately, danger arrived before help could.

<< TOC >>

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