Chapter 80: Ji Qinghe

Chapter 80: Ji Qinghe

Li Yi was sitting in the security room, chatting with the security guard, when Xu Qingyao's homeroom teacher finally returned to school.

To Li Yi's surprise, Xu Qingyao's class teacher, Teacher Ji, turned out to be a young woman in her twenties.

The security guard noticed Li Yi's surprised expression and chuckled. "What? Do you think Teacher Ji is too young?"

Li Yi nodded subconsciously. The security guard continued with a smile, "She may not be old, but she has a strong background. Her family is well-connected!"

Li Yi raised an eyebrow. "You always seem to know people's backgrounds."

The security guard laughed. "I don't know the specifics, but she graduated from Jiangnan Normal University. She just joined No. 1 Middle School this year and became the homeroom teacher for the third-year high school students!"

Hearing this, Li Yi suddenly understood.

So, she's a top student from a prestigious university—no wonder!

While they were talking, the door of the security room opened, and Teacher Ji entered with a polite smile.

"Uncle Qin, sorry to bother you!" she said.

"No trouble at all! In fact, someone is here to see you," Uncle Qin replied immediately.

Only then did Teacher Ji notice Li Yi, who was sitting next to the security guard.

"Hello, who are you?" she asked curiously.

Li Yi smiled, stretched out his hand, and introduced himself. "Hello, Teacher Ji. I'm Xu Qingyao's brother—my name is Li Yi."

Teacher Ji's eyes lit up in understanding.

To Li Yi's surprise, she grabbed his extended hand with both hands, her face filled with excitement.

"Excuse me, do you work at a meat factory? Is your father's name Li Fengnian?"

Li Yi was slightly taken aback by her reaction, but he still nodded. "Yes, my father is indeed Li Fengnian, but I no longer work at the meat factory…"

Realizing that she had lost her composure, Teacher Ji quickly withdrew her hands and smiled apologetically.

"Well, Mr. Li, I wonder if you remember capturing a group of human traffickers and rescuing several children some time ago?"

Li Yi nodded, and a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Could it be that this Teacher Ji is related to one of the rescued children?

His guess was soon confirmed.

Teacher Ji continued, "My name is Ji Qinghe, and among the children you saved, one of them happens to be my sister!"

So, that's it!

Li Yi smiled. "It was nothing, really. You don't need to take it to heart, Teacher Ji."

At this moment, the security guard also reacted and grinned. "Ah, so you two are connected! Well, I'll leave you to talk while I go on patrol."

With that, the security guard walked out and closed the door behind him.

Ji Qinghe calmed herself and continued, "Mr. Li, here's what happened. My sister, Ji Lingling, is my biological sister. A while ago, my mother took her to the activity center to play, but they got separated in the crowd. When they couldn't find her, they reported it to the police. However, after two days, there was still no news.

"It wasn't until later that the Public Security Bureau contacted us and said they had found her. That's when we learned that it was you who had saved my sister!"

Li Yi finally understood the situation.

Originally, Ji Qinghe and her family had wanted to thank him in person. Her father even went to the meat factory to look for him, but due to Liu Tongfu's obstruction, they never got the chance to meet him.

"Teacher Ji, when the trafficker tried to attack my daughter, I acted on impulse and gathered a few friends to raid their hideout. It was just something I did in the heat of the moment. You don't need to make a big deal out of it."

Hearing Li Yi's words, Ji Qinghe was taken aback.

She hadn't expected Li Yi to be so casual about it, treating the entire event as if it were nothing.

This level of indifference toward his own heroic deed surprised her. It showed a remarkable mindset—one not commonly seen.

At this moment, Ji Qinghe remembered that Li Yi was Xu Qingyao's older brother.

"Mr. Li, so you're Qingyao's brother? Then you must be here for her, right?"

Li Yi nodded. "I do have some concerns. Qingyao's behavior recently… seems a little off."

Hearing this, Ji Qinghe's expression turned serious.

What's going on?

Even Qingyao's teacher doesn't know what's wrong?

"Teacher Ji, you mean Qingyao is in a bad state? Did something happen?"

Ji Qinghe hesitated for a moment before explaining, "I've been monitoring Qingyao's academic progress, and there has been a noticeable improvement. The teachers in each subject are quite satisfied with her performance. However, something is strange—her mental state appears weak.

"I spoke with the other teachers, and they all mentioned that Qingyao has been distracted frequently in class. This made me concerned, so I tried to talk to her about it."

"What did she say?" Li Yi asked with a frown.

"She told me nothing was wrong, just that she wasn't getting enough sleep and had very little rest time lately."

Hearing this excuse, Li Yi sighed helplessly.

That's the best she could come up with?

Lack of sleep could make someone tired, sure—but to be lost in thought for several days?

That was clearly a lie!

But why?

What could be bothering Qingyao so much that she was unwilling to talk about it?

Something was definitely off!

Li Yi's gaze darkened. No matter what, he had to find out the truth.

Although Qingyao had a strong personality, she wasn't someone who got into trouble.

So, the problem had to be within the school itself!

"Teacher Ji, I understand. Thank you for looking out for Qingyao."

Then, after a moment of thought, he added, "To be honest, I came here today because I noticed something was wrong with her too. I want to investigate the matter myself."

Ji Qinghe frowned slightly, deep in thought.

Based on Qingyao's behavior in class lately, something was definitely wrong.

Otherwise, given her personality, she wouldn't be so withdrawn—nor would she keep things a secret from both her teachers and family.

So, what was really happening?

Li Yi sighed. He had initially hoped that Ji Qinghe might have some answers, but it seemed that even her homeroom teacher was in the dark.

That meant there was only one option left—

He needed to ask Qingyao's classmates.

The college entrance exam was fast approaching. There could be no accidents at such a crucial time!

This exam would determine Qingyao's entire future.

His gaze became sharper with determination.

"Teacher Ji, I understand the problem now. How about this—I'll talk to Qingyao's classmates?"

Ji Qinghe's eyes lit up.

That's a good idea!

Perhaps the students knew something that she didn't!

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