Chapter 259: Chapter 259

After returning to the dormitory, everyone knew that Iro hadn’t come back, which was the first time in three years.

Iro hadn’t returned to the dormitory. Normally, one might think that she went home, but five days ago, a special squad from the capital had entered the school. All the teaching and administrative staff involved in this event had been arranged to stay on campus. That is to say, the school had already been locked down for five days, and even the principal himself was no exception.

Thus, Iro’s overnight absence seemed particularly abrupt, and no one spoke a word.

Anna had not slept well all night. When Li Xianglu woke up just after seven, she heard someone coming and going. Despite her extreme tiredness, with Iro not back yet, she decided to get up early to help look for her.

When Li Xianglu got up to wash up, Anna returned from outside. Seeing Li Xianglu, she said, "I’m thinking of waiting in the cafeteria to see if she’ll go for breakfast."

Li Xianglu nodded and said, "Wait for me, let’s go together."

Actually, there are two large cafeterias in the school now. Standing in the middle, one could see people coming from both directions.

At the cafeteria, while Anna stayed put, Li Xianglu went to buy a few buns and brought them down. The two didn’t care about appearances, they just finished eating on the spot and stood there waiting.

It wasn’t long before Qin Xi arrived, and seeing the two of them standing there, she asked what was going on.

Under normal circumstances, Anna would not have told Qin Xi about it, but now that she was engaged to Qin Zhen, the two families were relatives. Qin Zhen’s elder brother was now her own elder brother, so she told Qin Xi about Iro. Upon hearing that it was Teacher Jiang who was involved, Qin Xi was stunned and her brows deeply furrowed.

Seeing this, Li Xianglu knew he must be aware of something about Teacher Jiang, so she said, "Come on, just tell us. Anna is not an outsider."

Qin Xi pondered for a moment and said, "I’ve seen Teacher Jiang getting very close with Shen Yuehong."

Qin Xi’s words were subtle, but what did he mean by "very close"? As close as lovers? If that was the case, then there was something fishy about Teacher Jiang.

Li Xianglu and Anna exchanged glances, both with doubt and confusion on their faces. Did Iro really know what she was doing?

Just then, Li Xianglu’s sharp eyes spotted Iro and Teacher Jiang appearing from the west. Iro had changed clothes, wearing a masculine white shirt and a pair of loose-fitting jeans—in a style very much like what Teacher Jiang typically wore. And Anna rushed up to them before Li Xianglu could call out, already grabbing Iro in her hands.

Anna was furious, glaring at Teacher Jiang who was nearby, and pulled Iro, intending to leave.

Iro initially struggled free and, seeing Anna’s displeased face, apologized to Teacher Jiang, "Sorry, I’ll come find you later."

Li Xianglu and Qin Xi greeted each other and then hurriedly followed Anna towards the classrooms. Before they reached a place with fewer people, they heard Anna who could no longer hold back, asking, "Where did you go last night?"

Iro didn’t speak until they reached a secluded spot on the west side of the classroom, where they were shielded from the wind. The three of them finally stopped. Li Xianglu didn’t rush over, but first looked around to make sure no one was there, then took a position to keep watch in a triangular formation.

Only then did Anna let go and said, "Alright, now you speak!"

Iro sighed and said, "What to say? It’s just like what you saw."

Anna turned red with anger and pointed at her, "Is that the attitude you’re taking? Do you know how worried we were all night!"

Iro looked at Anna with a complicated expression and whispered softly, "You guys don’t worry about me, it’ll be fine after a few days."

But Li Xianglu felt something was off. What did it mean by "after a few days"? Could it be that love has an expiration date?

Anna, puzzled, insisted, "No, you’re coming back with me, or else I’ll call home and have them take you back!"

When Iro heard the word "home," his face changed color, his lips trembled, and he stepped forward to grab Anna’s hand, pleading, "Anna, please, trust me just this once, okay? I must do this, don’t ask why. I can’t tell you now, just trust me, alright? Everything will be fine after this period passes!"

Lu Anna softened when she saw the pleading look on Iro’s face. After all, they had grown up together since childhood. She also understood that matters of the heart aren’t under her control. Perhaps Iro needed time to sort things out.

Seeing Anna’s expression relax, Iro then said, "I won’t be coming back to sleep for the next couple of days. I’ve got some things to deal with before I can return."

As soon as she heard he wouldn’t be coming, Anna’s face changed again. She glanced at Li Xianglu beside her and asked in a low voice, "Iro, did you... with someone?"

Iro’s cheeks flushed, and he shook his head, "No, don’t worry about it. I’ve told you, I’ll come back after I’ve sorted everything out."

Anna, unable to convince him, sighed, "Alright, go back and change out of these clothes first. I won’t meddle in anything else, but you must understand what’s important, remember our parents."

Upon hearing this, Iro’s face turned pale, he nodded, and quickly turned towards the direction of the dormitory.

Lu Anna stood there, looking disgruntled as she watched Iro’s retreating back. Li Xianglu approached her with a puzzled look and asked, "What does Iro need to deal with?"

Anna explained, "Maybe it’s some romantic issue with Teacher Jiang that he needs to resolve before he can come back."

But Li Xianglu shook her head, "Anna, I have a bad feeling. I think Iro might be involved in something serious; otherwise, he wouldn’t skip returning to the dormitory."

Anna frowned, "That’s impossible, what could possibly happen to Iro?"

Li Xianglu asserted, "Anna, you have to trust me. I feel isn’t a simple matter. I’m going to contact my grandfather and ask him to get involved in the investigation. I have a hunch that something big is going to happen."

Anna was taken aback. Li Xianglu’s grandfather. Her father had said that this old man was not to be underestimated; the number of spies who had died by his hand was not few, and he had even worked for the enemy when he was young, a very influential figure.

Although she knew Li Xianglu was not Li Huai Ren’s biological granddaughter, having been adopted for not a short time, Li Huai Ren must have passed on some secrets to her as well.

Thinking this, Anna also said, "Let’s do this, we’ll go to Mr. He’s house, make a phone call to our families, tell them the situation, and see what they think."

Li Xianglu nodded. Mr. He was a professor at the school, with a house on campus. He was Iro’s brother’s former teacher. All three of them had been invited over for dinner before and were acquainted. Making a phone call there would minimize the chances of others overhearing.

By the time the two of them had returned from making the call, there was no one left in the dormitory. They had to ask Xiao Chong to find out that Iro had come back, packed up two dresses, and left, leaving behind a note.

Anna held it in her hand, looked at it, and then handed it to Li Xianglu.

"Do not worry, everything will turn out fine!"

ps: Having a stomach that can discern gutter oil is really painful. I ran to the bathroom three times after getting home at a little past seven and even my usual one-hour, two-thousand words target can’t be met. There will be three updates today, with two more to come.