C87 The Sound of Gunshots Suddenly Appeared in the Library. the Sound of Gunshots Suddenly Appeared

The next morning, Sun Meng, who was supposed to help Teacher Lin with cooking, couldn't get herself out of bed.

Flying solo, Teacher Lin whipped up breakfast for everyone and then went around waking them up to eat.

Tang Bing couldn't shake the feeling that Zhao Dagang was smirking at him since the moment he woke up. Whenever he asked him something, Zhao just chuckled and deflected the conversation.

At the cafeteria, Liang Hui was already digging in, not bothering to wait for Tang Bing and the rest.

Tang Bing and Zhao Dagang took their seats just as Qin Mengli arrived a bit late.

"Mengli, you're usually up with the birds. What's up today?" Teacher Lin asked, serving breakfast before giving Mengli a concerned look. "Those dark circles are intense. Did you overdo it last night?"

"It's nothing!" Qin Mengli quickly covered her eyes with her left hand and kept her head down, focusing on her meal.

"Miss Qin, what's wrong?" Zhao Dagang inquired, his curiosity piqued.

Without looking up, Qin Mengli simply shook her head.

Tang Bing was puzzled. He knew Qin Mengli had been up late eavesdropping outside, but he had no idea what could've caused her to lose a whole night's sleep.

Lost in thought, he was brought back to reality as Sun Meng made a beeline for the cafeteria, sporting a pair of sunglasses that seemed to appear out of thin air. She tried to skirt past Tang Bing in a hurry.

But Tang Bing, with his keen senses, wasn't someone you could easily slip by.

He blocked Sun Meng's path and removed her sunglasses. "It's overcast today. Why the shades?"

"Ah!" Sun Meng quickly covered her face with her hands and snatched her sunglasses back from Tang Bing.

"Whoa! Another set of raccoon eyes!" Zhao Dagang exclaimed with a laugh. "Ms. Meng, were you out playing cat burglar last night?"

"Shut it! You're the thief!" Sun Meng shot back, rolling her eyes at him. She avoided Tang Bing's gaze, hastily put her sunglasses back on as if making a quick getaway, and sat down next to Qin Mengli. Then, turning to Lin Leyan, she said, "Teacher Lin, I'm sorry! Why don't you take a break tomorrow? I'll handle breakfast."

"No worries!" Lin Leyan slid Sun Meng's share toward her. "Rough night?"

"Yeah," Sun Meng replied, casting a puzzled glance at Qin Mengli, her heart pounding.

Did Mengli have trouble sleeping? Maybe she overheard me going into Bing's room? No, that can't be. Perhaps she woke up after I went in. But if she heard everything, what am I going to do? Where can I even show my face?

Qin Mengli kept her gaze down, seemingly engrossed in her breakfast, but inside, she was anything but sure of herself, even feeling a bit panicky.

Could Sun Meng and Tang Bing suspect that I was eavesdropping last night? Sure, I was, but it would be mortifying to be found out! And what exactly happened between them last night? There's nothing between Tang Bing and me anymore, so why do I even care? Stop thinking about it, just stop...

Both women, dark circles under their eyes, were lost in their own thoughts.

Tang Bing knew best what had transpired the night before, so the dark circles under Qin Mengli and Sun Meng's eyes didn't draw much of his attention compared to the rest of the team.

He was more preoccupied with what Zhao Dagang had said to Sun Meng. Did that big lug overhear something last night? Why else would he suddenly talk about acting like a thief?

With everyone deep in thought, breakfast was a quick affair. Afterward, Tang Bing laid out the day's tasks: "Today, you'll move the supplies onto the car. I'm going to dismantle the upper deck seats and turn it into a mobile storage area. Check the suitcases downstairs for any items left by tourists. Discard what's not useful and keep what is. Later, Dagang and I will collect the remaining supplies from the nearby supermarket. Any questions?"

"None!" Lin Leyan and Liang Hui responded immediately, while Sun Meng and Qin Mengli gave a listless nod in agreement.

"Dagang, help them move the supplies from upstairs," Tang Bing instructed, turning to him. "We shouldn't have the ladies doing all the heavy lifting."

"Got it! I'm on it!" Zhao Dagang agreed without a hint of complaint and hurried upstairs.

"Teacher Lin, you and Liang Hui handle the lighter supplies on the lower floors," Tang Bing directed, glancing elsewhere.

"Got it!" Lin Leyan quickly headed upstairs with her daughter.

"Are you two holding up okay? If not, get some rest first," Tang Bing said, noticing the dark circles under Sun Meng and Qin Mengli's eyes.

Qin Mengli quickly shook her head, "I'm good! We need to inventory the supplies in the car today!"

"Me too," Sun Meng said, avoiding Tang Bing's gaze, "I'll assist Mengli."

"Alright," Tang Bing noted Sun Meng's avoidance and mused that she must have been playing him last night. This woman was more complicated than he thought. He had mistakenly believed she might have had some interest in him, but apparently, that wasn't the case.

It was time to face reality! Men like him often attracted those with ulterior motives—whether for supplies, protection, or to uncover his secrets.

From now on, he resolved to be wary of any woman, especially the beautiful ones.

Tang Bing gave Sun Meng a contemplative look before turning and making his way toward the bus.

Clearly, something had transpired between them last night.

Qin Mengli watched covertly, noting a change in Sun Meng's behavior. She no longer clung to Tang Bing as before but instead seemed to instinctively dodge his gaze and maintain a distance. Tang Bing, too, behaved differently, often glancing at Sun Meng while paying little heed to Qin Mengli by his side.

Qin Mengli suddenly realized that Sun Meng's reactions mirrored how Tang Bing had once acted around her—hesitant to meet her eyes. Tang Bing's increased attention to Sun Meng suggested that something must have happened between them. Why else this sudden change?

Qin Mengli felt an inexplicable twinge of jealousy.

Unaware of Qin Mengli's feelings, Sun Meng stole glances at Tang Bing's retreating figure until he vanished from view.

Her emotions were a tangled mess, especially when Tang Bing looked her way. She would instinctively avert her gaze. Each eye contact sent her heart racing, bringing back memories of the previous night's intimate moments.

She felt overwhelmed, yet there was something extraordinary about the sensation she was experiencing.

Whenever he gazed at her, she was at a loss, unable to meet his eyes; but the moment he looked away, she found herself irresistibly drawn to watch him. And when he walked away, she felt an almost uncontrollable urge to follow him.

Tang Bing boarded the bus alone, shut the door behind him, and made his way to the second floor. There, he took out a wrench and began dismantling the seats.

Each seat yielded a varied collection of materials—iron pipes, plastic, leather, cotton, springs—and left an empty space behind. Once the upper deck was cleared of seats, it transformed into a spacious room. To him, it seemed perfect for a makeshift RV with the addition of a bed. But what he really needed now was a storage space for various supplies.

Clearing out the upper level had been time-consuming. When he disembarked, he encountered Sun Meng and Qin Mengli tallying up the luggage.

The moment their eyes met, Sun Meng quickly averted her gaze, presenting Tang Bing with nothing but the back of her head.

Tang Bing expected as much. He shrugged and walked by, then called out to Zhao Dagang, who was lugging a large bag of snacks from downstairs, "Let's head out! You're coming with me to the supermarket first."

"Got it!" Zhao Dagang set the snacks down in front of Teacher Lin and the others. "I'll go with Bing to fetch the supplies. I'll bring up the rest from upstairs when I get back. You all just handle the lower levels."

"Sure thing! Take care!" Lin Leyan bid them farewell as they left the building shoulder to shoulder.

Sun Meng, who had been covertly watching Tang Bing from behind the vehicle, waited until he and Zhao Dagang were out of sight. She then quickly set aside what she was holding, apologized to Qin Mengli, and leaped onto the bus, dashing to the second floor.

"Mengmeng, what's going on?" Qin Mengli was initially taken aback, then quickly followed suit.

Unaware of the situation, Lin Leyan and Liang Hui also boarded the bus, their faces etched with confusion, "What's the matter? Did something happen?"

"It's nothing!" Qin Mengli, realizing that Teacher Lin and the others had followed, hurriedly descended and ushered them off the bus, "Teacher Lin, Huihui, could you help me inventory the remaining luggage supplies? There's not much left!"

"Sure thing!" Lin Leyan responded cheerfully, "Huihui, come give me a hand!"

"Okay!" Liang Hui complied and promptly made her way over.