Chapter 12: The Third Female Lead of the Game
Lu Zhiyin lay on the table for a long time, with no desire to listen to the lessons in the later classes.
She kept thinking about how to make a living, her head feeling heavy and increasingly drowsy. She felt like she could fall asleep at any moment.
“Zhiyin, Zhiyin.”
Beside her, Leng Qing Qiu called her name again.
Since pulling her hair in the morning, Leng Qing Qiu had not spoken to her for a long time.
Subconsciously, Lu Zhiyin thought she was going to do something to her again.
A sense of vigilance appeared in her tired red eyes. This vigilance did not make Leng Qing Qiu restrain herself, after all, Lu Zhiyin could not hurt Leng Qing Qiu.
To the strong, the defensiveness of the weak was merely a different kind of cuteness.
“It’s noon, let’s go eat together. My treat.”
Displaying a friendliness that shouldn’t have existed at this age, Leng Qing Qiu did not wait for Lu Zhiyin’s reply. Instead, she pushed Lu Zhiyin’s wheelchair out of the classroom on her own.
“…”
In silence, Lu Zhiyin looked around. Her classmates had indeed gone out in groups, chatting and laughing.
It was almost as noisy as after school, which was irritating.
Huddled in her wheelchair, Lu Zhiyin allowed Leng Qing Qiu to push her downstairs towards the school cafeteria.
Along the way, the closer they got to the cafeteria, the more people there were. Various hair colors, various eye colors, non-mainstream combinations that would never appear in the real world were common here. The only thing that gave Lu Zhiyin a sense of reality was probably the blue and white school uniforms that all the students wore.
Despite being a school in an H-game, the school uniforms were surprisingly conservative. For Lu Zhiyin, this was probably the only fortunate thing recently. At least the school uniform was unisex, which wouldn’t make Lu Zhiyin feel embarrassed.
Pushed by Leng Qing Qiu, they slowly arrived at the cafeteria.
As soon as they entered the cafeteria, the already noisy environment became even more chaotic.
The cafeteria was only one floor, with long queues in front of each food service counter.
Countless students sat at white tables.
Looking down, Lu Zhiyin saw the footprints on her school uniform and the wheelchair beneath her, and she felt a sense of inferiority for no reason.
Even though it was just a game world, she told herself that she shouldn’t feel inferior.
Leng Qing Qiu took her to an empty table in a corner of the cafeteria. The cafeteria tables and chairs were connected, and the gaps between the chairs were very small. Therefore, Leng Qing Qiu could only push Lu Zhiyin to the side of the table.
“I’ll go get the food. You sit here by yourself for a while.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Leng Qing Qiu left and joined the long queues in front of the counters.
Without anyone beside her, Lu Zhiyin began to feel flustered again.
It was as if someone would rush out at any moment and drag her into a bottomless abyss. Lu Zhiyin nervously clutched the hem of her clothes.
In her previous life, she was socially anxious and couldn’t handle such crowded environments. Moreover, this world was much more dangerous than the one she originally lived in.
Touching the gauze that had not yet been removed from her forehead, Lu Zhiyin lowered her head, trying her best to be less conspicuous.
“Little monster, didn’t I tell you not to appear in front of me? Why are you so blind?”
“You… you guys, aren’t you the ones who came to find me yourselves…”
“Huh? What a joke? Who would look for a monster like you? Your parents are monsters, and so are you. Hahaha, you coward, go eat shit!”
Vulgar and unbearable words entered her ears. School bullying like this was very frequent in this school.
Squeezing the hem of her clothes, Lu Zhiyin turned her head.
Not far away, a girl with black hair in twin ponytails held a food tray in both hands, looking at the Taimei in front of her with a displeased expression.
The girl was short, probably less than 1.6 meters. The school uniform she wore did not fit her well, making her look even more vulnerable.
Her green eyes were glistening with water, making it obvious at a glance that she was easy to bully.
“I’m not a monster, I’m not!”
She loudly retorted to the Taimei’s insults, but the Taimei just gave her a hard shove, and the short girl fell to the ground. The food tray in her hand fell to the ground with a clatter. Rice, oil, and green vegetables were scattered everywhere. The girl’s white school uniform was also stained with oil.
After pushing the girl down, the Taimei laughed heartily and then swaggered away, leaving a mess on the ground.
Looking at the girl who had fallen to the ground, Lu Zhiyin’s mind became somewhat dazed.
She recognized the black-haired, green-eyed girl. Her name was Long Qinxin, and she was also one of the female leads in the game. Like herself, she was also a victim of bullying.
Her father and mother suffered from a severe skin disease and could hardly appear in the sunlight. Those who had the chance to see her parents mistook them for monsters, and Long Qinxin was also isolated and bullied because of it.
In the game’s plot, she would be helped by the protagonist during one of the bullying incidents, thus developing a liking for the protagonist.
However, her love was pathological. Imprisonment, stalking, and violent coercion were all plots that would be triggered sequentially after the protagonist raised her favorability to a certain level.
As she recalled, Long Qinxin’s first encounter with the protagonist was not in the cafeteria. However, after experiencing some things, Lu Zhiyin no longer believed the game’s original plot much.
After briefly recalling things about Long Qinxin in her mind, Lu Zhiyin hesitated for a moment. She finally controlled her wheelchair and slowly drove towards the girl.
No matter what, the strategy must be carried out. The more she experienced, the less Lu Zhiyin wanted to stay in this terrible world.
“Are you okay…”
Looking at the girl on the ground, Lu Zhiyin quietly asked about her condition.
In fact, given Long Qinxin’s current state, she didn’t look okay at all. However, since Lu Zhiyin was not good at socializing, this was the only way she could think of to strike up a conversation.
Extending her hand towards the girl on the ground, Lu Zhiyin saw that the short girl did not take her hand or communicate with her. She just struggled to get up on her own, wiped the food off her school uniform, and picked up the food tray.
“…”
In silence, Lu Zhiyin felt a bit embarrassed.
She didn’t accept my help? That’s right… After all, if you don’t stand up for someone when they are being bullied, and only go to show fake concern after the bullying ends, how can you expect a good reaction?
Thinking this, Lu Zhiyin awkwardly withdrew her hand. She was about to return to her previous position when the girl called out to her.
“I know you, you’re Lu Zhiyin from the next class, and you’re often bullied too.”
The girl’s voice was very clear and surprisingly pleasant, but what she said made Lu Zhiyin feel a burst of shame.
“Also, thank you…”
Thanking her softly, the girl left as if fleeing, as she needed to get another meal.
Without looking back, Lu Zhiyin just returned to her previous position blankly, still not understanding if she was disliked or not.
