Chapter 25: An Unexpected Encounter Outside the Expected Range
Back in the classroom, Lu Zhiyin was once again resting her head on the desk as usual, while Leng Qing Qiu took out her textbook to preview the lessons.
“…”
Without saying a word, Lu Zhiyin’s mind was filled with the image of the boy’s corpse in the trash can and the nightmare from last night.
“If I didn’t have money, I guess I would have also died in some obscure corner like that guy?” Lu Zhiyin muttered to herself, touching her forehead.
The corpse in the trash can and the nightmare, these two events combined, were constantly tormenting Lu Zhiyin’s fragile nerves. She needed to get money from Leng Qing Qiu, which meant she needed to become Leng Qing Qiu’s bait to lure her prey. If she chose not to be Leng Qing Qiu’s bait anymore, Lu Zhiyin, who could hardly find any other means of livelihood, would undoubtedly starve to death. It seemed like no matter what, there was no good ending.
“What are you muttering about, Zhiyin?” Beside Lu Zhiyin, Leng Qing Qiu seemed to have heard her murmuring and looked over.
“…Nothing, I had a nightmare last night and was thinking about the dream.” After Lu Zhiyin finished speaking, Leng Qing Qiu patted her shoulder.
“Don’t worry about the body you saw earlier. It’s normal for there to be starving street children in this city.” The words of comfort from Leng Qing Qiu only made Lu Zhiyin more afraid.
“…Mm…” Lu Zhiyin hummed softly and hugged herself with her arms. Leng Qing Qiu, seeing her dispirited childhood friend, smiled silently and continued her preview. Although she was a bad person in some ways, she was still a good student, never late or absent, never taking leave, and her preview and review work were all done systematically. These were habits formed over many years and couldn’t be changed. Leng Qing Qiu didn’t know that a large reason for Lu Zhiyin’s low spirits was her.
After resting for a long time, Lu Zhiyin raised her head. She touched her hair and looked out the window. Only a few students passed by; it was still early, and Qin An shouldn’t have arrived this early. Was it safe now? Thinking this, Lu Zhiyin controlled her wheelchair and slowly moved towards the classroom door.
“What are you going to do, Zhiyin?” Noticing Lu Zhiyin’s actions, Leng Qing Qiu asked.
“I’m going to wash my face, otherwise, I probably won’t be able to focus properly in class later.” With that, Lu Zhiyin slowly left the classroom. She glanced back at Leng Qing Qiu from outside the classroom before heading towards the restroom on her own.
“Achoo…” It was colder outside the classroom than inside. Lu Zhiyin sneezed again, but it was within a tolerable range and not particularly uncomfortable. Walking through the corridor, she reached the restroom door and could hear the noise from inside. She slowed down her pace.
Inside the restroom, a girl was pushed down in front of a stall door. Three Taimei stood in front of the girl, searching through her schoolbag for something. Black, silky hair, green eyes. Lu Zhiyin recognized the girl on the ground. It was Long Qin Xin. Was she being bullied again?
“…” Watching quietly from the doorway, the Taimei who were bullying seemed engrossed in searching for valuables in Long Qin Xin’s schoolbag and didn’t notice Lu Zhiyin’s presence. Looking at the silent girl who had fallen to the ground, Lu Zhiyin felt a bit lost. What should she do? Comfort Long Qin Xin after the Taimei left? Or find someone to help her? Before she could figure it out, the conflict inside the restroom seemed to escalate.
“Where’s the money? You didn’t bring the cigarettes you were supposed to bring either. You little monster, why don’t you listen? Huh?” The schoolbag was turned upside down, and the textbooks and stationery inside fell onto the ceramic tiles on the ground, making a mess of noises. Along with these noises came the questions from the leading Taimei. Her voice was loud, echoing in the restroom, making Lu Zhiyin’s eardrums ache.
Long Qin Xin on the ground finally reacted upon hearing the word “monster.” She raised her head and looked at the Taimei in front of her. Her green eyes held a hint of resentment.
“Heh, grown wings? You dare look at me like that.” The Taimei reached out, grabbed one of Long Qin Xin’s braids, and lifted her up. Long Qin Xin didn’t cry out in pain, only looking at the Taimei coldly.
“…Why, why, aren’t you from a wealthy family? Why are you unwilling to hand over money and things obediently? Do you have to make me hit you?” As if angered by Long Qin Xin’s behavior, the leading Taimei raised her hand, preparing to slap Long Qin Xin across the face.
“Stop.” At the critical moment, Lu Zhiyin cried out. She didn’t know why she did it. This “stop” was probably the loudest thing she had said since arriving in this world. Perhaps she felt that Long Qin Xin was too pitiful, which made her step forward. Actually, that wasn’t quite right; Lu Zhiyin couldn’t step forward. In any case, Lu Zhiyin’s words successfully made the Taimei release Long Qin Xin, but the price was that she herself fell into danger. The Taimei had her followers move around to Lu Zhiyin’s vicinity, while she herself approached Lu Zhiyin with an unfriendly expression.
“…” Lu Zhiyin pursed her lips, feeling a little nervous. She felt in her pocket; the heaviest thing was a one-yuan coin. Ignoring how much she needed money, she tossed the coin, which luckily hit the Taimei right between her eyebrows. However, the coin only caused the Taimei some pain and further enraged her.
“…I’ve found a teacher, they’ll be here soon. If you don’t want to be caught red-handed, you’d better scram.” As Lu Zhiyin finished speaking, the faces of the Taimei all turned grim. However, after hearing Lu Zhiyin’s words, they no longer lingered and quickly left the place one by one. Soon, the restroom became quiet, leaving only Lu Zhiyin and Long Qin Xin.
“Hoo… Hoo…” After the Taimei left, Lu Zhiyin exhaled deeply twice. She squeezed her palms; they were wet, from her sweat. To be honest, she wasn’t sure if the Taimei would be afraid of teachers. In the game, other NPCs who did wrong were only scolded a couple of times; real punishment was almost exclusively borne by the protagonist. Well, detention, and then likely harassment by the Principal or other students.
“Thank you, classmate Zhiyin.” Not far away, Long Qin Xin stood up, tidied her school uniform, then crouched down to pick up her things bit by bit. Lu Zhiyin actually wanted to help her, but considering how inconvenient it was for her to be in a wheelchair, she had to abandon the idea.
“You don’t have to thank me, I just happened to be there.” Lu Zhiyin forced a smile, left the place, and returned to the washbasin. She washed her face with cold water, and then Lu Zhiyin headed back to her classroom. After the recent events, she felt much more alert.
