Chapter 33: The Soulless Doll
The ship, now with fuel and heading for its destination, had crashed into a hard reef before leaving port, unable to escape, unable to advance, and with no way to retreat.
All that remained was a gradual silence in despair.
Lu Zhiyin was that ship, her will almost completely stopped.
Nothing seemed to matter anymore.
Life? It was no longer in her control; her life and death were not hers to decide.
Lu Zhiyin didn’t sleep for long. Less than two hours passed, and the sky gradually began to lighten.
Lu Zhiyin’s body still hurt.
She washed her face, too lazy to shower, and with great effort supported herself to change into a school uniform, then swayed out of the dormitory.
Ouyang Qing hadn’t slept all night. She followed Lu Zhiyin from a distance, her beloved toy seeming to be losing its soul.
“…”
The familiar path to school, walked countless times, felt exceptionally long today.
Lu Zhiyin arrived at the classroom not long before class started.
Her spirits were exceptionally low, her eyes still rimmed with red, and faint dark circles around them.
The finger marks on her neck were stark and obvious.
If one got close enough, they could even smell a faint scent of blood on Lu Zhiyin. She had only changed her school uniform jacket.
Lu Shiyu’s name had a good reputation in the class, and many liked her, so it wasn’t unusual for classmates to inquire about her condition with concern.
Lu Zhiyin didn’t say a word. She didn’t say anything, just shook her head repeatedly.
“…Morning.”
Entering the classroom, Ouyang Qing glanced at Lu Zhiyin, who looked like a lifeless object. Her mood grew increasingly unhappy.
After proactively saying good morning, Ouyang Qing sat down next to Lu Zhiyin.
She took one of Lu Zhiyin’s hands.
The skin on the girl’s hand was still as delicate and soft as ever, but her temperature seemed a little lower than usual.
After playing with it for a while and seeing that Lu Zhiyin showed no reaction, Ouyang Qing buried her head in her arms, feeling dejected, and caught up on sleep.
The students who had inquired about Lu Zhiyin’s condition returned with nothing, and gradually, no one else bothered her.
In the last few minutes before class, Long Qinxin arrived late.
She wore her backpack, a neat and well-fitting school uniform, had her hair in twin ponytails, and wore light makeup.
As usual, the first thing she did upon entering was cast her gaze towards Lu Zhiyin’s seat.
Seeing the girl’s blank face, Long Qinxin described Lu Zhiyin in her mind as a refined puppet that had lost its soul.
Her gaze lingered on the finger marks on Lu Zhiyin’s neck, already able to anticipate the reason for the girl’s dazed state.
She guessed that she had suffered greatly at Leng Qing Qiu’s hands.
Her mood inexplicably became a little cheerful, and her gaze shifted to a beautiful blonde girl who was looking at her with displeasure.
Long Qinxin suppressed her joy; she inexplicably didn’t dare to provoke Ouyang Qing, subconsciously feeling that she was someone not to be trifled with.
Silently returning to her seat, not long after, the school bell rang, and the teacher walked into the classroom with textbooks.
…
In the blink of an eye, it was break time. Lu Zhiyin hadn’t absorbed anything throughout the entire class; she simply sat there holding her book.
The teacher noticed her unusual behavior but said nothing.
“Come out for a moment.”
After the teacher left, Long Qinxin came to Lu Zhiyin’s desk.
“…”
Ouyang Qing glanced at Long Qinxin, and Long Qinxin’s heart leaped into her throat.
However, Ouyang Qing finally said nothing, which slightly relieved Long Qinxin.
“…Mm…”
Lu Zhiyin remained dazed. She could guess that going out with Long Qinxin wouldn’t lead to anything good.
But, nothing mattered anymore. She couldn’t do anything anyway, could she? So what if she didn’t want to interact with these female leads? In the end, she would still obediently be played with.
Propping herself up on the desk, Lu Zhiyin slowly stood up.
Long Qinxin left the classroom first, and Lu Zhiyin slowly followed behind her.
“Hurry up.”
Pacing in the corridor, Long Qinxin looked back at Lu Zhiyin, who was moving slowly. She urged the slightly hunched girl.
“…”
Without replying, Lu Zhiyin didn’t quicken her pace. She acted as she pleased, not looking at Long Qinxin, only staring at her own toes.
“…Sigh…”
Long Qinxin took a deep breath. The girl’s actions behind her made her slightly dissatisfied.
This person was completely different from the lover in her memory.
Long Qinxin contemplated changing the girl’s personality after her transformation.
They walked all the way to the restroom. Long Qinxin pulled Lu Zhiyin into an empty stall and made Lu Zhiyin stand against the wall.
“Lu Shiyu.”
Meeting Lu Zhiyin’s eyes, Long Qinxin’s tone was not pleasant.
“…”
Lu Zhiyin didn’t reply, just looking at her.
Lu Zhiyin no longer wanted to think about things. What was the point of thinking more? It would only add to her troubles.
Lowering her gaze, Lu Zhiyin didn’t hide her emotions.
Anyone could see the sadness in her eyes, and Long Qinxin was no exception.
She thought that this person in front of her truly seemed to have been bullied badly by Leng Qing Qiu.
“You must have met Leng Qing Qiu yesterday, right? She definitely used violence on you. Have you made up your mind? Choose her or choose me. Although we’re both stand-ins, I can assure you that I will be much gentler than her.”
Clenching her fist, Long Qinxin felt confident of victory.
She couldn’t be as good as she said. To be honest, she had certain grievances with her lover. After so many instances of deception and exploitation, how could she not have any complaints?
It was just that these feelings couldn’t be vented on a dead person.
But now it was different; she had a substitute.
Her eyes darkened, and Long Qinxin suppressed the excitement in her heart.
“…”
Lu Zhiyin still didn’t speak. She just quietly looked at her toes.
As time ticked by, Long Qinxin gradually grew impatient.
“Have you become mute? Speak, you just need to answer me yes or no.”
She urged the girl in front of her.
If she hadn’t needed to maintain her facade, she would have directly grabbed Lu Zhiyin by the collar.
But her dirty inner self had long been exposed.
“Does my opinion matter?”
Lu Zhiyin retorted. Her opinion had never mattered; no one cared.
Even if she refused Long Qinxin’s offer, this person would likely still pester her.
A doll has no right to refuse.
“…”
Lu Zhiyin’s words made Long Qinxin gasp for breath. How was she different from the enemy who had once isolated and bullied her, by forcing others to be substitutes?
After a brief hesitation, Long Qinxin became enraged.
“If you don’t speak, then I’ll assume you agree. You’ll quit your job at the restaurant this afternoon, move out of the school dormitory, and live with me.”
She was eager to get her hands on this doll and mold her into what she wanted.
“…”
Lu Zhiyin still remained silent.
“It’s time for class.”
After about a minute of silence, Lu Zhiyin took a step, trying to squeeze past Long Qinxin.
“Sigh…”
Letting Lu Zhiyin walk past her, Long Qinxin took another deep breath.
She always felt ignored by this girl.
She thought she would get revenge, definitely. She would make this person named Lu Shiyu cry and apologize to her.
With this thought, Long Qinxin returned to the classroom.
