Chapter 42: Provocation
After parting ways with Zhu Qing at the library entrance, Lu Zhiyin walked slowly towards the school gate. Illuminating her was the bright sunlight, wrapping her in warmth. She looked back at Zhu Qing and the library with a subtle, almost imperceptible longing. “…” Resuming her silent, doll-like demeanor, Lu Zhiyin stopped looking back. She continued on a path that seemed endless and impossible to halt. Enduring the grinding hardship on this inexhaustible road was, in her own estimation, her tragic fate.
After Lu Zhiyin left, Zhu Qing’s smile vanished. “Honestly, I can’t even smile…” She looked up at the vibrant sun in the sky. Lu Zhiyin’s question had left her in a difficult spot. The composure and optimism she had displayed in front of the girl were all an act. Zhu Qing wasn’t confident she could restore Lu Zhiyin to her former self, but she was determined to try. “Go investigate who spread the rumors…” Zhu Qing decided to first identify anyone who might have a conflict with Lu Zhiyin. Perhaps Lu Zhiyin was experiencing school bullying, Zhu Qing mused. If it were simply bullying and encouragement, it would be much easier to resolve.
…
Beneath the teaching building, Long Qinxin stood by the flower bed, waiting quietly. Beside her was a tree, as thick as a bowl, with lush foliage. Sunlight filtered through the spaces between the leaves, breaking into fragmented, tiny spots of light that dappled Long Qinxin’s feet. “Tsk, avoiding me… She can’t possibly hide forever, can she?” Since Lu Zhiyin had left the classroom, she hadn’t returned all day. Long Qinxin thought she was afraid of her. Delighted, Long Qinxin kicked a small stone hidden in the shadow. She thought that girl finally couldn’t keep up the pretense. With a reaction to Lu Zhiyin’s actions, Long Qinxin felt pleased. However, this wasn’t enough. Long Qinxin wanted to make that puppet-like girl suffer even more, to the point where she couldn’t bear it anymore and would proactively apologize and beg for mercy. “Unnecessary resistance is pointless.” Long Qinxin clenched her fist.
After a short wait, she saw the person she was waiting for. Still maintaining a zombie-like appearance, that soulless look disgusted Long Qinxin. However, Long Qinxin didn’t plan to deal with her herself. If nothing unexpected happened, Leng Qingqiu should be waiting outside the school gate right now. “…” Pressing her lips together, Long Qinxin disliked Leng Qingqiu. But considering that the person in her sight was not her beloved, but rather someone who couldn’t even be considered a substitute, and who she had already taken the first time from – a dull puppet – it didn’t seem to matter. She didn’t need to be jealous, did she? Let Leng Qingqiu teach her a lesson; she only needed to provoke Leng Qingqiu’s anger with her words. With this thought, Long Qinxin followed Lu Zhiyin from a distance.
…
Silently walking across the empty sports ground, Lu Zhiyin blankly exited the school. Pausing at the school gate, Lu Zhiyin stood in a daze. She didn’t really understand why she had come out. She could have easily stayed in school and avoided Leng Qingqiu, couldn’t she? Since things had escalated this far, her reputation probably didn’t matter anymore. Lu Zhiyin felt she had become much more foolish.
As she stood there, lost in thought, Leng Qingqiu, lurking in the crowd, grabbed Lu Zhiyin’s hand. She dragged Lu Zhiyin into a deep, dark alley. Long Qinxin took out her phone. While recording, she quietly followed behind Leng Qingqiu. “Heh…” Once Leng Qingqiu and Lu Zhiyin were inside the alley, Long Qinxin promptly stopped recording.
…
Inside the alley, Lu Zhiyin silently looked at Leng Qingqiu, who was close by, and her face full of anger. “Don’t you have anything to say?” Leng Qingqiu pushed Lu Zhiyin against the rough wall, one hand grabbing Lu Zhiyin’s shoulder. “…” Lu Zhiyin shook her head. She had nothing to say and absolutely no desire to communicate with the scoundrel in front of her.
This made Leng Qingqiu even angrier. She took out a knife and pressed it against Lu Zhiyin’s neck. “Are you looking for Qin An’s help? Do you think she can protect you forever? Don’t be ridiculous; someone as significant as her can’t always be by your side. I don’t know what you did to get Qin An on your side, but you’d better not think about escaping from me. You can’t do it, and no one can help you.” With a slight tightening of her grip, the blade sank into the skin, drawing a drop of bright red blood.
The slight sting on her neck made Lu Zhiyin frown in discomfort, her hands trembling slightly. Suppressing the emotion called fear, Lu Zhiyin looked into Leng Qingqiu’s eyes. Those originally cold eyes held a touch of madness. Not knowing what thought crossed her mind, Lu Zhiyin grabbed Leng Qingqiu’s wrist and pushed it forcefully towards herself. The blade sank in even deeper.
Leng Qingqiu’s pupils contracted. She seemed not to have expected Lu Zhiyin to take such a bold action. If it had been her several months ago, if the girl in front of her hadn’t been staring at her with her childhood friend’s face, Leng Qingqiu might have just killed her then and there. But she couldn’t. Leng Qingqiu remembered her promise to her childhood friend: no more killing…
Suddenly releasing her grip, the dagger fell between their bodies. Leng Qingqiu saw the not-so-obvious bloodstain on Lu Zhiyin’s neck. “Are you crazy?” Leng Qingqiu lifted her leg and rammed her knee into Lu Zhiyin’s abdomen. “Cough, cough, cough… Haa… Haa…” The sharp pain made Lu Zhiyin bend over. She gagged but spat nothing out. She hadn’t eaten anything all day, not even a drop of water. Leng Qingqiu didn’t know this, and even if she did, she wouldn’t show mercy. Her tenderness was reserved only for her childhood friend, whom she had hurt countless times.
“… Haa… Haa…” Not answering Leng Qingqiu’s question, Lu Zhiyin’s body slumped. She knelt on the ground, gasping for breath, cold sweat beading on her forehead. “Tsk…” Glancing at Lu Zhiyin, who was kneeling in a pathetic state, Leng Qingqiu turned around and looked towards the alley entrance. The flow of people was gradually decreasing. “Come out, Long Qinxin. I know you’re there.” As she spoke, Long Qinxin tidied her school uniform and stood leisurely at the alley entrance, the sunlight casting a shadow behind her.
“What, you followed all this way, and now you want to snatch even the substitute from me?” Leng Qingqiu squinted her eyes. She had noticed Long Qinxin following her long ago. Due to the many eyes around, she simply found it inconvenient to have a conflict with Long Qinxin outside.
“Heh, snatch?” Long Qinxin tilted her head, smiling. Leng Qingqiu discovered her, and she wasn’t surprised; it was expected. She wanted Leng Qingqiu to discover her. “Why would I snatch? She was thoroughly played by me yesterday. She’s just trash I’m done with. What’s wrong with giving her to you?” Grasping the damp concrete wall with one hand, Long Qinxin smiled wryly. Her words were a taunt to Leng Qingqiu, but Long Qinxin’s gaze was fixed on Lu Zhiyin, who was kneeling miserably on the ground.
Thinking for a moment, Long Qinxin felt that this alone wasn’t enough to worsen the girl’s situation, so she revealed something Leng Qingqiu didn’t know. “By the way, Leng Qingqiu, do you know who sent you to prison? It was me. Guess how I managed to send you to prison? Your beloved childhood friend. Her phone has all your criminal evidence.” Smiling, Long Qinxin added another blow. “Oh, and your childhood friend’s first time was also with me. Both your beloved childhood friend and the substitute you chose don’t think highly of you.” She wanted Leng Qingqiu to develop hatred towards Lu Zhiyin and then unleash that hatred upon the dull puppet before her.
