Upon hearing that answer, Hua Lian felt a chill run down her spine.
‘From the tone, it seems Luo Xizhi’s wife is also in Class S. I remember there’s a male lead in Class S too could it really be such a coincidence that it’s him?’
‘Wait, now isn’t the time to think about his identity. Luo Xizhi is coming to find me?!’
Hua Lian was instantly on high alert. Her first thought was the consequences of swapping the Chinese textbook. Given Luo Xizhi’s sharpness, she would surely suspect that Hua Lian had entered her room because of the switched book. However, Hua Lian waited and waited, but Luo Xizhi never showed up. Strangely, Hua Lian even felt an indescribable sense of disappointment.
The alumni group shared the same sentiment. What was peculiar was that Luo Xizhi was only a sophomore, yet many who had already graduated still held lingering feelings for her.
[Group] A: She didn’t go find Hua Lian. Looks like she went upstairs to the senior year floor.
[Group] B: Oh, she came to our class looking for a senior.
[Group] C: They’re talking in the hallway over there. Luo Xizhi seems to be crying.
Messages kept pouring in real-time. Hua Lian suddenly felt a pang of pity for Luo Xizhi. She hadn’t done anything wrong, yet she was being targeted by a bunch of creeps. And she couldn’t even enjoy the glamour of being a star once she fell into someone’s hands, she would be doomed forever.
The content felt particularly grating to Hua Lian, especially the words “Luo Xizhi is crying,” which made her restless. Luo Xizhi herself was being liked by creeps, while the fans of those creeps blamed Luo Xizhi for supposedly doing something to the objects of their secret admiration, venting all their anger on her.
In short, every annoying plotline was unfolding. Hua Lian remembered that the transmigrator had been extremely depressed, as if she had cried over how tragic Luo Xizhi’s situation was. But Hua Lian wasn’t someone who empathized easily she merely felt a sense of shared experience. Now, meeting the paper-thin character Luo Xizhi in this fabricated world, Hua Lian’s situation was no longer passive. Should she do something about it?
Just then, the class bell rang, and the live updates stopped. Hua Lian wanted to take out a book and pretend to read, but she accidentally pulled out Luo Xizhi’s Chinese textbook instead. She opened it and looked at Luo Xizhi’s notes for the first time. Her handwriting was delicate and meticulous at first, like someone who followed rules rigidly and was a bit stubborn. It was precisely this personality that made Luo Xizhi easy to take advantage of. She wouldn’t avoid any hardship, charging headlong into things completely different from someone like Hua Lian, who only knew how to run away.
Hua Lian pursed her lips. She looked at the plant in front of her and gently flicked its stem. A dewdrop slid down and dripped onto Hua Lian. The sensation was cool, but Hua Lian stood up as if she’d been electrocuted. The students in Class A were startled by her sudden movement but quickly lowered their heads, completely ignoring her behavior. Seeing this, Hua Lian, who was playing the bad girl for the first time, felt emboldened. She walked straight out of the classroom, following the earlier clues to find where Luo Xizhi was.
The alumni group stirred again, seemingly shocked to see Hua Lian appearing in the hallway during morning self-study.
[Group] D: I bet someone told her Luo Xizhi was being bullied.
[Group] F: Everyone knows they dislike each other. She’s probably going to watch the drama.
Though she didn’t know how others perceived her supposed dislike for Luo Xizhi, Hua Lian had no time to dwell on it. She worried that the longer she delayed, the more harm might come to Luo Xizhi.
“Hmm? You’re Hua Lian. During morning self-study, you’re.”
On the way, Hua Lian encountered the second male lead, Mr. Lao a scumbag who used his teacher status to do all sorts of bad things. It wasn’t that Hua Lian had investigated the male leads; rather, she noticed this man had no facial features just the words “second male lead” written on his face. But precisely because he lacked a face, Hua Lian felt extremely relaxed, though she was equally puzzled as to why such a thing was happening.
“Student Hua Lian, wait.”
Seeing Hua Lian ignore him, the second male lead followed behind. Hua Lian wanted to shake him off but suddenly remembered she could use his teacher identity to save Luo Xizhi. However, the thought that this assistance might trigger a storyline between Luo Xizhi and the second male lead made her take a detour. After circling around until she nearly got lost herself, she finally shook him off, climbed the stairs, entered the partitioned room, and quietly peeked inside.
Yet, with that glance, she saw several rough-looking men and women lying on the floor. Luo Xizhi’s clothes were slightly disheveled, but she was the only one standing. Under the light, Hua Lian actually found Luo Xizhi rather eerie and frightening. Not daring to make a sound, Hua Lian covered her mouth, which might have let out an involuntary noise and slipped out of the room.
‘Is Luo Xizhi that good at fighting?’
‘No, maybe her injuries just aren’t on her face. If she were a normal person, she’d fight desperately in a crisis rather than wait to die.’
Hua Lian began making excuses for Luo Xizhi, unable to believe that the only good person in the entire book had turned bad. But in an instant, Hua Lian’s footsteps halted as a new thought formed in her mind.
‘Why can’t she turn bad? Good people only get bullied. Isn’t it natural for her to fight back? Should she just wait for someone to save her? It’s clear we’ve all been brainwashed by trashy novels.’
Hua Lian began to despise herself for being bound by such subconscious notions. She even felt that, compared to Luo Xizhi, she was more like a rule-following NPC, devoid of any value in living. Her steps grew heavier, yet at the same time, an idea crystallized and grew wildly in her mind. She didn’t want to be an NPC, nor did she want to keep living. Since that was the case, she might as well defy the system and do something to help Luo Xizhi, giving her own resurrection some meaning.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Luo Xizhi silently watched the troublemaking men and women on the floor. From the first time she wished she could kill these NPCs to later simply dealing with them, Luo Xizhi had lost count of how many times she’d been through this. But if there was one unexpected element this time, it was probably.
Thinking of this, Luo Xizhi glanced toward the exit. She had naturally noticed Hua Lian’s presence. What she hadn’t expected was that, upon seeing she was unharmed, the other girl had silently slipped away.
‘If only I had pretended to be injured and weak.’ Luo Xizhi’s eyes darted as she quickly thought of a way to get Hua Lian to approach her. She made a grabbing motion in the air, and a bottle of potion appeared, covered in characters she couldn’t understand but glowing with a golden light. Luo Xizhi sprayed the potion toward everyone’s faces, beginning to implant the memories of her first life. She had been threatened by a man’s fans, though at the time, she didn’t even know who he was.
[Group] Luo Xizhi Is My Wife: I’m so angry! My wife actually got beaten up.
[Group] Zhan Hua Yi Xiao: Hmm, tell me about it.
As soon as morning self-study ended, the alumni group chat lit up again. The person named “Luo Xizhi Is My Wife” posted a somewhat blurry picture showing Luo Xizhi with a few people. In addition, there was a man who stood out awkwardly in the scene.
[Group] I’m Socially Anxious: Who is this guy with glasses?
Because Hua Lian knew the outcome of the fight, she wasn’t worried about Luo Xizhi. Instead, she was wary of this potential enemy, fearing he might play the hero and rescue Luo Xizhi after she left, stealing her affection.
[Group] Zhan Hua Yi Xiao: That’s Teacher Lao Si, the unofficial campus heartthrob. Socially Anxious, what class are you in? How do you not know him?
[Group] Luo Xizhi Is My Wife: Just talking about this guy makes me mad. It was this jerk who saved my wife. I’m so angry! If I had known Luo Xizhi was being beaten up earlier, I would’ve called the teacher right away.
Hua Lian was confused, unable to understand why the photo clearly showed their faces. But what puzzled her most was what the two were saying that Luo Xizhi hadn’t knocked them down herself but had been rescued by the second male lead. If that were the case, it meant the plot was reverting to its original course.
‘Or is it that no matter how capable Luo Xizhi is, the plot insists on forcing her to rely on a man’s help?’
Hua Lian was deeply troubled. The passion she had felt moments ago wavered as this twist unfolded before her. She refused to believe this was the final fate there had to be something she could change.
[Group] Luo Xizhi Is My Wife: That bastard! He’s taking my wife to the infirmary. Ahhh!
Seeing this, Hua Lian stood up again. She remembered this part of the plot it had disgusted her at the time. The second male lead had taken advantage of Luo Xizhi’s injured arm to ask for her phone password, then shamelessly snooped through her private information, setting the stage for the later repulsive developments.
“Classmate Hua Lian, class is about to start. Are you going out again?”
As Hua Lian prepared to leave the classroom, Xiao Lin’s voice came from behind. Hua Lian didn’t respond, but then she suddenly remembered something and abruptly turned to approach Xiao Lin.
“You… what are you doing?”
“Come with me.”
Hua Lian feigned toughness and grabbed Xiao Lin’s hand. Seeing this, the students in Class A remained silent, except for Xiao Lin’s close friend, who glanced over worriedly before ultimately lowering her head.
Just like that, the petite Xiao Lin was dragged out. Anxious and fearful, she thought Hua Lian was going to hit her, but instead, she heard Hua Lian ask urgently, “Where is the infirmary?”
Xiao Lin, who had braced herself for a beating, widened her eyes in disbelief at the question. But then, her expression softened with concern. “Are you feeling unwell?”
Hualian never dreamed that Xiaolin would be so friendly. As she watched, she noticed the person in front of her blushing and even beginning to stammer, “Sorry, I didn’t notice I was sitting behind you. I’ll take you to the infirmary now.”
As she spoke, Xiaolin avoided eye contact and started leading the way. Seeing her flustered and uneasy demeanor, Hualian sensed a kindred spirit. Could it be that the other person was also socially anxious, which explained this reaction?
But Hualian didn’t ask directly, because she, too, was socially anxious. Walking one behind the other, the two of them looked nothing like classmates and more like strangers. Xiaolin walked quickly but kept glancing back worriedly at Hualian. Only after confirming that Hualian could make it to the infirmary did she quicken her pace again.
This back-and-forth continued until the infirmary door was suddenly pushed open, and Xiaolin announced in an unusually loud voice, “Teacher, my classmate isn’t feeling well.”
Her voice startled the school nurse, who looked puzzledly at the girl with such a booming voice.