Hua Lian was also startled, but remembering the more urgent matter, she quickly asked, “Excuse me, teacher, is Luo Xizhi in this infirmary?”
The school nurse was momentarily confused by the question, her expression even suggesting she didn’t know who Luo Xizhi was. But when her gaze met Hua Lian’s face, she felt a sudden daze, as if the person before her possessed a bewitching power that drew her in, making her heart race. Instantly, the school nurse uncomfortably averted her eyes, avoiding that gaze, afraid that if she looked any longer, she might fall for Hua Lian.
“Teacher, this is very urgent.”
“No students have come here this morning. They probably went to another infirmary.”
Only when the school nurse reminded her did Hua Lian recall the clichéd setting of this elite school. Even the cafeteria was divided into various factions, let alone the infirmaries. And given the personality of the second male lead, there was no way he would take Luo Xizhi to the nearest infirmary.
Hua Lian immediately felt the trouble caused by the second male lead. After all, while the fourth male lead, Hua Zhengtai, was violent and brainless, the second male lead, Lao Si, was the smartest among them and also the most twisted. He loved psychological warfare, deriving pleasure from tormenting and conquering people from the inside out. In short, if possible, Hua Lian wanted nothing to do with him.
“Where is the farthest infirmary, Xiao Lin?”
Hua Lian immediately turned to Xiao Lin. She had heard Xiao Lin’s friends call her that, but in truth, Hua Lian didn’t know her full name and had to avoid the issue.
Xiao Lin was completely bewildered by the question, and even the school nurse behind her seemed tempted to go and see. But with only one person in the infirmary, she couldn’t leave. Moreover, due to past incidents in the infirmary, there were usually two staff members present. Seeing the two of them leave, the school nurse simply picked up the internal line to inquire about the situation in the other infirmaries.
The second male lead, Lao Si, was frustrated so much so that it was the first time in his many days of living that he had felt so stifled. Before him was Luo Xizhi, the prey he had long coveted, but the previously relaxed infirmary teacher, after answering a phone call, abruptly stationed himself right in front of him.
“Teacher Lao, you don’t need to mind us. Go ahead.”
This infirmary was staffed by two male doctors, a scheduling arrangement due to its proximity to the sports field, where accidents were more likely to occur. When Lao Si brought Luo Xizhi here, the two male teachers weren’t sure what to do. Seeing that Lao Si seemed very familiar with Luo Xizhi, they assumed it was a teacher-student romance and didn’t interfere.
But now, after receiving a call from the school nurse, the two male teachers immediately grew vigilant. This job was excellent, and the students were either wealthy or influential. If anything went wrong, it would be akin to “implicating nine generations of the family.” Moreover, Luo Xizhi’s demeanor and appearance were so outstanding that the male doctors immediately suspected Lao Si of being a “phoenix man” trying to climb the social ladder, which was why he had brought her to this infirmary.
“…”
Stared down relentlessly, Lao Si was left speechless. In contrast, Luo Xizhi watched the two male teachers with interest, puzzled by the sudden change. After all, she didn’t believe other transmigrators would kindly help her, the handler.
About five minutes later, the door was pushed open with a bang. The two male teachers exchanged glances, and the heavier-set one stepped forward.
“Are you injured? But it’s only the first class?”
The male teacher was quite puzzled. He first noticed Xiaolin, but his attention was quickly drawn to Hua Lian. Her appearance was as captivating as a rose, and her breathing rhythm instinctively made the teacher feel a bit flushed. He felt extremely awkward, being so struck by a student’s beauty. Even though, not long ago, he had seen another female student whose beauty was on par with the stunning young woman before him.
“Please… excuse me.”
Hua Lian was still panting she had run too fast to get here. Xiaolin was in the same state. Most students in Class A were academically gifted but not particularly athletic. By the time they arrived, they were utterly exhausted. Hua Lian was also in a hurry. She stepped closer, trying hard to articulate what she wanted to say. The male doctor seemed startled and abruptly stepped back. His face flushed instantly, his mind went blank, and he appeared completely flustered.
“What’s going on?”
Seeing this, the male supporting character, Laos, couldn’t help but pull aside the curtain nearby. Hua Lian immediately recognized the deliberately lowered voice and saw the face labeled “male supporting character.” Following his gaze, she spotted Luo Xizhi.
Luo Xizhi’s usually neatly tied long hair was now loose, and her face bore obvious bruises.
Hua Lian’s mind went blank. She even wondered if she had been hallucinating that morning. Luo Xizhi had seemed perfectly fine earlier, but now she looked severely injured. Still lacking the strength to speak, Hua Lian simply walked over. Perhaps too exhausted, as soon as she relaxed, her leg gave way uncontrollably, and she stumbled right into Luo Xizhi.
Luo Xizhi let out a soft grunt from the impact, her face turning even paler.
“Classmate Hua Lian!”
Xiaolin was also startled and quickly helped Hua Lian up.
But thanks to the shock, Hua Lian finally managed to speak more smoothly. “You… why are you here?”
Originally, Hua Lian wanted to express her concern, but remembering the original owner’s attitude, she abruptly changed her tone and voiced the question instead. What Hua Lian didn’t realize was that when she said this, her face looked as if someone were holding a knife to her neck.
Luo Xizhi felt slightly better after the commotion and explained, “Can’t you tell? I got beaten up.” Her words were still somewhat cold, but it was the first time she had spoken since the male supporting character had been “showering her with concern” for so long. She sounded a little aggrieved, but Hua Lian couldn’t detect such subtle expressions, her mind instead filled with internal commentary.
‘Who doesn’t cry and complain after being beaten up? Is the female lead really this calm?’
‘Those injuries look so painful. School violence is terrifying.’
In the silence, the male supporting character broke the quiet. “It seems your friend is here, Zhizhi, so I’ll take my leave now.” He sounded somewhat regretful, yet also as if he were playing hard to get. Having had his eye on Luo Xizhi for so long, he naturally knew about the messy history between Luo Xizhi and Hua Lian. And he believed Luo Xizhi would choose to keep someone normal like him around rather than have Hua Lian stay.
“Wait!”
Luo Xizhi’s voice indeed rang out. The male supporting character suppressed a smile at the corner of his mouth and turned back.
“Teacher Luo, as an educator, you shouldn’t be so frivolous. Please call me by my full name I don’t like nicknames.” However, the expected attempt to persuade her otherwise didn’t happen. Luo Xizhi very seriously stated that she disliked being addressed so intimately. And as if because the nickname “Zhizhi” was something the male lead used, Luo Xizhi’s typically expressionless face actually showed a hint of disdain.
“Pfft.”
Hua Lian hadn’t anticipated Luo Xizhi’s bluntly straightforward behavior either. She tried hard to hold it in, even covering her mouth, but still couldn’t control her laughter. The sound made Hua Lian feel a bit awkward, but she quickly lowered her head, took out her phone, and pretended the noise had come from it.
“Alright, Luo Xizhi.”
The male lead, true to his reputation as the master of disguise, showed no sign of being shaken by Luo Xizhi’s direct rejection. Instead, he even smiled and left.
Seeing that Luo Xizhi’s actual acquaintance had arrived, the male teachers in the infirmary didn’t linger to disturb them any further. They went to their desks, leaving the three girls some space.
But as the room fell silent, Hua Lian realized she had absolutely nothing to say. Xiao Lin was the same she wasn’t familiar with either of them, though she had to admit that looking at their faces was truly a treat for the eyes.
“Young Miss, who is this?”
Finally, Luo Xizhi broke the silence, steering the conversation toward Xiao Lin.
Hua Lian continued to play dead, as she didn’t know Xiao Lin’s full name and was afraid an introduction would be awkward.
“I’m Xiao Lin from Class A. Everyone calls me Xiao Lin.” However, the girl Hua Lian had mistaken for a fellow introvert flashed a bright, sunny smile, reminding her that the so-called socially anxious companion was merely a figment of Hua Lian’s imagination.
“I’m Luo Xizhi from Class S. Nice to meet you, Young Miss’s friend.” Luo Xizhi remained composed as usual, extending her slender, elegant hand. Her fingers were distinct and well-defined, though they also seemed overly delicate.
“Oh no, I’m not Hua Lian’s friend. She was worried about you, so she asked me to show her the way.” Xiao Lin’s heart soared at the word “friend,” but for some reason, even though it was Luo Xizhi who said it, she felt a chill run down her spine. She quickly changed the subject, explaining that she and Hua Lian were completely innocent and definitely didn’t have any ambiguous feelings.
But whether it was her imagination or not, after she finished speaking, the oppressive aura around Luo Xizhi vanished. She even showed a faint smile, though her words remained sharp.
“Oh? Young Miss was worried about me?”
Xiao Lin felt her scalp tingle, realizing the relationship between these two was more complicated than she had imagined. Anxiously, she glanced at Hua Lian, only to find that Hua Lian had already sat down and was playing on her phone, completely isolating herself from the social circle as if she were truly just a bystander.
Xiao Lin was even more confused. She wanted to do something to ease the tension when the class bell rang. Her mind buzzed as a top student in Class A, Xiao Lin had never missed a single class. Now, caught between the drama unfolding before her and the call of academic duty, she was torn.
“Oh no, I forgot to ask for leave!”
Soon, Xiao Lin remembered the second issue—she had been whisked away by Hua Lian so quickly that she forgot to report her absence to the class monitor. The thought of losing credits made her want to cry, even though the two faces before her were truly magnificent and beautiful.
“I already spoke to the principal for you.”
Hua Lian’s voice drifted over at that moment, startling Xiaolin, who felt a touch of emotion. Yet, there were also plenty of points worth questioning. She didn’t know why Hua Lian had the principal’s contact information or why she would skip levels to ask for leave from the principal. But in any case, it seemed she could linger a little longer on this scene.
However, just as Xiaolin was about to sit down, Hua Lian suddenly stood up. Xiaolin looked at Hua Lian in confusion, only to see the lips beneath that beautiful, striking face utter an ill-timed line: “Let’s go to class instead.”