As for why Luo Xizhi came looking for Hua Lian now, the reason was quite intriguing.
The scene shifts back to Hua Lian and Luo Xizhi. Originally, Hua Lian was leading the way, but after realizing that Luo Xizhi was more familiar with the surroundings than she was, she slowed her pace. However, Luo Xizhi clearly didn’t grasp her intention and slowed down as well when she saw Hua Lian’s steps falter. Even though there were only the two of them in the hallway, they still maintained a one-in-front, one-behind formation. Hua Lian wanted to speak up, but with too many worries weighing on her mind, she could only continue wasting time with Luo Xizhi.
After walking like this for another five minutes, as the time for afternoon classes drew nearer, Luo Xizhi frowned slightly and finally said, “Young Miss, let’s stop here.”
Hua Lian paused in her steps and couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. She pretended to casually glance around. Looking around, this seemed to be the school garden. If she wasn’t mistaken, in novels, places like these were often used as spots for couples to meet.
“…”
“…”
Neither of them spoke, both waiting for the other to break the silence. Luo Xizhi felt a headache coming on, but considering Hua Lian was still a child, she decided to take the lead. “Young Miss, you’ll help me, right?”
The same question was asked again, but compared to the earlier emotional turmoil, Hua Lian was now much more relaxed. However, based on her past experience of being bullied, she suspected this wasn’t the work of the same group of people. In fact, it was even possible that the person who drew the graffiti on Luo Xizhi’s book didn’t necessarily have bad intentions it was just the action itself that was wrong.
“Why would Young Miss think that?”
“It seems like a method elementary school students use to attract the attention of someone they like.” Hua Lian lowered her head and shared her thoughts, gently touching the graffiti. From another perspective, she even felt she should recognize what was drawn. However, the grotesque, monster-like figures made her doubt her own judgment.
But after saying this, Luo Xizhi remained silent. Hua Lian looked at her curiously and saw her pursing her lips, as if she didn’t agree with this idea. In fact, she seemed quite angry that her book had been marked in such a way.
Hua Lian sensed trouble. Although she had cleared herself of suspicion, who knew if someone might try to frame her later and drive a wedge between her and the female lead? The only thing she could do now was to try to guide Luo Xizhi and work together to uncover the truth.
“Think carefully about who in the class tends to bully you.”
“Or think about, um… who’s really bad at drawing.”
Hua Lian found herself talking more and more, and in that moment, she took on the role of an older sister, trying to soothe Luo Xizhi’s emotions.
“No, I can’t think of anyone.”
“Then you’re just too kind-hearted.”
“No, I think everyone in Class S is suspicious.”
Luo Xizhi gave a serious answer. The people in Class S might seem like high-class princes and princesses, but not a single one of them had a truly pure heart.
“Isn’t there any surveillance in that classroom?” Hua Lian could only propose a new idea, but as soon as it came to mind, she felt a wave of anxiety. If there were cameras, wouldn’t that mean her visit yesterday to retrieve Luo Xizhi’s backpack had also been recorded? She had lingered in the classroom for quite some time, appearing as though she were talking to thin air. If Luo Xizhi reviewed the footage, would she misunderstand and think Hua Lian was responsible?
Unease gripped her heart once more, but Luo Xizhi quickly informed her of something.
“The surveillance system somehow malfunctioned this week.”
Hearing Luo Xizhi’s response, Hua Lian breathed a sigh of relief. What she didn’t know, however, was that it was Luo Xizhi who had deleted the footage of Hua Lian taking the backpack and jumping out the window. And precisely because the action had been so sudden, Luo Xizhi had checked all other possible traces of Hua Lian to thoroughly erase any evidence of her presence.
But soon, Luo Xizhi found the process too exhausting and opted for the simplest solution: she removed all recordings from the previous day. Later, when she reviewed the footage, she discovered that there was no sign of whoever had done this. In other words, the person likely hadn’t carried out the mischief at school. It was most probable that after Hua Lian left, something had happened in a place with white animals, causing damage to her Chinese textbook.
To put it more simply, Luo Xizhi wasn’t particularly concerned about who had played the prank. What she cared about was where Hua Lian had gone to look for the kitten yesterday.
Hua Lian, on the other side, remained completely unaware. She racked her brains but couldn’t come up with any answers. This wasn’t a good sign. After some thought, Hua Lian couldn’t help but add, “It’s possible that whoever did this also deleted the surveillance footage. I don’t know who has such capabilities, but they’re very dangerous. For now, you should ride home with me after school.”
Recalling the troubles she would face in her second year of high school, Hua Lian felt it was best not to act alone. Especially since, if Luo Xizhi were left alone, it was hard to say which of them would end up worse off. In any case, staying together would be much safer. Of course, aside from that, Hua Lian thought it necessary to bring bodyguards to and from school. But no matter how elaborate her thoughts, they remained locked inside her mind.
Yet, for some reason, something in her words struck a chord with Luo Xizhi. The girl suddenly embraced her. Hua Lian froze in shock. They say extroverts are introverts’ playthings, but she didn’t understand why someone as introverted as Luo Xizhi would make such an extroverted move. She was at a loss, her breath nearly stopping. Even so, she couldn’t help but notice things she shouldn’t have like the fragrance she had once smelled on the system’s little black cat.
It was even stronger on Luo Xizhi, and it smelled wonderful. If she were the system, she’d probably choose to cozy up to Luo Xizhi too.
“You’re so good to me, young miss,” Luo Xizhi’s voice rang out at that moment, leaving Hua Lian even more confused and helpless. She had never embraced a human before and had no idea how to respond. Though she should have felt warmth, Hua Lian instead detected a cold, sharp scent. It seemed to belong to Luo Xizhi, yet it wasn’t warm. To put it simply, these weren’t heartfelt words from Luo Xizhi they were just an act.
‘How pitiful, to have to put on an act at such a young age.’
Hua Lian didn’t feel sad; instead, she felt even more sympathy for Luo Xizhi’s difficult situation having to please someone whose mind was filled only with dirty thoughts. Or perhaps, at this moment, Luo Xizhi was completely unaware of the original host’s malicious intentions?
At this thought, Hua Lian abruptly pushed Luo Xizhi away. The original host couldn’t tell her the cruel truth, but Hua Lian could. She had to make it clear to the person before her that everyone, except for gay individuals, harbored those filthy thoughts toward Luo Xizhi. Luo Xizhi shouldn’t give her heart away, because it would only lead to being hurt all over.
“I won’t be nice to you. It’s just that your face is quite good-looking, and I like it.” With that, Hua Lian reached out and pinched Luo Xizhi’s cheek. She didn’t use much force, but a red mark still appeared on the skin. Luo Xizhi stared at her blankly, as if she hadn’t processed what just happened.
“So, I don’t allow anyone else to leave marks on what belongs to me. You better protect yourself well too.” Hua Lian’s heart raced as she dropped another eye-rolling line before turning and walking away.
But before she had taken three steps, Luo Xizhi suddenly hugged her from behind and continued, “I know you only like my face. But, Miss, I don’t want to suffer like this anymore. I can do anything. Can you help me?”
Hua Lian’s mind grew even more dizzy. In her memories, the aloof female lead was straightforward no matter who pursued her or what methods they used, she never yielded, which only drove those perverts crazier. But now, the female lead was willingly offering herself to Hua Lian, making her wonder where things had gone wrong.
Lost in her thoughts, Hua Lian didn’t notice Luo Xizhi had already moved in front of her. The same plastic, love-like emotion still lingered in her eyes, and the cold fragrance on her body was almost pungent. It felt less like aggression and more like killing intent.
“Miss, do you want to kiss me?”
The seductive voice made it hard to believe these words came from a high school sophomore. Hua Lian’s mind buzzed as she wondered whether a kiss between two seventeen-year-old girls counted as inappropriate behavior. But the next second, Hua Lian remembered that the original host was the beginning of Luo Xizhi’s misfortune. If anything happened between them, it would mark the start of Luo Xizhi’s downfall.
“Get lost.”
Hua Lian still didn’t move, only grabbing that hand and tossing out her reply. Yet, for some reason, when this scene unfolded, Hua Lian felt as though she had experienced something similar before. She must have lost part of her memories, and those memories might be the true source of her social anxiety.
“Miss, do you really have no feelings for me?”
“No, not the slightest interest. Please stop harassing me like this.” Hua Lian answered word by word, pulling away again and walking off quickly. But neither before nor after did she show any hint of shyness or joy. Instead, an uncontrollable sense of disgust and rejection flickered between her brows.
Luo Xizhi remained standing where she was, but this time, the special knife hidden in her sleeve appeared. Just moments ago, she thought she had provoked Hua Lian’s wicked side, only to discover another facet of her. That expression was dangerous, as if reminding Luo Xizhi that what Hua Lian showed now was only one-tenth of her true self.
[Heavenly Dao, what kind of person is this transmigrator, really?]
Luo Xizhi couldn’t help but ask the Heavenly Dao again, but all she got was the message that the Heavenly Dao had gone on vacation. Speechless, she fiddled with the knife in her hand, feeling that she must be too tired to be curious about a passing transmigrator.
With a sigh in her heart, Luo Xizhi glanced around and noticed someone fleeing the scene in the distance. The person was likely male, and though she didn’t know what they had done, Luo Xizhi felt she now had the courage to face any trouble. Besides, if nothing unexpected happened, how could Hua Lian possibly approach her a second time? For this reason, Luo Xizhi chose to do nothing and left from the other side.
The long lunch break ended, but the alumni group where Hua Lian was undercover exploded with activity. Hua Lian checked it repeatedly before confirming that the photo posted was indeed of her following Luo Xizhi.
[Group] Luo Xizhi Is My Wife: I’m going crazy! If I had known that helping my wife deal with those bullies would earn me a kiss, I’d have had my dad bankrupt their company right away.
[Group] Smiling with a Flower: You? Wouldn’t your dad break your legs first?
Hua Lian’s mind buzzed with noise. It wasn’t until she scrolled through the earlier messages that she realized others had mistakenly attributed the expulsion of those who bullied Luo Xizhi to the Hua family’s influence. This recollection also reminded her of whose story this melodramatic plot was meant to highlight.
[Group] Your Third Brother: That was clearly done by my Situ family! Hua Lian really has the guts to steal my credit! And she even kissed my girlfriend does she have a death wish?!
At that moment, a line of enormous text appeared. It was the super-sized font reserved for premium members, and this single line flashed in seven different colors, dazzling to the eyes. Hua Lian’s heart instantly raced with panic she had forgotten about the male lead of this dark novel, the one known as the “Outlaw” Situ San.
[Group] Luo Xizhi Is My Wife: Pfft, even if you really are Situ San, I won’t give my wife up to you!