During the afternoon break, Song Shudi’s old-fashioned phone received a text message from a stranger. She didn’t intend to reply, but the content forced her to take it seriously.
“Bai Lin, long time no see. Come to our usual spot after evening self-study tonight. You don’t want your dirty deeds to be discovered, do you?”
The sender was a phone number. Song Shudi glanced at the message, sighed, wondering what kind of trap the original owner had set for her this time.
“Going?”
“Let’s go. They might really have something on the original owner.” Song Shudi turned off her phone. Bai Lin’s bad reputation was partly her fault.
After the last evening self-study session, Song Shudi, carrying her backpack, went to the so-called “usual spot” as instructed by 210.
Beforehand, she had 210 control her phone so that she could immediately contact school security and the police if she encountered any danger.
This was school; she was unlikely to encounter too much danger, but she still had to be careful.
Song Shudi walked to a tree. It was a secluded spot, far from the teaching building, but there were security cameras. Seeing the security camera on the iron pole, Song Shudi’s tense mood relaxed slightly.
It seemed it wasn’t anything serious.
“Oh, Miss Bai is planning to retire from her life of crime? She hasn’t come to see us for months. Is she trying to cut ties with us?” Several heavily made-up girls walked over from the other side of the tree.
They were Bai Lin’s former cronies, who had helped him commit many evil deeds, all for the money in his pocket. Bai Lin’s allowance had supported many thugs.
“What’s the matter?” Song Shudi appeared unusually calm, giving off a mature and composed feeling.
This was completely different from the Bai Lin of the past.
“Looks like the rumors are true.”
“What rumors?”
“Rumor has it that Miss Bai is determined to be a good student. She’s been busy studying lately, quitting smoking, drinking, and even looking at her favorite girls.” The girls were somewhat surprised, not expecting that someone like Bai Lin could actually be so determined to be a good student.
It was like the sun rising in the west.
“Yes, so you all shouldn’t associate with me anymore. I want to be a good student.” Song Shudi just wanted to get rid of these childish kids as soon as possible.
It seemed like nothing serious, just her old cronies haunting her.
“Wait, no, no, no! We’ve done everything you asked us to do. We can’t just
leave empty-handed.” Just as Song Shudi was about to leave, several girls blocked her path. They looked determined to get what they wanted .
“What is it? It’s been so long, I forgot.”
Song Shudi frowned slightly. What had the original owner done?
“You really have a bad memory. It’s about that time last semester when you asked us to take some private photos of xx. We went to great lengths to get them. The photos are right here.”
The girl waved her phone in front of Song Shudi, turning the screen brightness up to maximum. The moment Song Shudi saw the photos, she almost couldn’t contain her anger.
Song Shudi: Bai Lin actually did something like that!
Song Shudi’s anger had reached its peak. What was the Mission Management Bureau doing, actually making her accept a request from someone like this? Remembering being hugged by Bai Lin, Song Shudi felt a surge of disgust.
She should have known better than to accept this request and fulfill this person’s wish.
“Well… Bai Lin was indeed a complete scoundrel in high school, but after meeting Liu Xiyue, he underwent a complete transformation and never did anything like that again. Although he’s not very successful as an adult, he often does good deeds, repents for his past mistakes, and even established a charity foundation to help women in need. The Mission Management Bureau hesitated for a moment, but ultimately accepted her request.”
210 also felt conflicted.
Before meeting Liu Xiyue, Bai Lin was like an untamed wild beast, capable of violating laws and morals.
But after meeting Liu Xiyue, perhaps out of inferiority or a sense of being too dirty, he began to actively change himself, eventually becoming a law-abiding citizen.
Listening to 210’s words, Song Shudi felt a headache coming on; figuring out how to handle this was the most troublesome part.
If he cut ties with these people directly, the photo would become a threat to him and also harm the girl. Once this matter was exposed, he would face legal consequences, and he might not even be able to continue his studies.
If he accepted the photo, he couldn’t completely sever ties with these people, and there would be endless trouble afterward. Moreover, secrets can’t stay hidden forever; the original owner’s past actions would inevitably lead to serious trouble sooner or later.
Song Shudi: How did Bai Lin handle this matter before?
Bai Lin reformed later, so he definitely had to deal with these matters properly.
210: Bai Lin couldn’t think of a good solution, so he kept giving them money to keep things under control, probably several million yuan, until Bai Lin passed away.
Song Shudi remained silent; of course, he couldn’t give them money.
“Check if they have any backups on their phones?”
“No, only the few you’ve seen.”
“Okay, I’ve got an idea.”
Song Shudi moved closer to the girls and pretended to say, “Let me see clearly. If they’re not clear, take them again. I don’t like paying for blurry photos.” Song Shudi
acted like Bai Lin used to, taking the phones from the girls’ hands.
“Don’t worry, Miss Bai, we used an ultra-high-definition camera to take these pictures. Just buying the camera cost a lot of money. This pretty girl has a good figure, giving her ten thousand yuan shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Watching Song Shudi examine the photos, the girls gradually relaxed. This was the Bai Lin they knew, a lecherous rich second-generation.
“Not bad…”
Song Shudi stepped back and seized the opportunity to delete all the photos from the phones. By the time everyone realized what was happening, the photos on the phones had been wiped clean.
“Damn it! Bai Lin, what’s wrong with you? Are you sick?!” The girls quickly snatched the phones back and shoved Song Shudi hard.
“What? Afraid we’ll blackmail you with photos?” Several girls realized Song Shudi’s intentions.
They were obsessed with the good student; they’d worked together more than once, and they knew all of Bai Lin’s secrets. Getting rid of them was out of the question!
“What photos? Did I ask you to take any photos? This has nothing to do with me.”
Song Shudi said, while having 210 delete all her contact information and erase all her previous chat history with these girls.
Anyone could do something that would leave no evidence.
“Don’t admit it? I have ways to make you admit it.” Another girl pulled out her phone from her bag; their previous chat history was still on her phone. Just a small snippet could ruin Song Shudi’s reputation. But
when they opened the chat app, they were surprised to find that they couldn’t find Bai Lin’s contact information anywhere, and the saved chat history was gone too.
The phone was completely empty of anything related to Bai Lin; there was nothing there.
“???” The girls exchanged bewildered glances. They had clearly checked it before leaving; everything was there. How could it all be gone so suddenly?
“It’s late. Don’t bother me again, or don’t blame me for being ruthless.” Song Shudi hardened her stance. The original owner of this body had done so many heinous things, which meant she had some ability. The more afraid they were, the easier it was for them to be manipulated.
“You think you can just come and go as you please? If you don’t give us the money today, this isn’t over.”
Several tall girls immediately blocked Song Shudi’s path, surrounding her and squeezing her into a corner—a classic case of school bullying.
Suddenly, a tall figure appeared from the side path.
“Let her go right now! I’ve already recorded a video. You don’t want to be expelled for bullying, do you?” Liu Xiyue opened the video on her phone, looking very serious at the girls surrounding Song Shudi.
Actually, she had been there the whole time. She had quietly followed Song Shudi as she walked this way. With 719’s help, she hid. Upon seeing the thugs, she initially planned to call security, but worried the conversation might be detrimental to Song Shudi, so she recorded a video from a distance.
She was slightly shocked after hearing the whole story, thankful she hadn’t called security directly, otherwise it would have caused Song Shudi a lot of trouble.
However, Bai Lin had truly shocked her; she hadn’t expected him to have done such things before. Liu Xiyue was worried sick for Song Shudi.
During their conversation, Liu Xiyue had been trying to find a solution for Song Shudi, hoping she could escape unscathed and avoid being harassed by these thugs in the future.
“Liu Xiyue?” The girls’ faces turned grim when they recognized her.
“Sister, what do we do…”
Liu Xiyue’s influence was immense. If this video got online, she’d probably be expelled and cyberbullied.
While they hesitated, Liu Xiyue quickly reached out and grabbed Song Shudi’s forearm, ignoring Song Shudi’s expression, and pulled her behind her.
Whenever the thugs approached Song Shudi, Liu Xiyue would hold her tightly, her eyes unwavering, like a mother cat protecting her kittens, as if to say, “If you want to hurt her, hurt me first.”
Seeing Liu Xiyue’s demeanor, the thugs dared not move.
“Fine… let’s go.” After a two- or three-minute standoff, the thugs finally left, glaring at Song Shudi as they went.
It was a mystery what good fortune Song Shudi had to have such a benefactor to help her out.
After they left, Liu Xiyue anxiously grabbed Song Shudi’s shoulders, her eyes filled with unwavering worry.
“They didn’t do anything to you, did they? Are you hurt anywhere? Did they say anything bad?” Liu Xiyue half-huddled Song Shudi, transferring her body heat to her.
Liu Xiyue smelled of gardenias, a faint yet gentle scent that Song Shudi liked very much, which unconsciously calmed her down.
“I’m fine, thank you.” Song Shudi slightly pulled away from Liu Xiyue’s embrace, feeling a little strange being held by the female lead.
She wasn’t quite used to it.
“It’s good that you’re alright. It’s getting late, do you want to go home together? My manager’s car is outside the school, I can give you a ride.” Liu Xiyue was a little nervous; this was the first time she had taken the initiative to invite someone, and she didn’t know if Song Shudi would refuse.
If she was refused
, it would be normal, Liu Xiyue told herself, not to be too hasty.
“Okay, thank you.”
Unexpectedly, Song Shudi actually agreed.
Song Shudi glanced in the direction the thugs had left; they probably wouldn’t let it go so easily. Going home alone was risky; going with Liu Xiyue would be smoother.
“Then let’s go.”
Liu Xiyue’s eyes lit up; she hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly.
Under the moonlight, Liu Xiyue looked at their intertwined shadows and felt that all her efforts during this time had been worthwhile.