Gu Zhuoxiao walked to the bedside and lifted the thin curtain.
The moment the curtain moved, his eyes landed precisely on Xu Ning, who was standing by the bed. Without a word, he strode forward and grabbed her slender wrist.
His grip was immense, as if he wanted to crush her bones.
Xu Ning winced, her brow knitting tightly, red marks quickly appearing on her fair wrist.
She struggled, shouting, “Let go of me!”
“Are you alright?”
Gu Zhuoxiao’s voice carried concern, but with an undercurrent of steel: “I heard someone gave you trouble. Is that true?”
She wrenched her wrist, but his hold was like iron—immovable.
Looking up at him, her eyes full of disdain, Xu Ning said, “It’s none of your business. Let me go.”
“None of my business?” Gu Zhuoxiao tilted his head down, a mocking smile curling his lips. “Xu Ning, have you forgotten? Without my protection, you’re nothing in this school!”
“Do you understand now?” He leaned closer to her ear, his voice carrying a hint of threat: “As long as you acknowledge your mistakes and come back to me obediently, no one will dare bully you again. I can protect you just like before.”
Each word dripped with nauseating superiority.
Lin Zhao leaned against the head of the bed, watching the scene unfold. Seeing Gu Zhuoxiao acting so self-important, she couldn’t hold back and let out a soft snicker.
Gu Zhuoxiao froze mid-action. His gaze, sharp as a knife, shot toward Lin Zhao, dark and piercing. “What are you laughing at?”
Lin Zhao raised an eyebrow, slowly sitting up despite the sharp pain in her back. The smile on her lips widened. “Laughing? I’m laughing at a beast turning human, learning to manipulate and play games. Isn’t that funny?”
“What did you just say?!” Gu Zhuoxiao’s face turned deadly pale.
He scanned Lin Zhao from head to toe, then, as if realizing something amusing, he laughed—a cruel, self-satisfied laugh. “Ah, so that’s why you’re so angry. You got bullied, huh?”
He paused. “Lin Zhao, for old times’ sake, tell me—who did it? If you tell me, maybe I can help you get your pride back.”
Lin Zhao’s stomach churned at his fake concern.
She slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze, calm and unflinching, but her words cut like a blade straight to his heart: “Who did it? Don’t you already know?”
The air went silent.
Gu Zhuoxiao’s smile froze. He stared at her and said each word with deliberate clarity: “Say that again.”
Teacher Wang, standing nearby, nearly went weak in the knees, palms sweating. He wanted to intervene but dared not say a word.
Xu Ning frowned slightly, watching silently.
Lin Zhao, however, seemed completely unfazed by Gu Zhuoxiao’s threat. Tilting her head slightly, she smiled and repeated clearly: “I said, don’t you already know who gave me trouble?”
She paused, locking eyes with him, then added: “And who set up those people? Besides you, Gu Zhuoxiao, who else would know?”
The moment she said this, Gu Zhuoxiao’s face darkened. His fists clenched, veins bulging on his forehead.
“Don’t listen to her nonsense!” Gu Zhuoxiao spun to Xu Ning, panicked. “Xu Ning, I didn’t do it! Really! She’s trying to manipulate you. Don’t believe her!”
Xu Ning looked from the panicking Gu Zhuoxiao to Lin Zhao, who remained calm and indifferent. She paused a moment before speaking, her tone completely neutral: “It’s nothing to do with me. This is your problem.”
“I have class, so I’ll go first.” Without looking at Gu Zhuoxiao again, she turned and walked toward the clinic door.
“Xu Ning!”
Gu Zhuoxiao spun back to glare at Lin Zhao, seething. “Lin Zhao, don’t go too far!”
“Too far?”
Lin Zhao scoffed, eyes cold. “Compared to the dirty tricks you’ve been playing behind the scenes, what I’m doing is nothing. Gu Zhuoxiao, who do you think you are? Using underhanded tricks and thinking you’re some kind of savior? Stop overestimating yourself.”
“How did you know?”
Lin Zhao smirked. “I know everything disgusting you’ve done.”
Gu Zhuoxiao’s pupils contracted sharply. The cruel look on his face softened slightly, and then he chuckled lowly, a playful glint in his voice.
He stepped closer, his tall frame almost pressing to the bedside, his warm breath brushing Lin Zhao’s cheek.
“Ah,” Gu Zhuoxiao bent close to her ear, voice low, “so you’ve been watching me all along.”
Lin Zhao’s face went icy. Her stomach churned, and through clenched teeth, she spat out two words: “Bullshit.”
That bastard!
Gu Zhuoxiao didn’t get angry; he laughed harder.
He straightened up, hands in pockets, examining Lin Zhao. “You’re jealous, that’s why you said that to tease me. Lin Zhao, I know you. Ever since we were kids, whenever I get close to another girl, you always find a way to get my attention.”
“I’ve told you before,” he said casually, as if it were trivial, “Xu Ning and I are just playing. We won’t really be together. She’s ordinary, boring… except for her face, there’s nothing remarkable about her. How could she be worthy of me, Gu Zhuoxiao?”
“Why should I get upset over someone meaningless? Is it worth it?”
Lin Zhao’s fingers clenched the bedsheet tightly, restraining herself from hitting him.
But Gu Zhuoxiao, oblivious, stepped even closer. “I’ll marry someone equal to me in status. Look at us, childhood sweethearts, equal families. We’re meant to be. Xu Ning is just a pastime. Soon enough, I’ll grow tired of her.”
“Tired of her?”
Lin Zhao finally spoke, her voice like steel: “Gu Zhuoxiao, who do you think people are? Toys for your amusement? Tools to show off your charm?”
Gu Zhuoxiao raised a brow, dismissive: “If not, then what? Not everyone deserves my attention. Xu Ning being noticed by me is her luck.”
Lin Zhao gritted her teeth and grabbed his collar, roaring: “Say that again!”
Despite being held, Gu Zhuoxiao remained calm. He gently brushed her hand off his collar. “I know you’re angry.”
“Angry that I’m ignoring you for Xu Ning. Angry that my attention is elsewhere. Lin Zhao, stop it, alright?”
His voice softened: “I’m not tired of her yet. When I am, I’ll naturally come back to you. Just wait a little longer, alright, Lin Zhao?”
Lin Zhao snapped her head up, fury blazing. “Gu Zhuoxiao, you’re seriously sick! Who do you think you are?”
She had reached her limit.
“Narcissism is a disease? Let me cure you!”
She swung a fist at his nauseating face, her strike fast and brutal.
Just as her fist was about to land, a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.
Teacher Wang, pale as paper, almost in tears, shouted: “Young master, young lady! This is the clinic! The school! Don’t cause trouble here!”
He held her wrist tightly, preventing the punch from landing.
Turning to her, he begged: “Please calm down. You’ve just been treated for your injuries. If you exert too much, the wound will tear again. It’ll hurt terribly!”
Lin Zhao’s fist hovered a few centimeters from his face. Her chest heaved, rage roiling inside her, heat burning through her body.
She yanked her wrist free, released his collar, and took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Standing tall, she looked down at him, her voice a clear warning: “Gu Zhuoxiao, say one more disgusting word, and I swear I’ll rip your mouth apart!”
“I’m telling you, I, Lin Zhao, have nothing to do with you! Try me again, and I won’t let you off!”
She turned and strode toward the clinic door, each step sending waves of pain through her still-healing wounds.
Reaching the door, she braced herself on the frame and hissed lowly.
It really hurt…
“Serves him right,” 101 commented.
Lin Zhao continued walking, silently thinking: Why aren’t you stopping me this time? Weren’t you always insisting I follow the plot?
“Would stopping you help?” 101 said bitterly. “You’re the most stubborn host I’ve ever seen! Others follow the system, but not you! You go against it every day, causing chaos!”
Lin Zhao smirked faintly, self-deprecating: “Oh, I made the list? Being your most disobedient host… should I give myself an award?”
“Now isn’t the time for jokes!” 101 snapped. “Do you know how much trouble you caused? We’re going to get punished!”
“Then why are you letting me do it? Doesn’t the system punish disobedient hosts? Shouldn’t you have zapped me, made me shut up? Why did you just stand there and watch?”
“……”
101 remained silent.