Lin Zhao looked at Xu Ning, fidgeting nervously by her side, and lifted her chin slightly. “You should sit.”
Xu Ning paused for a second, then shook her head. “No, it’s fine.”
“Sit, I’m about to get off anyway.”
Lin Zhao stood up, gently nudging Xu Ning’s arm to guide her toward a seat. “We’re almost at the school. Sit down and rest for a bit.”
Xu Ning looked at her, about to speak, but the bus squeaked to a stop at the curb.
Lin Zhao grabbed her bag and headed for the door, ignoring Xu Ning’s gaze.
There were still two stops to go before school; walking would take at least ten minutes. Lin Zhao knew this better than anyone.
As for why she chose to get off here… even she didn’t know.
Just as she stepped out, an angry shout came from behind.
“Lin Zhao!”
Her steps faltered slightly, and she subtly furrowed her brows.
It was Gu Zhuoxiao again.
The morning was beautiful, and her mood had been good—but only until now.
She didn’t even need to turn her head to imagine his expression: full of rage, arrogant posture, eyes practically spitting fire.
Lin Zhao barely hesitated. She kept walking, treating the person behind her like air. Her back straight, steps steady, radiating an aura of indifference.
She didn’t want to deal with Gu Zhuoxiao.
Her ignoring him only fueled his anger.
“Lin Zhao! Are you deaf or what?!”
His voice suddenly shot up several octaves.
Lin Zhao stopped, but didn’t look back.
The morning breeze swept her hair and brushed her cheek. She could feel the chill in the air—and the gaze behind her, sharp enough to pierce her.
After a few seconds of silence, she spoke slowly: “Do you need something?”
Gu Zhuoxiao took a few steps forward, stopping less than a meter behind her. His chest heaved violently from anger.
He ground his teeth, words coming out slowly, deliberately: “I’m warning you, Lin Zhao. You’d better behave. Don’t meddle anymore, and don’t show up in front of me again!”
As soon as he finished, Lin Zhao finally turned.
Her face was calm, her eyes clear and deep, like a bottomless lake. Not a ripple disturbed them.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “Where I go is my freedom. What does that have to do with you? You can control the world and heaven itself, but can you really control where I go?”
“You—” Gu Zhuoxiao was struck dumb, his face instantly red.
He glared fiercely at Lin Zhao. “Don’t think I don’t know what’s in your mind! Lin Zhao, I’m telling you, don’t talk recklessly in front of Xu Ning, or I won’t let you off!”
Lin Zhao looked at his flushed, furious face, secretly amused. She leaned slightly forward, eyes glinting with mischief. “What? Is the Big Young Master hiding something so shameful that you’re afraid I’ll tell Xu Ning?”
Gu Zhuoxiao’s expression changed sharply. His teeth ground together, and his eyes looked as if they could devour her alive. “Afraid? I, Gu Zhuoxiao, have never been afraid of anything!”
“Lin Zhao, don’t think you can get away with this! Yesterday you ruined my plans, and I haven’t settled the score! If it weren’t for our families being connected, do you think you could still stand here?”
His words were full of threat.
But Lin Zhao… wasn’t afraid of anyone.
A mere paper-thin character—could he really bully her?
Lin Zhao stated firmly: “Then here’s your line, word for word.”
Gu Zhuoxiao was speechless.
He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.
He had never seen this side of Lin Zhao before.
Like a bird suddenly freed from its cage, her wings stiffened, her heart wild.
He froze, and after a long moment regained his voice: “Lin Zhao… what happened to you? What kind of stimulus did you receive?”
Lin Zhao’s lips curved slightly, a subtle smile playing at the corner.
Stimulus?
The “stimulus” she had received was huge.
She had been transported from a peaceful modern world into this ridiculous, over-the-top novel.
Wasn’t that stimulation enough?
“No… it wasn’t a stimulus,” she said, pausing to emphasize each word: “It was a matter of conscience.”
With that, she didn’t look at Gu Zhuoxiao again. She adjusted the straps of her bag and strode toward the school building.
Gu Zhuoxiao stared after her.
Conscience?
What nonsense.
The last bell had just rung in the classrooms. Lin Zhao stepped casually into the classroom, the homeroom teacher holding his chalk paused briefly, eyes barely brushing over her.
He quickly looked away and resumed explaining.
Lin Zhao ignored him completely.
Money can move ghosts—so it seems.
The original Lin Zhao had wielded the Lin family’s power at school like a tyrant, arriving late, leaving early, even talking back to teachers. And everyone from top to bottom at school had turned a blind eye.
That was why the original Lin Zhao had become so reckless, notorious as the spoiled heiress, and had met the inevitable end.
Lin Zhao leaned back in her chair, silently calling in her mind: “101? 101?”
After a long pause, 101 finally spoke in her mind: “Host, what do you need me for?”
“What happens next in the story?”
“According to the original book, this afternoon after class, Xu Ning will be cornered in the bathroom, but in the end, Gu Zhuoxiao rescues her,” 101 replied.
“After that, Xu Ning’s favorability toward Gu Zhuoxiao increases by 5%. Their relationship changes slightly.”
Another melodramatic cliché.
Hero rescues damsel, feelings blossom.
No one even considers who caused Xu Ning’s misery.
Lin Zhao leaned back, fingers drumming on her pen unconsciously, silent.
101 seemed to notice her thoughts, panicking: “Host? Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you up to some trick again?”
Lin Zhao remained silent.
“Host! You mustn’t interfere! Our task is to ensure the heroine survives. As long as she doesn’t die, the story will more or less remain unchanged! You cannot alter the plot!”
“Shut up,” Lin Zhao finally said. “You’re annoying.”
101 went silent. After a few seconds, a small, aggrieved mutter came: “You were the one who called me out… and now you say I’m annoying… Host, your temper is too violent…”
“Host… are you even listening to me…” 101 persisted. “The consequences of changing the plot are serious…”
“I know,” Lin Zhao said calmly. “No need to remind me.”
She added: “If you keep talking, I’ll pull your tongue out.”
101: “The system has no tongue, host. Don’t try to trick me.”
Lin Zhao smiled. “Oh? Aren’t you a raccoon?”
“Uh…” 101 stammered, “That’s just my true form…”
“So?”
“You’re abusing a small animal!”
“I know. Now shut up.”
101 pouted but closed its mouth.
Just then, Xu Ning was about to exit the bathroom when a few girls blocked her path.
A lewd-looking girl with bright red hair draped her loose school jacket over her shoulders. She narrowed her eyes at Xu Ning, smirking: “Where are you going?”
Xu Ning froze. Her long lashes trembled, lips pressed into a thin line. She didn’t speak.
“Answer me!” The red-haired girl stepped closer, and her cronies closed in, completely blocking Xu Ning.
“Ugh.”
“Look at this poor girl, wearing those rags. Smells cheap too!” One girl pinched her nose and fanned the air dramatically.
“Who does she think she is, always trailing after Gu Xue? A little rich girl?”
Xu Ning’s body trembled. She took two steps back, her back hitting the cold tiled wall, nowhere to retreat.
She hadn’t done anything, yet these girls were like mad dogs, biting at her.
“Did I tell you to move?” The red-haired girl snapped, voice sharp and piercing.
Xu Ning froze, unable to utter a word.
The girl stepped closer, towering over Xu Ning, lips curling into a contemptuous smile: “I heard your grandmother is in the hospital?”
Xu Ning’s eyes widened in shock.
She hadn’t told anyone about her grandmother. How did they know?
The girl’s eyes glinted with triumph. She deliberately dragged out her words: “Surprised? I guess your grandmother was sent to the hospital because of your bad luck, huh?”
“Yeah, yeah,” one of the cronies chimed in, malice dripping from their voice. “What a cursed girl. So annoying! Why don’t you just disappear?”
“Answer me! Dumb now? Look at that miserable face! Born unlucky!” The girl shoved Xu Ning hard.
Xu Ning staggered, back slamming against the wall. She grunted, suppressing her tears.
The red-haired girl’s smile turned crueler. She grabbed the back of Xu Ning’s neck and yanked her forward, closing the distance.
“I heard your parents died long ago. Did you kill them too?”
She raised her hand, about to slap Xu Ning’s cheek.
At that moment, a cold voice suddenly rang out from the end of the hallway:
“I heard that people without manners don’t have parents.”
The red-haired girl’s hand froze mid-air. She turned, incredulous, toward the direction of the voice.