Chapter 46
Ms. Hu’s fall was spectacular, startling not only Class 6 but also the class below, who heard a loud crash.
“Who fell? Was that an earthquake?”
“What kind of fall was that? Did they slide across the entire classroom?”
Ms. Hu’s glasses were askew, her mind still reeling.
What just happened? Did I fly?
She couldn’t have slid that far on her own, but the floor near the doorway had been coated with a transparent, slippery liquid.
The muffled laughter and whispers confirmed her humiliation.
“What’s so funny?!” she snapped, struggling to stand, intending to punish the perpetrators.
But as she tried to get up, her feet slipped out from under her, and she landed flat on her back.
The class erupted in laughter.
Ms. Hu was a strict and unforgiving teacher, favoring the high-achieving students and using the low-performing ones as scapegoats for her frustrations.
The students, having endured her unfair treatment, found her misfortune amusing.
“You…”
Ms. Hu’s face burned with shame. She noticed a slippery, oily substance on her hands and clothes, the smell nauseating.
She sniffed it cautiously and almost gagged.
And her new, expensive dress was ruined!
“Oh dear, how… unfortunate,” Lin Xiaozhi said, standing at the doorway with Chi Lin and Wei Zhuoning, her tone devoid of sympathy.
“Someone spilled simulated ice melt,” Wei Zhuoning said. “Without ice skates, it’s like an oil slick.”
Simulated ice melt, used in skating rinks, turned any surface into a slippery, ice-like surface, a cost-effective alternative to real ice.
Chi Lin understood.
She had noticed two students watching her expectantly as she entered the classroom.
Their poorly concealed anticipation had betrayed their intentions.
The simulated ice melt had been meant for her.
If she had rushed in, worried about being late, she would have suffered the same fate as Ms. Hu.
The entire class laughed, no one offering assistance. Ms. Hu, unable to stand on the slippery floor, fumed.
She had slid past the podium, with nothing to grab onto.
“Chi Lin!” she called out. “Help me!”
Chi Lin, remembering Ms. Hu’s earlier scolding and her attempt to turn Lin Xiaozhi and Wei Zhuoning against her, felt no sympathy.
She had anticipated a trap and had entered the classroom cautiously.
She wouldn’t openly confront Ms. Hu. She still had to attend her classes.
But she also wouldn’t help her directly.
“Ms. Hu,” she said, approaching her with a cordless vacuum cleaner, stopping a few feet away and extending the nozzle. “Grab onto this. I’ll pull you over.”
Ms. Hu: “…”
The vacuum cleaner was essentially a modern broom.
And it was filthy, used by the students for everything except cleaning, often wielded like a lightsaber.
The only clean part was the handle.
And Chi Lin was offering her the… nozzle.
“Ms. Hu?” Chi Lin prompted, seeing her hesitation.
It’s Miss Hu! Not Ms. Hu!
Ms. Hu cursed Chi Lin internally, but she had no choice. She grabbed the nozzle.
She couldn’t just sit there in a puddle of… whatever that was.
“Why bother helping her?” a girl beside Chi Lin whispered. “She’s always talking about you behind your back.”
Chi Lin smiled at her reassuringly.
Ms. Hu, her face burning with shame, grabbed the nozzle, her knees bent, her posture resembling a beginner skater clinging to the side of the rink.
Chi Lin slowly pulled her across the slippery floor.
Finally reaching a safe spot, Ms. Hu stood up, her clothes reeking of the oily substance, the students around her pinching their noses.
“Who spilled this?!” she yelled, furious. “Show yourself!”
No one answered.
Ms. Hu, her head pounding, stormed out of the classroom, expecting someone to stop her, to apologize, to offer assistance.
No one did.
Fine! Even the class president is useless! This class is hopeless!
As she left, Dong Xiangwen, watching from the window, said, “Do you think she’ll tell the Dean?”
Gao Xiang chuckled. “Let her. She already hates our class. This just gives her another excuse. A little exercise is good for her. Right, Lu Ke, Chong Zhiwen?”
Lu Ke and Chong Zhiwen were the two students Chi Lin had noticed earlier.
Gao Xiang’s words implied they were the culprits.
Chi Lin, remembering them, realized they were usually quiet and unassuming, spending most of their time playing games, yet their grades were surprisingly good.
Lin Xiaozhi was always first in their class, another girl second, and Lu Ke consistently third, with Chong Zhiwen hovering around tenth place.
They were close friends, often seen together, playing games online.
Chi Lin didn’t remember offending them.
But… they were gamers. Perhaps they were fans of Lou Mi?
And angry about Lou Mi’s Weibo post?
Chi Lin smiled to herself, a sudden understanding dawning on her.
She couldn’t wait to graduate and escape this childish drama. Perhaps college students would be more mature and rational.
Lin Xiaozhi, opening her tablet, said to Chi Lin, “You knew about the… trap, didn’t you? You let Ms. Hu walk into it on purpose?”
Chi Lin smiled faintly, a silent confirmation.
“I thought you were crazy, then I thought you were just… old-fashioned. But now I realize you’re just… devious.”
Devious? Chi Lin wondered. What did that mean?
She pretended to understand and smiled.
Lin Xiaozhi glanced at Wei Zhuoning, who was typing on her phone, ignoring her tablet.
Still writing? No interest in studying at all.
She had been last in their class on the last exam, and her overall ranking was dropping…
At this rate, she wouldn’t even get into college, let alone improve her seat.
Lin Xiaozhi was worried.
With Ms. Hu gone, the class became a free study period.
The girl who had warned Chi Lin earlier was Sha Xinyu, who had admired Chi Lin since her sword dance performance.
She sat diagonally in front of Chi Lin and now sent her a message, then turned around, showing her the screen.
She had seen Lu Ke and Chong Zhiwen spilling the simulated ice melt.
She didn’t know why they did it, but she was certain it was meant for Chi Lin.
Chi Lin replied with a “hehe,” which Sha Xinyu interpreted as a cool and dismissive sneer, further fueling her admiration.
Sha Xinyu sent another message: “You have to see this video. Liu Huixin’s mom came to school this morning and beat her up in front of the entire class. She was screaming and crying. Even the security guards were scared. They’re both at the police station now.”
Chi Lin put on her headphones and watched the video. Liu Huixin’s screams were indeed… earsplitting.
Several students had tried to intervene, but her mother, her face streaked with tears, had continued hitting her, yelling, “Your father and I wake up at 4 am every day to earn money for your education! And this is how you repay us?! You ungrateful little brat!”
Xu Yifang and Jiao Minxuan had watched from a distance, not saying a word.
Sha Xinyu: “Liu Huixin got a major demerit. It’ll be on her permanent record. And she lost her financial aid. Serves her right.”
Chi Lin, unfazed by the video, put away her phone.
…
As expected, Ms. Hu had gone to the Dean to complain.
The Dean stormed into Class 6, demanding to know who was responsible, but no one spoke up.
They all hated Ms. Hu.
And they knew the security cameras must have been disabled again. Otherwise, the Dean would have already identified the culprits.
These students were skilled at disabling or hacking the school’s surveillance system.
Lu Ke, apparently, was a talented hacker.
The Dean, furious, ordered the entire class to stay for detention during lunch, waiting for Ms. Qi to join them.
As he left, the students grumbled.
“Seriously? I had a date!”
“This is so annoying!”
“Lu Ke, just confess! Don’t drag us all down with you!”
Lu Ke sneered. “Do you have any proof?”
Gao Xiang said, “Don’t be such a dick. You and Chong Zhiwen are both A Bao fans, right? I guess the rumors about A Bao fans being… intellectually challenged are true.”
A Bao fans?
So they weren’t Lou Mi fans?
And who was A Bao?
As Chi Lin pondered this, Chong Zhiwen suddenly jumped up and lunged at Gao Xiang.
Gao Xiang, a devoted Lou Mi fan, had clashed with A Bao’s fans online countless times. This was his chance for some real-world revenge.
He charged at Chong Zhiwen, and they started fighting, their fists flying, chairs crashing to the floor, the other students scrambling out of the classroom.
Chi Lin sighed.
Even without knowing who A Bao was, she could guess Gao Xiang was defending Lou Mi.
She had to intervene.
As they fought, she looked for an opportunity to separate them, then noticed they had suddenly stopped.
Lin Xiaozhi stood over them, holding a metal desk above her head, her face contorted in anger.
“Let go of each other, you little shits!”
If she dropped the desk, they would be crushed.
Everyone in Class 6 knew the class president wasn’t to be trifled with. Her sweet and innocent appearance masked a violent temper.
“Calm down! Put the desk down!” Gao Xiang and Chong Zhiwen said simultaneously.
Lin Xiaozhi slammed the desk onto the floor, the sound echoing through the building, making the students in the class below jump.
Gao Xiang and Chong Zhiwen reluctantly released each other.
Chi Lin realized Ms. Qi’s decision to appoint Lin Xiaozhi as class president had been a stroke of genius.
She might not be a good academic role model, but she was an effective deterrent to violence.
Wei Zhuoning, hiding in the corner, was terrified.
Her own occasional swearing was nothing compared to Lin Xiaozhi’s violent outbursts.
She knew Lin Xiaozhi was capable of violence, but witnessing it firsthand was still… scary.
The rest of the morning passed in a haze of anxiety. No one dared to leave for lunch, waiting for the Dean and Ms. Qi.
They arrived, delivered a lengthy lecture, and finally dismissed the class at 1:30 pm, warning them the matter wasn’t over until the culprits were identified.
The students, with only thirty minutes left for lunch, glared at Lu Ke and Chong Zhiwen.
Lin Xiaozhi, hating wasted time, wouldn’t snitch, and neither would the other students.
“This is so annoying,” Wei Zhuoning complained, her stomach rumbling. “I’m starving. There’s no time to go out for lunch. Let’s just grab something from the cafeteria.”
Lin Xiaozhi agreed, but Chi Lin, not wanting to face the crowds, said, “You two go ahead. I’m… meeting my sister.”
“Lou-jie is coming again?! Where?!” Wei Zhuoning exclaimed, excited.
“She’s probably coming secretly. You won’t see her,” Lin Xiaozhi said, then turned to Chi Lin, smiling sweetly. “Right, A Lin?”
Chi Lin, remembering Lin Xiaozhi’s earlier display of violence, said weakly, “Right…”
Lin Xiaozhi, putting her arm around Wei Zhuoning’s neck, dragged her towards the cafeteria, waving at Chi Lin.
“Enjoy your lunch with your sister!”
“Let go of me!” Wei Zhuoning protested.
As Chi Lin waved back, she noticed the whispers and stares from the passing students.
She turned and walked towards the deserted sports field.
She had grabbed a bread roll for lunch that morning, not intending to go out.
She rarely came to the sports field, having only attended one PE class this semester.
She remembered a small pond with ornamental fish near the bleachers. She could eat her lunch there in peace.
She sat on a bench by the pond, the wind rustling the leaves, and pulled her jacket tighter, then, as she was about to take a bite of her bread, she was surrounded.
Five girls stood before her, their expressions hostile.
“You’re the legendary sword master of Class 6, the White Dew Fairy?”
Chi Lin almost choked on her bread. “My name is Chi Lin. I’m not a… sword master or a fairy.”
The girls stood shoulder to shoulder. “We’re the Five Deadly Stars of the South Lake Third High Plum Blossom Poison Sect! We challenge you!”
Chi Lin’s bread roll slipped from her grasp.
Even the most outlandish stories from Dayuan couldn’t compare to this.
…
Lou Mi adjusted her mask, the tight fit uncomfortable.
The toolbox in her hand was heavy, and she couldn’t find Chi Lin.
Where is she?
Dressed as an AI repair technician, she had snuck onto the campus to protect Chi Lin.
She had started the fire with her Weibo post, and she would be there to extinguish it if necessary.
She imagined herself swooping in, saving Chi Lin from danger, a dramatic entrance.
But where was she?
There was no sign of her.
She continued her search, her disguise, the standard uniform and equipment of an AI technician, unlikely to arouse suspicion.
Two girls, passing by, glanced at her.
Lou Mi: “?”
Had she been recognized?
The girls, walking away, whispered to each other:
“Damn, she’s hot.”
“Since when are repair technicians so… attractive?”
Lou Mi, carrying her toolbox, reached the sports field and finally spotted Chi Lin.
What is she doing here?
She hid behind a tree and saw the five girls surrounding Chi Lin.
Are they…
Alarmed, she was about to intervene when a loud wail stopped her.
One of the girls had burst into tears.
Chi Lin: “…Are you okay?”
“You hit me!”
Chi Lin: “But you challenged me…”
“You can’t just hit people!”
Chi Lin was speechless. Her logic was… circular.
Lou Mi, removing her mask, muttered, “What the…”
The Five Deadly Stars, defeated and in tears, retreated. Chi Lin’s forehead was damp with sweat.
This is ridiculous.
She scanned the surrounding trees, sensing another presence, a faint breathing sound.
Who’s there?
Her senses heightened, her body tense.
Lou Mi, standing behind her, was about to tap her shoulder when Chi Lin spun around, grabbing her arm.
Seeing Lou Mi’s face, she was startled.
“Huh?”
Lou Mi’s foot slipped, and she slid towards the pond, pulling Chi Lin with her.
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