Even with some lingering doubts, the girls politely stopped pressing the matter and returned to their front-row seats.
They went right back to giggling and chatting among themselves.
Luo Yunzhi breathed a sigh of relief.
She flipped her phone face-down on the desk and turned the volume all the way down, just in case any more “carrot” trouble popped up.
She had completely lost the will to study.
Instead, she slipped out of the classroom.
There were still five minutes until class.
The young girl’s figure appeared in the bathroom.
She turned on the faucet, letting the clear water splash into the sink.
The splash splash splash of water rang in her ears. Luo Yunzhi cupped some water and splashed it on her face, washing away all the panic.
She smoothed her hair a little, tucking a few strands of her ink-black locks behind her back.
She took off the thick black-rimmed glasses, revealing her clean, beautiful face.
“I almost drew attention again.”
The young girl felt a twinge of lingering fear.
She patted her chest and slowly let out a breath of pent-up frustration.
“I don’t want to be chased by lunatics again.”
She gave a bitter smile.
Luo Yunzhi deliberately made herself look plain and unremarkable because of a “pervert” she had encountered before.
To be fair, the person wasn’t exactly a monster.
The pursuer had even been a girl… but for some reason—maybe she was obsessed with Luo Yunzhi’s beauty—she had launched an endless, over-the-top pursuit.
Her behavior had been ridiculous: posting so-called “official announcements” online, buying a megaphone and broadcasting in the school field toward the teaching building, and worse.
At one point she had even decided Luo Yunzhi’s family was poor and parentless, so she brought stacks of cash trying to straight-up buy the girl.
Luo Yunzhi stared at her reflection in the mirror.
The corners of her mouth twitched.
“If it weren’t for that lunatic,” she clenched her fists, but she didn’t punch the mirror—she wasn’t stupid enough to hurt herself.
“I wouldn’t have had to transfer schools.”
She felt a little gloomy.
In the end, Luo Yunzhi couldn’t take it anymore. She dropped out, fled the city, transferred schools multiple times, and finally settled down here.
She had barely even interacted with that girl and had only met her a handful of times.
The idea of anything like holding hands was completely ridiculous.
It seemed that once she disappeared, the other girl had finally stopped.
But if she ever got exposed again, that girl would definitely come looking.
“Why is life so hard?”
Luo Yunzhi couldn’t help sighing softly.
She turned off the faucet and put the thick black-rimmed glasses back on.
She stepped out of the bathroom.
The bell rang.
She blended into the crowd.
***
Even though school days dragged on forever, time refused to slow down just because she wished it would.
When the final bell rang, it was already time to leave.
Luo Yunzhi really hadn’t drawn any attention.
Even the girls who had spoken to her earlier had gathered into their own little group and headed for the school gate.
She was like the invisible ghost from those school horror stories—someone who could disappear without anyone noticing anything strange.
But Luo Yunzhi liked it that way.
It felt safe.
“The homework today isn’t too heavy.”
She tightened the straps of her schoolbag as she walked, her steps quickening toward her next destination.
“I should be able to spend more time with Little White.”
She murmured to herself.
The setting sun sank in the west.
The same sunlight that had filtered through the leaves in the morning now spilled across the ground, only this time it carried a golden sheen.
A sudden breeze lifted her hair, making it even messier.
She stopped walking—she had reached her destination.
Luo Yunzhi lifted her head.
It was a sign.
Sister Li’s Convenience Store.
Luo Yunzhi took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.
Hearing the sound, the middle-aged woman at the register looked over.
“Huh? Xiao Luo, you’re here.”
“Yeah, I’m here, Sister Li.”
The young girl smiled.
“I shouldn’t be late today, right?”
She walked briskly to the back of the store, slipped into the changing area, and put on her work uniform.
The middle-aged woman, Sister Li, chuckled. “Xiao Luo, even if I—the store manager—were late, you’d never be late.”
She pointed at the board on the wall covered in circles and crosses.
“Look, the attendance sheet is right there.”
“Really? That’s good.”
Luo Yunzhi nodded.
Her gaze flicked to the attendance sheet.
Every slot under her name was a perfect circle—she had never been late or missed a shift.
The young girl felt a little moved. The corners of her mouth twitched.
She even volunteered for extra shifts on holidays just to earn a bit more pay.
There was nothing else she could do.
Everyone had to deal with life, aging, illness, and death.
Luo Yunzhi was still very poor and needed to save money in case anything unexpected happened.
If she weren’t so poor…
Would she really have to live like this?
“Alright, stop teasing me, Sister Li.”
The young girl walked over to the middle-aged woman.
“You go eat. I’ll cover the register for you.”
“Huh? Then I’ll trouble you.”
“No trouble at all.”
***
Lights came on inside the convenience store. Customers came in, paid, and left.
The mechanical routine had been going on for a long time.
The sunset outside had vanished, replaced by the slightly chilly night.
After sending off the latest customer, Luo Yunzhi stretched and let out a long breath.
Today’s shift was finally over.
She could go home.
“Sister Li, I’m off now.”
She called out to the middle-aged woman who was restocking shelves, then went to the back to change out of her uniform.
“Go ahead!”
Sister Li shouted from afar.
But right after—
“Wait, Xiao Luo! Hold on!”
“What is it?”
Luo Yunzhi paused, then walked over to the middle-aged woman with a puzzled look.
“Sister Li, is there… something you need me to help with?”
“Of course not.”
Sister Li caught her breath.
“I just wanted to tell you to be careful on your way home.”
“Be… careful?”
The young girl looked confused.
“You haven’t heard?” Seeing her bewildered expression, the middle-aged woman shook her head.
“I heard something happened near your place recently.”
Luo Yunzhi’s heart skipped several beats. Her face showed hesitation.
Had a murderer escaped into the area?
“What happened?”
“Uh, I don’t know the details.”
“You don’t know?”
The young girl looked strangely at her.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that.”
Seemingly embarrassed by the odd stare, Sister Li scratched her hair awkwardly.
“I only heard it from other people.”
“Right near your home, people keep hearing terrifying ghostly howls and wolf-like cries!”
The middle-aged woman spoke seriously, as if she had seen it herself.
“And some residents say they saw a pair of glowing green eyes in the alley! The thing bared its teeth and let out a strange roar!”
“Those eyes looked like they wanted to eat people. Quite a few residents wanted to call the police, but after the cops investigated, they found nothing at all!”
“Isn’t that scary?!”