Chapter 53: Why Is Another One Showing Up?

If this continued, she would really fall completely.

It was the first day of school after the school trip ended.

Linlin stood at the entrance of St. Maryanna Girls’ Academy, watching students coming and going. She took a deep breath.

It’s fine.

Ruan Yuan was waiting for her outside. 

Even if Xiran wanted to do something, she would have to keep up her act in public so she wouldn’t expose herself, and only bully her in private.

Besides, she now had Ruan Yuan’s combat power as a trump card. 

Even though she couldn’t use it directly, just knowing it was there made her feel much more at ease.

She walked inside. The classroom was the same as always.

Xiran sat by the window, head lowered, her black hair covering half her face. 

She still looked like the fragile, bullied victim.

Linlin glanced at her. 

Xiran seemed to sense the gaze and slowly lifted her head, meeting her eyes.

Those dark, deep eyes said nothing.

But Linlin knew the “bullying game” was still ongoing.

The school was currently cracking down hard on campus violence after the incident during the school trip, so Linlin couldn’t directly harass Xiran the way she used to.

However, if she didn’t do anything, she would still be “punished” by Xiran.

Fortunately, Ruan Yuan was waiting outside. Linlin took a breath and sat down at her desk.

The only people who knew Xiran’s true nature were four: herself, Jiang Niaoniao, Ruan Yuan (who was no longer at school), and Lin Zhizhi, who now trembled whenever she saw Xiran.

To everyone else, Xiran was still the poor victim, and Bai Linlin was still the villain.

It was fine. At least on the surface, everything was peaceful.

When the bell for the end of class rang, Linlin was about to stand up when a figure blocked her path.

Deep blue hair that reached just past her shoulders. 

A round face and round eyes—she had the typical “girl next door who looks easy to bully” appearance.

She was about the same height as Linlin.

Yuan Yiyi.

Linlin paused for a moment.

In her memory, this girl was the one Ruan Yuan had bullied—the “victim” she had saved by reporting Ruan Yuan, which led to her expulsion.

Why was she looking for her?

“W-White Linlin…”

Yuan Yiyi’s voice was small and trembling.

“C-Can you come with me for a moment?”

Linlin looked at her.

Her eyes held fear, expectation, and something else… Linlin couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

But after being bombarded by Xiran, Ruan Yuan, Jiang Niaoniao, and Lin Zhizhi one after another, her “weirdo radar” had become extremely sharp. It was faintly ringing right now.

This girl didn’t seem normal either.

“Mm.”

Linlin stood up and followed her. They walked down the hallway, up the stairs, and kept going higher.

They stopped in front of the door to the rooftop. This place was usually deserted.

Yuan Yiyi stopped, turned around, and only then did Linlin clearly see her appearance.

The uniform under her blazer had been torn.

It was ripped from the collar all the way down to her chest, exposing the white bra underneath.

The edges were neat and clean, clearly torn deliberately rather than messily during a struggle.

Definitely done on purpose. Linlin sighed inwardly. Here we go again.

She looked at Yuan Yiyi, and Yuan Yiyi looked back at her, tears welling in her eyes, lips trembling slightly.

“W-White Linlin… I-I got bullied again…”

Linlin stared at her without speaking immediately. Yuan Yiyi grew nervous under her gaze and started avoiding eye contact.

Linlin’s weirdo radar was blaring even louder.

She roughly guessed what was happening. This girl probably saw her as some kind of “hero.”

After all, she had saved her from bullying last time and even got the bully (Ruan Yuan) expelled.

Now she was coming to her because she wanted… help dealing with trouble? Or was she trying to get her attention?

Linlin looked at the “torn” uniform and then at that “I’m scared” expression.

The acting was a bit over-the-top, but Linlin didn’t call her out. She simply spoke in as calm a tone as possible.

“Who did this? Can you tell me? I’ll help you. I’ll find her and solve this for you directly.”

Yuan Yiyi was stunned for a second, then shook her head rapidly.

“N-No, I can’t…” 

Her voice became even smaller. “If I tell you… I’ll be finished…”

Linlin: “……”

You said the exact same thing last time! Didn’t I save you then? What exactly are you afraid of?!

She took a deep breath, preparing to say something else, but Yuan Yiyi didn’t give her the chance.

The girl turned and ran, pushing open the door to the rooftop and rushing out.

She wasn’t heading downstairs—she was running toward the edge of the rooftop.

Linlin’s mind buzzed. Shit! She quickly chased after her.

The rooftop door was left open.

Yuan Yiyi had already reached the edge. She stood there, hands gripping the railing. The wind blew her hair and skirt about.

Linlin’s heart pounded wildly—not out of sympathy.

She was scared. Scared that the girl would actually jump. Because if she did, things would blow up.

The school was already under heavy scrutiny for campus violence after the school trip incident. 

If a student jumped off a building now, the public outcry would force the school to investigate thoroughly. 

A thorough investigation would uncover the bullying. Uncovering the bullying would lead back to her. 

Being under watch would mean she couldn’t complete her “tasks” with Xiran. 

Failing the tasks would lead to “punishment” from Xiran, and then she would be finished!

So she absolutely could not let her jump!

Linlin rushed forward and stopped a few steps behind her.

“Don’t move! Stay right there!”

Yuan Yiyi turned her head. Tears were already streaming down her face.

“W-White Linlin…”

She sniffled.

“W-Will you protect me?”

Linlin stared at her. “I will.”

She answered quickly.

“So come down from there.”

Yuan Yiyi shook her head.

“You’re lying…”

She started crying even harder.

“They all said you only helped me on a whim… that you wouldn’t care about me anymore after that…”

“I’m being bullied again… No one will help me…”

“If even you won’t help me… then I… I have no choice but to jump…”

Linlin: “……”

Truthfully, if Xiran hadn’t threatened her before, she probably wouldn’t have bothered helping this girl again.

At this moment, Linlin’s mind was spinning rapidly.

This girl’s logic was: Because I’m being bullied and no one will help me, and you’re the only one who helped me before—if you stop helping me now, I’ll jump.

This was a threat! A blatant threat!

Using her own life as leverage.

Linlin took a deep breath.

She was truly out of options.

“Uh…”

She really didn’t know what to say right now.

Because she realized that everyone around her—Xiran, Ruan Yuan, Jiang Niaoniao, Lin Zhizhi, and now this Yuan Yiyi—were all more abnormal than the last.

And this Yuan Yiyi?

Threatening others with suicide to force them to protect her?

What kind of illness was this?

“Come down first,” Linlin tried to make her voice sound calm. 

“We can talk after you come down.”

Yuan Yiyi looked at her.

In those round eyes, besides tears, there was a flicker of something… Linlin couldn’t quite understand.

It looked like she was checking, waiting for a promise.

“Y-You really will protect me?”

Linlin stared at her. The wind on the rooftop was strong, blowing her hair everywhere.

Many images flashed through her mind. 

She already had so many troubles around her.

And now she had gained another one: Yuan Yiyi, who was threatening her with jumping off a building.

She sighed.

“I will,” she said. “So come down.”

Yuan Yiyi stared at her for several seconds.

Then she released her grip on the railing.

She turned around and walked toward Linlin step by step until she stood right in front of her.

Suddenly, she threw herself forward and hugged Linlin tightly.

Linlin staggered back a step from the force of the hug.

“Thank you… Linlin…”

Yuan Yiyi’s voice was muffled against her shoulder, thick with tears.

“I knew it… You would definitely protect me…”

Linlin stood frozen in place.

She lowered her head, looking at the deep blue head buried in her shoulder.

Then she looked up at the empty rooftop. 

The wind was still blowing, and skirts were still fluttering.

Her mind was blank, but one thought turned very clearly inside it.

Why? Why do I always attract these kinds of people?