Chapter 6

Yan Can was furious.

What did she mean, stay away from her if that would be better?

She didn’t like Yan Can. Fine—Yan Can didn’t like her either.

The puffed-up Young Lady Yan spun on her heel and strode off, only to stop after a few steps and jerk back around.

“Hey, what exactly did Su Ci in Class 1 do to offend her? I heard from a friend that Wang Hui was already arrogant and overbearing when she was at the affiliated school. In their first year, there was a special-admissions student in her class; Wang Hui bullied her so badly she developed depression and dropped out.”

“She’s just an ordinary person with no background. So what if she’s first in her grade? What if Wang Hui’s dad has ties to several of our school’s board members? Her family is rich and powerful. For someone like Su Ci, who got in purely on grades, do you think going to the principal would help?”

“I just passed by their class. I heard from people inside that Su Ci has something going on with her boyfriend.” The girl paused. “Though I don’t know Su Ci that well, I don’t think she looks like that kind of person…”

“That kind of person?”

“The kind who steals someone else’s boyfriend.”

The two girls were chatting as they walked past Yan Can.

Yan Can frowned and immediately followed after them. “Classmates, wait…”

This whole floor was for second-year students. Seeing the name tag on Yan Can’s uniform, the two of them called out in unison, “Senior.”

They exchanged a look and then glanced at Yan Can in confusion, as if they couldn’t understand why a senior would suddenly stop them.

Thinking of what she’d just heard about that Wang-whatever Hui bullying people, Yan Can’s temper flared. So the heroine’s fall from the building had something to do with her!

“Who is this Wang Hui you were just talking about?”

When Yan Can wasn’t smiling, she had a hard-to-approach air. Added to the anger she was feeling now, her expression had turned even more severe, making her look downright intimidating.

Both girls were the type who hated trouble. Being stopped by her, they went quiet and exchanged uneasy looks, clearly reluctant to speak.

Seeing that they didn’t want to make trouble, Yan Can smiled. “It’s fine. Sorry to bother you.” She’d check for herself.

She turned to leave, but one of the girls called her back.

Yan Can looked over her shoulder.

The girl who had just said Su Ci didn’t look like that kind of person bit her lip. Seeing that no one nearby was paying attention to them, she clenched her hands at her sides and, as if steeling herself, said, “Wang Hui is in Class 2-6. Her family is very rich, and she always likes bullying the specially admitted students in class who have good grades but no money. I don’t know how Su Ci offended her…”

After saying that, and seeing Yan Can’s expression turn ugly, like she was about to go pick a fight, the girl kindly warned her, “Ordinary people like us shouldn’t provoke her…”

If anyone else had heard what they’d said, they probably would have treated it as nothing more than gossip over tea and left it at that.

But the person in front of them looked like she was about to teach someone a lesson, so she felt it was necessary to remind her. Standing up for someone was a good thing, but if she failed to help and dragged herself into trouble too, it wouldn’t be worth it.

That was why she added the warning after saying all that.

Yan Can nodded. “Thanks.” Then she turned toward Class 1.

But after she’d only taken a few steps, the other girl called her back.

Couldn’t they just say everything at once? Yan Can wasn’t a very patient person, and when she turned back this time, she was already a little impatient. Her brows drawn together, she looked at the two of them as if to say, If you’ve got something to say, say it.

The girl was frightened by her expression, but she still gathered her courage and asked, “Are you Su Ci’s friend?”

Friend? Not really, Yan Can thought.

The other person hadn’t even agreed to be her friend yet.

Seeing that she didn’t answer, the girl took it as a yes. “We just came from over by Class 1, and we heard that Wang Hui went to look for Su Ci at noon…”

She stopped there, leaving the rest unsaid.

Yan Can’s brows tightened, and she left quickly.

After Yan Can was gone, the girl beside her tugged at her sleeve and said reproachfully, “Why did you suddenly tell her all that? You know what kind of person Wang Hui is. If you go around talking—be careful—”

The girl was scared too. Thinking of the name tag on the other person’s chest, she swallowed and said, “That person is Yan Can.”

“Yan Can? Yan Can what?” She suddenly slapped her thigh. “Damn it! Yan Can!”

Young Lady Yan. The Yan Corporation heiress. The daughter of a board member.

The two of them looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

If Su Ci really was friends with the young lady, and she found out Su Ci was being bullied like that by Wang Hui, she definitely wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

Now Wang Hui had really run into a hard target.

Meanwhile, Yan Can walked so fast that the wind she kicked up brushed past the students along the way, making them shiver.

Yan Can’s face often appeared on the bulletin board, so students of every grade knew there was someone at school you didn’t want to mess with.

Seeing Young Lady Yan stride over so menacingly, the people around hurriedly made way, wishing they could turn into geckos and cling to the wall as they walked.

Zhao Panpan had just come back from the cafeteria and was turning into the corridor after coming up the stairs when she looked up and saw Yan Can walking toward her. She was a little surprised.

Wasn’t this the beautiful senior she’d seen during PE class? She had just been about to go say hello when she saw that face was darker than the bottom of a wok, and the chill rolling off her as she walked looked like it could slap people in the face. Frightened, Zhao Panpan immediately gave up on the idea.

Better not think nonsense; she should go back and do her test papers.

Just as she was thinking that, she realized her goddess was heading toward their classroom.

As the distance closed, a burst of happiness swelled in her chest. She hadn’t even had time to sweetly call out “Senior” when she saw the senior turn on her heel and go straight into their class.

Zhao Panpan!

Someone in their class actually knew the senior!

So jealous. So envious.

Who was that? She actually knew a third-year senior—Zhao Panpan was thinking that when she saw the senior pull Su Ci from their class by the hand and walk out of the classroom!

The two of them looked incredibly close, holding hands as they disappeared around the corner!

Zhao Panpan was so shocked her mouth fell open.

When she got back to the classroom, she heard someone in class speaking quietly about what had happened at noon: a second-year girl had poured ink on Su Ci’s chair!

She was stunned.

Were the bullying scenes from novels and TV dramas actually happening in real life?

Then when she heard from Su Ci’s deskmate, Zhou Yuanyuan, in a tiny voice that Su Ci had already been bullied by that girl for nearly half a year, she was even more shocked.

So beautiful, and her grades were so good—how could she be bullied?

Zhao Panpan really couldn’t understand it.

Oh my god, had she transferred to the wrong school?

After Su Ci was dragged out of the classroom, she instinctively struggled. But because the other girl was stronger, and because the students passing by were all deliberately or unconsciously stopping to watch the drama, she simply gave up and let Yan Can drag her to the rooftop.

Yan Can was now certain of one thing: Su Ci’s fatal fall from the building absolutely had to be connected to campus bullying.

All the way there, dragging the other girl with her until they reached the rooftop, Yan Can finally let go of Su Ci’s hand.

Unlike Yan Can, who wore her emotions plainly on her face, Su Ci was expressionless; those clear, cool eyes only looked at her.

Not a trace of emotion could be seen.

If she hadn’t heard it from someone else, Yan Can never would have guessed this person had just been bullied.

There was a pool of bright red ink on the chair; books were spread open on the desk, covered in filthy words.

Yan Can’s temple throbbed. Yet the person in front of her acted as if she saw nothing, casually wiping the chair as though nothing had happened.

“Why didn’t you fight back?”

When she walked into the classroom, the expressions on those people’s faces, the whispers among the students—Yan Can was certain this person hadn’t resisted at all when she’d been bullied.

Faced with Yan Can’s question, Su Ci remained silent.

Why didn’t she fight back?

Actually, the moment Yan Can asked, she already regretted it.

She had seen bullying in her original world too; she knew victims of bullying must have resisted at first. She had once seen a video on a content site where a creator interviewed students about being bullied: “Didn’t you fight back? Who likes being bullied? But the more I resisted, the more they bullied me; and the worse it got, the more they escalated…”

Yan Can pinched the bridge of her nose, her voice cold. “Besides Wang Hui, who else is bullying you?” If Su Ci couldn’t do it herself, then Yan Can would.

Su Ci looked up at her, seeming to find the purpose behind her actions strange.

Seeing that she still wasn’t speaking, Yan Can grew anxious. “Tell me who else is bullying you. You don’t have to be afraid; I’ll help you.”

“Help me?” Su Ci looked up at her. “Why?”

The sun was bright. Su Ci’s already fair skin looked even paler in the sunlight, cold and fragile, and Yan Can’s heart inexplicably tightened with a trace of pity. Even her voice softened without her meaning to. “Why what?”

Why help me? We don’t even know each other.

Su Ci pressed her lips together. “Nothing.”

Yan Can…

She was really about to be driven crazy by the heroine.

Clenching her teeth, Yan Can blurted out what she was thinking: “I don’t care if you like being bullied, but if you want to di—”

A sharp pain surged through her body. It was as if an invisible hand had seized her heart and squeezed so hard she couldn’t force out a single sound.

All at once, she had a strong feeling: if she said the truth about this world, she would die…

Seeing her suddenly go pale and slump, Su Ci subconsciously stepped forward and caught her steady.

Su Ci’s arms wrapped around her from the front and back; the warm contact made Yan Can’s heartbeat jump for no reason.

After closing her eyes and steadying herself, Yan Can stood up straight and looked at the person in front of her. She gave her a one-hundred-percent sincere smile and said, “No matter what you think, you’re important to me. You have to be okay.”

Only then could she be okay.

Su Ci seemed not to have expected her to say that; a hint of surprise surfaced in her eyes.

As if afraid she wouldn’t believe her, Yan Can raised both hands as if swearing an oath. “Really, you’re really important to me. Please, don’t do anything rash.”

Important to her…

For some reason, Su Ci suddenly thought of the movie Yan Can had invited her to watch last time.

So to her, she…

Whether it was because of the sun or not, Su Ci felt her face grow a little hot. She pressed her lips together and said, “I know.”

You know? Yan Can was overjoyed. “You’ve thought it through?” Not going to die anymore?

Su Ci looked at her, then lowered her head. Her brows furrowed and then eased; she seemed to be wrestling with something. “But I probably shouldn’t be, so I…”

Yan Can was confused again. Not be what? Why was she speaking so hesitantly?

But whatever it was, as long as the heroine had come around, that was good.

Seeing how happy she was, Su Ci suddenly couldn’t bring herself to say any words of refusal.

When Yan Can saw her looking like she wanted to speak but held back, she said anxiously, “If you want to say something, just say it.”

Why was it always either silence or beating around the bush?

Say it directly?

Pressing her lips together, Su Ci looked at her and said firmly, “That won’t do, but we can be friends.”