Chapter 6: A Farce

The moment the milk tea was splashed out, I knew that a fight today was unavoidable.

Girls fighting is nothing more than grabbing, scratching, pinching, pulling, and hair-pulling. I, “McHammer,” also have ultimate moves – iron fists and elbow strikes.

How could Lin Miao, a girl who eats vegetable salads every day and pursues a pale, delicate, and thin look, be my opponent?

It’s just that I didn’t expect her to be so weak. One elbow strike to her shoulder knocked her down, and she even bumped her nose, causing it to bleed profusely.

Now, besides me and Lin Miao, there were only two roommates left in the dormitory, He Li and Zhang Qiong. My close friends Peng Fei and Chen Xiao were nowhere to be found.

My speed was too fast. He Li and Zhang Qiong didn’t have time to stop me. They were stunned for a few seconds before rushing forward to help Lin Miao up from the ground.

Lin Miao became enraged, broke free from the two people’s restraints, and grabbed a handful of my hair.

My left and rear were walls, and my right was the bunk, leaving me with no way to retreat, which gave her the opportunity to succeed.

“Le Xiao Mai! I’m going to kill you today!”

Lin Miao covered her nose with one hand, blood flowing from between her fingers and landing on her milk tea-soaked slip dress and the floor. With the other hand, she grabbed my hair, shouting fiercely.

I was grabbed by the hair, and loudly warned her, “Let go! I won’t be polite if you don’t let go!”

“I’ll let go your mom! I’ll see how you’re not polite! I won’t be named Lin if I don’t kill you today! You poor and cheap bitch!”

Lin Miao took it a step further. One hand pulled my hair, and the other swung towards my face. Her long nails scratched my face, and a bloody gash immediately appeared.

“Oh no, don’t fight, you’ve been classmates and roommates for so many years, what are you doing!”

“Yeah, everyone take a step back, Miao Miao, let go, Xiao Mai even brought milk tea back for you, don’t be like this!”

“I don’t care about drinking her milk tea! Usually she’s stingy, but she’s so generous today, and she’s been out for so long! You don’t even have to think about it to know that she’s selling her body for money…”

My face was burning with pain. Seeing her becoming more and more arrogant, spewing filthy and vulgar words, I was so angry that I directly slapped her. Before she could react, I punched her chin.

Lin Miao’s head happened to hit the railing of the dormitory bed. She screamed in pain and let go, covering her head.

“Keep your mouth clean!” I was too lazy to watch her perform, and squeezed out of the corner, “Do you think everyone is like you?”

“Xiao Mai, say less!” Roommate He Li frowned and scolded me, “Miao Miao doesn’t seem to be feeling well…”

Lin Miao, who had been shouting loudly just now, suddenly became quieter. Her body was still twitching a bit, and she was whimpering.

I was used to her two-faced, multifaceted appearance. I knew she was good at acting and playing the victim, but seeing her like this, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Could she have really injured herself badly…

“I’ll call 120.” I took out my phone in a panic, my fingers trembling a bit. (120 is the emergency services number in China, like 911.)

God, are you playing with me?

I just found a good job and was about to start a beautiful life, and now you’re going to throw me into the depths again? Even roller coasters aren’t this exciting!

He Li and Zhang Qiong propped up Lin Miao and said to me, “Don’t call yet, we’ll take her to the infirmary first. I’ll call you if there’s any situation.”

The infirmary was just downstairs from our dormitory building, only two minutes away.

I said anxiously: “I’ll go with you.”

He Li pointed to my face: “You clean up first, what if you two start fighting again if there’s nothing wrong!”

Reminded by her, the cut on my face made me frown deeply.

“Then I’ll trouble you. Call me if there’s any situation. I’ll go find you later.”

After sending off Lin Miao and the other two, my heart was still beating wildly.

A three-centimeter bloodstain was scratched on my left cheek. I treated the wound in front of the mirror, put on a band-aid, and cursed her while praying that the gossip wouldn’t be in trouble!

While cleaning up, Peng Fei and Chen Xiao came back.

Peng Fei was my best friend in college. She was the one who mainly stopped Lin Miao in the morning.

“What’s wrong? Did you fight with that bitch Lin Miao again?” She held my face, feeling both distressed and indignant, “Why did you get disfigured! That bitch is just jealous of your good looks and only attacks your face. Damn it, where is she!”

I dodged her hand and forced a bitter smile: “I beat her into the infirmary. I don’t know what the situation is. I’ll go down after I clean up. He Li and them are with her.”

“Pfft… Hahahaha!” Peng Fei laughed loudly, giving me a thumbs up, “Xiao Mai, I knew you wouldn’t suffer! Hahaha, someone should have taught her a lesson for God long ago. She’s always acting like she’s so great, it’s disgusting to look at her.”

I scratched my head in distress and continued mopping the floor: “She hit her head. I’m afraid she might have injured herself badly.”

“I bought you milk tea and desserts.” I pointed to the table in the common area.

Peng Fei handed Chen Xiao a cup, and the two unceremoniously poked open the milk tea with straws, nibbling on the small cake, and gossiping: “Where did she hit? Was there blood?”

Chen Xiao curled her lips: “There must have been no blood. If there was blood, Xiao Mai would have followed her already.”

I patted the bed frame: “It’s right here. There was no blood on her head, but her nose was broken. I didn’t use much force, but you can’t say for sure, what if she has a concussion.”

Peng Fei said “Tsk, tsk, tsk”: “Don’t you know Lin Miao’s acting skills? Don’t think too much. I’ll call He Li and ask what’s going on?”

As soon as the phone was taken out, He Li and the two came back. I quickly handed over the milk tea and asked what was going on.

“I don’t know which boyfriend she called, but someone picked her up in a luxury car.” He Li showed a hint of disgust and took a big gulp.

“You didn’t see her. One second she was scolding, and the next second she was crying. She was acting so pitiful. She must be fine. It’s just that she bled a lot from her nose, which looked scary.”

Whew, that’s good!

Just as my hanging heart was put down, He Li kicked my calf: “Xiao Mai, be careful. Lin Miao is petty and jealous of you. Now that we’re graduating soon, she might retaliate. She knows a lot of this brother and that brother. Be careful.”

“She dirtied your bed when we were not around. Zhang Qiong and I scolded her, but she refused to admit it.”

Peng Fei stood up from the lower bunk seat suddenly, looked at the upper bunk, and cursed: “This bitch is really disgusting! She only uses such underhanded tricks!”

I let out a sigh of relief and said helplessly: “Anyway, we’re graduating soon. I’ll try to avoid her during this time.”

“By the way, how’s your job? Did you sign a contract?” Peng Fei asked with concern.

Speaking of work, the haze on my head dissipated, and I couldn’t hide my happiness as I stretched out a finger: “The monthly salary is this number, plus commission!”

“Ten thousand?”

Everyone’s eyes widened incredulously, and their eating stopped.

I pursed my lips and smiled, nodding heavily.

“Damn it, Le Xiao Mai, what job did you find? You’re turning into a rich woman! Rich woman, please take care of me!” Peng Fei hugged my leg, pretending to be very pitiful.

I scratched my head, not knowing how to explain. My job should be considered a nanny.

He Li laughed: “Who is so generous! Ask that tycoon if they need more people? I can cook!”

“I can do laundry!”

“I can drive!”

“I can warm the bed!”

A group of people laughed and soon changed the topic, lamenting that graduation was too fast and that it was difficult to find a job or something. I secretly transferred the more than 2,000 yuan I owed Peng Fei to her.

She always secretly brought me food, and every time I was short of money, she could see it and send me red envelopes privately, carefully maintaining my only remaining bit of dignity.

When I got paid for my part-time job, I would pay her back as soon as possible. Sometimes she would accept it and sometimes she wouldn’t, but I remembered everything.

Relationships are two-way. No one is willing to help you all the time. You have to have a grateful heart.

I changed the sheets and quilt cover, but the nail polish on them couldn’t be washed off, so I had to throw them away with heartache, and cursed Lin Miao again in my heart.

I thought this farce was over, but I didn’t expect it to be a beginning.

That night, in my half-sleep, I felt a child standing at the foot of my bed. He had pale skin, a big head, and a small body. He was climbing up the bedspread towards me—