Chapter 24: Madness

“Junior, this month’s campus wide-angle shot is up to Li Dong, you, and me. Don’t leave after class; let’s discuss the theme in Building 5, Room 101.”

The campus wide-angle shot was always handled by the animation club. They changed it monthly, with different groups of members taking turns.

Shi Ran nodded, slightly puzzled. “Senior Sister, why Building 5?”

Classes were usually held in Buildings 1 and 2. Building 5 was in a more remote part of the campus.

Shen Qing’s face looked unnatural. Without looking at her, she lied, “Because I have an experiment there this afternoon. It’s more convenient. Oh, you can come later, after dinner, around seven.”

“Okay, Senior Sister.”

•  

After class, Shi Ran and Tang Yiting ate stir-fried noodles near the school. Shi Ran then messaged Lu Beiyan, explaining she had some school business and would be home late, to prevent him from freaking out if she didn’t return on time.

At 6:50, she arrived on the first floor of Building 5.

Li Dong was already waiting in the classroom; her senior sister hadn’t arrived yet.

Seeing her, Li Dong grinned. “Ranran, you’re here.”

“Please don’t call me Ranran, Senior. We’re not that close.”

Li Dong’s leering glances made Shi Ran extremely uncomfortable.

By 7:10, Shen Qing still hadn’t shown up. Shi Ran called her, but the line was busy.

As night fell, Shi Ran turned on the lights.

Building 5’s classrooms weren’t tiered; they were small, experimental labs without air conditioning. After an afternoon rain, the cramped room was stuffy.

Li Dong’s gaze remained glued to her, making Shi Ran feel uneasy. She wanted to get some fresh air.

With a bang, the door slammed shut.

The wind was strong.

Shi Ran went to the door, trying to open it, but it was like it was welded shut.

“Junior Ranran, what’s wrong?” Li Dong watched with a gleeful expression.

“The door is old and stuck shut,” Shi Ran said, struggling with the door while calling her senior sister.

Suddenly, her phone was snatched. Li Dong, grinning wickedly, tossed it out the window, where it landed in a flowerbed.

Shi Ran hadn’t expected this. The window had iron bars, making the phone unreachable.

“What are you doing?”

Li Dong approached her. “What do you think I’m doing? Junior Ranran? Hmm… you’re so beautiful. I fell for you the moment I saw you. I want… you. Do you understand?”

Li Dong was already creepy, but his current expression was even more repulsive.

“Don’t you know I’m someone’s woman? Lu Beiyan’s woman. You dare touch me? Are you tired of living?” Shi Ran was backed into a corner.

Li Dong’s expression faltered, then quickly recovered.

“If I… you, will he still want you? But, Ranran, don’t worry, if he doesn’t want you, I will. I’ll treat you well.” Li Dong was completely deranged, consumed by desire, focused only on his goal.

“Do you believe that if you touch a single hair on my head, Lu Beiyan will kill you?”

“Kill me? Bring him on. I’m so scared, Ranran.”

Seeing Li Dong was unmoved, and getting closer, Shi Ran forced herself to stay calm and think of a solution.

Shen Qing still hadn’t arrived, implying collusion. But she had no quarrel with Shen Qing; she wouldn’t do this.

Shi Keyue!

“It’s Shi Keyue, isn’t it? Shi Keyue made you do this!”

Exposed, Li Dong became more agitated. His lecherous face drew closer, his hand reaching for her face, then lower, unbuttoning her shirt.

“Ranran, you’re pretty smart.”

“Ah!”

Shi Ran bit his hand; Li Dong screamed in pain.

“But I think you’re a fool!”

Li Dong looked at his bitten hand, sniffing it with a look of enjoyment.

“Ranran, your saliva smells so good!”

Shi Ran: “Pervert!”

As he tried to approach again, Shi Ran grabbed a nearby broom.

“Don’t come near me.”

“You idiot, you’ve been tricked, and you don’t even know it.”

“Let me tell you, Shi Keyue either installed surveillance in this classroom, or she already told Lu Beiyan. Her goal is either to release a video of you assaulting me, and then you’ll be a rapist, do you know what that means?

“Or Lu Beiyan will arrive later, see us together, and you know what will happen then?”

Li Dong stopped, staring at her.

Seeing he wasn’t entirely stupid, Shi Ran continued: “Shi Keyue just wants to ruin me, and you’re her weapon.”

“And you, you just want to sleep with a woman. If you have money, you can sleep with any woman you want! But if you touch me, you might spend the rest of your life in jail, believe me?”

Li Dong knew Lu Beiyan’s methods. He started to panic. Shi Keyue had told him she would record a video, to threaten Shi Ran, so she could use her even while she was with Lu Beiyan.

Sleep with her whenever he wanted.

Now, he realized he’d been blinded by lust.

Shi Keyue and Shi Ran were enemies.

It couldn’t have been just to help him.

“Haha! Junior Ranran, you’re really smart, but we’ve gone this far. If Lu Beiyan arrives and sees us, a man and a woman alone, I’m still dead, what do I do?”

Shi Ran, seeing he was convinced, breathed a sigh of relief.

“Just do as I say, and I guarantee you won’t die.”

•  

With a crash, the door was kicked open, a hole ripped through it, shattering the glass.

The upper half of the door was glass, smashed with a punch.

Countless shards of glass fell to the messy floor.

Both were startled.

They turned.

All the glass panes in the door frame were gone, and Lu Beiyan appeared, ignoring the glass shards, he grabbed the windowsill and nimbly jumped in.

Still in his impeccably tailored black suit.

His face was pale and handsome, his features sharp, his cheekbones prominent, his eyes sharp, like he came from the depths of hell.

Li Dong backed away frantically, slipping, stumbling backward.

“I didn’t do anything to her, I didn’t, I didn’t.”

Lu Beiyan looked down, silent, his hands covered in glass shards, bright red blood flowing from his fingertips, dripping onto the white tiles.

He seemed to feel no pain, walking directly towards Li Dong.

His eyes held terrifying rage.

Shi Ran panicked.

“Lu Beiyan, he didn’t…”

But it was too late.

Li Dong’s scream was drowned out by Lu Beiyan’s furious roar as he was kicked hard, sliding several meters across the floor.

Lu Beiyan wasn’t finished. Without hesitation, he grabbed Li Dong’s collar with one hand and punched him repeatedly with the other.

“Lu Beiyan!”