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[Wang Shasha arrived at school as usual, her legs slightly bent, ankles resting on the edge of the desk, wearing the latest sneakers with her toes bobbing up and down. She chewed gum while looking down at her new phone. Next to her seat was a white rose, tied with a black lace ribbon into a pretty bow. It had been there for a while, and the petals were starting to wilt.

Wang Shasha glanced disdainfully at it, thinking that the person’s tolerance for humiliation was too weak. She had only posted her ‘bed photo’ on the bulletin board, and unexpectedly, this person couldn’t handle the shock and committed suicide. Wang Shasha mentioned this incident to Chai Kejia as if it were a joke.

Chai Kejia laughed and said, “Don’t you think you did something wrong?”

Wang Shasha raised her eyebrows in surprise, suddenly feeling a jolt in her heart. Something was off; Chai Kejia had already committed suicide, just a month after Tan Yixuan’s death. Looking at the smiling ‘Chai Kejia’ in front of her, Wang Shasha was instantly filled with dread.

“Do you know? During the time she suffered from bullying, her grandmother fell seriously ill and needed a large sum of money. While enduring your taunts and ridicule, she struggled to earn money for medical expenses. Originally, her grandmother wouldn’t have died, but you sent those photos to her, worsening her condition… Now that she’s dead, don’t you feel even a little bit guilty?”

Wang Shasha’s chair tipped over, and she, ignoring her fear, scrambled backward in a panic, “It wasn’t me… I didn’t send the photos! Don’t come closer!”

‘Chai Kejia’ paused, shifting her gaze to the side. Wang Shasha followed her gaze and saw a pair of pale, bluish small feet. The person was not wearing shoes, and the white socks were dirty. As her gaze moved upward, the pale calves were twisted unnaturally, knees scraped and bruised. Further up were the bloodied hem of the school uniform and the uniform itself… Wang Shasha’s gaze fixed on the school badge, her fingers spasming and trembling, afraid to look further up.

Because she knew that standing next to her was the already deceased Tan Yixuan.】

•••

Wang Sasa woke up in a cold sweat, gently patting her chest to calm her rapidly beating heart. She wasn’t Wang Shasha, and Tan Yixuan was still alive; everything was still salvageable. Wang Sasa felt the weight of her responsibilities and couldn’t sleep all night, her mind occupied with thoughts of Tan Yixuan.

Wang Sasa glanced at her phone screen and saw it was exactly 4 o’clock. Maybe she could still catch a glimpse of a fleeting white ghostly shadow in the bathroom mirror if she went now. The more she thought about it, the more scared she became, and the more scared she was, the more she wanted to use the bathroom. Before she realized it, she had held her urine for 2 hours and fell asleep in a daze.

When she woke up, it was already past the morning study period. Since she was already late, Wang Sasa decided to take a shower, change into a clean and tidy school uniform, dry her hair, and look at herself in the mirror. For her, improving her image was a piece of cake. Wang Sasa twirled a strand of her long hair, a slight smile playing at her lips. The girl in the mirror gave a gentle and graceful smile in return, and she winked at herself, formulating a strategy in her mind.

The dream from the morning was both a warning and a reminder. It didn’t matter if Tan Yixuan disliked her for now, as long as she ensured that Tan Yixuan’s grandmother was safe. Wang Sasa didn’t know when Tan Yixuan’s grandmother was hospitalized or when Tan Yixuan started working. Presumably, she worked somewhere shady, otherwise, she wouldn’t have had her ‘bed photo’ unintentionally taken by the original owner and sent to Tan Yixuan’s grandmother by someone with malicious intent. Wang Sasa had many opportunities to prevent this from happening.

Understanding this, Wang Sasa’s movements became more casual. By the time she got to school, it was already 11 o’clock, missing the 4 morning classes. The 5th period at the second high school was usually free activity time, essentially equivalent to skipping half a day. Wang Sasa felt a bit guilty but quickly calmed down when she thought of the original owner’s behavior. Indeed, once she entered the school, the teachers ignored her as if they had gotten used to it. It was even more surprising that her punctuality in the past few days had startled them.

As the bell rang, Wang Sasa walked into the classroom, only to find it in chaos. Students were shouting and making noise. Wang Sasa approached a classmate and asked, “What’s going on?”

The classmate turned around, and Wang Sasa realized it was someone she knew.

Ji Yiran looked at her cautiously and whispered, “Han Zhiyuan said he wants to change seats.”

Han Zhiyuan? Wang Sasa had read “Campus Ghost Stories” and was familiar with every character, including the minor ones. Han Zhiyuan was a typical antagonist in internet novels, a school bully. Han Zhiyuan liked to harass female classmates, and Tan Yixuan was no exception. Unfortunately, despite being unpopular among classmates, Tan Yixuan was not intimidated by Han Zhiyuan.

When Han Zhiyuan proposed that Tan Yixuan be his girlfriend in exchange for protection, Tan Yixuan firmly refused. Han Zhiyuan, being a prominent figure at the school, was humiliated and naturally harbored resentment. Although the original owner disliked Han Zhiyuan, she was pleased to see Tan Yixuan tortured.

Recently, Han Zhiyuan was hospitalized for breaking a leg in a brawl, and he had just limped back to school today. As soon as he returned, he was eager to cause trouble for Tan Yixuan.

Wang Sasa pushed through the crowd and saw Han Zhiyuan lounging in a chair with his left leg in a cast propped on the desk. He waved his hand in front of his nose, making a disgusted face, and pretended to complain loudly to Tan Yixuan, “Didn’t you take a shower last night? You stink!”

Students at the second high school had several sets of uniforms to change into, and with the hot weather, it was expected to change once a day. However, Tan Yixuan, recently worn out from harassment, couldn’t afford to worry about such details. Han Zhiyuan’s provocation was not an outright lie. Tan Yixuan’s face turned red immediately upon hearing this, unsure how to respond, and felt increasingly embarrassed.

“I don’t want to sit next to you! You stink!” Han Zhiyuan, seeing his tactic worked, became more brazen and shouted, “Who wants to swap seats with me? I don’t want to sit next to Tan Yixuan, it’s making me sick!”

“Such a loser. Changing clothes daily is basic, right? Tan Yixuan didn’t really skip changing clothes yesterday, did she?”

“Look at the watercolor stains on her skirt from yesterday’s art class. Clearly, she’s wearing the same outfit from yesterday, definitely hasn’t changed.”

“Really? That’s so disgusting!”

“By the way, do you smell something weird? It must be coming from her.”

Students chattered loudly, each comment like a slap in the face for Tan Yixuan. Tan Yixuan told herself to stay calm, but tears welled up in her eyes. She didn’t understand what she did wrong, and was inexplicably drenched in dirty water. She wanted to defend herself, but no one at the school was willing to listen. When she reported it to the teachers, they would only give a half-hearted reprimand, and then the bullying and ridicule from classmates would only get worse.

They always found faults in her clothes, her words, her actions, and used those to mock and belittle her. She thought she just needed to get used to enduring it. Tan Yixuan lowered her eyes, clenched her fists so tightly her nails nearly dug into her skin, her palms aching.

Suddenly, a loud crash was followed by a male scream. Tan Yixuan looked up to see Wang Sasa with her foot on the overturned desk, smiling and looking at her, “Shall I switch seats with you?”

Tan Yixuan was stunned.

Wang Sasa paused, then put her foot down and dusted off the non-existent dirt on her skirt. Since entering the story, she had often lost her composure due to the characters’ provocations. If she were still the student council president, she wouldn’t allow such bullying to continue in the school. Wang Sasa flicked her long hair, tilted her head, and emotionlessly repeated, “Didn’t you want to switch seats? I’ll switch with you.”

Although Wang Sasa was afraid of ghosts, seeing Tan Yixuan, the future big shot, nearly in tears made her less scared. On closer inspection, Tan Yixuan was just an ordinary girl who might be a bit timid and indifferent, but before becoming exceptional, she was merely an ordinary person, perhaps just slightly less attractive than Wang Sasa.

Han Zhiyuan lay awkwardly on the ground, still dazed, trembling as he pointed at Wang Sasa, not understanding why she was helping Tan Yixuan. Seeing his blank expression, Wang Sasa frowned and waved her hand in front of him, “Agree or refuse?”

The original owner and Han Zhiyuan were the type who kept to themselves. Initially, Han Zhiyuan had harassed the original owner, but after being taught a lesson, he had become more subdued. The months of hospitalization seemed to have made him forget that the original owner was not to be trifled with.

Han Zhiyuan instinctively retorted, “Why should I listen to you?!”

As soon as he shouted, he realized the identity of the person addressing him and was immediately startled. However, the words had already left his mouth and could not be taken back. Besides, with his subordinates watching, he couldn’t back down.

Wang Sasa raised an eyebrow, surprised that even a cannon fodder like Han Zhiyuan was still so stubborn, daring to challenge her with a broken leg. She paused, her expression impassive, and said, “Sorry, I wasn’t asking for your opinion. I was informing you.” She then gave a meaningful glance to her lackeys who were watching the commotion.

The four lackeys, catching Wang Sasa’s signal, hesitated momentarily before quickly moving to clear Han Zhiyuan from the floor. Despite his angry curses, Han Zhiyuan dared not truly resist. After all, he wasn’t stupid; Wang Sasa’s grandfather was a school board member, and expulsion could be a simple matter. Expulsion was minor compared to the trouble of facing an angry elder at home.

Wang Sasa watched her lackeys tidy up the mess on the ground. Once they had moved her own desk and chair into place as she had instructed, she finally settled down with an air of composure.

Although her lackeys had various thoughts and personalities, they were quite useful. They were as effective as her student council officers and fans. Wang Sasa curled her lips into a standard, pleasant smile, planning to greet Tan Yixuan. However, before she could speak, one of her lackeys, Zhou Yunlu, shouted fiercely at Tan Yixuan, “Hurry up and leave! The seats now belong to our boss’s! This isn’t a request; it’s an order!”

Seeing the surrounding students’ expressions of sudden realization, Wang Sasa’s smile stiffened.

Without needing to look, Wang Sasa knew what Tan Yixuan’s expression must be. She felt a sudden urge to hit someone.

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