When Ye Li awakened once more, she headed straight to the athletic field as agreed.
After waiting for a good while, she finally saw Le Jun jogging toward her.
“Here, everything’s in here.” Le Jun ran up and handed her a backpack.
Ye Li reached out to take it, first noticing a rod-like object wrapped in strips of cloth poking out through the zippered gap of the backpack.
Unzipping the bag, she saw a large coil of rope inside before reaching out to grip the rod. “What’s this?” she asked.
“For self-defense. I couldn’t find anything else handy, so I snapped a javelin in half,” Le Jun said.
“Pretty good. Thanks!” Ye Li nodded approvingly.
“And these.” Le Jun handed her a sports watch along with a lollipop.
Ye Li accepted them with a beaming smile, marveling inwardly at how remarkably thoughtful her companion was!
“Alright, I’m off then.”
She swung the backpack onto her shoulders, waved to the boy, and departed without looking back.
Watching her slender figure stride into the lingering sunset glow without turning back, Le Jun parted his lips as if wanting to say something.
In truth, he couldn’t put his worries to rest and wanted to go with her.
Yet he knew that coming along wouldn’t help; instead, he would only be a burden.
With a sigh, Le Jun ultimately said nothing. Forcing down the anxiety in his heart, he turned and headed toward the library.
Ye Li kept moving without pause, heading straight for the dormitory building.
She ascended via the stairs on the right wing, encountering quite a few students heading up and down along the way.
By the time she reached the seventh floor, less than ten minutes remained until six o’clock.
The door to Room 703 was firmly shut. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, Ye Li quietly pressed her ear to the door and listened. She could hear movement inside.
Someone was inside!
According to Luo Jiajia, only Yi Lin and her two cronies lived in Room 703; ever since tenth grade, the three of them had occupied an eight-person room all to themselves.
It couldn’t be helped. Who told their families to be so wealthy and influential? A bit of special treatment was only to be expected!
Ye Li didn’t knock immediately. Instead, she took a few steps back and leaned against the corridor wall, pretending to wait for someone while slipping a utility knife out of her pocket.
She was just one person. Taking on three opponents with this frail body of hers was clearly out of the question, so she had to rely on wits rather than brute force.
The only advantage of a petite frame was that it made people underestimate her, making it perfect for catching them off guard.
The utility knife was something she had dug out of the original owner’s drawer. It was small and not particularly sturdy, but it was sharp and handy.
Ye Li clicked the blade out slightly, concealed it in her right hand, and withdrew it into her sleeve before stepping forward to knock.
Knock, knock, knock!
“Who is it?”
An inquiring voice called from within, accompanied by the patter of approaching footsteps.
Soon, the door creaked open, revealing a girl standing in the doorway.
The girl was not wearing a school uniform. With permed, curly hair and heavy makeup, dressed in a sweater, short skirt, and knee-high boots, she looked trendy and mature—nothing like a high school student.
She glared at Ye Li with probing eyes, her tone thoroughly impatient. “Who are you looking for?”
“Is Yi Lin here, please?” Ye Li asked, her demeanor exceptionally friendly.
Hearing this, the curly-haired girl turned sideways and called into the room, “It’s for you, Yi Lin.”
Ye Li took the opportunity to peer inside.
Two more girls were seated around a table in the center of the dorm room.
One had short hair and wore a black denim outfit, sporting a strikingly androgynous, handsome look. The other had long, straight black hair and wore the blue-and-white school uniform, looking quite pretty and lovely.
“What do you want with me?”
Both girls looked toward Ye Li at the doorway, but it was the one with long black hair who responded—she was clearly Yi Lin.
“Someone asked me to pass along a message to you,” Ye Li said. “It’s not convenient to talk out here. May I come inside?”
Yi Lin sized up the frail-looking girl outside. A flicker of disdain crossed her eyes as she smiled. “Come in.”
She then shot a knowing glance at the curly-haired girl.
The moment Ye Li stepped into the room, the door slammed shut behind her.
Acting as though she hadn’t heard it, Ye Li walked straight up to Yi Lin and stopped, her eyes glittering bright. “So you’re Yi Lin! You’re really pretty!”
Up close, she truly was gorgeous. With a smile gracing her flawless fair skin and a gentle, soft-spoken tone, she seemed the very picture of every boy’s dream girl.
Yet who could have imagined that beneath such a lovely skin hid the heart of a venomous snake?
Hearing the compliment, Yi Lin’s smile widened.
No girl disliked being complimented on her looks, especially when it came from another girl.
She rested her chin in her hand and asked leisurely, “Go on, what message is so mysterious?”
“Well, someone wanted me to tell you...”
Ye Li leaned closer toward Yi Lin as she spoke, as though about to whisper a secret.
Suddenly, she lunged forward. Her left hand clamped ruthlessly onto the right side of Yi Lin’s jaw and shoved down with forceful precision—bang!—slamming her entire head heavily onto the table. In her right hand, a blade flashed, pressing against Yi Lin’s flawless cheek.
“Ahhh—!”
Caught completely off guard, Yi Lin barely managed a sharp cry of pain before the sudden icy, stinging sensation against her face scared her into total silence.
“What are you doing?!”
“Fuck! Let her go!”
The other two in the room were startled by this sudden turn of events, instantly flying into a rage.
The short-haired girl sprang to her feet, snatching a kettle off the table and raising it high.
“Nobody move!” Ye Li wore an affable smile even as she threatened them. “It would be such a shame if a face this pretty ended up with a few nasty scars!”
“Don’t move!” Yi Lin cried out in terror, terrified that a slip of the girl’s hand would disfigure her.
“What the fuck do you actually want?” The short-haired girl’s expression was taut, but she had no choice but to lower the kettle.
“Don’t rush. You’ll find out soon enough.” Ye Li couldn’t be bothered to waste breath explaining. Continuing to use her hostage as leverage, she commanded the other two, “Now, both of you go over and shove that bed in front of the door.”
Although only three of them slept in this dorm room, there were four bunk beds, and Ye Li was pointing at the only unoccupied one.
“Why push a bed?” The short-haired girl froze, not moving immediately.
Ye Li didn’t say a word. She simply pressed the knife a bit harder against Yi Lin’s skin, instantly frightening Yi Lin into a shrill shriek. “Stop wasting time talking! Just push it like she said!”
Glaring venomously at Ye Li, the two dared not hesitate any longer and immediately set to work shoving the bunk bed over, barring the door with it.
“Now move your suitcases onto the bottom bunk, and find whatever else you can to pack the lower bunk as tightly as possible,” Ye Li continued barking orders.
From the time they had returned to school until now, they hadn’t unpacked their luggage yet; their suitcases still sat untouched on the floor.
“Don’t push your fucking luck!” The short-haired girl’s face flushed with anger, a murderous glare in her eyes.
“Hurry up and move! There’s no time!” Ye Li wasn’t the least bit intimidated. The blade against Yi Lin’s cheek didn’t slacken in the slightest, already leaving a red indentation.
“Hurry and do what she says—!”
Yi Lin was on the verge of breaking down, her voice laced with sobs. Her tear-streaked distress was thoroughly pitiful.
The curly-haired girl tugged at the short-haired girl’s sleeve at the right moment, urging, “Let’s just move them first, Fang Wen.”
Fang Wen finally gave in. Letting out a cold snort, she turned to haul the suitcases.
Ye Li raised an eyebrow, finally figuring out who was who.
The short-haired girl was Fang Wen, which meant the remaining curly-haired one was Chen Xiaoxiao.
Dong... dong... dong...
Just as the two finished lifting the suitcases onto the bunk, the crisp tolling of a bell suddenly rang out.
Six o’clock had arrived.
Ye Li’s eyes burned intently as she watched their every move.
As the bell ceased its tolling, the lights in the room abruptly died, and everything around them began to rapidly decay and rot.
In the dim light, Fang Wen, Chen Xiaoxiao, and Yi Lin froze for a moment. Then, as though awakening from a deep dream, their expressions turned dazed and panicked.
Especially when they saw Ye Li, the sheer shock and disbelief on their faces was unmistakable!
Seeing this, Ye Li curled her lips. A surge of exhilaration welled up inside her, and an excited glimmer shone in her dark pupils.
Just as she had thought!
Rate on N.U.
