Unexpected Encounters and a Desperate Plea

Ding-a-ling-ling~

“The moment the school bell chimed, that dilapidated institution would begin to emanate the most peculiar sounds…”

Just as he pushed open the classroom door, Lin Ling heard someone narrating a ghost story. He frowned, glancing around, and his eyes met those of the boy telling the tale.

“Oh, Lin Ge, why don’t you come over and join us for a tale?”

That was Li Yan, a strapping young man of one hundred eighty-one centimeters, exuding a distinctly masculine aura. Lin Ling had played games with him over the weekend, and he was considered one of the original protagonist’s closest friends.

“No, no, I’ll pass. Ghost stories aren’t really my forte.”

Lin Ling merely shrugged, having no desire to interrupt Li Yan’s attempts at charming the girls. Settling into his seat, Lin Ling was instantly met with the chilling touch of a small, icy hand pressed against his spine.

Suppressing a surge of primal fear, Lin Ling turned his head with a rigid slowness, his gaze questioning as it landed on Chen Sishi.

“Wh-what’s wrong? C-Chen… Sishi?”

So flustered was he that Lin Ling couldn’t even articulate Chen Sishi’s name clearly. The moment Chen Sishi registered his words, her heart gave a sudden, powerful lurch against her ribs.

‘He… he called me Sishi, he called me Sishi! Lin Ling definitely has feelings for me, hahaha.’

Though such thoughts raced through her mind, Chen Sishi outwardly pretended to be calm as she responded to Lin Ling’s question.

“Lin Ling, Lin Ling, Lin Ling, it’s the opening ceremony today, where are you sitting?”

“Huh?”

Recalling the plot from the original book, Lin Ling then remembered that New City Private High School held two performances each semester: an opening ceremony and a closing ceremony. These were typically minor affairs, featuring little more than recited speeches and, at most, a couple of song or dance numbers.

However, when graduation season arrived, the graduation ceremony was the most grand, with almost every class having participants.

Massaging his temples, Lin Ling mused that the seating for the opening ceremony was always a free-for-all, and he genuinely had no idea where he’d end up.

“I’ll play it by ear. I don’t really mind where I sit.”

“Wonderful! Then let’s sit together.”

Chen Sishi clapped her hands together, a crisp sound reverberating through the classroom. Fortunately, the general din of chatter spared Lin Ling from feeling overly conspicuous. Yet, that seemingly innocuous clap did manage to snag the attention of a particular individual.

“Ah haha, that might not be such a good idea? I was planning to sit with Li Yan and the others.”

“Li Yan…” Chen Sishi’s voice stretched out, as if laced with a particular emotion. Whether it was an illusion or not, Li Yan felt a sudden chill down his neck. He looked around but found nothing amiss.

‘It’s the middle of summer, I can’t possibly be catching a cold, can I?’

Scratching his head in confusion, Li Yan turned back to continue regaling the girls with his ghost stories.

“You two, where are your assignments?”

Just as Lin Ling felt himself buckling under the pressure, a shadow abruptly fell over Chen Sishi’s desk. He lifted his gaze, meeting the striking, golden eyes of Qin Ruoxue.

“Ah, Class Monitor, just a moment, I’m looking for it.”

Using the excuse of searching for his homework, Lin Ling quickly turned and rummaged through his desk. Seeing Lin Ling preoccupied, Qin Ruoxue shifted her gaze to Chen Sishi.

The warm sunlight illuminated the girl’s pristine silver hair, making her appear like a saintess bathed in holy light. Qin Ruoxue frowned, a visceral dislike for such individuals stirring within her. It wasn’t merely because of Chen Sishi’s proximity to Lin Ling; it was an innate, undeniable intuition.

“And yours?”

Her voice was sharp and unyielding; Qin Ruoxue saw no reason to extend pleasantries to Chen Sishi. Unperturbed, Chen Sishi simply smiled and produced her workbook, flipping directly to the homework page.

“Class Monitor Qin, here is my homework.”

With a polite gesture, she slid it towards Qin Ruoxue, who picked up the workbook and skimmed through it. In those brief, almost dismissive glances, Qin Ruoxue was stunned to find every single one of Chen Sishi’s answers perfectly correct.

She flipped through it more carefully, confirming that the reverse side also contained no errors. Qin Ruoxue examined several more pages; aside from one problem that was left undone due to a printing error, every single question Chen Sishi had attempted was answered flawlessly.

Lin Ling finally managed to unearth his workbook and handed it to Qin Ruoxue. Only then did Qin Ruoxue retract her shocked gaze, turning instead to flip through Lin Ling’s workbook. His work, on the other hand, was quite mediocre; almost every page had errors.

After a quick correction, Qin Ruoxue returned the workbook to Lin Ling. She then resumed staring at Chen Sishi’s workbook, as if she wouldn’t leave until she found a single mistake.

“Class Monitor Qin, are you not done checking my workbook?”

Chen Sishi prompted her softly, her tone seemingly gentle, yet carrying an undeniable undercurrent of ice.

“Hmph, I hope you didn’t just copy the answers,” Qin Ruoxue scoffed, leaving with a disgruntled air. Chen Sishi didn’t bother Lin Ling further; she took out a book and idly scribbled on it.

Lin Ling didn’t dare to look back. He lay sprawled on his desk, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. If his instincts hadn’t deceived him, those two girls had been on the very cusp of a confrontation.

The clash between the heroines was, quite frankly, terrifying.

After class, Lin Ling was the first to bolt out of the classroom. With only a dozen minutes left until the opening ceremony, he needed to quickly find a teacher to discuss his transfer.

He swiftly located the homeroom teacher’s office. Just as Lin Ling reached out to push the door open, it swung inward on its own, revealing a figure of exquisite grace and slender limbs.

“Lin Ling? Is something wrong?”

Liang Rumeng looked at Lin Ling, who stood somewhat bewildered at the doorway, and quickly stepped aside to welcome him in.

The teacher’s office was impeccably tidy, with several desks holding computers and books. There were also a few cabinets and wall paintings in the corners, and several flower pots on the windowsill. A few other teachers were still tidying up, likely preparing for the opening ceremony.

Lin Ling followed Liang Rumeng to her desk, waiting for her to settle into her seat before he spoke.

“Um… Teacher, I’m planning to transfer schools.”

Liang Rumeng, who had just settled back into her office chair, stiffened slightly. A look of confusion crossed her face as she scrutinized Lin Ling.

“What happened?”

Having worked here for so long, Liang Rumeng had encountered a multitude of students. It wasn’t unheard of for students to want to transfer midway through the semester, whether due to falling behind in their studies or their families being unable to afford tuition.

“No, I… I just…”

Lin Ling stammered, unsure how to explain himself. Something like being targeted by a yandere—no one would believe it if he articulated it aloud.

“Teacher, my family is moving, and they want me to stay with them.”

His mind working quickly, Lin Ling conjured a relatively plausible reason. Liang Rumeng pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“Alright, I understand your situation. I’ll go speak with the principal shortly. Head to the sports field now; the opening ceremony will begin soon.”

“Thank you, Teacher!”

At the office doorway, the light in Chen Sishi’s eyes dimmed. She swiftly ran upstairs, found the principal’s office, and burst inside.