The Wolf Bares Her Teeth

A fresh-faced university girl is always exceptionally obedient. Since that last episode of stomach pain where Chu Ran had rushed her to the hospital, Ye Nanzhi hadn’t seen her senior on campus for a long time.

The connection between them had dwindled down to nothing more than brief exchanges during meal times. Ye Nanzhi would send a photo of her food, and the other would reply with a simple “OK” emoji. Beyond that, there was nothing. Chu Ran mentioned nothing of the art lessons, and Ye Nanzhi tacitly chose to keep silent as well.

At first, she thought Chu Ran was simply busy. After all, their student-teacher relationship had been established solely for Tang Mu’s sake. It was unpaid labor, and Ye Nanzhi felt too shy to trouble her proactively.

However, after days without a single sighting, Ye Nanzhi felt a persistent sense of unease.

Finally, after sending her required meal photo today, Ye Nanzhi summoned her courage and attached a line of text.

[Nanzhi: Senior Chu, I haven’t seen you in a long time.]

Perhaps because she had just sent the photo and the phone was in hand, the reply came quickly.

[Chu Ran: Something wrong?]

[Nanzhi: No, just haven’t seen you in a while. I just wanted to ask why you haven’t been coming to school.]

Watching the simple line of text on her screen, Chu Ran couldn’t help but smile. The little girl at least had a conscience; she knew how to show concern. Her slender fingers tapped the screen as she typed a response.

[Chu Ran: Any plans for Saturday?]

[Nanzhi: None.]

[Chu Ran: Good. Saturday at 1:00 PM, see you in the studio.]

Even though they were familiar with each other and having class was a routine part of their dynamic, seeing Chu Ran say she was coming on Saturday made Ye Nanzhi’s heart pound with an inexplicable nervousness. Was it because they hadn’t met in so long that she had forgotten how it felt to be around her?

Clinging to this thought, Ye Nanzhi managed to endure until Saturday. Since the appointment was for the afternoon, she ate an early lunch and arrived at the art classroom with her backpack before noon.

The studio, which had been empty for many days, had a thin layer of dust on the tables and chairs. Ye Nanzhi first opened the windows to air the room out, then immediately fetched a basin of fresh water to wipe down every surface. Chu Ran liked wearing light-colored clothes and was always immaculately neat. Thinking of this, Ye Nanzhi pulled out tissues to dry every last water stain.

Time ticked by. The hands on the clock spun, but Chu Ran had not yet arrived. Ye Nanzhi wasn’t in a hurry. She found a photo of a landscape and began lightly sketching the outlines on paper.

The door creaked open. She stood up instinctively, but the people who walked in were not Chu Ran, but Tang Mu and Liu Guang.

“Brother Tang Mu.” A flicker of disappointment flashed through Ye Nanzhi’s eyes.

Tang Mu’s voice was as clear and warm as ever. “Are you waiting for Chu Ran?”

Ye Nanzhi nodded. “We agreed on one o’clock.” Chu Ran was usually half an hour early; she should be arriving soon.

Before Tang Mu could speak, Liu Guang let out a look of shock. “Chu Ran? She still dares to come here?”

The words had barely left his mouth when Tang Mu gave him a look, forcing Liu Guang to swallow the rest of his sentence.

Tang Mu turned back to Ye Nanzhi. “Have you eaten? Why don’t you come grab something first? Senior Liu wants KFC. Come with us; it’s my treat.”

Ye Nanzhi shook her head and sat back down to continue her sketch.

Liu Guang walked over to her. “Xiao Ye, put on your coat. Let’s fleece him together. Why not let your Brother Tang Mu bleed a little for us?”

“I went to the hospital for stomach pain a while ago. The doctor said no greasy food for now. You guys go ahead.” Ye Nanzhi didn’t waver. “Senior Chu will be here any minute. I’ll wait for her.”

“Why are you so stubborn? Stop waiting; she’s not coming.” Liu Guang finally couldn’t hold back anymore, ignoring Tang Mu’s warning glare. “Didn’t your precious Senior Chu tell you? She’s been suspended from school for assault. This is a big mess now. The other parents called the police. The school said until the police investigation is over, her status as a graduate student at Jiangzhou University is suspended.”

“Xiao Ye, look. I told you before, Chu Ran is unreliable. Back in middle school, she was the ringleader of campus violence. After all these years, those old habits haven’t changed. How does the saying go? ‘A leopard can’t change its spots.’ If you stay close to her, watch out that this white-eyed wolf doesn’t snap and bite you too. By then, it’ll be too late to run!”

As Liu Guang spoke, a buzzing sound filled Ye Nanzhi’s head. The world seemed to spin. Chu Ran’s absence was because… her enrollment was suspended? After that, Ye Nanzhi couldn’t hear clearly. Liu Guang’s voice became the most grating, piercing sound in the world.

Until a familiar voice pulled her back to reality.

“Are you talking about me?”

Chu Ran had appeared at the door at some unknown moment. She was wearing a pure white short down jacket paired with sleek high boots, looking fresh and clean. She was the complete opposite of the pathetic image Liu Guang had described.

“Chu Ran?” The one most shocked by her appearance was Tang Mu. “How can you be at school?”

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Chu Ran lifted her lashes, her gaze indifferent. “The school said to wait for the police results. The police haven’t convicted me of anything. What right do you have to tell me what to do?”

The simple sentence cast a cloud of embarrassment over Tang Mu’s gentle face. After all, he hadn’t refuted a single word of what Liu Guang had just said about her.

Of course, he had his own motives. After learning about Chu Ran’s past, he had regretted entrusting Ye Nanzhi to her. If this incident could separate Xiao Ye from Chu Ran, it seemed like a good outcome.

Now, Tang Mu could only play the peacemaker. “Chu Ran, don’t take it to heart. Liu Guang, he…”

“Did I say anything wrong!” Liu Guang grew agitated. “Whether it’s the middle school disciplinary action or this time, which of it isn’t a fact? The person is lying in the hospital with two broken ribs. Even the police are involved. Chu Ran, do you think you’ll get off easy this time like you did back then?”

Chu Ran wasn’t flustered. Instead, she let a rare smile curl her lips. “Fine. Then we’ll wait and see when the police take me away.” Then her tone shifted. “But until then, where I go and what I do is none of your business.”

Defeated, Liu Guang didn’t want to linger. He gave a cold snort and gestured for Tang Mu to wait for him outside.

Tang Mu looked back at Ye Nanzhi, asking with his eyes if she wanted to come with him.

But Ye Nanzhi remained seated, motionless. Tang Mu had no choice but to turn around awkwardly. As he passed Chu Ran, he opened his mouth to say something, but Chu Ran stepped forward, brushing past his shoulder without giving him a chance to speak.

The door closed, leaving only the two girls in the small room.

Seeing Chu Ran approach, Ye Nanzhi instinctively stood up.

“Senior… Chu—” Her fingertips, white from gripping her pencil, betrayed her tension. The form of address had returned to the distant state of their first meeting.

She looked entirely on guard.

Fine. Chu Ran thought. The girl claimed she didn’t care about the past, yet a few words from Liu Guang sent her right back to square one. Chu Ran had always believed this girl was different from the mindless crowd. But now, she sneered inwardly. What was this? Was she taking Liu Guang’s side?

The hand hidden in her pocket clenched into a fist. Her nails dug into her palm, leaving four dark crescent marks. Chu Ran felt a string in her mind snap. Since the girl was so curious about her past, she might as well show her who she really was.

“Do you want to see my arm?” Chu Ran asked as she slowly rolled up her right sleeve. The fabric retreated layer by layer, revealing several striking scars on her ivory skin, winding like poisoned vines above her wrist.

“These are scars from high school. At the time, it was because I beat up a boy younger than me.” Chu Ran’s voice was slow as her thoughts drifted back to her second year of high school. “He was in the junior high division.” “I pinned his face against the glass and grabbed his arm so he couldn’t move. Instead of begging for mercy, he kept trying to scare me with names.” Chu Ran gestured vividly, reenacting the scene. “Teachers, parents, his businessman father—he mentioned them all.”

At this, Chu Ran suddenly looked up and stepped closer to Ye Nanzhi. “You know, that kid looked at me just like you are now, eyes wide. He talked tough, but the fear in his eyes couldn’t be hidden.” “Later, the glass broke. He bled. He just cried and screamed, no more tough talk. But my arm was slashed by the shards, too. That’s when I got this scar.”

Chu Ran stared directly into the girl’s fluttering eyes. “Now you’ve seen my arm. Liu Guang was right; fighting is second nature to me.” “And you saw it too—that guy the other day wasn’t weak, yet he still ended up with two broken ribs.”

Ye Nanzhi was forced back step by step until her back hit the wall. She was trapped. Chu Ran pinned her into a small corner of the world, her cold fingertips tilting Ye Nanzhi’s chin up, forcing her to make eye contact. Trembling lashes betrayed Ye Nanzhi’s terror. This was the first time she had seen the darkness in Chu Ran’s eyes so closely. Chu Ran was showing her darkest side without reservation.

“Ye Nanzhi,” Chu Ran whispered into her ear, her voice dropping to a low hum. “While I’m still willing to hide things from you, run.”

After all, compared to dealing with those stray dogs and cats, the way a wolf bullies a rabbit is much more cruel.