The Caterpillar Confrontation

Chen Ran turned his head, his gaze falling upon the familiar black-haired beauty seated directly behind him: Lin Qingqing.

This was, of course, the very same girl who had attempted to shoplift from the convenience store, then tried to frame him as a pervert on the subway, only to be thoroughly beaten by his own hands.

It was only then that Chen Ran belatedly recalled the details from their first encounter: her student ID had clearly identified her as a Year 1, Class 3 student of St. Hua Angel Academy.

And the class he now found himself in was none other than Year 1, Class 3.

“You… you bastard!!!”

Lin Qingqing seethed, grinding her teeth.

Lin Qingqing yearned to tear Chen Ran apart right then and there. How dare he be the first person to ever strike her?!

He had actually dared to use his hands!

She had never once been hit in her entire life!!!

Ever since that humiliating beating on the subway, Lin Qingqing had been so enraged that she’d fled the country for over a week, only just returning.

Attending classes, or not, was utterly inconsequential to her.

St. Hua Angel Academy, a prestigious aristocratic institution, boasted a student body comprised almost entirely of young ladies from affluent families.

Yet, even amongst these privileged daughters, distinct social strata existed.

Lin Qingqing, occupying the highest echelon, was virtually untouchable.

Even the teachers at the school found themselves powerless to rein her in; only the principal dared to address her or discreetly report her behavior to her family.

Thus, for the young girl, her attendance at school was dictated solely by her whims.

What Lin Qingqing hadn’t anticipated, however, was Chen Ran’s reaction upon seeing her.

He remained utterly impassive—no, not exactly.

A flicker of disdain crossed his eyes, as if she were nothing more than a bothersome inconvenience.

Then, completely disregarding her presence, he simply turned back, slumped onto his desk, and promptly fell asleep.

The audacity!

This was infuriating, utterly infuriating!!

Never in her life had Lin Qingqing encountered such a ‘prey’!!!

Yet, the girl swiftly regained her composure, remembering the very real beating she had endured previously.

Lin Qingqing now understood.

Chen Ran was truly not the type to show any mercy, especially towards a woman.

The more overtly she bullied him, the less he would fear her; instead, he would likely retaliate with even greater force.

Drawing upon her extensive experience in tormenting others, she began to plot.

From her seat, Lin Qingqing narrowed her eyes slightly.

The pretty, black-haired girl exuded an impish charm, a mischievous glint in her gaze.

However, every student in the class was intimately aware of Lin Qingqing’s true nature, and thus, not a single soul dared to meet her gaze.

After all, Chen Ran was the only individual who had ever managed to humble Lin Qingqing.

The girl’s reputation within the school was notoriously dreadful; anyone, be they teacher or student, who became entangled with her invariably met an unfortunate end.

****

Lin Qingqing swiftly conceived of a brilliant plan.

Lin Qingqing reasoned that since a direct, aggressive approach wouldn’t work on Chen Ran—the more outrageous she acted, the more likely he was to beat her senseless—a softer, more insidious tactic was required.

A self-satisfied smile crept onto the girl’s lips at the thought.

Later that afternoon, as the first class concluded and the break began, Lin Qingqing promptly darted out of the classroom.

By the time the next class commenced, she had returned, miraculously armed with a bottle teeming with various caterpillars.

Inside the transparent glass bottle, a writhing mass of colorful caterpillars intertwined.

Many of her female classmates, upon catching even a fleeting glimpse, shrieked, their faces draining of color.

Shuddering with goosebumps, they cast fearful glances at Lin Qingqing.

Unfazed, Lin Qingqing merely hummed to herself, her eyes fixed on Chen Ran, who remained asleep at his desk.

With a sly grin, she proceeded to tip the entire squirming cluster of caterpillars directly into his desk drawer, right where his schoolbag rested.

Then, she sauntered back to her seat, eagerly anticipating the spectacle.

‘When he wakes up,’ she mused, ‘and takes out his schoolbag to go home, only to find it swarming with caterpillars, he’ll surely be scared out of his wits! Hehehe~’

‘He enjoys offending me, does he?! Well, he’s got quite a show coming!!’

Lin Qingqing had already devised her strategy: from this point forward, she would slowly ‘boil the frog in warm water’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom referring to a gradual, insidious approach to cause harm or manipulate), ensuring Chen Ran understood that having crossed her, his time at school would become an absolute misery!!!

The other girls, witnessing Lin Qingqing’s actions, were gripped by fear.

Yet, none dared to warn Chen Ran, terrified that if Lin Qingqing noticed them, they would become her next targets for bullying.

And so, the two afternoon classes swiftly passed, and when the dismissal bell chimed at three o’clock, Chen Ran finally stirred.

He stretched languidly.

Observing the boy’s unhurried demeanor, Lin Qingqing, perched behind Chen Ran, covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

‘Just wait,’ she thought, ‘this guy is about to be scared half to death.’

She refused to believe he would dare strike her here, within the school’s walls!

‘If he dares to hit me, he can kiss his school days goodbye!! After all, I’m only scaring him with caterpillars; he has no right to resort to violence, right~’

Every movement of his was under her keen observation.

Under Lin Qingqing’s triumphant gaze, Chen Ran reached into his desk and pulled out his schoolbag, evidently preparing to head home.

The moment of truth had arrived, and then…

“Agh!!!”

The sight of the schoolbag, utterly covered in a squirming tapestry of colorful caterpillars, instantly sent other female students into shrieks of terror.

Even though they were all aware of Lin Qingqing’s recent antics, it was simply impossible for girls to witness such a scene without screaming in fright.

Yet, Lin Qingqing heard no scream from Chen Ran, nor did she detect the slightest shift in expression on the boy’s face.

He remained utterly impassive, merely…

He merely cast another annoyed glance her way.

Meeting Chen Ran’s eyes, Lin Qingqing immediately glared back, a defiant challenge in her own gaze.

‘How could I possibly back down?! Besides, what could he even do?!’

To the girl’s utter shock, in the very next moment, right before the astonished eyes of their classmates and the teacher who had just finished class and hadn’t yet departed, Chen Ran reached out.

With a swift, decisive motion, he grabbed a handful of her hair and forcefully pushed her head down towards the desk.

“Aaaaaaah!! What are you doing!!!” Lin Qingqing shrieked, a terrified wail.

Yet, Chen Ran remained perfectly calm.

With an unnerving composure, he began plucking the caterpillars from his schoolbag, one by one, and systematically dropping them onto the girl’s hair.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!” She screamed, a visceral terror as she felt the distinct wriggling movements within her hair.

Pinioned against the desk, Lin Qingqing instantly grasped the horrifying reality of what was unfolding.

The girl thrashed and screamed, but her slender frame stood no chance against Chen Ran’s unyielding grip.

In short order, the girl’s lustrous, waist-length black hair became a horrifying canvas of colorful, wriggling insects.

Many began to crawl towards her small, delicate ears, while others dropped onto her dark JK school uniform.

Only when almost every caterpillar from his schoolbag had been meticulously transferred onto Lin Qingqing’s person did Chen Ran, his face still devoid of emotion, finally turn and exit the classroom.

He left behind a scene of utter bewilderment: their stunned female classmates and the history teacher, who had just begun his lesson, gaping in disbelief.

‘What just happened?!’ was the collective, unspoken thought reverberating through the room.

This new male student had actually dared to thoroughly humble one of the school’s most notorious living devils?

A shiver of awe, bordering on fear, ran through them.

‘He’s actually that fierce?! I love it!!!’