Chapter 12: If I Go Bald, Will You Still Love Me? (12)

The next day was Saturday. Bai Yao brought Lu Xiaoran with her to Dormitory Building A and knocked on the door of Room 302.

The door was opened by a girl with shoulder-length short hair, one of Bu Zhongyao's close friends. The moment she saw Bai Yao, a smile immediately blossomed on her face. "Yao Yao, what brings you here!"

Before Bai Yao could speak, Lu Xiaoran, ever the loyal sidekick, chimed in with a commanding smile, "Last night's party was so much fun. Zhongyao really put in a lot of effort. We haven’t had a chance to properly thank her yet for enriching our extracurricular life."

The girl's smile looked a little forced. "We're all classmates—when we have time, we just get together and have some fun, it's nothing really. Besides, didn't you use to organize things for us too, Yao Yao? We’re all very grateful to you as well."

Bai Yao smiled. "I heard things didn't go so smoothly with the game you played last night?"

The girl suddenly shivered. She was also one of the participants in last night's game, and like the others, she had encountered some inexplicable, unsettling occurrences. Just thinking about it now made her uneasy.

Seeing Bai Yao standing there as if nothing had happened, she couldn't help but ask, "Yao Yao, did you experience anything strange?"

Bai Yao replied, "No, there are so many people at school—what could possibly happen to me?"

She even took some time to pick up a piece of trash, doing her good deed for the day.

The girl turned to Lu Xiaoran. "What about you? Didn't you experience anything odd?"

Lu Xiaoran glanced at Bai Yao. Maybe after following Bai Yao for so long, she was becoming a skeptic herself. "I walked with a new student. We just got a little lost along the way, nothing strange happened. Honestly, some people are just too guilty about all the things they've done, so they get all jumpy and paranoid."

With that, Lu Xiaoran flashed a sycophantic smile at Bai Yao. "Look at our Yao Yao—she watched a horror movie and then went to the abandoned building alone to look for her boyfriend. Nothing happened to her at all, she’s perfectly fine."

The girl gave a couple of dry, awkward laughs.

Bai Yao lifted a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, smiling elegantly. "Where’s Bu Zhongyao?"

The girl stepped aside. "She's still lying in bed, in a really bad mood."

Bai Yao walked right in. Bu Zhongyao shared a two-person dorm; there were two beds in the room. On the pink bed, the covers were bunched up around a human shape.

Bai Yao approached the bed. "It's almost noon and you're still sleeping?"

The person under the covers was trembling. Slowly, a face emerged—Bu Zhongyao, sporting dark circles under her eyes, a clear sign of a sleepless night. Her face was ashen, as if she'd been deeply frightened. She stammered, "B-Bai Yao..."

Even Bai Yao was surprised to see Bu Zhongyao in such a state. "Did you see a ghost? You look absolutely drained."

Bu Zhongyao was always trying to compete with Bai Yao, always impeccably dressed and obsessed with her appearance. This was the first time she'd let anyone see her so disheveled.

Her voice was barely more than a whisper. "Do you remember... you saw Zhao Yuan last night..."

Bai Yao nodded. "I remember. What about it?"

Bu Zhongyao said, "My boyfriend is in the same dorm as Zhao Yuan. He said... he said Zhao Yuan has been dead for a long time..."

Lu Xiaoran shuddered at these words, goosebumps rising on her arms, and the other girl in the room looked equally unsettled.

Bu Zhongyao swallowed hard. "If Zhao Yuan has been dead all this time, then what did we see last night?"

Bai Yao asked, "Did your boyfriend witness Zhao Yuan’s death himself? Did he see the body?"

Bu Zhongyao shook her head. "No, but..."

Bai Yao cut her off. "Do you ever do any critical thinking?"

Bu Zhongyao was confused. "What?"

Bai Yao crossed her arms and looked at the girl huddled in bed with a pitying gaze. "Do you know what time we live in? Have you heard of science? Just because you hear something doesn’t make it true, and even seeing isn’t always believing. Some people spread rumors just to get attention, and they make it sound believable. That goes against our core values. And even if there really were ghosts, why would Zhao Yuan come looking for you instead of me?"

She arched a brow. "After all, I’m the campus beauty, the dream of countless boys. If Zhao Yuan turned into a vengeful spirit, it’d be because he never got a chance to even hold my hand, not because of you."

Everyone: "..."

Could she be any more narcissistic? And yet, looking at Bai Yao’s flawless, radiant face, so striking and bright that just her presence made her unforgettable, it was hard to argue.

Bu Zhongyao had never wanted to admit Bai Yao’s beauty. But after hearing her words today, she suddenly perked up. She threw off her covers, sat up straight, and said with a flash of realization, "That’s right! Even if Zhao Yuan became a ghost, the first person he’d look for would be you, not me!"

The girl who’d been trembling just moments before was now full of energy.

Lu Xiaoran looked at Bai Yao with amazement—she never knew someone could be comforted in such a way.

Bai Yao was unfazed. "You were the one who suggested the game last night. Since everyone played, we have to stick to the rules. Gu Yue didn’t complete his task, so by the rules, he has to stay in the dark room for a full day and night. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten?"

Bu Zhongyao looked uneasy. "Well... Yao Yao, Gu Yue swears he saw a ghost crawl out of the TV. He’s a grown man, but he’s even more timid than I am. If we make him stay in the dark room for a whole day and night..."

Bai Yao was unmoved. "If you say something, you have to stick to it. Zhongyao, you’re the number two in our circle—you can’t let us lose face."

Bu Zhongyao’s expression was complicated.

This was exactly why Bai Yao had come to see Bu Zhongyao today—to put these people in their place, stop them from plotting behind her back. After this, Bu Zhongyao's standing in their group would surely plummet, and Bai Yao would remain secure in her place as the queen of the college.

When they left Room 302, Lu Xiaoran looked at Bai Yao with open admiration. "Yao Yao, you’re amazing! Just a few words and you left Bu Zhongyao completely speechless. Let’s see how she stirs up trouble now. Everyone knows you’re the one who can keep her cool even if the sky falls."

Bai Yao glanced at Lu Xiaoran with satisfaction. "That’s some good flattery. I’ve got a few limited-edition pieces of jewelry—next time, pick one you like."

Lu Xiaoran cupped her face, full of emotion. "Yao Yao, you’re so good to me."