Chapter 79: Because She’s Hopelessly in Love, Her Boyfriend’s Madness Doesn’t Matter (11)

Bai Yao said, “Let’s go back.” Lu Sheng gripped the hem of his shirt tightly, answering quietly, “Okay.”

On the way home, Lu Sheng didn’t hold Bai Yao’s hand. He had always presented himself as cheerful and optimistic in front of her, but now he kept his head lowered. When Bai Yao spoke to him, he would still respond with a smile, but perhaps he didn’t realize how forced and awkward that smile looked.

When they arrived at her door, Bai Yao beamed. “I really enjoyed our walk today. Let’s go for another walk together next time.” Lu Sheng paused for a moment, lifting his eyes slightly, his dark gaze quietly fixed on her.

Bai Yao’s eyes sparkled mischievously. She stepped forward, cupped his face in her hands, and rose on tiptoe to plant a kiss at the corner of his lips. Then she stepped back, waving at him with a reserved elegance. “Lu Sheng, see you tomorrow.”

She turned and entered the house, closing the door behind her.

The night was silent, broken only by the sound of insects. The tall, slender boy stood motionless outside for a long time. When his mind finally began to work again, he dazedly lifted his hand, lightly touching the corner of his lips—the sensation lingered, reminding him it hadn’t been a dream.

Suddenly, his eyes seemed to light up with dazzling brilliance. With a snap, he covered his face with both hands and crouched down on the ground. The tips of his ears, barely visible beneath his tousled orange hair, were flushed to an outrageous red.

Hidden in the darkness, the lurking oddities widened their eyes, murmuring amongst themselves.

“What happened to him?”

“Is he embarrassed because his girlfriend kissed him?”

“Is he in elementary school or what? It’s just a kiss—he’s long past the age where he could be using protection already.”

“Hey, stop it! He’s so excited he looks like he’s about to split apart!”

——

In this elective class, a group of unambitious college students were, as usual, surreptitiously scrolling through their phones and slacking off. He Cai was reading a post and couldn’t help but complain to Bai Yao next to her. “Men these days really have nothing but dirty thoughts. Look at this blogger—she says her boyfriend always gets aroused when they’re alone.”

Bai Yao glanced at He Cai, her tone cool. “It’s better to have a reaction than none at all, isn’t it?”

He Cai frowned, thinking it over, and to her surprise, found Bai Yao’s words made a lot of sense! If a man felt nothing for his girlfriend, now that would be a real problem!

Bai Yao lowered her head and continued reading her novel. She’d clicked into it by accident—the heroine was a pure, adorable ordinary girl; the hero, a cold, rich, and handsome school heartthrob. He happened to see the heroine being bullied repeatedly. While he thought she was too weak, he still found himself helping her out several times, even paying off her family’s debts.

Later, the hero awakened the ability to hear others’ thoughts. Only then did he discover that the heroine, who appeared meek as a lamb, was in fact a black-hearted lotus. Outwardly, she seemed grateful and enamored with the hero, but in her heart, she was thinking what a great actor he was, and if it weren’t for his money, she wouldn’t bother wasting her time in this charade.

The hero had felt indifferent towards her at first, but after hearing her thoughts, his eyes narrowed and he flashed a wicked smile. “Heh, this woman is interesting.”

As urban legends began to crop up, the two were drawn into danger that brought them closer together. After a series of dramatic twists, outmaneuvering all their rivals, their story turned sweet and romantic. Bai Yao couldn’t take it anymore and exited the novel, glancing at the title—“After the Male God Read My Mind, He Spoiled Me Rotten.”

He Cai kept chattering, “Yao Yao, have you heard about that slashed-mouth woman story everyone’s talking about lately?”

“What slashed-mouth woman?” Bai Yao asked.

He Cai replied, “It’s about a woman wearing a long coat and loose hair, holding scissors and wearing a mask. She’ll take off her mask and ask people if she’s pretty. If you say no, you die. If you say yes, she’ll cut your mouth open with her scissors, making you as terrifying as her.”

As she spoke, He Cai rubbed her arms, clearly unnerved. “I heard someone at our university ran into her and hasn’t been back to class since.”

Bai Yao thought of the same legend appearing in that novel, where the hero’s fiancée was ultimately disfigured and killed by the slashed-mouth woman. She subconsciously hugged her arms, shivering a little.

He Cai asked, “Yao Yao, I thought you didn’t believe in ghosts?”

Bai Yao said, “Even if there is a slashed-mouth woman, she’s just a psycho. I don’t believe in ghosts, but that doesn’t mean I’m not afraid of psychos. Especially since I’m so pretty—who knows if someone’s coveting my beauty or jealous enough to hurt me?”

He Cai looked at Bai Yao’s face and, for a moment, couldn’t find any reason to refute her. After a pause, she said, “Where you live is a bit remote, but don’t you have a boyfriend? Just have him pick you up after class.”

Bai Yao wanted to, but she didn’t want to trouble Lu Sheng all the time. After all, he still had work and couldn’t revolve his life around her every day.

After class, the two of them saw Su Youyou walking with another handsome guy outside the teaching building.

He Cai said, disgruntled, “Su Youyou walks with Bei Tangjun on Mondays, Nangong Hao on Tuesdays, Ximen Lie on Wednesdays, Dongfang Xuan on Thursdays, and with the whole F4 on Fridays. I just don’t get why all the school heartthrobs are hovering around her.”

Today, the guy walking with Su Youyou was Dongfang Xuan. He was tall, long-legged, and flawlessly handsome—cold and aloof, like a flower on a distant peak. Yet when he spoke with Su Youyou, he suddenly smiled.

The girls nearby gasped in amazement, “Oh my god! Dongfang Xuan actually smiled! That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him smile!”

Honestly, Bai Yao felt a strong sense of déjà vu looking at this scene.

He Cai was nearly driven mad with jealousy. She said to Bai Yao, “Yao Yao, I’m heading off first.” With that, she forced a smile and hurried over. “Brother Dongfang, it’s been so long!”

The déjà vu hit Bai Yao even harder. It reminded her of those elementary school novels where the cold prince would fall in love with her, and the memory sent a chill down her spine.

Today was a full day of classes, and Bai Yao ate dinner with classmates. By the time she reached the bus stop, it was already past seven and the sky had grown dark.

Hardly anyone else ever took this bus route—normally, she waited alone at the stop. She sent her boyfriend a message on her phone.

[Had classes all day. So tired!]

He replied quickly with a photo of a dessert.

Lu Sheng: [I made a strawberry cake. Come back and have some.]

Bai Yao: [Lu Sheng, you’re the best!]

Just then, she felt someone sit down beside her. Bai Yao looked up and was startled.

A woman with long, disheveled hair, wearing a heavy coat despite the heat, sat there holding a pair of scissors. Slowly, she lifted her masked face, fixing Bai Yao with a dead, hollow stare as if she weren’t alive at all.

Bai Yao stood up and stepped back, but the woman grabbed her hand.

The woman removed her mask. The upper half of her face looked normal, but the lower half—her mouth had been slit open in a long, jagged wound, the corners stretching nearly to her ears. The grotesque, torn face defied reason, making Bai Yao’s scalp tingle in terror.

Bai Yao trembled slightly, nerves taut.

The woman spoke in a chilling voice, “Am I pretty?”

Bai Yao said nothing.

The woman rose, her oppressive presence intensifying. She repeated, “Am I pretty?”

The scissors in her hand snapped open and shut, echoing like a countdown to death. Night, a terrifying woman, sharp scissors—the very air was thick with dread.

She stepped closer, the split in her mouth now clearly visible. She bared her teeth and raised the scissors. “Am I pretty?”

Bai Yao: “Mworagoyo?”

The air froze.

The woman: “?”

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept by. Bai Yao was pulled into a boy’s strong embrace, and at the same time, his other hand clamped around the woman’s neck, lifting her bodily off the ground.

Looking up, Bai Yao recognized the orange hair and expressionless face of the boy.

The next moment, his hand pressed her face into his chest, shielding her from the scene. All she heard was the heavy thud of someone being slammed against the bus stop’s billboard.

The sound was so loud, it made her shudder.

Perhaps sensing her fear, the boy hugged her tighter, one hand gently stroking the back of her head in comfort. Surrounded by his familiar scent, she felt utterly safe.

Bai Yao’s heart suddenly raced wildly.

The number 44 bus pulled in. The driver glanced over, then clicked his tongue in sympathy.

That oddity from out of town really was a fool—not even finding out whose turf this was before showing up.