Chapter 80: But I Was the One Who Met You First
Shen Gu wasn’t blind. He saw the flash of red.
Staring at Jian Yu’s profile, his gaze drifted, intentionally or not, to her red, swollen lips.
Shen Gu’s voice was little more than a whisper. "I have to report this."
He gestured toward the love letter on the desk.
"I won’t read the contents, and they probably won’t be able to either. You can just handle it yourself. They can see this happening on the surveillance cameras, though. There’s nothing I can do about that."
Jian Yu clutched a corner of the envelope, her face flushing slightly. "Okay. Go ahead and report it."
’They probably already know.’
’Before last night, they probably even suspected Pei Yin.’
"The letter... Do you want to read it?" Shen Gu hadn’t gotten a clear look at the red body chain, but the glittering star-like gems on it had dazzled him.
’Those two anklets from last time had been just as dazzling,’ he recalled, ’and just as strikingly red.’
"Yes." Jian Yu had already been about to open it, turning her head a beat too late when she heard his voice.
’In Shen Gu’s eyes, the person who sent the anklets must be labeled a pervert by now, right?’
Jian Yu pressed her lips together, trying to rationalize her actions.
"I like wearing bracelets. This person is probably just trying to appeal to my tastes."
She wore a conflicted expression, as if torn between not wanting to reject a kind gesture and waste someone’s heartfelt effort.
’Only she knew if that was true or not.’
Shen Gu had been learning from Lin Yu recently and was shaping up nicely, gradually showing a hint of a sharp, decisive aura.
’Anything detrimental to Ling Yanzhi and the others would be eliminated.’
’The difference was, Shen Gu was more considerate of her feelings.’
’Lin Yu, on the other hand, would have likely snatched the letter and dealt with it directly.’
’Then, forcing his voice into a softer register, he would say in that gruff yet gentle tone, "Threat neutralized. You’re safe now, Jian. Please don’t be afraid."’
It was always Lin Yu who intercepted the love letters; they never even had a chance to reach Jian Yu’s hands.
Shen Gu didn’t know that, so he didn’t disappoint Jian Yu.
After only a moment’s hesitation, he said, "Er, right. I guess throwing it away would be a bit of a waste."
He averted his gaze.
"Go on and read it then."
"Okay." Jian Yu couldn’t quite put a finger on what she was feeling.
’She had looked up the anklets. They were custom-made, but even secondhand, they would sell for an exorbitant price.’
’He sounded like a handsome, rich, major pervert with some peculiar tastes.’
’But really, it was the handwriting that won her over. With calligraphy that beautiful, she believed anyone who saw it would find it hard to feel any real disgust for the letter’s author.’
’Jian Yu had to admit, if she hadn’t wanted to read it, she would have tossed it into the shredder the moment she saw it.’
’Before knowing what the sender truly looked like, she held a sliver of anticipation.’
’It was like she always said: she’d already transmigrated into a novel, so what did a few psychos matter?’
’While being cautious, one must also enjoy the perks of wealth!’
She tore open the envelope. A small bird printed on the inside of the pink stationery caught her eye.
After tracing the bird pattern with her finger, Jian Yu focused on the letter.
Baby:
Baby is so beautiful.
Baby is so lewd when you cry. I want to make Baby cry even more pitifully.
Why aren’t you wearing the anklets I sent you?
Please put them on, won’t you? I want to see them. The thought is driving me crazy.
I like Baby so much. The moment I see you, I want to lock you up.
I want to build a cage for Baby. What color do you like? How about a golden cage?
I’m a little sad today. There are too many men around Baby.
But... I was clearly the first one to know you.
A blush spread across her cheeks and her ears began to burn. Jian Yu stared at the last line, lost in thought.
’The first one to know her?’
’Before Ling Yanzhi?’
’And he’d just witnessed her passionate kiss with Pei Yin without being discovered?’
Jian Yu’s first thought was Sheng Yue.
Since entering Weis Lan Noble Academy, she had been living like a zombie, as much of an outcast as one could possibly be.
The first man she’d had any real contact with was Sheng Yue.
’Delivering letters, observing from the sidelines... that required a certain level of power.’
’Jewelry, a golden cage... that also required financial backing.’
Sheng Yue fit the profile, but Jian Yu’s intuition told her it wasn’t him.
’A man whose kisses were as restrained as a cold, unfeeling machine—how could he possibly write words like "golden cage"?’
’No, it couldn’t be Sheng Yue.’
’The original owner’s life trajectory, except for the fact that the dean was still alive, was a complete copy of her own life from her original world, like a specially created duplicate.’
’Before the school year started at Weis Lan Noble Academy, she had taken a part-time job modeling things like anklets.’
’The dean had disagreed at first, saying it would attract perverts.’
’Jian Yu had been hesitant, but hearing the word "perverts" inexplicably excited her.’
’She had strongly insisted they had to be handsome, wealthy perverts.’
’The dean thought she had a screw loose, that she’d read too many novels and lost her mind, and demanded she uninstall Yunqi Beast House.’
’In the end, when posting the pictures, the dean had only uploaded the parts below her ankles.’
’Later, when she started making a lot of money, the dean stopped interfering with her online part-time jobs. In fact, he started pulling all sorts of strings to help her get more gigs.’
As she fed the letter into the shredder, an answer formed in Jian Yu’s mind.
’She had met this person outside of Weis Lan Noble Academy.’
"Yu." Shen Gu called to her softly, lifting his eyes to motion for her to look ahead.
Jian Yu thought the professor had arrived half an hour early.
But when she looked up, a person was standing before her, soaked to the bone, their knees and legs a mess of purple and blue bruises.
She froze, not expecting to see Yan Qin in such a miserable state. "Can I help you?"
Yan Qin held a portable dryer, and her wet clothes quickly began to dry.
She frowned. "I can’t help you. Forget what I said before."
Yan Qin turned and walked away, and a few girls immediately surrounded her, fussing over her solicitously.
A soft chuckle sounded by her ear.
Xu Jianjuan sat down in the empty seat next to her.
"She was planning to send you to Liu Xing. She had a five-hundred-thousand Star Coin Card ready for you."
’Liu Xing—a place of beautiful scenery and delayed information, a good place to retire.’
Jian Yu couldn’t understand Yan Qin’s move.
"But I never agreed to help her."
Realizing what she’d just heard, she couldn’t help but ask, "How do you know that?"
"It’s not important." Xu Jianjuan’s gaze fell on the second girl in the third row.
’Because she had been through it too.’
’She had almost really ended up on Liu Xing.’
’The world was starting to feel unreal. It seemed that even without her, the plot would still unfold, just with a different protagonist.’
’It seemed they didn’t have much genuine feeling for Jian Yu either, giving her only a Yellow Card warning, just like they had with her in her past life.’
’Her thoughts were jumbled, her consciousness fading. She’d had moments where she lost control of her actions, nearly forgetting things she’d done just moments before, while memories of her past life grew ever clearer.’
’Yes... it’s time to go back to the hospital for a check-up and a refill.’
Jian Yu looked at her tranquil appearance. "You’ve changed a lot. You’re... quiet."
Xu Jianjuan opened her book.
She took out a notebook from within it and jotted down the analysis she had just concluded.
She looked up. "Didn’t you come with Pei Yin? You should know him pretty well by now, right?"
Jian Yu didn’t understand. "Huh?"
She unconsciously scratched her neck.
Xu Jianjuan glimpsed the red mark on the side of her neck. She reached out and pulled up Jian Yu’s collar to cover it.
She was wearing a long, light-pink fleece dress that fell to her ankles, embroidered with pink butterflies.
With the fluffy collar turned up, a soft, fuzzy ring framed Jian Yu’s small face, making her look pale, soft, and cute.
Xu Jianjuan found the sight pleasing and raised an eyebrow.
She said self-deprecatingly, "My words are harsher than his. I’m more likely to get hit."
...Jian Yu offered an awkward but polite smile.
"Keep an eye on the Qin Family yourself. Oh, and be careful of Chen Sheng."
Xu Jianjuan picked up her book and moved to a seat at the very back.
’Her emotions were too volatile. It hurt others and it hurt herself. Unless it was absolutely necessary, she didn’t want to get close to Jian Yu again.’