At noon, the sun was shining brightly, and it was getting hotter outside.
Inside the room, Xiao Wu, who was lying quietly on the large bed, suddenly moved her eyelids, showing signs of waking up.
She slowly opened her eyes, staring at the white ceiling with a sense of confusion.
She felt weak, and her mind was in a bit of a mess, unable to react immediately.
"Was it a dream? Did I dream about doing that with Third Brother..." Xiao Wu mumbled, her face flushing as the images from last night flashed in her mind.
"Ah... it hurts so much, why does it hurt so much?" She had just gotten up, but it felt like her body was broken.
"It wasn't a dream!" Xiao Wu was instantly wide awake, memories of last night flooding her mind like a torrent. It really happened.
The person wasn't Tang San, but Chen Xuan, whom she had only known for a little over a week. Last night, she had relations with him.
Xiao Wu was stunned, her eyes becoming empty. What had she done? The purity she had maintained for thousands of years, the most precious thing in her life, had been given to a man she barely knew!
Clearly, her first time should have belonged to her Third Brother.
"Why did this happen..." Xiao Wu held her head and cried bitterly, tears streaming down her face, soaking the sheets.
As her mind gradually cleared, the memories of last night became vivid again, with every frame and second clearly etched in her mind.
Especially, remembering that it was she who had forced Chen Xuan, made her feel even more miserable. She couldn't believe she had become such a wanton woman.
"Third Brother, Xiao Wu is a bad woman now. Xiao Wu is dirty and no longer worthy of you." Xiao Wu wailed, her voice heart-wrenching, her entire body curling up in the sheets in utter despair.
She cried for a long time, only stopping after half an hour.
During this time, she thought about many things—about dying, about revenge, about killing Chen Xuan, and then living happily with Tang San.
But when she thought about how she had forced Chen Xuan, she couldn't bring herself to do it. The kindness in her heart wouldn't allow it.
"Third Brother, it's Xiao Wu who wronged you. If only Xiao Wu had listened to you, this wouldn't have happened." Xiao Wu regretted it deeply. If she had listened to Tang San and stayed away from Chen Xuan, this great mistake wouldn't have occurred.
Unfortunately, there is no medicine for regret, and things had progressed to this point with no room for recovery.
Xiao Wu's eyes were swollen from crying, and she fell into deep despair, once even contemplating ending her life or leaving Shrek Academy to return to her own place, never to step into human society again.
But she couldn't bear to leave Shrek Academy, couldn't bear to leave everyone, and especially couldn't bear to leave Tang San. She wanted to be by his side every day and didn't want to return to the Star Dou Forest.
Xiao Wu knew that her body was now dirty, unclean, and unworthy of Tang San. They couldn't be in love; they were destined to be star-crossed lovers.
Now, she didn't ask for anything else, just hoping to stay by the Third Brother's side every day.
Xiao Wu wiped away her tears, knowing that she couldn't end her life. She had to stay strong and live on, burying this matter deep in her heart, never to speak of it.
She hated Chen Xuan, wishing she could tear him apart, for he had taken away her purity and, with it, her right to love Tang San.
Even though she knew it was she who had forced him, because it involved Chen Xuan, she shifted all the blame onto this damned man.
"Ah, it hurts so much!" Xiao Wu tried to stand up, tears streaming down her face from the pain, as if she were being torn apart.
Her stomach churned, making her feel even more nauseated when she saw the mess on the floor and her torn intimate clothing.
This made her even more disgusted, almost causing her to vomit. She wished she could call Da Ming and Er Ming to tear Chen Xuan to pieces.
...
The sun was shining brightly, and the temperature outside had risen even higher.
By the afternoon, Xiao Wu finally left the Rose Hotel, looking lost and walking step by step toward Shrek Academy.
However, after being tormented for a whole day and night, she was already exhausted, feeling pain below, and walked with a limp, nearly stumbling several times.
Passersby cast strange looks her way, as she was indeed very conspicuous.
Xiao Wu was utterly worn out. After a while, she got on a carriage and soon returned to Shrek Academy.
"Xiao Wu, you're finally back." Tang San had been pacing around the academy, and as soon as he spotted Xiao Wu returning, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Why did you change your clothes?" he asked, puzzled, noticing something unusual.
Xiao Wu was wearing a long green dress, standing tall, with her hair loose and fluttering in the wind, looking pure and lovely.
However, her eye bags were heavy, red and swollen, and she appeared utterly haggard.
"Xiao Wu, where were you last night? The Dean and the teachers were all very worried about you!" Tang San said anxiously.
"Th... Third Brother." At this moment, Xiao Wu finally noticed Tang San approaching, and a faint light returned to her lifeless eyes.
She rubbed her eyes, worried that he might notice something unusual, and forced a smile, though it was somewhat stiff and unnatural.
"As long as you're okay. I thought you were taken away. The teachers and the Dean were ready to go out and look for you."
Tang San showed a gentle smile and walked closer to take a careful look at Xiao Wu. Then, his expression suddenly changed, with shock and anger flickering in his eyes.
"Th... Third Brother, what's wrong?" Noticing his change in expression, Xiao Wu asked in confusion. Even though she was in a terrible mood, she still offered a sweet smile when facing her Third Brother.
"Why do you have so many red marks on your neck... what happened?" Tang San's sharp eyes were filled with rage.
He wasn't completely ignorant, not as pure as he appeared on the surface. These red marks, resembling strawberries, couldn't help but make him think otherwise.
Xiao Wu's body stiffened, and she clutched the hem of her dress tightly. She knew Tang San had noticed something unusual.
Her face turned pale, but she still wanted to hide the truth. Such a dark matter should be borne by her alone.
Suppressing her complex emotions, Xiao Wu put on a sweet smile and said, "It... it was mosquito bites. Third Brother, you wouldn't believe how bad the environment was at the hotel last night, with so many mosquitoes and flies."
She tried to make her smile look more natural, explaining what happened last night. She mentioned that since she was taking care of Chen Xuan until late, she found a nearby hotel to stay the night.
Tang San was suspicious, but after taking a closer look, the red marks on Xiao Wu's neck did resemble mosquito bites.
"I must have been overthinking. How could Xiao Wu do such a thing behind my back?" He dismissed his previous thoughts, remembering how Xiao Wu had always been a pure and innocent girl who had never shown interest in men.
Just now, he had acted impulsively, letting his mind wander.
Seeing that she had successfully covered it up, Xiao Wu quickly urged, "Brother, let's hurry back. Otherwise, the Dean and the teachers will be worried."
Tang San was startled and immediately snapped back to reality, realizing he had almost forgotten about that.
"Alright, let's head back quickly." As usual, he reached out to hold his sister's hand.
However, Xiao Wu reacted as if she had been startled, quickly withdrawing her hands. Realizing her mistake, she hurriedly explained, "Brother, you go ahead. I need to stop by the dormitory for something."
Tang San didn't think much of it and turned to leave, heading off to inform Flender and the Grandmaster, so they wouldn't make a big fuss.
Watching Tang San walk away, Xiao Wu's smile gradually faded, replaced by a sorrowful expression.
She pulled back her collar, revealing large patches of pale skin marked with a few glaring bruises.
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