Li Yue, standing in the side hallway of the third floor, had witnessed the scene of the three arrogant bullies being escorted out of the school by the dean's assistant. Their faces were full of shame and humility.
Besides her, Puff was floating in the air. "You are ruthless," it complimented her, its eyes fixed downwards on the three girls.
Li Yue lifted her head, facing the sun shining brightly in the sky. She blocked the blinding rays of light by her hand, her fingers extended and separated, casting a shadow on her face. A subtle smile formed on her lips helplessly.
"Being strong is no excuse for bullying the weak," she said. "Lacking strength doesn't mean one can't protect oneself. Everyone is strong in one way or another; you just need to use your strong points to hide your weaknesses, and you'll be able to fight your battles like others." Her gaze flickered as she looked at her hand.
She then turned to Puff and said, "Let's go." Puff nodded at her before they started walking away, back to the classroom.
~~~~~
After that, the rest of the day went smoothly, with Li Yue continuing to ruin her good student persona and surprising everyone.
At off time, both Li Yue and Puff were on their way out when suddenly Puff's digital body flickered again. She looked at it with squinted eyes and mumbled, "The unknown signal...."
Immediately after, as if realizing something, she quickly looked around, attempting to spot any unusual person that could possibly be the source of the unidentified signals that had been interrupting Puff, but to her dismay, she couldn't find anyone.
"It's gone." Just then, Puff's computerized voice rang out, jolting Li Yue. She turned her head to look at puff, which had stopped flickering and was now stable.
Right at that moment, a luxurious car stopped near them, and the driver opened the back door for her. When she entered the vehicle, she saw Zhao Shui already seated beside her, but she didn't bother with her and quietly sat down. With that, the car drove them away.
~~~~~
Back at the Li mansion, as soon as the car came to a halt, Zhao Shui swiftly got off and stormed inside. When Li Yue stepped inside the house, she didn't see her cousin anywhere.
She rolled her eyes and made a beeline for her room, where she changed out of her uniform into cozy home wear and freshened up before coming down to eat something.
She grabbed some snacks from the kitchen and went to the living room, where only Li Xiang was present. He was sitting on the couch, playing a game on his phone, when Li Yue walked in and got herself seated on another couch nearby.
"I told you I didn't need your help. Why didn't you listen to me?" Suddenly, he spoke up, his eyes still fixed on his phone, but a small frown had formed on his forehead.
"Because we are family." She said as she lazily munched on her chips and looked at him. "I'm not heartless enough to leave my own brother alone when faced with problems."
She rested her chin on her hand, which was placed against a pillow. "Even if he got into trouble for someone else's sake in the first place."
He lifted his head to glare at her and angrily spat, "What do you mean by 'someone else's sake?' She's our sister! Besides, I didn't ask you for help." His voice rose with every word.
Li Yue smirked, "Firstly, she's not our 'sister' and secondly, I'm not you, big bro." She blinked and continued, "Who wouldn't even bat an eyelid when his own sister is accused of scheming against others, but would get into fights randomly when some outsider is condemned for misconduct."
Li Xiang's anger flared upon hearing her words, and he stood up, his finger pointed at her. "You- What are you trying to say?"
She smiled before shrugging her shoulders. "It's nothing much, just that..." She covered her face with a hand and said, "Families should support and trust each other. Instead of believing some outsider, you should have tried to trust your own sister."
His frown deepened, he opened his mouth to say something, but she quickly got up and walked out of the living room, not wanting to continue the discussion.
He squinted his eyes as he looked at her back and mumbled softly under his breath, "What's wrong with her?"
~~~~~
[Xiao Shui, please help us!]
[Yeah, only you can help us.]
[You are the only one we can trust now.]
Zhao Shui's phone kept buzzing with notifications from Mo Ting, Yang Li and Shen Ying, her three best friends - or rather, her loyal followers. As she stared at the screen, her frown deepened.
She anxiously bit her thumbnail. "That bitch is so lucky. Not only is she unharmed, but she even managed to destroy the three most powerful pawns I had meticulously created after much effort." She mumbled.
[Xiao Shui?]
[Are you there?]
[Please do reply if you are.]
Another series of messages popped on her chat, adding fuel to the fire, by acting like catalysts, intensifying her extreme emotions of anger, disappointment and irritation.
She glanced at their chat for one last time before putting their numbers into her blacklist. "So annoying," she muttered, throwing her phone aside and lying down on her back in bed.
While she lay there, quietly staring at the ceiling, her phone buzzed with a notification once again. Her head turned, and she glanced at it briefly as she extended her hand to grab it.
She unlocked the phone, and her face brightened up as she read the message. A text from an unknown ID flashed in her chat, causing a smile to creep onto her face.
She swiftly typed, "O.K." and hit the send button.
"Get ready for my revenge, Li Yue." Zhao Shui said closing her phone and putting it aside.
"It's all your fault that I had to discard three pawns of mine! I won't let it slide that easily." She clenched her hands into tight fists and gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing the burning rage of hatred within her.