The pretty little follower gets targeted by the crazy guys at the elite academy

Li Ruo flinched noticeably because her sore spot had been touched and she felt pain.

This subtle reaction did not escape Xia Qinghe's notice.

It seems that Li Ruo and Lu Xingzhou's direct confrontation last night is basically confirmed.

Xia Qinghe was touching Li Ruo's arm! She wanted to check for any injuries!

[In his past life, Lu Xingzhou had violent tendencies and often left marks on the female lead!]

[Li Ruo's trembling was so realistic! She definitely had marks on her body, and they were bite marks, but she didn't want Xia Qinghe to notice!]

“No, no…”

Li Ruo shook her head, forcing a smile, but it looked worse than crying.

"Senior Lu is a really nice guy, it's just... he has a bit of a temper. When he saw that my clothes were torn, he had someone send me a new set."

"...Really?" Xia Qinghe was a little unsure.

Not seriously injured?

There was no mental confusion?

I just think that crazy guy... has a bit of a temper?

This was completely different from what she had expected.

Based on her understanding of Lu Xingzhou, this extremely controlling madman would never simply be startled once he set his sights on his prey.

In her past life, she had only lost her student ID card, which he found, and then he took her back to his villa under the pretense of returning it. She endured weeks of training and torture, a process that was nothing short of a nightmare.

It would be impossible for her to walk to school as easily as Li Ruo the next day.

After that night in her previous life, she was utterly despondent and only wanted to die.

But Li Ruo is even more beautiful than she was in her previous life, and with her help, she successfully provoked Lu Xingzhou. How could Lu Xingzhou let her off so easily?

And yet he just stood there in front of me like nothing had happened?

Could it be... that Lu Xingzhou has changed his mind?

Or did Li Ruo use some other method to escape?

"Yes, really."

Li Ruo nodded, paused, and then added:

He also said... if you need anything at school in the future, you can contact him.

Upon hearing this, Xia Qinghe's pupils contracted slightly.

Successful.

Lu Xingzhou indeed became interested in Li Ruo.

Moreover, judging from Li Ruo's tone, she's looking for him? It seems... it's more than just a matter of interest?

In her past life, Lu Xingzhou never told her that she could come to him if she needed anything.

He only commands her, controls her, and demands from her.

How could this happen...?

Whether it's personality, appearance, clothing, or behavior, Li Ruo is so similar to me, it's practically a perfect replica. How could things have developed differently from my previous life?

Where exactly did things go wrong?!

A complex mix of emotions welled up in Xia Qinghe's heart.

Thank goodness?

Yes, as she wished, Lu Xingzhou's attention was successfully diverted.

But there was also a hint of resentment and jealousy.

Why is this tool she found in the slums able to do better than her in her previous life?

Why would that cold-blooded, cruel, and violent Lu Xingzhou tell a tool-like person that they can come to him?

impossible.

It is absolutely impossible.

She must have been too scared, so she deliberately tried to cover it up and lie.

"That's good……"

Xia Qinghe withdrew her hand, her smile somewhat forced:

"Senior Lu comes from a prominent family, so it's a good thing to have his favor. However..."

She changed the subject, her tone becoming somewhat worried:

"Li Ruo, be careful."

"Senior Lu... his reputation isn't very good. I heard he's dated a lot of girls, but none of them ended well."

"You've just arrived in the capital and don't know anything, so don't be fooled by appearances."

She seemed genuinely concerned for Li Ruo's well-being:

"I'm only reminding you because I genuinely care about you. Those rich kids are just playing around; they won't take it seriously. Don't get involved; you'll only end up hurting yourself."

[Classic line! I'm doing this for your own good!]

[The female lead's inner monologue: Go and take the brunt of this crazy love for me, but please don't actually get anything out of it!]

[But why did the female lead lie? Lu Xingzhou clearly hasn't dated any girls! He's a possessive and controlling maniac, obsessed with one person for life! He has emotional fastidiousness.]

[She's giving Li Ruo a heads-up, reminding her of her role as a mere tool!]

[Afraid that Li Ruozhen will climb the social ladder and escape control? How cunning!]

Li Ruo, upon seeing the comments: ?

Lu Xingzhou, that lunatic... is he really such a pure and innocent virgin?

No wonder...

She had no dating experience to begin with, and last night, when faced with Lu Xingzhou's forceful kiss, she acted awkwardly and recklessly, as if she were fighting with someone.

Lu Xingzhou was even more obscure and fierce than her.

When possessiveness takes hold, kissing becomes haphazard and chaotic.

I bet he's sprawled out on his bed in the villa right now, getting an IV drip for anti-inflammatory and pain relief while binge-watching porn to catch up on his acting.

"I know, cousin. I won't overthink it."

Li Ruo nodded earnestly, her eyes clear.

Then she lowered her head slightly, her voice even softer:

"I'm already very grateful to be able to study at St. Leicester. I don't dare to hope for anything more."

This sensible yet humble demeanor greatly satisfied Xia Qinghe's desire for control and a sense of superiority.

well.

The tool person is very self-aware.

"It's good that you think that way."

"But you should still be more careful in the future, and try not to stay out alone too late at night. Especially... don't go to those shady places."

Li Ruo nodded obediently, "Yes, I understand, cousin. It won't happen again."

She paused, as if remembering something, her tone tinged with uncertainty, lingering fear, and worry:

"Cousin, do you think... could someone be targeting me on purpose? I haven't been at school long, and it seems... it seems like I've offended some people?"

She raised her watery eyes and looked at Xia Qinghe, her gaze filled with dependence and a bewildered search for answers.

This question aligns with her vulnerable mindset of overthinking after being frightened.

It also allows them to test Xia Qinghe's reaction.

Let's see if she'll go along with it or distance herself from it.

Sure enough, Xia Qinghe's expression became somewhat unnatural:

"Don't overthink it. You've only just arrived, who could you have offended? It's probably just a coincidence, or maybe some petty thugs. The area around our school has always been pretty safe; this was probably an accident. I'll try my best to stay with you from now on and won't let you be alone."

The answer was also evasive.

The female lead is trying to distance herself from the situation! She's afraid of getting herself into trouble!

She probably felt guilty too, after all, she was the one who threw Li Ruo's wallet in front of Lu Xingzhou's car.

[Li Ruo asked a good question; it hit the female lead's sweet spot.]

[It seems the female lead still intends to use Li Ruo as a shield for now and isn't planning to give up on her immediately.]

Li Ru sneered inwardly, but put on a grateful expression: "Thank you, cousin. It's so good to have you."

Xia Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief and affectionately took Li Ruo's arm:

"Let's go to the classroom together."

"Today's first class was a problem-solving session led by Gu Yan. He's really good at it; he explains a lot of difficult problems to me every night, and he's also very friendly."

"We need to get there early to get a good spot."

She deliberately brought up Gu Yan to observe Li Ruo's reaction.

[The female lead is showing off her intimacy with Gu Yan! And incidentally, she's testing whether the "tool" (the male lead) will develop feelings for Gu Yan!]

[Gu Yan is the only safe haven the female lead wants to hold onto after her rebirth; she absolutely won't allow anyone to touch him!]

[Li Ruo, quickly state your opinion! Say you don't want to go! Or that you're not interested in Gu Yan!]

However, we can't be too absolute, lest we arouse the female lead's suspicion.

Li Ruo simply nodded: "Okay."

"But... cousin, I didn't sleep well last night, and I want to sit in the last row and relax a bit, so..."

Is that alright now?

Sit in the last row to minimize your presence.

Xia Qinghe carefully observed Li Ruo's expression.

Seeing her calm expression, without any excitement, curiosity, or envy, I felt a little relieved.

But I wasn't completely reassured.

Li Ruo is too beautiful; it's hard to guarantee that Gu Yan won't notice her.

It seems that I should try to reduce the opportunities for Li Ruo and Gu Yan to have contact in the future.

"...Fine. Then I won't reserve a front middle seat for you."

That would be best.

Li Ruo would rather never be interested in Gu Yan in this lifetime.

Gu Yan is her goal in this life, and she must never let anyone take him away from her.

"Thank you, cousin!" Li Ruo smiled sweetly.

She really wasn't interested in Gu Yan.

That poor but proud academic genius might be Xia Qinghe's salvation from her dark past life.

But for Li Ruo, it was too clean and too distant.

What she needs now is not redemption, but power and leverage.

-

After class, the two walked out of the teaching building side by side.

Along the way, many students cast their gazes at him.

Most of them watch Li Ruo's videos.

After last night's forum controversy and the release of photos showing Lu Xingzhou being injured and rushed to the hospital overnight, Li Ruo has become a prominent figure at St. Lia Academy.

"Look, it's her! Li Ruo!"

"She's so beautiful...no wonder even Senior Lu..."

"Not only that! I've heard about seniors Zhou Si, Lu Ran, Pei Qingrang, and even President Guo of the student council, and even... the genius artist Jiang Wudu..."

"My God! Really? For her?"

"What else? Didn't you see the forum explode? Although the specific posts were deleted quickly, someone took screenshots!"

"She's such a troublemaker! And she's only been here a few days!"

"Being pretty is an asset, huh? Tsk."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! There are plenty of Lu's spies at school. If they hear us secretly talking about how Lu got beaten up by a girl last night and ended up in the hospital..."

"This is a prestigious academy! Why is that girl dressed so plainly... She looks like a maid and her mistress standing next to Li Ruo."

"Have you received the results of the school's beauty pageant? The beauty queen has changed from Lu Jiaojiao to this transfer student, Li Ruo."

"Could it be... because her position as the school beauty was taken away, Lu Jiaojiao went to Li Ruo for an explanation, and then Senior Lu stood up for his sister, only to be... beaten up by Li Ruo?"

Whispers could be faintly heard.

Xia Qinghe stiffened, and unconsciously tightened her grip on Li Ruo's hand.

What exactly happened last night?

Why is the whole school talking about it?

How big of a fuss is it exactly?

It's all my fault for getting too engrossed in chatting with Gu Yan last night.

Li Ruo's ability to draw fire seems to be getting a little out of control...

and also!

What is meant by "maid" or "young lady"?

In her past life, she was also the center of attention!

However, this brought about countless disasters.

Throughout her life, she deliberately kept a low profile and concealed her beauty, but the result was...

Li Ruo, however, became the most dazzling presence.

Moreover, it seems... like she's handling it with ease?

No.

It must be an illusion.

Li Ruo is just a girl from the slums, she has never seen the world. Last night she was targeted by someone like Lu Xingzhou, she must be terrified now.

That calm demeanor just now must have been an act.

Xia Qinghe comforted herself in this way.

wrong!

This is not the point.

The key point is that the injuries on Li Ruo's body were not caused by Lu Xingzhou torturing her in bed.

Instead, it was her fighting Lu Xingzhou?!

In the end, Lu Xingzhou was even beaten into the hospital by Li Ruo?!

"Li Ruo, last night..."

Xia Qinghe hadn't even finished speaking when she asked the question.

They happened to be walking around the corner of the teaching building when they bumped into two people.

Zhou Si and Lu Ran.

Zhou Si was still wearing his black uniform, with his jacket casually draped over his shoulders. His buzz cut was sharp, and the faint scar on his brow bone was particularly clear in the morning light.

He had his hands in his pockets, an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth, and his eyes were downcast and gloomy.

Lu Ran had striking red hair, wore a motorcycle jacket, and had several sparkling earrings on his ears.

He was tilting his head and talking to Zhou Si, his expression carrying his usual nonchalant attitude.

But when they saw Li Ruo, both of them stopped in their tracks.

Zhou Si almost dropped the cigarette from his mouth.

Lu Ran's whistle stopped abruptly halfway through.

The air freezes.

[Zhou Si and Lu Ran have appeared! Last night, after seeing Li Ruo being taken away by Lu Xingzhou, Zhou Si went to the underground boxing ring to vent his anger! He beat over a hundred professional boxers to the ground and sent them to the hospital!]

[Zhou Si's eyes! He looks like he's going to eat someone alive! He must have remembered that Li Ruo was taken away by Lu Xingzhou last night!]

[Lu Ran is watching too! Although he's misogynistic, he seems to be acting differently towards Li Ruo?]

Xia Qinghe froze! She was terrified! She was traumatized by Zhou Si and Lu Ran in her past life!

Look at Li Ruo's reaction!

Li Ruo paused slightly.

She instinctively tried to avoid it, but it was too late.

Zhou Si's gaze was like two knives, scraping across her face and landing on the diamond brooch at her collar, his eyes suddenly becoming even colder and more violent.

Those belong to Lu Xingzhou.

He recognized him.

Last night, that bastard took Li Ruo away right in front of him.

Now, Li Ruo is wearing the brooch given to her by Lu Xingzhou and a school uniform made of obviously more expensive materials, looking as if she has been carefully "taken care of"...

Zhou Si clenched his fists tightly in his pocket, his knuckles turning white, and his fingers cracking as he squeezed them.

Good morning, seniors.

Li Ruo spoke first, her voice calm, and she bowed slightly.

Her etiquette was impeccable.

Yet it carries a sense of alienation.

Zhou Si stared at her without saying a word.

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow and glanced at Li Ruo.

His gaze finally settled on her slightly stiff gait as she descended the stairs, and a cryptic smile played on his lips.

"Hey, Li Ruo, what happened to your leg? Did you get enough rest last night?"

That's an ambiguous question.

Xia Qinghe's body stiffened even more, and she subconsciously hid behind Li Ruo.

The boy was tall, and Li Ruo had to look up to look him in the eye. With a smile in her eyes, she replied to Lu Ran:

"Thank you for your concern, senior. I'm doing well."

Her tone was flat, revealing no emotion.

Lu Ran was about to say something when Zhou Si suddenly moved.

He strode up to Li Ruo, his tall figure looming over her, exuding an intense sense of oppression.

Xia Qinghe was so frightened that she took a step back, her face turning pale.

Li Ruo stood still, without moving.

She looked up at Zhou Si's gloomy face and asked softly:

"Senior Zhou, is there something you need?"

Zhou Si stared at her for a few seconds. The veins on his muscular, thick arms bulged.

He suddenly reached out his hand.