Chapter 2: If I Lose My Hair, Will You Still Love Me? (2)

Mingde Academy was an exclusive boarding school for the elite, with a unique system that combined elements of both high school and university. As a result, even after reaching adulthood, the students were required to remain and complete all courses before they could enter their family businesses and obtain the rights of inheritance.

Everyone who studied here was either wealthy or noble. And just like any other circle, there was always someone who attracted the most attention—perhaps because of outstanding looks, or an even more impressive family background. Bai Yao just happened to possess both.

She was beautiful and academically excellent. Many boys harbored secret affections for her, but just as many girls disliked her for her often pretentious demeanor. Still, given that her family’s status was the highest among them all, any discontent remained hidden behind polite smiles and fawning flattery.

Take her deskmate, Lu Xiaoran, for instance.

The moment Bai Yao entered the classroom, Lu Xiaoran hurried over with ingratiating enthusiasm. “Yao Yao, your smokey eye makeup looks gorgeous today!”

Bai Yao glanced at her. “That’s just my dark circles.”

Lu Xiaoran grinned, quick to respond, “That’s because you’re naturally beautiful, Yao Yao. If I had dark circles, I’d look awful, but on you, they have a unique beauty.”

“Really?” Bai Yao asked.

“Of course!” Lu Xiaoran replied eagerly.

Bai Yao took her seat. Accepting the mirror Lu Xiaoran handed her, she admired herself for a while, then gently touched her cheek, quite pleased. “It’s true—I really am too beautiful. If I didn’t exist in this world, the standard of beauty here would drop by several levels.”

She was the most unabashed narcissist Lu Xiaoran had ever seen. Still, when Bai Yao looked her way, Lu Xiaoran’s face immediately adopted a sycophantic smile.

With a generous air, Bai Yao pulled an eyeshadow palette from her bag. “I promised you this before—the limited-edition Mermaid’s Tear. It’s the only one I have, so don’t tell the other girls. If they come asking, I won’t have any more.”

“I know, I know.” Lu Xiaoran had wanted this limited-edition palette for ages but could never get her hands on one. She quickly tucked it into her bag, then gushed with heartfelt gratitude, “Yao Yao, you’re the best. Having a friend like you is my greatest fortune.”

Admiring her own reflection, Bai Yao was anything but modest. “Naturally. I’m beautiful and kindhearted.”

Lu Xiaoran kept the compliments flowing. Her sweet tongue had helped her stand out among all the other sycophants, securing her place as Bai Yao’s top sidekick—and she’d benefited plenty from it.

“Yao Yao, I heard our class is getting a new student,” Lu Xiaoran said.

“Is it a boy or a girl? Are they good-looking?” Bai Yao asked.

“I heard it’s a girl. Someone saw her in the teacher’s office recently, and she looks quite nice.”

“Is her name something like ABB?” Bai Yao inquired.

“Huh?” Lu Xiaoran was confused.

“I mean, what’s her name?” Bai Yao clarified.

“I think it’s Lu Zhizhi. That’s what I heard the teacher call her,” Lu Xiaoran replied.

Bai Yao’s expression grew serious.

She’d been in this world for over a month without a script, and hadn’t noticed any girl with the aura of a protagonist. She could only assume the heroine hadn’t appeared yet. Now, with Lu Xiaoran mentioning a transfer student named Lu Zhizhi, Bai Yao guessed this must be her. After all, in nine out of ten novels, the heroine’s name followed the ABB pattern.

Lu Xiaoran, oblivious to Bai Yao’s concern, went on, “Another girl from the class next door took a leave of absence. She and the last girl who left both lived in Dormitory B. Yao Yao, aren’t you in that dorm too? Maybe you should apply for a transfer. I really think the rumors are true—that building is cursed.”

Building B was the old dormitory, long plagued by disturbing rumors: girls who had committed suicide in the bathtub, others who’d hanged themselves over the summer and weren’t discovered for so long their heads had fallen to the floor… The tales were endless. The academy itself had a history spanning a century and was strictly managed; students rarely left the grounds. Despite their glamorous exteriors, there was a rigid social hierarchy, and those who didn’t fit in were isolated. Beneath the cheerful facade, the atmosphere was stifling.

Any student with the slightest status wouldn’t live in Dormitory B.

But Bai Yao was an oddity. She didn’t want to share a room with anyone, so she chose Building B, where there were plenty of empty rooms.

Lu Xiaoran couldn’t understand how Bai Yao could be so fearless. She whispered, “Yao Yao, aren’t you scared sleeping there alone?”

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Bai Yao replied, unconcerned.

“I heard the lights there flicker all the time!” Lu Xiaoran persisted.

“That’s just old wiring,” Bai Yao countered.

“Some seniors say the sinks suddenly fill with hair!” Lu Xiaoran continued.

“That’s a clogged drain,” Bai Yao said.

“At night, you can hear knocking on the windows!” Lu Xiaoran insisted.

“That’s my boyfriend— cough, I mean, that’s just branches in the wind knocking against the glass,” Bai Yao corrected herself.

Lu Xiaoran looked at Bai Yao with awe and disbelief.

Bai Yao patted her on the shoulder. “Xiaoran, we must believe in science. There are no ghosts in this world. I’ve done plenty of questionable things myself, and no ghosts have come knocking at my door in the middle of the night.”

Lu Xiaoran was speechless. Sometimes she really felt Bai Yao lived in a different world from the rest of them. With everyone else trembling in fear, how could Bai Yao remain so unfazed?

Just then, a boy approached. He looked a bit shy as he spoke to Bai Yao, “Bai Yao, um… my birthday’s coming up. Can I treat you to a meal?”

Here we go again.

Lu Xiaoran rolled her eyes. Even though Bai Yao had started dating a nondescript boy from the next class, plenty of others still harbored hopes of winning over this glittering socialite.

Bai Yao asked, puzzled, “It’s your birthday, so what’s the point of treating me to a meal?”

The boy struggled to think of a reason. “Yesterday, you picked up my eraser when I dropped it. I wanted to thank you properly.”

Bai Yao declined without hesitation, “No, thanks. My boyfriend doesn’t like me getting close to other boys.”

He was about to say more when someone in the classroom called out, “Bai Yao, your boyfriend’s at the door!”

Bai Yao looked up. Standing at the doorway was a tall, slender boy. The black school uniform accentuated his lean frame—he was slim but not frail. When his gaze met hers, he smiled, his eyes curving with sunshine-bright warmth. “Yao Yao.”

Bai Yao stood up, bypassed the boy blocking her way, and ran to the door. She smiled, “What brings you here?”

Shen Ji replied softly, “I have something for you.”

Bai Yao’s eyes shone with anticipation, but not wanting others to witness the surprise, she led him out into the corridor.

Shen Ji’s eyes, filled with laughter, flickered almost imperceptibly toward the boy still standing in the classroom.

The boy, who had seemed shy before, now looked utterly frustrated. One of his friends snickered, “Look at our class belle. Of all the guys to like, she chooses Shen Ji. That kid used to get beaten up all the time—he was timid as a mouse, always hiding from everyone. Now he’s gutsy enough to chase after the girl even Yuan likes.”

“Isn’t that right?” another chimed in. “Yuan, that guy’s got some nerve!”

The boy—Zhao Yuan—grew more sullen at his friends’ words.

Lu Xiaoran wondered to herself whether she should warn Bai Yao that her boyfriend might be in for some trouble.

In the stairwell, only Bai Yao and Shen Ji remained.

She couldn’t wait. “What did you bring me?”

He first pulled a box of strawberry yogurt from his shoulder bag, inserted the straw, and handed it to her. Bai Yao took a sip, watching as he next retrieved a glass jar.

Inside, it was filled with paper cranes—every single one pink, brimming with girlish charm.

Shen Ji offered her the jar, his dark, clear eyes shining. “Yao Yao, I heard couples fold things for each other as gifts. This is for you. Next time, I’ll make you a jar of stars. Is that okay?”

Folding paper gifts—wasn’t that a little game couples played years ago? Who still did that nowadays?

Bai Yao looked up. The boy’s features were clean and handsome, his eyes clear and full of hope, never wavering from her face.

She knew exactly what he wanted.

As she rose on tiptoe, he bent down to meet her halfway. She kissed him soundly, then beamed. “Thank you. I really like it!”

Shen Ji’s eyes sparkled even brighter, joy nearly overflowing from his heart. He blinked, looking pure and innocent. “Yao Yao, can you hug me again?”

Bai Yao stepped forward and embraced him, gently patting his back, doting. “There, there. Our Shen Ji is the most lovable of all. Even if you didn’t ask, I’d still want to hug you.”

The boy’s eyes curved into a smile, and like a little animal seeking affection, he nuzzled her cheek, content.

He was over six feet tall, yet with his head resting on her shoulder, he looked for all the world like a child seeking comfort.