Chapter 3: If I Go Bald, Will You Still Love Me? (3)

Bai Yao was in Class One, while Shen Ji was in Class Two. By all accounts, their paths were never meant to cross.

In this school, where family status and background meant everything, Shen Ji—whose origins were unremarkable—became a target for everyone’s bullying. The first time Bai Yao saw Shen Ji, his circumstances were far from ideal.

It was just after Bai Yao had transmigrated into this world. She only knew she had to capture the heart of a certain person, but the script of this world was unknown to her, so she could only rely on her own judgement.

One afternoon in the heat of summer, four or five boys cornered the young man in a secluded spot.

The leader idly spun a pinhole camera in his hand, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “Shen Ji, we’re not really making things difficult for you. We just want you to quietly slip this into the girls’ bathroom. You’re so invisible—just wasting air by existing. Now, we’re giving your existence a bit more meaning. Isn’t that a good thing?”

The boy trapped against the wall hung his head in silence.

Another boy stepped forward and shoved Shen Ji’s shoulder without the slightest courtesy. “Hey, Shen Ji, don’t be ungrateful. You should know there’s no one here who can help you. We’re letting you play with us out of the goodness of our hearts—you’d better be smart about it.”

The others’ gazes brimmed with mockery and ridicule. One even clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked, the threat clear.

The school’s strict rules kept them from causing trouble outside, so they naturally found other ways to amuse themselves.

Shen Ji wasn’t the first they’d bullied, nor would he be the last. In the past, when they cornered him, he never dared utter a word of protest; he simply did whatever they told him. But today, something was different.

For a long time, Shen Ji remained silent.

The group exchanged uneasy glances. One of them picked up a stick from the ground, advancing step by step. “I guess it’s been too long since we last played with you, and you’ve forgotten how to get along with your friends.”

“Friends” was, of course, a hollow word.

Shen Ji lifted his eyes slightly, watching the boy approach. In his quietly dark gaze, a strange glimmer seemed to surface.

“What are you doing?”

The sudden voice drew everyone’s attention.

Standing there was a strikingly beautiful girl—snowy skin, raven hair, features carved with exquisite precision. Arms folded, she observed them with an air of haughty detachment, her gaze so commanding that anyone caught in it would instinctively feel inferior.

Clearly, she was a young lady more spoiled and imperious than anyone else.

With looks so dazzling, it was easy to guess her identity at a glance.

She was the crown jewel of the academy, the princess of the Bai family, whose status eclipsed all others.

Some of the boys had even tried to win Bai Yao’s favor before—not that they necessarily liked her, but having her as their girlfriend would bring them immense prestige.

The boy with the stick showed no embarrassment, smiling as he replied, “We’re just playing a game with a classmate, Bai Yao. Want to join the fun?”

In this school, little cliques formed regardless of gender. Ganging up to bully someone was nothing out of the ordinary.

Bai Yao cast a sidelong glance at the silent boy.

In that instant, she seemed to see a dark red aura flicker around him—gone as quickly as it appeared, as though it were a trick of her imagination.

No such aura appeared around anyone else.

Bai Yao understood: this must be some sort of cheat left to her by that unreliable system—a way for her to identify her target.

Looking closer, she considered: a bullied boy, trapped in adversity, pitiful and helpless—who might one day turn dark. Wasn’t this just like the novels she’d read online?

Three days after crossing into this world, Bai Yao had finally found her mission’s objective.

She walked slowly forward, positioning herself between the boy and his tormentors.

The boys exchanged wary glances. One asked, “Bai Yao, what’s the meaning of this?”

She didn’t falter in the face of their numbers. With a delicate, dazzling smile, her beauty shone even brighter. “From today on, this person is under my protection.”

One boy burst out laughing. “Bai Yao, did I hear that right? You’re going to protect him?”

“That’s right. You heard me.”

One of the boys whom Bai Yao had previously rejected asked resentfully, “And why is that?”

“Because I fell in love with him at first sight,” she replied without hesitation.

From behind her, the boy tilted his head, watching her.

Her words provoked a mixture of indignation and incredulity. “Bai Yao! Are you crazy, or am I?”

Bai Yao glanced meaningfully at the camera in the boy’s hand, a smile playing at her lips. “You do realize that if I were to spread word about certain things, there would be plenty of people eager to curry my favor, don’t you?”

The boy hastily tucked the camera behind his back.

Bai Yao continued languidly, “Some things are too hot to hold. Be careful you don’t get burned.”

Their faces darkened. They all knew how popular Bai Yao was and how much influence she wielded. They dared not argue further, glaring resentfully at the boy behind her before turning away in defeat.

Bai Yao turned around and studied the boy from head to toe, finding his appearance satisfactory. She smiled sincerely.

With bright, crescent eyes, she extended her hand. “Hello, I’m Bai Yao.”

He lowered his gaze to her fair, slender hand, immaculate and flawless. After a moment, he raised his own hand to clasp hers—soft and warm.

A faint smile tugged at his lips. In his once-lifeless black eyes, a spark of light appeared. His pale, bloodless face suddenly came alive, radiant in the sunlight. “Hello, I’m Shen Ji.”

Bai Yao asked straightforwardly, “Do you have a girlfriend?”

He shook his head. “No.”

She continued, “Then what do you think about me being your girlfriend?”

Shen Ji blinked. “If you were my girlfriend, would these hands of yours belong to me?”

This child’s possessiveness seemed rather strong—perhaps a symptom of his low self-esteem, not wanting her to touch anyone else.

Bai Yao understood. With such stunning beauty and keen intelligence, any normal man would feel unworthy of her.

With a crisp clap, Bai Yao seized both his hands in her own. “If you date me, not just my hands—my whole self can be yours!”

Her eyes shone clear and bright, her nose was dainty, lips curved into a smile, slender neck elegant, hands fair and soft. Beneath the plaid skirt of her uniform, her legs were long and perfectly shaped.

Shen Ji’s dark eyes grew brighter still, as if starlight had been sprinkled within them. A genuine, innocent smile bloomed on his face. “Alright, you be my girlfriend!”

And just like that, so carelessly, their first meeting became the start of their relationship.

Now, it’s been over a month since they began dating.

Bai Yao sat on the stairs, counting the paper cranes in a glass jar. Shen Ji held a box of yogurt, and whenever Bai Yao opened her mouth, he thoughtfully guided the straw to her lips.

After a few sips, Bai Yao looked at him with both admiration and delight. “How long did it take you to fold so many?”

Shen Ji, shy as a bashful young girl, tugged at the hem of his shirt, murmuring softly, “A week.”

Bai Yao couldn’t take it—how could a boy be so adorable?

She wrapped her arms around his, never stingy with her praise. “Shen Ji, you’re amazing!”

He smiled quietly, lips pressed together.

Hugging the glass jar to her chest, Bai Yao asked with concern, “Have those people in your class been bothering you lately?”

Shen Ji shook his head, answering with innocence, “They’re all very nice to me now. If I need help with anything, my classmates are eager to assist. Everyone is a good person.”

Bai Yao poked his cheek with her finger. “You can’t let your guard down! There might be someone like Jia Renlu around!”

Jia Renlu was the one who’d previously coerced Shen Ji into planting a camera in the girls’ restroom.

Bai Yao muttered, “That Jia Renlu is such a disgusting creep. He used to bully you and send me filthy love letters to harass me. It’s as if even the heavens couldn’t stand him, so he got burned to ashes, not even a scrap left.”

That had happened not long after Bai Yao and Shen Ji started dating. Late one night, Jia Renlu had gone to the old boiler room built decades ago and met with an accident.

Thinking of this, Bai Yao stroked her chin. “By the way, what was Jia Renlu doing in the boiler room so late at night?”

Mimicking her, Shen Ji also stroked his chin, frowning in puzzlement. “Yeah, what could he have been doing there at that hour?”

It was truly a mystery.