Chapter 53: Limit

The air pollution grew worse by the day.

He Rou sat on the way to school, keeping her hand stuffed into the satchel she clutched tightly against her chest.

The black-handled craft knife was in the innermost compartment, her fingertips touching it through a thin layer of fabric.

Her face was as calm as still water, without a trace of the tension you’d expect from someone carrying a dangerous item.

Today, she would only sit quietly in her seat and study.

She didn’t even care where her seat had been assigned.

She just wanted to protect herself.

If that situation really happened again today, He Rou would actually strike.

Her fever hadn’t completely broken yet; beads of cold sweat pulsed on her forehead.

She didn’t know if she had already used this knife to cause a bloody incident.

Either way, her heart was very calm now, and she could even simulate in her mind how she would “protect herself” when the time came.

The fog at the school gate had almost disappeared, revealing Haidi High School’s imposing marble gateposts.

He Rou walked in with her heavy satchel on her back.

She went upstairs toward her class.

The hallway was quiet.

When she pushed open the classroom door, her eyes swept over the desks with a dazed look.

The smell in the classroom was the same as always—suffocating.

It was still early, so almost no one was in the class.

Those who arrived earlier than He Rou were all ordinary students who excelled academically.

They, too, were working hard to change their lives.

“Hey, you… that one who never comes to class. Your seat is over here.”

A short-haired girl called out to He Rou.

She was holding a steamed bun and soy milk in her hands, and even so, she extended her pinky finger to point at He Rou’s current seat.

There was no malice in her voice, but it wasn’t exactly friendly either—just a kind reminder.

“Thanks.”

He Rou responded quietly.

She walked over and set down her bag.

That hand was still gripping the satchel tightly, not daring to let go.

The desk was a mess.

Her things were scattered on top.

Textbooks and workbooks were covered with dust, piled crookedly on the desktop like abandoned trash.

He Rou didn’t mind.

She first took out a tissue to wipe the dust off the books, tidied them up, then slowly cleaned the stains off the desk.

The classroom gradually filled with more people.

Amid the chatter and laughter, the sound of chairs being moved, the heat from her fever hadn’t faded yet.

Her cheeks were flushed, but her palms were clammy with cold sweat.

She sat there quietly, the satchel pressed tightly against her stomach.

Halfway through the first class, He Rou tried to listen, but she couldn’t take in a single word.

Her mind was a mess. She had no idea what she was thinking about.

Ring, ring, ring—

The bell for the end of class rang.

He Rou didn’t move.

She stayed in the same position, her head bowed low as she tried to shrink into her desk.

But the sound of thick-soled shoes came closer and closer.

Clomp, clomp, clomp—

It was Elder Sister Ling.

This time, she had even more people following her.

Besides the two from yesterday, there were several other girls who usually liked to join in on the fun.

They surrounded He Rou’s corner against the wall like a wall, leaving no gaps.

“The teacher’s calling for you.”

“But none of you went out…”

“Oh? Pretty sharp eyes, huh.”

Su Xun sat casually on the chair in front of He Rou, crossing her legs and resting them on He Rou’s desk.

He Rou looked at her but made no other move.

“…”

“Boring. Hey, He Rou, tell me—how do you manage to hook up with Luo Yun every night…?”

Elder Sister Ling said with a lewd grin, making obscene gestures with her hands.

But He Rou still didn’t move, as still as an ice sculpture.

Elder Sister Ling was the only one talking, which made her a little annoyed.

“Talk! Goddamn it!”

She lifted her leg again and kicked He Rou’s desk hard.

Bam, bam, bam—

It was loud.

He Rou’s hands stayed clenched tightly around her satchel the whole time.

She was restraining herself.

He Rou understood very well that if she really took that step, there would be no turning back.

“Elder Sister Ling, Elder Sister Ling.”

Someone walked up beside her and whispered something.

After she finished, a wicked grin spread across Elder Sister Ling’s face.

“Hey—He Rou, how about an arm wrestle?”

She straightened her back and placed her entire right arm on He Rou’s desk.

“No…”

“Come on, come on. Win or lose, I won’t bother you for the rest of the day.”

“…”

He Rou looked at her, unable to tell if she was being truthful or not.

She knew they were looking for trouble.

But given the situation, if she didn’t do as she was told, she would have to use her last resort—the “hurt the enemy by a thousand, lose eight hundred yourself” method.

After careful thought, He Rou slowly released her grip on the satchel.

She placed her arm on the desk the same way Elder Sister Ling had.

They clasped hands.

And started to push.

He Rou wasn’t stronger than Elder Sister Ling, but the girl in front of her was putting on an exaggerated, strained expression.

It was obvious that Elder Sister Ling was only defending and not attacking—so why was she acting like this?

‘Is she just trying to make a fool of me? But this is too…’

Before He Rou could finish the thought, a cold sensation suddenly hit the top of her head.

At first, she didn’t pay attention.

But when she felt liquid trickling down her face, she realized what was happening.

“Mm—!”

At the same moment, Elder Sister Ling suddenly put all her strength into slamming He Rou’s hand down.

“Hold her other hand down too! Hahaha!”

Elder Sister Ling laughed loudly, ordering the people around her to move.

He Rou’s strength was weak, but after years of housework, she still had some basic physical fitness.

So when they all rushed at her at once,

She quickly bent down, lowered her head, twisted her body, and aimed for the gap under the desk.

Then she kicked out hard with both legs.

But it was like a drop in the bucket.

Her hand was still restrained.

The girls in front of He Rou grinned wickedly, as if they found the upcoming scene very amusing.

“Hey, hey! Use the blue one.”

“Oh, first smear the red one all over her face.”

“I’ve got a whole bunch of black pens. Let’s turn her into an African, haha.”

He Rou’s hands and legs were pinned down.

Only then did she realize what the liquid on her head and face actually was.

“Let me go!”

He Rou began to struggle violently.

The hand Elder Sister Ling had been holding down suddenly twisted upward and dug in hard.

She still had some fingernails, and for people who dressed so thinly even in winter, being pinched was quite painful.

Not just her hands—her legs, her whole body were resisting.

But it was a futile struggle…