Chapter 19: Even if Jie cannot escape…

Jiang Ran’s desk mate shook the bread wrapped in a paper bag.

Jiang Ran looked over, but her attention wasn’t on where the bread came from.

Instead, it was the strange logo printed on the packaging.

There wasn’t even an ingredient list on the back — it was a shady, unlabeled product!

Glancing at the Professor on the stage, Jiang Ran lowered her voice.

“Which shop did you buy this bread from? I’ve never seen it before.”

“Buy it?”

The girl shook her head.

“I brought it from home. My house is full of this kind of bread. If you want to try other flavors, I’ll bring you some more tomorrow.”

‘Home… homemade? All of this is made at your house?’

Jiang Ran took the bread, her expression stunned.

“Yeah! There are plenty more delicious things in the cabinet. Do you have any favorite snacks?”

The girl unzipped her backpack.

It was packed to the brim with snacks.

The space meant for her books was squeezed out of shape; the amount of food inside was enough for a family of three to go on a picnic.

Jiang Ran looked the girl up and down.

Under her blue tracksuit, her stomach was almost perfectly flat.

She wore white stockings adorned with bunny ears, and both her calves and thighs were quite slender.

It was the perfect, petite loli figure that could easily be a professional model for that style of clothing.

And yet, the snacks in her bag were enough for three people?

The girl blinked and rummaged through the bag.

“If you don’t like the ones on top, I have more underneath. If you want candy, I have lollipops in my pocket. Just pick one yourself.”

She patted her bulging pocket, and the candy wrappers made a muffled rustling sound.

From the noise alone, it was clear there wasn’t just one or two stuffed in there.

She was basically a walking snack shop.

Jiang Ran half-wondered if her family ran a snack wholesaler, but judging by the way she ate, she would probably finish off the entire warehouse by herself.

Waving her hand, Jiang Ran said softly, “No… it’s okay. I’m not really in the mood for candy. The bread is fine. Thank you…”

“Is that so? Well, all right. Just let me know if you want some later.”

Seeing the girl actually start happily munching away, Jiang Ran couldn’t help but speak up.

“What’s your name, classmate? I don’t mean anything by it, I was just wondering.”

The blonde girl smiled.

“It’s no problem! You can just call me Bai Ranran. Besides, I haven’t even thanked you for holding this seat for me.”

‘Bai… Bai Ranran?’

Jiang Ran finally realized why the name sounded so familiar.

She had seen it in the APP.

This was bad.

How could she be pulled into the Plot just by sitting in a classroom?

Her hand, still holding the bread, froze in mid-air.

She felt like she was caught in a trap.

“I’ve already told you my name, but I still don’t know… what yours is. I feel like I haven’t seen you around much. Are you a transfer student from another major?”

Bai Ranran pulled a textbook from her bag and placed it on the desk.

“My name… well… you can just call me Jiang Ran,” Jiang Ran said, scratching her head. “And I’m at the bottom of the class. My grades aren’t as good as yours, so I usually sit in the back.”

Jiang Ran pursed her lips, recalling the original world line.

She was used to sitting in the back, sometimes holding a seat for Croissant, then quietly listening to Croissant vent about her day.

Jiang Ran never got angry; she would just listen until Croissant was finished.

And yet, the story said that a person like that could undergo such a drastic personality change, becoming ruthless enough to fight the female lead, Su Wanqing, over a woman.

Jiang Ran wouldn’t believe it if there wasn’t someone pulling the strings behind the scenes.

As for who that specifically was, Jiang Ran had her suspicions, but she didn’t want to jump to conclusions.

Being too suspicious might just lead her right into someone else’s trap.

Bai Ranran tapped her chin with her finger.

“I don’t seem to recall… but if you’re worried about failing, you can always ask me for help.”

“Okay… thanks.”

Jiang Ran didn’t refuse, but after learning she was Bai Ranran, Jiang Ran didn’t want to talk to her anymore.

She even considered sleeping in class just to distance herself.

Unfortunately, she was sitting by the window today, and it was freezing. The desk felt like a block of ice, making it impossible to fall asleep.

Bai Ranran held her snack bag and looked at Jiang Ran, who was pretending to be deeply engrossed in her book while her eyes were actually glazed over in a daze.

She also instinctively opened her own textbook, but unlike Jiang Ran, her gaze remained fixed on Jiang Ran’s pale, delicate face.

She kneaded the bread in her hand until it was slightly deformed.

Her small hand rummaged aimlessly inside her backpack, but she had no intention of eating.

Her emerald eyes were fixed on the back of Jiang Ran’s head like a surveillance camera.

Jiang Ran scrolled through the APP, trying to find a description of Bai Ranran, only to find that all the information regarding her was marked with “????”

The required permission level was quite high; she probably wouldn’t even be able to see Bai Ranran’s mission file until after she cleared the first task.

In any case, it was better to keep her distance.

However, what Jiang Ran didn’t know was that while she was staring into the abyss, the abyss was also staring back at her.

Even the people around them noticed Bai Ranran.

During the lecture, she spent almost the entire time staring at the side of Jiang Ran’s face.

A few girls whispered among themselves, “Why has Bai Ranran been staring at that girl for so long? I remember she used to either eat or take notes as soon as class started. Why isn’t she taking notes today?”

“Yeah. The Professor looked her way several times. But word is, she’s someone the Professor wouldn’t dare fail anyway. Apparently, she can turn in a blank exam and still pass.”

“Wow, is she really that terrifying?”

“Shhh, keep it down. Don’t let her hear you. I don’t want to end up failing tomorrow.”

Jiang Ran was completely unaware of these comments.

She was playing some simple puzzle games on her phone for one reason: she was bored out of her mind.

It wasn’t until class ended that Jiang Ran finally let out a lazy stretch.

After eating that soft little cake earlier, her energy was indeed exceptionally high.

Just as she was about to get up and say something to Bai Ranran so she could let her out of the seat, she suddenly realized that Bai Ranran had disappeared at some point.

However, several snacks were left by her textbook.

Ham sausages, bananas, and chocolate… there was a bit of everything.

Jiang Ran scratched her head awkwardly.

It seemed she had been overthinking things.

Her cold attitude had likely made Bai Ranran lose interest long ago.

This was for the best.

She didn’t want anything to do with Bai Ranran anyway.

Being a “nobody” was perfectly fine.

Just then, a new message popped up on her phone.

Su Wanqing, using a cat avatar, sent a message to gather.

“Your Early Eight should be over by now. Meet at Building No. 2, Room 404.”

Jiang Ran looked around but didn’t see Su Wanqing anywhere.

Building No. 2 wasn’t far from here; it was only a short walk away.

Shouldering her backpack, Jiang Ran yawned and headed toward her destination.

Along the way, she felt as if someone was sticking close behind her, but a quick look around revealed no one.

‘That’s strange.’

Jiang Ran continued toward Building No. 2.

When she reached the entrance, the sound of a can falling rang out behind her.

*clatter*

She whipped her head around, only to find a girl looking in surprise at a Coke bottle that had dropped to the ground.

Something must have bumped into her Coke just now.

Jiang Ran retracted her gaze and continued upstairs.

After her figure gradually vanished from sight…

Beneath the shade of the trees, Bai Ranran, still carrying her bag of snacks, used a tissue to wipe the Coke liquid off her backpack.

She poked her head out from the bushes.

A cat that had been stalking a bird nearby let out a startled *meow* at Bai Ranran’s sudden appearance and scrambled away.

Noticing the commotion, Bai Ranran scratched her cheek awkwardly.

“I ate too little today. It seems my Ability can’t last very long…”