The moment she escaped the Student Council Office, Su Ruanruan subconsciously let out a sigh of relief for some reason.
Although Gu Qingleng had done nothing and had even kindly waived the interest, Su Ruanruan still felt that something was not quite right.
‘Is it… an illusion?’
Su Ruanruan did not dwell on it. She straightened her slightly crooked bowtie, clutched her school bag to her chest, and walked quickly through the long Teaching Building Corridor.
It was currently recess, and the hallway was filled with the scents of perfume and cosmetic powder unique to young girls. But when Su Ruanruan passed by with her head lowered, the originally noisy corridor fell briefly silent, followed by even more unrestrained whispering.
“Hey… isn’t that Su Ruanruan?”
“Goodness, why does she look like that? She’s keeping her head down, looking like such a pushover.”
“Where did that Queen go, the one who looked at everyone through her nostrils? Today she looks like a total punching bag… Tsk, it actually makes me feel a bit…”
The harsh whispers buzzed in her ears like flies. Su Ruanruan bit her bloodless lower lip hard, her body trembling slightly from tension.
The surrounding “creditors,” who had been victims of the original Su Ruanruan’s habit of borrowing money and never returning it, appeared to hate her to the core. However, their gazes secretly drifted toward the fair skin of her nape exposed to the air.
‘Quickly… everything will be fine once I reach the classroom…’
Su Ruanruan quickened her pace, wanting only to escape those spine-chilling stares.
However, just a second before her hand could touch the cold handle of the classroom’s back door…
A small foot wearing a white lace over-the-knee sock stepped out, stomping heavily onto the floor in front of her with a crisp *clack*.
” — Stand right there for this Young Lady.”
The voice was bratty and clear, carrying the arrogance of someone raised in a high position for many years, yet a trace of undetectable trembling was hidden in the tail end of her words.
Su Ruanruan was forced to stop and looked up somewhat blankly.
Blocking her path was a girl who was even a size smaller than her.
Chu Youyu.
A pampered Young Lady whose family operated a multinational maritime trade business.
Her signature ink-colored twin tails swayed slightly with her movements, and her face, as exquisite as a white porcelain doll, was currently filled with complex emotions.
“Are you… Su Ruanruan?”
Chu Youyu looked at the girl in front of her who was dodging her gaze like a frightened rabbit. A flash of disbelief crossed her eyes.
Where was the Su Ruanruan who always held her head high and looked at people as if they were trash?
The current her had slightly red eyes and was still trembling gently, appearing so fragile that she might break at a single touch.
‘How did she end up like this…’
Chu Youyu’s heart tightened inexplicably, and she subconsciously wanted to reach out to support her.
But halfway through the gesture, the memory of that heartbreaking rainy day surfaced — Su Ruanruan had thrown her love letter into the trash in front of everyone and mocked her for “only knowing how to throw money at people,” making her cry like a mess in front of the whole class.
Her reaching hand suddenly froze, then took a sharp turn, shifting into a defensive posture with her arms crossed over her chest.
She couldn’t be soft-hearted.
This woman was wicked; this must be another one of her new tricks!
“Miss… Miss Chu…” Su Ruanruan took a half-step back instinctively.
“Hmph! What are you hiding for when you see me?”
Chu Youyu forcibly suppressed that inexplicable trace of worry in her heart and put on a fierce expression, trying to use aggression to hide her own wavering.
“Who was it that threw this Young Lady’s card on the ground last month and said ‘there’s no need to rush to pay back this bit of pocket change’? Su Ruanruan, even my patience has limits!”
“I-I’m sorry…” Su Ruanruan was so anxious she was nearly in tears, her fingers restlessly twisting her skirt hem. “Could you… give me a few more days… I will definitely find a way…”
Seeing that Su Ruanruan was truly about to cry, Chu Youyu became flustered instead. She gnashed her teeth, thinking that if things continued like this, a dummy like her would definitely be eaten alive by others.
Rather than letting someone else bully her, it would be better if…
“An extension? Do you think this Young Lady is running a charity?”
Chu Youyu approached step by step. Although she had the height disadvantage, her overbearing tsundere aura completely suppressed Su Ruanruan.
She suddenly reached out, grabbed Su Ruanruan’s tie, and forcibly pulled her head down to eye level.
Their noses were almost touching, their breaths intertwining.
“No money, right? Being so hesitant is annoying!”
Chu Youyu’s gaze flickered, not daring to look directly into Su Ruanruan’s watery eyes, but her voice rose a few levels to hide her guilt.
“Since you can’t pay back the money… then use something else as collateral!”
“Be… be this Young Lady’s girlfriend! As long as you agree to accompany me every day after school… that 200,000… will be forgotten! All your other debts… I’ll take care of those too!”
The surrounding crowd of spectators fell silent instantly. Su Ruanruan was also stunned.
Was… was this debt collection?
“Can… can I consider it for a bit…” Su Ruanruan declined weakly, her voice as small as a mosquito’s buzz.
“You dare to refuse me?!” Chu Youyu’s eyes turned red instantly. It was the grievance and indignation of being rejected again. “I’ve already been so humble… where am I inferior to anyone else?!”
Just as Chu Youyu was about to lose control —
” — No!!”
A clear voice carrying a determined protective intent cut between the two of them.
Immediately after, a breeze carrying a faint citrus scent swept past.
A slender figure stood in front of Su Ruanruan.
It was Saginomiya Shiori, Su Ruanruan’s Childhood Friend.
She had refreshing black-blue short hair that made her skin look exceptionally fair. Her features were exquisite and soft, and her temperament carried a clean, boyish charm while still possessing the unique gentleness of a girl.
“Miss Chu, forcing someone is not something a lady should do.”
Although Saginomiya Shiori’s voice was trying hard to remain calm, the hand hidden in her sleeve was trembling slightly.
She was not good at confrontation, but for the sake of the person behind her, she had to stand up.
“I will pay back the money Ruanruan owes you.”
Saginomiya Shiori looked up, her amber eyes full of determination.
“Saginomiya Shiori?” Chu Youyu frowned as she looked at this usual “punching bag.” “With just you? How are you going to pay me back 200,000?”
Saginomiya Shiori bit her lip, a look of stubbornness appearing on her beautiful face.
“I… I’m working part-time. I’ve already saved 50,000! I will pay you the rest in installments! In any case… I absolutely will not let Ruanruan sell herself to you for money!”
Hiding behind Saginomiya Shiori and looking at this thin back, Su Ruanruan felt a surge of intense sorrow in her heart.
In her memories, the money the original host squandered was all earned by Shiori working part-time jobs in secret. Despite coming from a wealthy middle-class family, she had exhausted herself for the sake of the original host.
“Shiori…”
Su Ruanruan reached out and gently grasped Saginomiya Shiori’s wrist.
“It’s okay. This money… I’ll find a way to pay it back myself. I can’t use your money anymore.”
She wanted to be a good person. She couldn’t let this girl continue being so subservient.
However, the moment those words were spoken.
Saginomiya Shiori’s back, which had been held straight, suddenly stiffened.
She turned around slowly, her movements rigid. Those clear eyes were now filled with endless panic and hollowness.
“Ruanruan… what did you say?”
Saginomiya Shiori’s voice was trembling, carrying a sob that sounded on the verge of breaking. “You won’t use my money? …Are you going to abandon me?”
“No, I mean…” Su Ruanruan tried to explain.
Thud —
A heartbreaking muffled sound.
Under the shocked gazes of all the students in the corridor, this Saginomiya Shiori actually let her knees go weak and knelt heavily in front of Su Ruanruan in front of all her classmates.
“Don’t… not this… I beg of you, don’t…”
Saginomiya Shiori grabbed Su Ruanruan’s waist, buried her face deep into her embrace, and her body convulsed violently.
She was afraid of losing her value, afraid of being discarded by Su Ruanruan.
“Ruanruan, do you think I’m earning money too slowly? I can work more jobs!”
Saginomiya Shiori looked up, tears sliding down her soft face, her gaze humbled to the point of being in the dust.
“Why pay it off? Why separate things so clearly?”
“If you don’t need me to spend money on you… then what use do I have to you, Ruanruan?”
She gripped Su Ruanruan’s clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white, as if the entire world would abandon her if she let go.
“I beg of you… please continue to use me. Let me buy things for you, let me pay off your debts…”
“Don’t leave me… if Ruanruan doesn’t need me, I won’t know how to live anymore…”
The surroundings were deathly silent. Chu Youyu was even more stunned by this scene, her mouth agape. Her tsundere energy had been frightened away, and her eyes even revealed a trace of sympathy.
Su Ruanruan looked down at the Childhood Friend crying so humby in her arms, feeling a wave of dizziness.
Were the girls in this world all this obsessive?
“Fine, fine… I won’t pay it back. I won’t pay it back, alright?”
Su Ruanruan sighed helplessly and crouched down. She reached out and gently stroked Saginomiya Shiori’s soft short hair, as if soothing a frightened small animal.
“Stop crying, hurry up and get up. Everyone is watching. How could I not want you? I need Shiori the most.”
“Really… Really?”
Saginomiya Shiori looked up at her with teary eyes, and an astonishing light instantly erupted within them — the relief of surviving a disaster.
“You’ll still keep borrowing money from me? You’ll… you’ll only depend on me alone?”
“Yes… Yes.” Su Ruanruan responded against her better judgment, her heart full of bitterness.
“That’s great! Ruanruan is the best!”
Saginomiya Shiori turned her tears into a smile and suddenly rubbed her face against Su Ruanruan’s palm, like a Puppy that had finally found peace after being confirmed “not abandoned” by its master.
The smile revealed in that moment was pure enough to make one’s heart ache, yet so humble it was alarming.
***
The farce finally ended with Su Ruanruan’s compromise.
The school bell rang.
Su Ruanruan sat in her seat by the window, physically and mentally exhausted.
To her left was Saginomiya Shiori, who still sobbed occasionally and stared at her profile with a look of pure happiness. She tightly gripped a corner of Su Ruanruan’s skirt, afraid she might run away.
To her right, Chu Youyu held her textbook upright, secretly peeking at Su Ruanruan with eyes full of annoyance and worry.
Su Ruanruan leaned over the desk, burying her face in the crook of her arm.
The sunlight spilled through the window onto her back; though it was warm, she felt a chill running down her spine.
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