The wind outside the window couldn't blow into this white, deserted world; the world, devoid of other sounds, seemed suddenly empty.
Xu Shiyue sat alone in the center of the world, clearly hearing the missing beat of her heartbeat.
Lu Shizhen's voice wasn't loud; the vibration of the earphones gently pressed against her ear bones.
Naïve, yet also stubborn.
The incandescent light faintly traced a round sun in her vision, casting a warm glow on her slightly outstretched palm.
The girl's brows, which had remained calm even when faced with Sun Chenchen's vicious remarks, furrowed slightly.
Sun Chenchen's arrogant voice was extremely vicious, her shrill tone sounding particularly distant, like a muffled roar: "Xu Shiyue is just a piece of trash. Just because her family has a little money, she acts like she looks down on everyone. Ha, now look what's happened, her family is ruined..."
"Smack!"
But before those sharp and piercing words could be finished, they came to an abrupt end with a crisp sound.
Her meticulously styled long hair was thrown into disarray, and a burning sensation immediately spread across Sun Chenchen's face.
She froze, covering her face, staring incredulously at the person standing opposite her.
After speaking with Xu Shiyue, Lu Shizhen stood up slowly.
Then, he turned around and slapped her.
The classroom, which had been noisy just moments before, fell silent instantly, and the students watching the commotion looked on in astonishment.
The world has truly become quiet.
Everyone in the class knows that Lu Shizhen likes Xu Shiyue.
But none of them expected that Lu Shizhen's feelings for Xu Shiyue had reached this level.
To get into a fight with someone.
It was right under the surveillance camera in the back row.
Even the system was surprised.
It nervously darted around Lu Shizhen, with an unbalanced current coursing around it: "Master... isn't this a bit too reckless?"
Lu Shizhen, however, disagreed.
She rubbed her wrist, which was a little sore from the shock, and said in a sickly tone, "But I'm crazy."
Perhaps because she was too well protected by her family, Lu Shizhen never imagined that one person could harbor such hostility towards another, simply because the person she was hostile to possessed talent and ability far surpassed her own.
She repeated the same statement.
Xu Shiyue shouldn't have to go through all this.
This method is the quickest way to shut up this person, and even everyone who wants to fabricate stories and mock Xu Shiyue.
It's the principle of making an example of someone to warn others.
Since the system has given her a morbid and tyrannical scoundrel, she should make good use of it.
"Lu Shizhen, how dare you hit me?!"
Sun Chenchen has been pampered by her family since birth, and has never paid the price for her arrogance, let alone suffered such a humiliating slap.
A sharp sound cut through the headphones, accompanied by a crackling electrical noise, causing the person sitting there to frown slightly.
Sun Chenchen, as if she had gone mad, rushed towards Lu Shizhen while yelling.
Unexpectedly, Lu Shizhen dodged away in a flash, and she bumped into a classmate like a black fly.
To be slapped in the face, to miss one's goal, to make a fool of oneself.
Three consecutive critical hits left Sun Chenchen's eyes wide open, like a mad beast baring its fangs and claws, as if it wanted to tear off a layer of skin from Lu Shizhen.
Before she could report back to Lu Shizhen, a shout came from the back of the classroom: "Didn't you hear the morning self-study bell? What are you making noise in the classroom for?"
Class teacher Wu Qing crossed her arms and looked at the chaos in the back row, her face turning completely dark: "Looks like you've all memorized the Yueyang Tower Inscription. I'll check it during class later. Anyone who can't memorize it should copy it ten times and hand it in to me after school this afternoon!"
As she spoke, she turned her gaze to the cello case lying across the doorway and snapped, "Sun Chenchen, is it okay to leave a cello in the classroom? Why didn't you put it in your orchestra's rehearsal room as required?"
Sun Chenchen was already filled with anger and grievances. When she heard Wu Qing not only not care about her but also scold her, she burst into tears.
Her tearful, restrained expression made it seem as if she had just suffered some immense injustice.
But Wu Qing had long since figured out the students' temperaments and wouldn't tolerate her: "Class is about to start, put it wherever it's supposed to be, and deal with it quickly!"
Then she looked at Lu Shizhen, who was standing on the other side, raised her hand, and said, "Come with me."
The osmanthus tree outside the window swayed in the wind, and sunlight shimmered in the girl's eyes through the swaying dense leaves.
Those raven-feather-like eyelashes drooped low, the light unable to penetrate their dark pupils, which were filled with obscurity.
Luo Ji was right, this person is a madman.
But she never imagined that one day she would be protected by such a madman.
"Excuse me, I need to disappear for a while."
Just then, Xu Shiyue heard a polite apology in her ear.
She was calm and gentle, as if she hadn't done anything about what had just happened.
Xu Shiyue pursed her lips tightly.
She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what to say.
But before she could even formulate what she wanted to say, she heard the sound of fabric slid past her ears.
It was as if a dome had completely enveloped her, and the previously pale and chaotic world became completely quiet and peaceful.
The quiet and peaceful atmosphere made one feel somewhat lonely.
My heart felt like it was being held up by something.
But there was nothing in this world that she should worry about.
The sun showed no favoritism, casting the same sunlight upon the school.
Two figures, one in front of the other, were reflected in the quiet, deserted corridor of the teaching building.
This was the first time Lu Shizhen had been called away by the teacher.
Knowing she was in the wrong, she followed behind Wu Qing and offered her apology: "Teacher, I admit I acted impulsively just now, but it was indeed she who spoke rudely first."
Listening to Lu Shizhen's "self-criticism," Wu Qing looked at her with helplessness and ordered, "Write a three-thousand-word self-criticism and hand it to me."
Lu Shizhen was caught off guard by such a gentle approach and blinked several times.
Although the original owner always pretended to be a high-achieving student at school, wasn't this favoritism a little too obvious?
At that moment, Xiaoqiu heard a notification in her ear: "Your homeroom teacher has been standing at the classroom door ever since you confronted Sun Chenchen."
Upon hearing this, Lu Shizhen immediately understood and nodded, saying, "Okay!"
However, Wu Qing didn't call Lu Shizhen over for the reason that had just happened.
She pushed open the office door and asked casually, "I heard you defending Xu Shiyue just now. Have you been in contact with her recently?"
Lu Shizhen became somewhat wary upon hearing this.
There are too many such passersby in the article, and she has no way of knowing whether they are friends or foes.
But when she looked at the photos of various classmates participating in activities on Wu Qing's desk, with Xu Shiyue's cello photo placed in the most conspicuous place, she hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Mm."
Although it was expected, a hint of surprise still flashed in Wu Qing's eyes. He then asked, "How is she doing now? Is her eye any better? Does she have any thoughts about returning to school?"
She asked with high hopes, but Lu Shizhen's answer disappointed her: "She still can't see, so it might be difficult for her to come back to school."
The lid of the cup in his hand made a slight rattling sound as he turned it. Wu Qing sighed, somewhat regretfully: "The comprehensive ranking of the senior year before the National Day holiday has been released. Shi Yue's grades are excellent, ranking first in the whole school. She can get a recommendation to S University."
"Given what's happened to her family, this nomination slot could be very helpful for her future."
Lu Shizhen's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
In the original story, Xu Shiyue was trapped at home by the original owner of the body and did not get a guaranteed admission spot. She suffered a lot before she finally had the opportunity to go to university, which made Lu Shizhen feel extremely sorry for her.
Now, the opportunity that should have belonged to Xu Shiyue in the story has come to her, and Lu Shizhen is no longer the crazy person who wants to set up countless obstacles for her destiny.
"Really, teacher?" Lu Shizhen asked excitedly.
Wu Qing nodded, but her expression was not as optimistic as Lu Shizhen's: "However, she is still one point short in the overall quality category, and needs to participate in any school-organized activity to get extra points."
Lu Shizhen couldn't help but feel nervous: "But she's currently on leave of absence from school, can she participate in school activities?"
“It doesn’t matter.” Wu Qing shook his head. “Shiyue is actually already very good. Many students with good grades spend their senior year of high school cramming to improve their scores. Very few people can do what Shiyue does, excelling in both areas.”
"Not long ago, Ms. Chen from the school orchestra came to see me. She felt sorry for Xu Shiyue and told me that they had already been rehearsing the orchestra's pieces last semester, and that blindness would not hinder her cello playing. If Shiyue could maintain the level she achieved last semester, she would still be the principal cellist."
“This is something Shiyue can easily gain right now.” Wu Qing said, then looked up at Lu Shizhen standing in front of her. “If you can contact her, you should try to persuade her, okay?”
The Chinese language group office was empty during morning reading time; the only sound was the ticking of the clock.
Wu Qing's words were much gentler than before, containing subtle hints and probing.
The teacher will not give up on any of her students.
Lu Shizhen felt a little guilty for the momentary doubt she had had about Wu Qing. She nodded solemnly to her and promised, "I understand, teacher."
Autumn is languid, and the sun slowly sets early from the dome of the sky to the mountainside.
The table by the window was bathed in a light golden-orange hue by the setting sun. The girl stood upright, holding a thin pen, using a ruler to plan where to place the pen. The sound of the pen falling was drawn out, like the slow passage of time in an oil painting.
"Ta-da!"
Just as Xu Shiyue was writing something at her desk with her ink pen, two crisp knocks broke the quiet balance.
She put down her pen, casually picked up a book to cover what she was writing, and walked slowly toward the door.
Unexpectedly, the moment the door opened, he heard the girl's rough breathing, which was different from the calm breathing when she knocked.
On her first day of school, Lu Shizhen skipped class.
Although I had informed the homeroom teacher before skipping class.
Lu Shizhen ran back. She had just stopped at the door, panting heavily, with a layer of fine sweat on her forehead.
As if racing against the sun, she didn't say much to Xu Shiyue, but called out to Aunt Sun downstairs who was setting out vegetables, "Aunt Sun, help Xu Shiyue get her violin."
Xu Shiyue immediately tensed up: "What are you going to do?"
"Didn't you hear the voice message I sent you?" Lu Shizhen asked, puzzled.
Xu Shiyue had of course heard the several voice messages Lu Shizhen had sent that morning, but she was far less excited than the person who relayed them for her: "Thank you for your kindness, but I am in no condition to get on stage right now."
Lu Shizhen was taken aback.
The setting sun in the room intertwined with the lights in the corridor, casting a bright yet dim glow on the girl standing at the intersection.
Behind that aloof and detached feeling seemed to lie a layer of gloom that couldn't be penetrated by light, which combined with those calm yet empty eyes.
She can't see.
Just like when I was unable to walk in the past.
My heart suddenly ached.
Lu Shizhen took a light breath and said casually, "You don't necessarily have to walk to get on stage. You just need to sit on the chair on stage, right?"
Xu Shiyue couldn't help but frown.
What kind of twisted logic is this?
The sudden silence in the corridor made Lu Shizhen uneasy. Clutching her precarious points, she desperately tried a different approach to persuade her: "Besides, don't you just want to get revenge on that smug, idiotic Sun Chenchen? Who is the one who is truly unworthy of their position?"
"It may not be the kindest thing to say, but don't you want her to pay the price for her words and actions? Use the needles under your violin to pin her to the ground and rub her hard."
Lu Shizhen's voice carried a firm tone; although it was a question, it made people feel that what she said should be true.
People should pay the price for their actions.
If they refuse, she shouldn't mind personally taking them there...
As if something had come loose, several pebbles that had been piled up and pressed down on it rolled off, making a clattering sound near Xu Shiyue's ear.
Perhaps she got too excited, because Lu Shizhen reached out and grabbed Xu Shiyue's wrist.
The flickering, burning sun outside the window overlapped with the girl's tall, slender figure, her dark eyes like natural gemstones, firmly etched in Xu Shiyue's gaze.
"Xu Shiyue. You are not alone."
"Just play your instrument, and I'll take care of the rest."
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