Chapter 90: Jinjiang First Release

"Disfigured?" Michelle's pupils suddenly dilated, and she asked in disbelief, "How could I be disfigured for no reason?"

Bai Mian looked at Xiao Lingling: "Then you have to ask her what she did to your facial cleanser."

Hearing Bai Mian say this, Xiao Lingling's face suddenly turned pale.

Michelle suddenly felt a chill in her back. They were studying in the chemistry department and often did experiments. They were exposed to a lot of toxic reagents, some of which were corrosive. If corrosive liquids were put into facial cleanser, the consequences would be disastrous.

Jiang Hua screamed and rushed to Xiao Lingling, shouting, "Are you still a human being? You actually used your major to do this. Normally, teachers have repeatedly emphasized that reagents are not allowed to be taken out of the laboratory, but you actually used it to harm your roommate. Are you crazy?!"

Mi Xiaolan couldn't understand it at all. She shook Xiao Lingling's shoulders and asked, "Why? I clearly let you go, why did you still do this? Do you hate me so much in your heart?"

Xiao Lingling lowered her head and said nothing, pinching her fingers until they bled.

Jiang Hua finally couldn't help it and slapped Xiao Lingling: "Xiao Lan is so good to you! Before, Bai Lu slandered you for stealing money and ruined your reputation. No one in the school wanted to be friends with you. She was the only one who was willing to be friends with you, but you wanted to disfigure her. Did your conscience get eaten by a dog?"

Xiao Lingling suddenly raised her head and roared, "She doesn't treat me as a friend at all, she just feels sorry for me! You keep talking about my poverty, have you ever considered my feelings? Michelle, you say I hate you, yes, I do hate you, there is such a big gap between you and me, how can I not hate you? You have everything since you were born, you are beautiful, rich, have good grades, good personality, and there is a long line of boys chasing you, but look at me, I have nothing, I can only rely on your charity to survive, it's just like your comparison group, how can I not hate you?!"

Michelle's eyes also turned red. She didn't expect her kindness to be misinterpreted like this. She said sadly: "No, I don't feel sorry for you. I told others that your family is poor in order to help you get your scholarship back. I gave you clothes and snacks not to give alms. This is very normal in my circle. I often give things to my friends. I didn't expect you to hate me because of this..."

Jiang Hua stepped forward and comforted her, saying, "There's no need to explain to her. She has a strong hatred of the rich. She is now like a mad dog, biting whoever she sees!"

Bai Mian walked slowly to Xiao Lingling, fanning himself gently and said, "It has come to this, but you still refuse to tell the truth. You are really stubborn. However, your acting skills are poor and your lines are too bad."

Mi Xiaolan's eyes widened: "Master, are you saying that she is hiding something from me?"

Bai Mian patted Mi Xiaolan's shoulder with his fan and said, "Nothing she said just now is true. Xiao Lingling did all this for the sake of getting admitted to graduate school."

"Guaranteed admission to graduate school?" Mi Xiaolan and Jiang Hua looked at each other, both of them a little confused.

Jiang Hua said, "Doesn't the postgraduate entrance examination start in the third year of college? Why is she in such a hurry now? Besides, what does online dating have to do with postgraduate entrance examination?"

Bai Mian: "You can only apply for guaranteed admission to graduate school in your junior year, but you have already taken shape in your sophomore year. You need to combine your grades from the previous three years to be admitted. Mi Xiaolan's grades in her freshman and sophomore years were among the best in her major. In other words, as long as she performs steadily, she will definitely be admitted to graduate school."

Jiang Hua nodded and said, "Yes, Xiaolan is a good student. Even our professional course teachers are optimistic about her. But how does this affect Xiao Lingling? Xiao Lingling is also a good student."

Bai Mian shook his head: "Xiao Lingling's grades are good, but she is always on the verge of being admitted to graduate school. There are only ten places for your major, and only the top ten students in comprehensive grades can get the qualification, and Xiao Lingling happens to be ranked eleventh."

Mi Xiaolan finally understood: "So that's what happened. Xiao Lingling calculated the comprehensive scores of each of us and finally came up with a ranking. According to her current level, she can't be admitted to graduate school. In order to get a place in graduate school, she wanted to eliminate one of the top ten. But, why me?"

"She..." Bai Mian was about to explain when Michelle stopped her.

"Master, I want to hear her tell me in person," Michelle looked straight at Xiao Lingling, "Xiao Lingling, we are friends after all, I will give you one last chance to explain. I want to ask you, there are ten people in the top ten, why don't you harm others, but only me?"

Xiao Lingling's originally shrunken shoulders suddenly relaxed. She seemed like a different person and laughed out loud: "Hahahahahaha, that's because, of all people, I only dare to hurt you! Michelle, I know that no matter what I do, you will always be soft-hearted towards me in the end and won't really hand me over to the police."

Mi Xiaolan, who was not experienced in the world, finally saw the horror of human nature at this moment. She was so shocked that her face turned pale and she could not speak. Jiang Hua spoke for her: "You had an online romance just to get a place in graduate school? Oh, how childish and ridiculous. Why do you think that an online romance can make Xiaolan give up the place in graduate school?"

Xiao Lingling said: "I asked the senior students of the previous year. Our school had such an example. A senior student was molested by a stranger late at night, which caused her a great psychological trauma. The senior student originally had excellent grades and was a good candidate for graduate school, but after this incident, she chose to drop out of school and live in a mental hospital for recuperation. I want to follow this example and let Michelle be molested and then drop out of school."

She glanced in the direction of the bald man and said with some disdain, "Who knew this man was so useless? I followed him several times but still failed. What a waste!"

Jiang Hua suddenly realized something else. She exclaimed, "When we called you to arrange a meeting, you realized that your online romance had been exposed, so you came up with another plan. It only takes half an hour to get here from school, but it took you 50 minutes. The extra 20 minutes was just adding something to Xiaolan's facial cleanser!"

Xiao Lingling pouted, "You guessed it right. The bottle of facial cleanser is still waiting for her in the dormitory. What a pity that it was pointed out by this nosy master. Otherwise, Xiaolan would definitely use the bottle of facial cleanser tonight. By then... the scene is too beautiful for me to imagine. Haha, she will either take a leave of absence or drop out. Anyway, she will definitely not be able to use the guaranteed admission quota. In this case, won't the guaranteed admission quota fall on me?"

Mi Xiaolan was so angry that she almost fainted. Everyone around was also stunned. At this moment, Lame Brother discovered a blind spot: "Xiao Lingling, they all said that you were not good at speaking and had a stutter, but you spoke very smoothly just now. How come your stutter was cured so quickly?"

Xiao Lingling laughed out loud again: "Ha, this is the real me. The timid look before was just my protective color. If I don't pretend to be pitiful, how can anyone stand up to protect me? Don't you think so, Michelle? I don't even have to say anything, and someone rushed forward for me and helped me get the scholarship back. It's so easy."

Finally, she looked at everyone with disdain: "You all think I'm a fool, short-sighted, and like to take shortcuts. In fact, I know very well in my heart that relying on men for money is not reliable at all. Only being strong is the most reliable. So I must study for a master's degree. I want to go to a higher platform to get better resources. One day, I will turn things around and make you look at me with new eyes!"

Mi Xiaolan finally spoke. She said slowly, "Okay, okay, we have known each other for two years, and I just met you today for the first time. You have done so much, you must think you are very smart, right? But you don't know that I don't want to pursue graduate studies at all. I studied undergraduate courses just out of interest. After I graduate, I will go back to inherit the family business. I don't need this degree at all. Everything you have done is in vain. If you do nothing, I will automatically give up the place for guaranteed admission to graduate school when I am a junior."

Xiao Lingling stood there, stunned for a long time.

Jiang Hua sighed, "Alas, Xiaolan, it's all because you were too nice to her that she felt so confident. I've said everything I need to say. Call the police. Even if you don't call the police this time, I will. People who poison others at will must not be allowed to stay in our dormitory."

This time, Michelle did not hesitate. She took out her cell phone and called the police. Xiao Lingling knew that the situation was beyond redemption, so she gave up the struggle. She did not beg for mercy, nor did she run away. She just sat there quietly waiting for the police to arrive.

While waiting, Xiao Lingling took the initiative to say, "There is one more thing. I might as well tell you all at once. Actually, Bai Lu did not slander me at first. I really intended to steal her money. She was sleeping at the time, and there were several hundred yuan under her pillow. I saw the corners of the money and wanted to reach out and take it out, but she woke up in time and discovered my action, so I failed. I'm sorry for taking advantage of your kindness. Do you know, Michelle, although you have always claimed to be a messenger of justice, in my eyes, you are just a kind-hearted fool, hehe!"

Everyone was shocked again and no one was speechless. After a few minutes, the police came to the store. Xiao Lingling cooperated and confessed everything and followed the police.

Michelle sat in front of the diagnosis table, unable to come back to her senses for a long time. She murmured to herself: "Is it really my fault? If I hadn't helped her in the beginning, things wouldn't have turned out like this..."

Bai Mian comforted him softly, "This is not your problem. It's right to help others, but you have to know who they are. Not everyone is worth helping."

Seeing her so depressed, Lame Brother smiled instead. He patted Michelle's shoulder and said, "Alright, it's nothing. It's just a small matter. When you go out into society, there will be many such things. You will inherit a big company in the future. How can you be defeated so easily? People's hearts grow through tempering. When your heart is tempered, you will be a mature adult!"

Jiang Hua also smiled and said, "Xiao Lan, don't be too upset yet. You have escaped death. You should be thankful that you are fine this time. Go home and burn some incense! Also, don't forget my contribution in protecting you. I won't look for a job after graduation. When you become the president, I will be waiting to be your bodyguard!"

With everyone's comfort, Michelle's mood finally improved. She cheered herself up again, paid Bai Mian the medical fee, said goodbye to everyone, and Jiang Hua accompanied her out of the store.

After seeing off the first fate master of the day, Bai Mian stretched her body, took out a few ice cubes from the refrigerator, put them into the brewed lemon tea, and threw a straw into it. Then she took big gulps of the iced lemon tea, waiting for the arrival of the second fate master.

A man in expensive clothes sat down on the chair, loosened his belt, turned the gold watch on his wrist, crossed his legs, and acted like a big boss.

Bai Mian looked at the man in front of him. He had large pores and many wrinkles on his face. He looked to be in his forties or fifties, but what was odd was that he had extremely thick black hair, which did not seem to match his age.

"Hello, what do you want to consult?" Bai Mian asked.

The big boss stared at the mobile phone on the table that was broadcasting live, and confirmed with Bai Mian: "Your phone won't be able to take a picture of my face, right?"

"Of course not," Bai Mian emphasized, "The camera can only capture people's wrists, and our words will also be processed by a voice changer. If you have special needs, I can temporarily turn off the live broadcast."

The big boss waved his hand and said, "Forget it, forget it. It's okay if I can't take a picture of my face. No one here knows me anyway. I'm from the south and I came to the north specifically because I watched your live broadcast online and I think you have some real skills."

"Thank you," Bai Mian asked again, "So, what is the question you want to consult?"

The boss's face suddenly darkened, and he said hesitantly, "Master, do you believe that there are...ghosts in this world?"

Bai Mian answered without hesitation: "I believe it."

The big boss patted his chest and said, "That's good. I was afraid you wouldn't believe what I said next. Well, Master, I think I might have seen a ghost."

Everyone became interested and waited for the big boss to continue. The big boss looked around awkwardly, then slowly reached out his hand and pulled off his hair - it turned out to be a wig.

After taking off the wig, the big boss revealed a Mediterranean hairstyle. He had a lot of hair on both sides, but the center of his head was bald, so shiny that it could be used as a mirror.

Seeing him like this, Lame Brother slapped his thigh and said, "That's right. I felt something was wrong the moment you walked in. Look, this hairstyle is much better now. Nine out of ten bosses look like this."

The big boss looked depressed: "But I wasn't like this before. I used to have thick hair. It only became like this in the past week."

"Alopecia areata?" Cripple guessed, "Your symptoms look very similar to alopecia areata. Did something happen to you recently that caused you too much mental stress and kept you awake at night, causing your hair to fall out so rapidly?"

The big boss said angrily, "I went to the hospital and the doctors said the same thing. They even told me to see a psychiatrist! I am fine, and I am not anxious at all. They are a bunch of quacks!"

Lame brother asked: "So what do you think?"

The big boss said decisively: "Alopecia areata!"

Lame Brother didn't take it seriously: "Why would you think of ghosts for no reason? You are a big boss after all, but I didn't expect you to be so superstitious."

Bai Mian noticed that the boss looked a little unhappy, so he asked directly, "Hey, didn't you do something to make you feel bad?"

The big boss suddenly felt guilty, and his voice became lower and lower, saying something like: "These are all normal operations of the company...renewing blood...realizing employee succession...supplying talents to society..."

Lame brother shook his head and said: "Brother, can you speak in plain language? I am uneducated and cannot understand these high-level words."

The big boss cleared his throat and started over again: "Well, this is what I mean. My name is Huang Dafa. Of course, it's just a temporary name I made up. I'm also a person who cares about my reputation, so I can't tell you my real name. I opened an Internet company in the south. Just three months ago, I fired all the employees over the age of 35. Among them was a programmer named Nie Zhihui. He had worked with me for more than ten years. After being fired this time, he couldn't get over it and hanged himself."

Lame brother said with regret: "He is only 35 years old. It is indeed a bit too much to think about it. It is just a job. If he is fired, he can just find another one. Moreover, he has so many years of work experience. Why does he want to end his life?"

Huang Dafa explained: "He also had his own difficulties. He was middle-aged, had a wife and children, and was still carrying mortgages and car loans. I fired him so suddenly that he suddenly lost his source of income. He stopped paying for his car and house, and the bank took them away. His wife also left him with the children. His life was completely ruined, so he took extreme measures."

Lame thought for a moment and said, "That's not right. If you fire an employee, you should pay N+1. He has worked for you for many years, and the compensation he received should be a large sum of money. How can you suddenly stop paying him?"

Huang Dafa avoided Que Ge's gaze and said nothing. Que Ge understood immediately: "Oh, you didn't give any compensation at all? Then you are really wicked. He is 35 years old, which is considered old in the Internet industry. He can't find a job for a while, and he can't afford the mortgage. Aren't you forcing him to death?"

Huang Dafa explained awkwardly: "This... I'm not the only one who does this. All the bosses in the industry do this. He has been doing this for so many years, and I don't want to let him go, but there is nothing I can do. The industry trend is to get younger. Freshly graduated college students are cheap and easy to use. Who would want to keep these old employees?"

After that, Huang Dafa sighed hypocritically: "I didn't expect things to turn out like this. If I had known this would happen, I would have given him the compensation. Now that he's gone, I'm very sad."

Lame Brother said disdainfully: "Tsk, forget it, those are the tears of a crocodile!"

"Do you think that the dead Nie Zhihui turned into a ghost and came back to find you?" Bai Mian asked.

Huang Dafa nodded and said with a lingering fear: "I really don't think too much. Nie Zhihui was very resentful before he died. In order to avenge me, he sneaked into my office and hanged himself on the roof of my house!"

Lame Brother was shocked: "So he died in your office? It seems that he really hated you and wanted to use his death to leave a lifelong shadow on you."

Huang Dafa nodded vigorously: "That's right, you don't know. I was really scared that day. After I opened the door of the office, I saw a corpse hanging high up. I looked for a long time before I recognized that it was Nie Zhihui. His skin had turned blue, his face was evil, his eyeballs were bulging, and his tongue was sticking out. He looked like a ghost!"

"Also, he lost control of his bladder when he was hanging himself. Urine was dripping from his trousers and feet, and it made my desk dirty. This Nie Zhihui really didn't forget to hate me even after his death!"

Lame brother reminded: "It's already so late and you're still thinking about your desk. That's a life! After all, you're the boss of the company. How can he, a fired employee, just walk into your office so easily?"

Huang Dafa shook his head: "I can't explain this clearly. The door of my office is locked with a combination lock. Maybe he found an opportunity to peek at me while I was typing in the password. I am not in the mood to pursue this now. The scene made me feel sick at the time. I drank all day before I recovered. I wanted to move to another office, but my office was renovated and I couldn't bear to leave it idle, so I just used it. But from that day on, I began to see more and more signs of ghosts around me..."