Lin Yue's perspective
My name is Lin Yue, and I am what everyone calls a "vicious social person."
I didn't dislike this name at all; I even thought it was quite fitting. After all, no one dared to confront me at school, and I enjoyed the feeling of being avoided by others.
In my second year of junior high school, I set my sights on a new "plaything" - Gu Hanzhi.
She was as quiet as a withered plant in the corner of the classroom, silent and friendless. Honest and timid, she was the easiest type to bully because she wouldn't tell the teacher or fight back. So, my sisters and I used her as our punching bag.
During breaks, she would be blocked by us at the end of the corridor, with her schoolbag turned upside down; during physical education class, there would be a little extra "ingredients" in her water cup; occasionally, when we were in a bad mood, we would "teach her a lesson" in the stairwell.
In the second half of the second year of junior high school, I discovered something that made me particularly unhappy——
Senior Ji, whom I had a crush on, was actually looking at Gu Hanzhi. Even more infuriating, she even dared to flirt with him in front of me. That day, I was more ruthless than ever, my fists raining down on her.
"Forget it, stop beating me to death." I lazily asked my sisters to stop, watching her curled up in the corner with fear in her eyes.
I never thought she could make it all the way to high school. I really admire her endurance.
In my senior year of high school, I was smoking on the edge of my classroom door as usual, and happened to see her - Gu Hanzhi.
There was something in her eyes that I couldn't understand. She was no longer the poor little girl who was at the mercy of others.
"Just wait, Gu Hanzhi." I smiled at her, wondering in my heart whether I should "treat" her well.
Just then, I noticed the boy next to her - Shen Zhihe.
His eyebrows and eyes are sharp, and his temperament is cold, like a knife hidden in its sheath.
Tsk, she's really good-looking. I really want to tease her.
The hallway lights were dim. I leaned against the wall, looking at my outfit: pearl earrings, a white dress, and white high heels. This good-girl look was so much better than the ridiculous outfits I'd been wearing the other day. I cursed myself inwardly: I must be sick to dress like that.
But what upset me even more was that she saw it. She saw the deal between Wang Ye and me. In that instant, I knew that if word got out, while the impact wouldn't be significant, if it got to my parents, it would be the end of me. It seemed like it was time to shut her up.
"Long time no see, second grader." I smiled slightly, my tone deliberately relaxed, and stopped her in the alley she had to pass. She raised her head, and a hint of vigilance flashed in her clear eyes, which surprised me a little - she didn't lower her head submissively like before.
The next second, she raised her foot and kicked me hard on the knee. The pain shot through me like an electric current, and I couldn't help but frown. When did this girl learn to resist?
"Gu Hanzhi," I lowered my voice, a threat in my tone, "As long as I'm here, you'll never be able to break that memory."
I've always found her, the kind of student who's good at studying and liked by teachers, the most interesting—even if she makes a mistake, she's never really scolded. But precisely because of this, she's the more dangerous. One word from her could change everything.
She gave me a cold look and turned away. I stood there, watching her clean figure gradually disappear into the distance, and my thoughts became more and more firm - some things must be resolved once and for all.
She thought exactly the same as I did—her body had long been ravaged by my beatings and abuse over the years. The erosion of time was just the final straw that broke the camel's back.
That day, I heard some ridiculous news from one of my subordinates—she'd actually gone to Country A. What a fool! Didn't she watch the news? Didn't she know that Country A's medical technology was abysmally terrible? Perhaps I'd made her stupid enough to make such a decision.
I sneered and booked the earliest flight to Country A.
After many twists and turns, I finally found the hospital where Gu Hanzhi was. The moment I pushed open the door of the ward, I saw her curled up on the bed, her face as pale as paper.
"Gu Hanzhi," I slowly approached, my voice as low as a knife being sharpened, "You really made it hard for me to find you."
She raised her head, a hint of fear flashed in her eyes, but was quickly replaced by stubbornness.
"Stomach cancer must be very painful, right?" I leaned over and gently stroked the back of her cold hand with my fingertips. "But it's okay. When the day comes for your surgery, I will personally arrange for the best surgeon to perform the surgery for you."
I smiled, but that smile didn't contain concern, but a chilling expectation.
As I emerged from the ward, my steps were slower than usual. The hallway light was as cold as ice, casting a long, distorted shadow on me. I'd secretly hidden a pinhole camera in the vase at the foot of her bed—small, black, and as inconspicuous as a screw. It would record her every breath, every movement, even her final struggle.
I waited for a long time, so long I almost forgot the camera was there. Until that day, when she suddenly grew weak on the screen, her breathing rapid, her eyes unfocused. At that moment, my heartbeat felt like it was being gripped by a hand—this opportunity had arrived.
I'd already arranged it. I had Wang Ye go to Country A ahead of time, ostensibly to relax and unwind, but actually so he could appear as Gu Hanzhi's lead surgeon when our plan launched. He smiled so easily then, as if he didn't care at all.
The plan went even more smoothly than I had imagined. Gu Hanzhi's life slipped away bit by bit, and I stood outside the ward, watching through the lens as if it were a play with a pre-written ending.
On the day she died, I wore a pure white wedding dress and married Shen Zhihe. At the wedding, his eyes were as cold as ice. I spent years trying to warm them, but I never could.
This year marks our fourth year of marriage, and he remains indifferent. On Qingming Festival, I had already guessed that he would go to see Gu Hanzhi, the woman who would always hold a place in his heart.
By nine o'clock in the evening, he still hadn't returned. Normally, at this time, he would have been sitting in the living room reading. I was about to call him when my cell phone rang first. It was Wang Ye.
"What did you say?" I could hardly believe my ears. "You found the bodies of Shen Zhihe and Gu Hanzhi in a bookstore called 'Tangzhi'?"
My hands began to tremble, and countless images emerged in my mind - but none of them could explain why he would choose to commit suicide for Gu Hanzhi.
At that moment, I seemed to hear something in my heart completely shattered.
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