Her other hand unconsciously clenched into a fist, so tight that her fingertips had turned pale.
Watching Fu Lin and the other girl walk farther and farther away, Mei☆ felt the scene before her become painfully blinding, as if countless needles were stabbing into her eyes.
A single clear tear, like a broken pearl, slowly slid down her fair, delicate cheek.
As the tear fell, her once dazzling violet eyes seemed to lose all their light and color, like a night sky suddenly smothered by dark clouds, turning dull and lifeless.
They no longer held their usual sparkle or vibrancy, now as calm as still water—utterly devoid of emotion.
But if you looked closely, you could see deep within them a unspeakable pain and sorrow.
--------------------------------
Unknowingly, Mei☆ moved heavily and slowly toward the school like a soulless shell.
At this very moment, the scene of Fu Lin walking farther and farther away with that white-haired girl on his back kept appearing in Mei☆'s mind, replaying like a movie, piercing her heart deeply.
As for how she got there along the way, even she had no recollection—only when Mei☆ came to her senses did she realize she was already standing at the classroom door.
However, as soon as Mei☆ reached her seat, before she could even let out a sigh of relief, her gaze was involuntarily drawn to the glaring scribbles on her desk.
"...."
The once clean and tidy desk surface was now covered with all kinds of ugly black graffiti, full of insulting words.
Mei☆ clenched her fists tightly. She gripped so hard that her nails dug deeply into her palms, causing a sharp pain—but she didn't notice it at all.
She quickly scanned the classroom with cold eyes, looking at her classmates who wore mocking expressions and watched the scene with delight.
Finally, Mei☆—who had been suppressing her emotions all along—could no longer hold back the feelings she had been bottling up. In a low but powerful voice, she looked around at her classmates and asked,
"Who did this...?"
However, faced with Mei☆'s questioning, everyone in the room began whispering among themselves as if they had agreed to do so beforehand.
Some had mocking expressions, others snickered gleefully—no one was willing to come forward and respond to Mei☆'s question.
As the seconds ticked by, the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy and oppressive, and Mei☆'s expression became even darker.
Just then, a few girls who had bullied Mei☆ the previous day suddenly stood up and arrogantly walked toward her, surrounding her in a fan shape.
The leading girl smirked with disdain and said provocatively,
"Of course it was us. What's that look in your eyes? Thinking of teaching us a lesson? Too bad—today no kind soul will come to help you like yesterday!"
With that, the other girls laughed mockingly, their laughter sounding especially grating to Mei☆.
Facing their ridicule, Mei☆ took a deep breath, trying her best to calm the waves of emotion within.
Just as she was about to reach out and teach these girls a lesson, a slightly silly-sounding voice suddenly called out,
"Hey, what are you doing? Bullying classmates is strictly prohibited."
The girls' laughter came to an abrupt halt. In unison, they looked toward the source of the voice with awkward expressions.
At the door stood a white-haired girl holding a large bun with a bite taken out of it. She was still chewing, her eyes staring directly at the scene.
When Mei☆'s gaze met that of the white-haired girl outside the door, her pupils trembled slightly, and her body tensed instinctively.
'It's her?!'
A flash of memory crossed Mei☆'s mind. She slowly clenched her palms, her nails digging into her flesh, as if to suppress the emotions surging within her.
But only moments later, as if realizing something, Mei☆ quietly released her clenched fist. Her hand hung weakly by her side, as though she had just gone through a fierce internal struggle.
At this moment, the lead girl asked suspiciously and warily, "Who... are you?"
Seeing this, Kiana☆ quickly stuffed the rest of the bun into her mouth, wiped her lips carelessly with the back of her hand, then put one hand on her hip, stood tall and proud, and loudly declared with a serious tone,
"Hmph, listen up! My name is Kiana Kaslana☆, a brand-new transfer student!"
The lead girl pointed at Mei☆ and continued in a harsh tone,
"A transfer student? Hmph, I suggest you stay out of this.
Do you even know who she is? Let me tell you—her father is a criminal! Like father, like daughter. What good could come from a criminal's child?"
These words drew everyone's attention to Mei☆.
Kiana☆ was no exception—she stared curiously at Mei☆, but wondered inwardly why Fu Lin had asked her to help this unfamiliar girl.
Just then, their gazes accidentally met.
With just that brief glance, Kiana☆ was involuntarily drawn in by Mei☆'s noble aura and sweet appearance, momentarily dazed.
Luckily, Kiana☆ quickly came to her senses. She shook her head hard, as if trying to shake all the messy thoughts out of her mind.
Then, she quickly looked away, raised her eyebrows, glared angrily at the lead girl, and righteously retorted,
"You're just talking nonsense! What does her father's crime have to do with her? You're clearly just twisting logic and being unreasonable!"
However, just as Kiana☆ finished speaking, the lead girl shouted fiercely,
"Then we'll take care of you too..."
But before she could finish, Kiana☆ cut her off cleanly and decisively.
Kiana☆ stepped forward, grabbed the girl's wrist, and said,
"She's under my protection. If you want to bully her, you'll have to go through me first, got it?"
As Kiana☆ applied more pressure, the lead girl felt as though her wrist was being crushed in a steel clamp. The pain was unbearable.
Her face turned pale, sweat poured down her forehead, and her features twisted in agony. She struggled desperately, calling out for help from her companions.
Seeing this, the other girls rushed forward to help.
But at that moment, Kiana☆ suddenly delivered a powerful kick, landing squarely on one of the girls' stomachs.
The girl screamed and flew backward several meters before crashing heavily to the ground.
The remaining girls froze in fear, immediately halting their steps. They didn't dare move closer and instead turned and fled the classroom.
The rest of the class fell silent, staring in shock at the white-haired girl.
Only Mei☆ looked up in surprise, her eyes fixed on the girl's back. She was momentarily dazed, her mind filled with questions.
'Why... did she help me? Did Fu Lin ask her to come? Then why didn't Fu Lin come himself... why?'
After the troublemakers had all disappeared, Kiana☆ turned around, a pure and innocent smile on her face.
Then, Kiana☆ extended a friendly hand toward Mei☆ and said softly,
"What's your name? If anyone dares bully you again, you must tell me right away.
Don't worry, as long as I'm around, no one will be able to hurt you."
....
Fu Lin walked out of the office, his eyes quickly locking onto Kiana☆, who was standing at the punishment station not far away. He walked over and said,
"All right, it's been dealt with. Come back to class with me. But I didn't expect you to actually get physical—honestly, keep it up... pfft, I mean, don't do it again."
Hearing this, Kiana☆ scratched her head awkwardly and mumbled in defense,
"Those girls were too much. What they said was so awful, I got angry and just couldn't hold back."