Alone, Beautifully – Chapter 21.2

Green Plum, Green Plum (13)

“Because I like girls.”

Even though it was dangerous and she might encounter “tough guys” who liked to hassle honest students like her, she enjoyed the tranquility.

So she always stayed highly alert to fulfill her small need for peace.

This was her first time heading to school from Xu Jiao’s house. The surrounding alleys and scenery were completely different from what she was used to, giving her a sense of freshness. As she wandered, she unexpectedly ended up in front of a boxing gym.

The door of the boxing gym was closed, which did not surprise her.

Except for breakfast shops and some businesses that operate specifically at night, not many shops would be open at this time.

What caught Shen Yelan’s attention was a person sitting cross-legged at the entrance, wearing a hoodie. The person was dressed entirely in black, with the hood covering their head, making it hard to see their features. Only the fabric at the elbow looked strange, as if it had been wet by something.

A faint smell of iron rust drifted into Shen Yelan’s nose.

She was not very brave by nature. The moment she saw this person, her instincts were warning her not to get closer, that this place was dangerous.

Perhaps it was because she had suffered so much abuse from relatives since she was a child, and was later bullied by her cousin Lu Pei, that Shen Yelan had developed an intuitive sense of danger.

She stopped in her tracks, silently trying to retreat.

At that moment—

The person sitting at the gym entrance lifted their head, and a strand of light hair fell from under the hood.

It was actually a woman.

However, Shen Yelan’s guard did not relax because of this. In fact, the moment the other person lifted their head, she took a big step back, ready to turn and run.

The person under the hood slightly curled their lips, then lowered their head again, quietly sitting there like a statue.

“A student, huh…” she sighed softly.

Students are always curious, and it’s not surprising they would come to a place like this. Some are brave, some are timid. The one who just came, she must be the timid type.

She was about to close her eyes again for a nap, but before she could relax, she suddenly lifted her head and looked forward—

Straight ahead.

Shen Yelan was caught by her gaze, and the friction between her shoe soles and the ground made a loud noise on the quiet street.

“You…” The eyes under the black hood showed a trace of surprise.

Shen Yelan’s voice trembled with nerves, her eyes darting around. After a moment, she said softly, “You… are hurt, right? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

She quickly added, “But I don’t have money, I can’t pay for your medical expenses.”

The person sitting on the ground was stunned by her words, then laughed lightly, as if hearing a joke.

When the laughter stopped, Shen Yelan heard the person ask, “Weren’t you just trying to run? Why are you back now?”

Shen Yelan pursed her lips, “If you don’t need help, then forget it.”

This was the first time in her life she wanted to meddle in someone’s business.

Or rather, it was the first time she tried to do so. Before this, she had stood in the dark for too long, already used to the idea that no one in the world would extend a helping hand to her. She didn’t even know what the “willingness to help others” or “standing up for what’s right” described in books truly meant.

Until…

Yesterday, she was graced with warmth.

So, she wanted to learn to become a warm person too.

“You’re a student, right? Go to school, don’t come to places like this.” The person under the black hood lifted her head, revealing an excessively pale face. Her gaze lingered on Shen Yelan’s school uniform for a while, showing a subtle envy.

If Xu Jiao were here, she would immediately recognize this person as the future number one bodyguard by the male protagonist’s side, who would later become an important female supporting character hindering the relationship between the male lead and Shen Yelan, Dong Qing.

Dong Qing had been trained as a blade and a tool since she was young, constantly sold to new masters and repeatedly abandoned. At the brink of her life, she was found by the male protagonist’s family, who took her in and healed her wounds. Since then, she became the most loyal bodyguard by the male protagonist’s side.

She protected the male protagonist’s life and will, not allowing anyone to threaten his family.

Now…

Shen Yelan’s fate quietly changed, like a tiny butterfly flapping its wings, slowly brewing a storm.

……

“This is the first time I wanted to help someone,” Shen Yelan said sincerely.

The person in the black hood heard her words, tilted her head and thought for a moment, “Do you have any ulterior motives?”

Shen Yelan slowly blinked, realizing they were talking past each other. She estimated the time, realizing she would be late for morning class.

Forget it, since this person didn’t need help, she might as well leave.

Thinking this, she said no more, decisively turned around, and prepared to leave.

The person on the ground saw her intention and was quite surprised. But just as Shen Yelan’s figure was about to be swallowed by the alley, she slowly spoke, “Get me some anti-inflammatory drugs, gauze, and iodine. I will repay you.”

Shen Yelan glanced back at her and then walked briskly towards a nearby pharmacy.

……

6:45 AM.

After helping, Shen Yelan rushed to the school gate, only to see that today’s duty officer was unexpectedly Lu Pei.

Her expression changed slightly. Just as she stepped inside, Lu Pei, who had been waiting for her, curled her lips slightly:

“Classmate, you didn’t bring your school badge. Class 7 loses five points.”

Shen Yelan paused for a moment, took out her school badge from her bag, but Lu Pei did not retract the previous point deduction. She even wrote it down in her notebook, clearly intending to make trouble for her.

If both of them were in Class 1, it wouldn’t matter much. At most, Lu Pei would use this incident to subtly complain to the homeroom teacher that Shen Yelan was always uncooperative, while at the same time showing her loyalty to the teacher, proving she was a good student who always put the class first.

Now, however…

Shen Yelan was in Class 7, and Lu Pei had no reason to let her go.

Seeing her movement, Shen Yelan suddenly stepped towards her. Although she still had some shadows from Lu Pei’s face, she insisted on speaking:

“I’ve put it on, so there’s no need for a point deduction.”

Lu Pei suddenly raised her hand and pushed her, causing her to fall to the ground beside her. Looking down at her with hands on her hips, she said, “Oh? Did Xu Jiao back you up last time, so now you’re acting all tough, Shen Yelan?”

“You didn’t come home last night. Do you know what my mom prepared for you at home today?”

Shen Yelan had just propped herself up on the ground with her elbow, which was a bit painful. As she was about to stand up, she heard Lu Pei’s words, and her breath hitched. She seemed to recall being locked in a room, with pain coming at her from all directions.

Just then—

A faint voice came from the direction of the teaching building:

“I don’t really want to guess what your mother prepared.”

“But do you want to guess what I’m about to do?”

Lu Pei froze entirely, her neck turning slowly and awkwardly like a rusty machine joint towards the person approaching.

Before she could see Xu Jiao’s face, she felt a strong force at her lower back. The next moment! She screamed uncontrollably, falling hard to the ground beside Shen Yelan, much more severely than Shen Yelan had.

Following this, the students supervising the appearance at the school gate had the honor of witnessing the grandeur of the school tyrant of No. 18 High School firsthand!

If it weren’t for the dean sternly stopping her from the second floor of the teaching building, Lu Pei might have been beaten like a sandbag for five more minutes.

“Xu Jiao! Stop it! How dare you hit a student at the school gate? Get over here right now! Today, I must have the principal expel you!”

Hearing the voice like a screeching chicken, Xu Jiao did stop.

However, she did not obediently follow the order. Instead, she dusted off her school uniform, turned, and walked to the stunned Shen Yelan, extending her hand with a smile in her voice:

“Why do you like sitting on the ground so much?”

Shen Yelan looked up at her. Perhaps it was because today’s weather was so good that the person leaning down towards her, bathed in sunlight, had a face that was unbelievably gentle, like a deity formed by the spring breeze, blowing away all the cold and darkness in her world, allowing flowers to bloom on the icy plain.

She suddenly thought—

Were all her previous impressions wrong?

She had never seen Xu Jiao actually collect protection fees, nor had she seen her use this “school tyrant” status for any personal gain. Even this rare act of violence was because Lu Pei bullied someone first.

Why did she think such a person was bad? Why did she think she shouldn’t like such a person?

Clearly…

Xu Jiao deserves all the beauty in this world.

Shen Yelan didn’t even notice that a faint smile bloomed on her lips.

Seeing the expression on her face, Xu Jiao couldn’t help but smile too. Then she asked in her mind, “System, what’s the favorability rating now?”

She had put in a lot of effort this time.

It should be -100 now.

The system hesitated for a moment, then its voice sounded truthfully: “Detected a change in the female protagonist’s favorability towards you. The current value is… 10… wait, it’s still rising—Confirmed! 90! The female protagonist’s favorability towards you is 90!”

Xu Jiao: “…”

Xu Jiao: “???”

Even someone as calm as her couldn’t help but feel a change in her mood: “How much? Are you sure you didn’t miss a ‘-‘ sign?”

The system confirmed: “Yes, the female protagonist’s favorability towards you is 90, positive.”

Xu Jiao’s inner world fell silent.

Shen Yelan didn’t know what had happened. She was just about to raise her hand to grasp Xu Jiao’s palm, intending to use her strength to stand up—

However.

Before her hand could touch, Xu Jiao nonchalantly withdrew her hand.

Shen Yelan grasped at the air.

She looked over in confusion and saw Xu Jiao turning to face the direction of the teaching building.

The dean had already rushed over from the second floor, pointing at her and shouting angrily: “You, immediately! Go to the principal’s office! Bullying a student openly at the school gate, affecting the school atmosphere, today I must expel you!”

Xu Jiao raised her hand to block the sunlight from her eyes, glanced at the dean, then shifted her gaze away.

Her current mood was like playing an interesting game, only to find the whole game crashing just when she was about to achieve her favorite ending.

Utterly disheartening.