Chapter 293

The teaching building had five floors, not very tall, and the boy landed right on a bush, which provided sufficient cushioning.

More importantly, people in the mirror dimension have tough lives; when taken to the school infirmary, it was found the boy had only minor abrasions, no fractures at all.

His body suffered no serious injury, and his mental state was also fine.

When Wu Chang went to visit, the boy was still grinning foolishly at Erin, leaving no psychological trauma.

When teachers asked what happened, the boy simply said he couldn't remember, as if he had accidentally slipped off the rooftop.

Wu Chang's spiritual sense sensed suppression—he couldn't fully verify the truth of the boy's answer—but the boy's gaze held pure confusion, not like a lie.

Since the party involved claimed nothing happened and no one suffered major harm, the matter was dropped.

The disturbance came quickly and vanished just as fast.

Less than half an hour later, Knox Elementary returned to calm.

The disturbance had settled, but its ripples remained.

Not only Wu Chang saw it—after the boy fell, Amber peered down from the top floor.

Coupled with Amber's already poor reputation, during lunch break, whispers of "Amber is bullying someone again" spread everywhere.

Some even gave her the nickname "Murderer."

In their mouths, Amber wasn't even doing this for the first time—Wu Chang only listened at the wall for a moment and heard of more than five incidents.

Including shoving a classmate into the bathroom sink until nearly suffocated, locking a classmate in a storage room for one-on-one bullying, tying a classmate to a tree on the school's back hill…

Pushing someone off the rooftop to kill them—this was the first time she'd gone this far.

Amber had caused many incidents, but each time afterward, the bullied would remain silent; when asked, they claimed not to remember anything, and even police investigations turned up nothing, so everything faded away.

Yet every time an incident occurred, someone had seen Amber near the scene; when questioned face-to-face, she never defended herself, only stared at the questioner with a terrifying gaze.

Eventually, everyone concluded: Amber didn't just bully classmates—she also forced them into silence.

After gathering basic intelligence, Wu Chang turned and left the cafeteria, heading for the rooftop.

Pushing open the door, he saw Amber alone, huddled in a corner, eating bread.

Amber looked at him, her swallowing motion noticeably slowed, her gaze darting away.

Wu Chang sat down beside Amber and spoke first:

"Young Lady Amber, I need an explanation."

Amber chewed her bread, her expression complex—filled with grievance and fear.

Gulp.

She swallowed the food in her mouth, then said:

"There's nothing to explain. I did it."

Wu Chang raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Amber hesitated, speaking half-heartedly: "He wanted to kill me."

Kill you?

Wu Chang pressed his lips together, saying nothing.

The boy who fell was Sean—he'd visited the infirmary and knew his condition.

Boys mature late; Sean was one year younger than Amber, only 1.3 meters tall—a full head shorter than Amber's 1.5 meters.

It was hard to imagine that little bean would dare attack Amber, let alone reach the level of attempted murder.

But Wu Chang's intuition told him Amber wasn't lying.

Wu Chang asked: "Do you have a grudge?"

According to what he knew, Sean and Amber weren't in the same class and rarely interacted.

Wu Chang pressed further: "Did he arrange to meet you on the rooftop?"

Amber's voice grew quieter. "No. I came on my own."

Wu Chang pressed further: "How did he attack you? How did you know he wanted to kill you?"

Amber's voice was now barely audible. "I don't know. Just a feeling."

They had no grudge, no prior arrangement, just happened to meet on the rooftop. Sean caused Amber no harm, and there was no evidence threatening her life—but Amber simply felt he intended to kill her, and threw Sean off the rooftop.

Anyone else would think either Amber was lying, exaggerating to the point she couldn't even sustain the lie—or that she had a mental disorder, suffering from paranoid delusions.

Even Amber herself felt her claim was untenable; she seemed to exhaust all her strength, turning her face away, showing clear refusal to communicate.

But Wu Chang was different. Though he detected nothing unusual on Sean or the rooftop, he still believed something was wrong.

First, instinct—he could feel Amber wasn't lying, especially when she said Sean wanted to kill her; she was silently begging him for help.

Second, Amber carried a hidden side quest. The fact that a hidden side quest could be triggered meant her identity or past was certainly unusual; encountering strange events wasn't implausible for someone like her.

Wu Chang fell silent for a moment, then spoke: "Young Lady Amber, though you've said a lot, what I need isn't this explanation."

Amber had already decided—like before—to say nothing more to Wu Chang—but hearing this, she couldn't help turning her head.

If not this explanation, then what?

Wu Chang put on a bright smile, revealing a row of white teeth—his signature expression, a full set of genuine, unblemished teeth.

As a martial artist who climbed from underground fights to the highest stage, a full set of undamaged natural teeth and intact, unscarred ears were symbols of strength.

"Do you remember what I told you yesterday?"

Amber showed a thoughtful expression, recalling Wu Chang's words.

Wu Chang prompted: "The Xiao En family rule: no skipping class. If I recall correctly, when you clashed with Sean, it was during class time, right?"

Amber suddenly shivered; the coldness on her face softened slightly, replaced by embarrassment.

Dammit. I've gotten used to skipping class.

Wu Chang looked at the lunch bread in Amber's hand and spoke softly:

"Family rule two: during meals, the whole family sits together. And I don't recall ever agreeing you could eat this junk food for lunch."

Wu Chang finished speaking and, before An Bai could protest, grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder, heading for the stairs.

An Bai struggled: "Put me down! I'll walk myself!"

Wu Chang snorted. "I told you—if you don't cooperate, I'll carry you."

The cafeteria at Knox Elementary was on the first floor, but Wu Chang deliberately chose the longest, most convoluted route, nearly carrying An Bai in a full circuit around the campus.

Worse still, not only did he detour, but he actively greeted acquaintances along the way, making sure everyone noticed them.

At first, An Bai struggled and protested, trying to break free from Wu Chang's grip; but when she realized her thighs couldn't match his arms, she stopped screaming and buried her face against his back, like an ostrich.

Under the astonished gazes of the entire school, the ice queen's cold, tyrannical reputation began to crack—and for the first time in her life, she experienced what it meant to be socially dead.

When the two entered the cafeteria, the other students had already finished eating, yet many didn't leave as usual to roam freely; instead, they stared at an empty seat.

The new, beautiful school doctor sat there, waiting for someone.

Everyone said medical workers were angels in white, but they never understood—until now, they'd finally seen the real thing.

They swore that even TV stars weren't as beautiful as the new doctor, Erin.

Doctor Erin had waited a long time, and just as lunch was nearly over, she saw the new teacher, Xiao En, carrying a little girl inside.

Everyone rubbed their eyes—the little girl, face flushed and clearly unwilling, looked like the killer An Bai.

Hss.

Everyone sucked in a collective breath. No wonder he'd married the angel doctor—he'd handled the killer so easily.

Amid the loud murmurs around her, An Bai grew even redder.

But she couldn't leave—she had to sit here and finish lunch. She believed that if she showed even a hint of resistance, Wu Chang would truly wait until she cooperated.

That didn't mean she surrendered—she still had pride.

She shot Wu Chang a resentful glance; he felt it and returned a brilliant smile.

An Bai took a deep breath and lowered her head to eat. After just two bites, she burped.

By the time Wu Chang reached the rooftop, she'd eaten more than half the bread and simply couldn't eat more.

"I…"

She was about to say she was full, but met Wu Chang's gaze and swallowed the words, mechanically shoving more food into her mouth.

Five minutes later, An Bai swallowed the last bite of lunch.

Ugh—she was about to throw up.

She lifted her head and saw Wu Chang's tray barely touched.

Wu Chang noticed An Bai's gaze, smirked, and without fear of offending anyone, raised his thumb and said:

"The cook who made this is committing a crime. Anyone who swallows this stuff deserves a medal. This is inedible—I'll cook you a proper meal when we get home."

Then he told An Bai:

"Does this food suit your taste better? Kids are growing—you're still hungry? Then eat mine too." An Bai: "..."

Red—now An Bai was truly red.

She clenched her fists so tightly, for the first time in her life, she felt the urge to attack someone.

If it's inedible, just don't eat it—why didn't you say so sooner?

After lunch, Wu Chang and Erin led An Bai, who burped with every step, outside to sit down. Wu Chang asked:

"The previous times—were they the same as today? All trying to kill you?"

Though An Bai no longer wanted to speak a single word to Wu Chang, for Erin's sake, she gave a cold, quiet "Mm."

Wu Chang said calmly: "Next time, don't do it yourself."

An Bai lowered her head, saying nothing.

Of course—adults are all the same.

Wu Chang continued: "Attend class properly. Don't skip. Leave the rest to me."

!

An Bai looked up at Wu Chang, meeting his wide, eight-toothed grin.

"Trust in your guardian's strength. I'm not boasting—in any arena, whether the fighting ring or life's battlefield, I never lose."

Wu Chang extended his palm. "Let's make a deal: if you meet my two conditions, I'll handle everything else."

An Bai hesitated, glancing at his palm—she wanted to place her hand in it, but other concerns held her back.

Erin said nothing, only rested her palm on An Bai's shoulder, radiating a faint warmth.

Feeling an inexplicable sense of peace, An Bai slowly raised her hand and lightly slapped Wu Chang's palm.

Wu Chang said: "An Bai Young Lady, the agreement is sealed."

During afternoon class, An Bai—rarely—began paying attention, no longer zoning out or skipping to other places.

She didn't know why—perhaps because she'd agreed to Wu Chang, or perhaps because she believed he could truly help her escape all her troubles.

Midway through the lesson, she suddenly noticed the classroom had fallen silent; the teacher's voice had stopped.

She cautiously lifted her head and saw the teacher still writing on the blackboard—but his head had twisted around, staring fixedly at her.

Not just the teacher—all other students had stopped looking at the board and turned toward her in unison.

Their gazes were cold, scrutinizing, as if trying to peel through her flesh and bone.

The teacher's mouth opened and closed silently, but from his lips, she could read: "Killer."

The other students said nothing, but their eyes conveyed the same message.

Here it comes again—just like before.

An Bai gripped her pen, forcing herself not to look at her classmates or teacher, fixing her eyes on the blackboard.

The eerie silence in the classroom lasted for who knew how long—until, finally, sound returned to her ears.

"That concludes today's lesson. Reflect on it at home. Any questions? Ask me tomorrow."

"Good."

"Class is dismissed."

With the voice echoing again, the class returned to normal.

The teacher calmly packed away the textbooks; some students were roughhousing, others rushed out of the classroom—everyone acted exactly as usual, as if the strange events of the second half of the lesson had been her hallucination.

She closed her eyes, recalling the warmth of Aileen's hand resting on her shoulder, dispelling the chill from her body.

It was all fake; as long as she didn't think about it, nothing could hurt her.

She didn't pack her things, stood up from her seat, and prepared to go to the restroom to wash her face.

As she passed the podium, she still heard the teacher speaking behind her:

"Amber, I'm glad you made it through the entire class today. I hope to see you tomorrow."

Amber didn't respond; she instinctively went to the restroom at the far end of the hallway.

As she turned on the faucet, a girl stepped out of a stall, gazing at herself in the mirror and adjusting her hair clip.

The girl was taller than Amber, standing at one meter sixty-five; Amber remembered her—her name was Gracie, a sixth-grader who had trained in dance since childhood and excelled in sports. It was said her goal was to become the cheerleading captain after entering junior high.

Amber remembered her clearly because she and Gracie were often compared—and Amber was always the inferior one.

After fixing her hair clip, Gracie spun in place and smiled brightly at her reflection.

Satisfied with her beauty that day, she turned to Amber and asked:

"I heard Mr. Xiao En and Young Lady Aileen aren't married yet?"

Amber cupped water in her hands and splashed it on her face, saying nothing.

Gracie continued: "I actually love mixed martial arts—I recognized Mr. Xiao En right away. I was afraid I'd mistaken him, so I secretly confirmed his identity just now."

"I'm his fan—I fell for her the moment I saw her. Do you think I can beat Young Lady Aileen?"

Amber said nothing; she saw no comparison between them at all.

But just then, the faucet suddenly stuttered—after that, she heard only the sound of running water.

The noise and footsteps in the hallway vanished; even the self-absorbed Gracie fell silent—the world plunged into deathly stillness.

Amber's face twisted in frustration. Damn it. Here we go again.

She turned off the faucet, lifted her head, and saw Gracie frozen mid-gaze, staring fixedly into the mirror—as if suddenly turned to wax.

Amber turned to leave the restroom—but before she could take a step, her hair was yanked from behind, and she was violently dragged back inside.

She stumbled to the floor, clutching her hair and looking forward—Gracie stood before her, eyes blazing with malice, face dark.

"I asked you a question: who is more beautiful, me or Young Lady Aileen?"

Amber reached behind her waist, trying to grasp her collapsible baton—but the instant her fingers touched the metal handle, she remembered her promise with Wu Chang and pulled her hand back.

"You're nowhere near her."

"Bitch!"

Gracie flew into a rage, kicking Amber hard in the abdomen—sending the girl, still half-digested from lunch, to the brink of vomiting.

Puke.

Amber clutched her stomach, scrambling backward—but after only two inches, her back hit the sink. No escape.

Gracie's body began to change; strange energy rippled across her palms as she slowly advanced toward Amber.

"Why should someone like you even exist in this world?"

Amber gave a bitter smile. It was always like this—every stranger she'd never met suddenly radiated murderous intent toward her.

Only by killing the monster inside them could everything end.

If she pulled out her baton and struck Gracie's head hard, maybe—like before—she could kill only the monster, leaving the body unharmed.

But it would be just like before.

And Gracie was different from the others—she was taller, stronger; against her, Amber had almost no chance to fight back.

She remembered her promise with Wu Chang—if she didn't fight back, would he honor it?

Amber shrank into the corner between the wall and the sink, curling her body tightly to shield herself from Gracie's blows.

Two more kicks came—though Amber blocked with her arms, she couldn't fully absorb the force.

The impact slammed her head against the sink, ringing like a bell.

Gracie sneered, stepping forward, raising her fist to strike down.

"Goodbye, monster that never should have lived."

Amber bit her lower lip, her gaze fixed on the restroom door.

The hallway was silent, motionless—just like before. No one would find her. No one would come.

It was always just her.

No matter what promises she made, in the end, she was always alone.

All liars.

She couldn't fight back anymore—she could only scream her helpless rage: "Liar Xiao En!"

Boom!

The mirror above the sink shattered—a thick fist burst through, striking Gracie and sending her flying into the wall.

Two more punches followed, widening the hole; then two hands gripped the edges and pulled—Wu Chang crawled through the broken mirror into the girls' restroom.

He gave Amber an apologetic look. "Sorry it took me a while to get in—but I made it in time."

(End of Chapter)