Chapter 83

Today was really tiring, so after getting home, I set an alarm and planned to take a short nap before getting up to write. But I ended up sleeping through it, and neither the 11:00 nor the 11:30 alarm could wake me up.

Finally, I was jolted awake by a thunderclap. I looked at the clock... Oh no! It's already four o'clock! I haven't updated today! Oh no, will the subscribers think I've stopped updating and put me on their blacklist? I quickly washed my face and started writing, hoping it's not too late to make up for it. I can't lose subscribers, I'm crying... I still have another chapter to write later.

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"It doesn't matter," Lin Lai said with a dark face, then sighed, "This whole thing is so distressing. I hope he'll be okay!"

"See, you're so concerned but still say it doesn't matter," Ye Mei said.

"You're so annoying! Why can't you let this go?" Lin Lai spat, "You're acting so strange today. Are you still my Mei?"

"Am I that annoying? Am I that strange?" Ye Mei suddenly murmured, lost in thought.

If Zhang Qiu were here, with his charm eyes, he would see that at the moment Lin Lai got angry, the red aura entangled with Zhang Qiu on top of Ye Mei's head suddenly dissipated by a large part. Now, only a small part remained, and Ye Mei gradually began to wake up from the dazed state caused by the charm.

However, the charm is more powerful than a hallucinogen because it makes people clearly remember what they did during the influence, and even most of their thoughts at that time.

Someone with a suspicious mind might doubt their state during that time, but ultimately, they might not come up with a reliable answer. After all, what they experienced has no scientific basis. In the end, they can only conclude that they were having a mental lapse.

Someone with a less suspicious mind might directly think that they were having a mental lapse at that time, or they might feel that Zhang Qiu really gave them a good feeling. This would deepen their impression of Zhang Qiu.

They might feel shy or regretful about the situation, but overall, they would feel that their relationship with Zhang Qiu had progressed, like He Qing.

"Hmm... Nana doesn't like me anymore," Ye Mei thought, and then she started crying. She also felt that Lin Lai seemed to dislike Zhang Qiu, though she didn't know why. She didn't think deeply about it. But her good feelings for Zhang Qiu were a fact, and even now, she still thought Zhang Qiu was a good person. No wonder he had so many rumors.

But this created a contradiction. Having good feelings for Zhang Qiu seemed to invite Lin Lai's dislike. Was she going to lose her best friend because of a random guy? She couldn't accept that. But she couldn't handle it either. In a panic, she started crying.

Whether real or fake, whether a child or a woman, crying always has a purpose and is not done randomly. Either they don't cry, or they cry until their goal is achieved.

Sure enough, when Ye Mei started crying, Lin Lai couldn't blame her anymore. She had to comfort Ye Mei, "Okay! It's all that scumbag Qiu's fault. He deliberately tried to drive a wedge between us. I just said you were annoying earlier, not that you are annoying. Don't cry, we're still best friends."

"Hehe!" Ye Mei immediately turned her tears into a smile. The red aura that was still entangled with her continued to dissipate, and her feelings for Zhang Qiu gradually became more neutral. She also felt that the guy was just trying to ruin their friendship.

The news of Zhang Qiu almost bleeding from all seven orifices and falling into a coma quickly spread throughout the school, making him famous again. This time, his reputation seemed to spread even further because it involved the goddess Lin Lai.

Zhang Qiu had already been known as a scumbag, especially one who molested women. A scumbag like this and a school goddess having a connection, regardless of the truth, was a juicy piece of gossip.

The boys hated Zhang Qiu to death for somehow hooking up with the goddess. They were all curious about Zhang Qiu's background, but no matter how many connections they used to find out, they couldn't get any concrete information. They could only gather a few rumors about Zhang Qiu.

It was as if he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, leaving everyone baffled.

This news also quickly spread back to Zhang Qiu's class. The excitement of the virus that had swept the entire school had not yet cooled down, and now this news added to the fervor. Even the class bell couldn't dampen the students' enthusiasm during the evening study session.

"Damn! Zhang Qiu is in the news again."

"Yeah! I heard about it too!"

"I think Zhang Qiu is getting more and more awesome. He even hooked up with the school goddess!" In the past, it would have been very difficult to determine a school goddess. It would be almost impossible for one person to be recognized by most of the school.

But in this era of information explosion, where everyone is a media outlet, through WeChat, Weibo, Campus, and Tieba, someone took a偷拍 of Lin Lai, and it immediately went viral.

Especially on Campus, which many students use. As long as you are in the same school, you can easily find each other. Even if you don't follow everyone in the same school, there are always overlapping networks. Thus, theoretically, once a message goes viral in one circle, everyone related to that circle will indirectly receive the message.

So, a偷拍 of Lin Lai, labeled as the school goddess, received widespread comments and ratings. It became more and more popular, and a widely recognized school goddess was born.

Lin Lai had been popular since her first year of high school. Whether she was popular outside the school or not, at least in No. 1 High School, Lin Lai was already widely recognized as a goddess.

"Damn! When did he get involved with Lin Lai? They're not even in the same class or the next class over. It's too far! How did he manage to hook up with her? That's impressive!"

Many boys who hadn't heard the news couldn't help but join the discussion.

"What do you mean 'hooked up'? Don't spread rumors. I heard the truth is that a boy overestimated himself and tried to hook up with the goddess. The goddess admired his courage but rejected him. He kept pestering her, and she started yelling. Then he collapsed and started bleeding from his mouth."

"Later, the teachers, the school doctor, and the ambulance came. That's when his name was revealed to be Zhang Qiu from our class. I think it's because Zhang Qiu has been a hot topic recently, feeling good about himself, so he tried to hook up with the goddess to boost his ego. But he overestimated himself, made a fool of himself, and in a fit of anger, he collapsed."

"Damn, are you telling a story? That's too legendary! Rumors can't be trusted." Faced with such a situation, ordinary words couldn't express the intense emotions, and only the national curse could convey the indescribable feelings.

On the girls' side, things were a bit better. Facing such a legendary figure as Zhang Qiu, the boys might not be impressed, but the girls were easily curious, and curiosity could turn into affection.

Many girls had just collectively gone to see Zhang Qiu fight the boss, and their good feelings for him were still on the rise. Hearing this news, they couldn't help but feel indignant.

"That Lin Lai, she's not a good person! She actually made Zhang Qiu faint. I wonder what she said to him."

"Right! It was just a chat, and she said such harsh words. I heard Zhang Qiu even spat blood! What a huge blow that must have been!"

"Not just spitting blood, but bleeding from all seven orifices! Could Zhang Qiu have some illness?"

"Even if he does have an illness, it must have been triggered by the anger. But according to a junior high school classmate who was there, the situation was very strange. The school doctor's initial examination showed that Zhang Qiu's body was normal, but he suddenly fainted for no apparent reason."

"Could he be possessed? Maybe Lin Lai is a demon in human form! I've read many novels where demons transform into humans and live in the city." This girl was clearly a novel enthusiast with a wild imagination.

When she said this, everyone gave her a sideways glance, not just a little, but a lot.

The girl felt the "gaze" concentrated on her, and she couldn't help but think of a scene from a manga: several straight lines neatly shooting towards the main character, with the words "gaze" marked on them.

So when she looked at the girls who were giving her sideways glances, she felt as if their faces were written with the words "gaze." Suddenly, she burst out laughing, covering her mouth and saying, "Don't look at me like that. I was just joking to lighten the mood."

Everyone ignored her and continued the discussion, "Why don't we go visit Zhang Qiu together?"

"Sure! I just don't know when he'll wake up. If it doesn't interfere with the joint exam, I'll go."

"Me too."

The discussion was getting heated when the homeroom teacher came into the classroom and saw the noisy scene. He immediately said, "Alright! Everyone, stop discussing. I just came back from the hospital. Zhang Qiu is physically fine, just temporarily unconscious due to some mental stimulation. That's all for Zhang Qiu."

At this point, some students started to speculate about the "mental stimulation."

...

The joint exam was approaching, and Zhang Qiu was still in a coma. Normally, there would be no break after the joint exam because the college entrance exam was only two weeks away. The school's plan was to have one more week of classes before the college entrance exam break. At that time, everyone would pack up and go home to wait for the exam.

However, this time, the teachers were all called to grade the exams, and there weren't enough teachers at the school. So, they decided to give a two-day break, like a weekend. After the grading was done, the teachers would return to the school, and classes would resume.

Some female students also remembered their plan to visit Zhang Qiu and decided to go as a group. (To be continued)