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I hope he comes to rob me of my beauty.
Rob me to death.
——From Su Zaizai’s Little Fairy Diary
Two scenes immediately flooded her mind.
…
In the Grade 11 Class 1 classroom.
Zhang Lurang sat with his head bowed, working on problems, while Su Zaizai sat in front of him, turned slightly to look at him.
Then she pulled out a workbook and smiled: “Then explain this question to me.”
He paused his movements, touched the back of his neck, and softly replied: “I don’t know.”
…
At the bus stop near her home, while waiting for the bus.
Su Zaizai’s expression was conflicted: “Do you have WeChat?”
Zhang Lurang hesitated for a moment, raised his hand to touch the back of his neck, and said: “No.”
…
At this very moment, the same gesture.
So what he meant to convey was…
——Do I not look good?
——Mhm.
Su Zaizai’s face instantly burned as if it were on fire, turning completely red.
After a brief silence.
The two stood face-to-face but avoided looking at each other.
Yet an undeniable atmosphere hung between them, one that no one else could disturb.
The surroundings weren’t quiet.
Aside from the hushed chatter of the backstage crew, the heartfelt singing of a girl on stage echoed through the air.
One note after another.
It felt like lingering affection, unwilling to leave.
Summoning her courage, Su Zaizai lifted her head.
Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly noticed several classmates standing to Zhang Lurang’s right.
They were watching the two of them with great interest.
The heat on Su Zaizai’s face intensified.
Unable to bear it any longer, she said nothing and walked directly toward the audience seating area.
Behind her, the boys’ excited and gossipy voices immediately rang out: “Hey, Zhang Lurang, is she your girlfriend?”
Zhang Lurang remained silent.
At that moment, the girl on stage sang the chorus.
The lights suddenly brightened, spilling through the curtains.
He still kept his eyes lowered.
His profile was exposed under the light, while the other side remained obscured in shadow.
Seeing that he didn’t respond, the boys didn’t press further.
They laughed loudly: “What a beauty!”
Hearing this, Zhang Lurang finally raised his eyes.
He silently let out a breath of relief.
It seemed he wasn’t the only one acting strangely.
In that fleeting moment…
He actually… thought Su Zaizai looked very beautiful.
________________________________________
Su Zaizai sat down in her seat.
Jiang Jia was talking beside her.
She took out her water bottle and drank several large gulps in succession.
Jiang Jia finally noticed something was off and found it strange.
“What’s wrong with you? You’re drinking like you’ve never had water before.”
Su Zaizai lowered her head and covered her face, her voice muffled: “Let me calm down for a bit.”
“…Oh.”
Jiang Jia waited for a moment.
A minute later, a faint voice came from beside her: “Handsome wants me dead.”
Jiang Jia: “…Stop being ridiculous.”
“I’m serious.” Su Zaizai’s breathing steadied, but her cheeks were still flushed. “He just said I was pretty—I almost suffocated.”
Jiang Jia nearly spat out the water in her mouth: “Holy crap! Hahaha, oh my god! I can’t even imagine Zhang Lurang complimenting you on your looks!”
Su Zaizai recounted the events that had just transpired.
Jiang Jia: “…Are you sure he was saying you’re pretty?”
Though Handsome’s verbal response was a denial…
But his actions…
Su Zaizai wanted to share this secret with Jiang Jia, yet she also wanted to keep it to herself.
There were many things about Zhang Lurang she wanted to know only by herself.
Still, the fact that he touched his neck when lying—that was just her guess.
…I’ll test it out tomorrow.
Jiang Jia looked at her sympathetically: “You must be struggling because your Handsome got overtaken by Wang Nan…”
Hearing this, Su Zaizai immediately turned to look at her.
“You’re probably going crazy,” Jiang Jia concluded.
Su Zaizai: “…Choose one: eat poop or die.”
“I’d rather die than eat you.”
“Shut up.”
While they were chatting, the host’s voice finally came over the speakers.
“Next, please enjoy the stage play brought to us by Grade 11 Class 1, When You Get Robbed. “
Su Zaizai immediately closed her mouth and hurriedly pulled out her glasses from her bag to put them on.
The audience seating area was plunged into dim lighting.
The red curtains slowly opened.
A boy stood in the center of the stage.
In his hands, he held a large white poster with four huge words written on it: I Am Rich.
Jiang Jia muttered beside her: “I am rich… Why didn’t he just write ‘Please Rob Me.’”
Su Zaizai blinked.
Was it divided into robbing for money and robbing for beauty?
Then Handsome would probably appear soon.
Indeed.
Not long after, Zhang Lurang stepped onto the stage.
Behind him followed five or six boys, all looking fierce.
Their exposed skin was plastered with temporary tattoos.
Su Zaizai: “….”
These few boys seemed to be the same ones who had been standing beside Zhang Lurang earlier.
How had she not noticed they were wearing temporary tattoos…
Su Zaizai shifted her gaze, focusing on Zhang Lurang.
Over his white class uniform, he wore a loose, black camouflage-patterned jacket. His dark, messy hair hung loosely over his forehead, his eyes were bright and deep, and his lips curled lazily upward.
He exuded an unexpectedly roguish charm.
He ruffled his hair and glanced back at the “henchmen” behind him, his lips pressed tightly shut as if refraining from speaking.
In her mind, Su Zaizai imagined: There must have been lines here, but Zhang Lurang couldn’t bring himself to say them.
At the same time, the boys simultaneously pulled out paper-made knives and shouted in unison: “We’re robbing you!”
Su Zaizai: “….”
She had imagined so much, fantasizing endlessly about Zhang Lurang being the victim of robbery.
She never expected him to be… the one doing the robbing.
And not just any robber—clearly the leader, exuding an air of dominance.
At that moment, a female voice-over suddenly came through the speakers, pleasant, clear, and crisp.
“When you’re being robbed, don’t blindly try to run away.”
The movements of everyone on stage froze instantly, as if time itself had stopped.
“If you do that, this will be your fate.”
The boy holding the large poster sprang into action, running with the sign.
The group of boys chased after him, dragging him to Zhang Lurang’s feet.
Zhang Lurang stared at him expressionlessly, raising his leg and feigning a light kick.
The boy immediately collapsed onto the ground, wailing dramatically.
Once again, their movements froze.
“You should protect your personal safety first and use your wits against the robbers. Don’t provoke them.”
The boy lying on the ground pretending to be dead sat up abruptly, grabbing a microphone and saying: “Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. Please don’t hurt me.”
Zhang Lurang chuckled softly: “What do you think?”
Obediently, the boy handed over the large poster to Zhang Lurang.
Zhang Lurang took it and carelessly tossed it behind him.
Next, the boy started taking off his clothes, handing his jacket over to Zhang Lurang.
Zhang Lurang repeated the same nonchalant actions.
Seeing that none of these offerings satisfied him, the boy cupped his face with both hands and threw a flirtatious glance at Zhang Lurang.
Su Zaizai: “….”
This guy was ridiculous! Even while being robbed, he was throwing seductive looks!
Jiang Jia commented beside her: “I heard Zhang Lurang was originally supposed to be the one getting robbed. Oh my god, I can’t wait to see him throw a flirty glance, hahaha.”
Flirtatious glance…
Su Zaizai wanted to see it too.
On stage, Zhang Lurang paused briefly before picking up the microphone and speaking in a low, velvety voice: “Can’t you tell?”
His voice, amplified by the sound system, was deeper and more magnetic than usual, sending shivers down Su Zaizai’s spine. Her heart fluttered, feeling as though countless ants were nibbling at it.
Zhang Lurang crouched down, leveling his gaze with the boy.
A faint smirk played on his lips as he said lightly: “I’m here to rob you of your beauty.”
Instantly, a wave of muffled screams erupted from the audience.
From afar, someone shouted: “Come rob me instead!”
Laughter exploded throughout the hall.
Jiang Jia burst out laughing beside her: “Oh my god! Hahaha, what kind of plot twist is this? This is hilarious!”
It felt as though something inside Su Zaizai’s mind had detonated, leaving her desperate to scream.
But her throat felt constricted, her excitement unable to find release.
So… so swoon-worthy, ughhh.
Unable to hold back, Su Zaizai took advantage of the crowd’s noise.
She yelled at the top of her lungs: “Handsome, I want to ravage you!”
Then she immediately chickened out, hiding behind the chair in the front row.
Her classmates bent over in laughter, and Jiang Jia gave her a thumbs-up without hesitation.
Su Zaizai covered her face, thinking:
Her voice had cracked when she shouted… Handsome probably didn’t recognize it was her, right…
Lost in her own world, Su Zaizai failed to notice the slight pause in Zhang Lurang’s delivery of his line.
________________________________________
After Campus Night ended,
Students poured out of every exit of the auditorium.
Clusters of black heads crowded together, making the scene feel stiflingly hot.
Zhang Lurang sat in his seat for a while, waiting for the crowd to thin before getting up and heading out.
He returned to the classroom.
The chair next to his, which had been empty for two weeks, finally had someone sitting in it.
Zhang Lurang walked over and picked up his water bottle, taking a few sips.
Zhou Xuyin was organizing the test papers in his desk drawer.
After a few minutes, he turned his head toward Zhang Lurang and asked softly: “Do you know why I took leave?”
That day, Zhang Lurang had accompanied Zhou Xuyin to the school gate.
On the way back, he ran into Su Zaizai.
Since then, he had been relentlessly pestered by her—for reasons unknown.
“I don’t know,” Zhang Lurang replied.
He noticed how Zhou Xuyin’s furrowed brow finally relaxed.
Judging by his reaction that day, it was likely some kind of illness.
As for what kind of illness, Zhang Lurang wasn’t interested in speculating.
Because he knew—everyone had things they didn’t want others to know.
________________________________________
Back in the dormitory.
Zhang Lurang went to the balcony to wash up, then walked over to his locker, opening the cabinet door.
He unlocked his phone and checked it.
Seeing the missed call, Zhang Lurang hesitated for a moment before dialing back.
After a few rings, the other end picked up.
“A’ Ran.”
“Mm.”
“I heard from your uncle that you’re having midterms next week?”
Zhang Lurang walked to the balcony and closed the sliding glass door, giving a soft reply.
“Why haven’t you called your mother?”
“…”
“What was your ranking last month?”
Zhang Lurang fell silent for a moment before softly replying: “Thirty-second.”
The voice on the other end sighed deeply.
His heart tightened at the sound, suffocating him to the point of breathlessness.
After a moment, the woman’s gentle voice came through again.
“Is it still because of English? Why are you just like A’ Li… I’ll call your uncle later and ask him to find you a tutoring class, alright?”
“No need,” Zhang Lurang immediately refused.
The other end fell silent.
Zhang Lurang raised his eyes, gazing at the distant sky.
Resigned, he murmured: “I can’t learn it.”
“You…”
Zhang Lurang interrupted her, repeating firmly: “I can’t learn it. Don’t waste money.”
He hung up the phone, biting his lip and running his hand through his hair.
Zhou Xuyin had secrets he didn’t want others to know because of his pride.
But Zhang Lurang was different.
His inferiority complex ran deep—deep into his bones.
He had struggled.
But in the end, he simply accepted his fate.
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