Chapter 53: The Little Follower at the Aristocratic School (Part 2)

“Keke, what’s wrong?”

Shen Ke was on a video call and raised her palm toward the screen. “Madam, my hand hurts so much.”

Si Minglan looked at Shen Ke on the screen, her eyes brimming with tears, and frowned with heartache. “How did this happen? It looks all swollen.”

Shen Ke whined pitifully. “It’s all because Miss wouldn’t help me, and I got played by someone else.”

Si Minglan’s expression turned stern. “That girl! Keke, wait—I’ll call and scold her as soon as I’m done!”

Shen Ke wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and sniffled. “Madam, don’t scold Miss. It’s my fault for not knowing better.” Her soft, honeyed voice paired with her slightly pouted lips melted Si Minglan’s heart.

“Good girl, rest easy. I’ll make that Si Qing brat call you to apologize.”

Shen Ke hung up the call and instantly dropped her pitiful act. She hooked the corner of her lips into a smug grin like a cat that had stolen the fish. “Si Qing, heh, get ready to get chewed out!”

She tossed her phone onto the bed and grabbed her pajamas before heading to the bathroom.

She lived alone in a four-person dorm room, with the other beds turned into storage for her stuff.

While Shen Ke happily showered, Si Qing on the other end received a call from Si Minglan.

“Mother.” Si Qing’s voice was ice-cold.

Si Minglan sighed. “Little Qing, Keke just told me what happened. Why didn’t you help her?”

A flash of chill passed through Si Qing’s pale eyes. She gripped her phone tighter, the cold, hard edges digging painfully into her palm.

Si Minglan rarely called her, and the few times she did were always about Shen Ke.

Si Qing replied indifferently, “Her mouth got scraped, and she wanted me to deal with the person who did it.” In Shen Ke’s eyes, she must have seemed completely free for such trivial matters.

Si Minglan fell silent for a moment before saying softly, “Little Qing, you know Keke’s dad died saving us. She grew up without a mom, so indulge her a little.”

“She’s really mad today. Tomorrow after class, take her out for something nice. I’ll video call to supervise. Be good about it—”

“Mother, I’m hanging up.” Si Qing cut her off flatly and ended the call without hesitation. She swiped to Shen Ke’s contact and initiated a video call.

Si Qing utterly despised Shen Ke’s tattling.

She also hated how her mother blamed her for an outsider.

The ringtone dragged on for so long it seemed like it would auto-disconnect, but then the call finally connected.

Si Qing stared coldly at the screen. Shen Ke’s pretty, delicate face appeared—red lips, damp black hair, fresh out of the shower. She wore a thin nightgown, her exposed shoulders and a sliver of chest flushed pink, steam practically radiating through the skin.

Shen Ke’s eyes sparkled. She flashed a shy smile. “Miss, what do you need?”

Si Qing’s gaze lingered briefly before she lowered her eyes, blocking the view. In a low voice, she said, “Shen Ke, stop going to my mother.”

Shen Ke parted her red lips in feigned confusion. “Miss, what are you talking about?”

Si Qing’s tone stayed flat. “If you still want to flaunt my status.” She had no desire to say more and hung up. Staring at the darkened screen, she frowned. Was Shen Ke always like this on video calls?

She was practically exposing her chest.

Si Qing’s upbringing kept vulgar words from her lips. After a long silence, she typed out a text and sent it to Shen Ke.

Si Qing: Shen Ke, wear an outer layer for future video calls. Cover up the ugly.

Shen Ke rolled her eyes at the message. She was gorgeous—how was she ugly?

Si Qing, that sickly weed, looked all skinny and pathetic. She was the ugly one, clearly jealous.

Shen Ke didn’t bother replying. But what had Si Qing meant by that?

Unable to figure it out, she let it go, slathered on some body lotion, and slipped into bed. She’d only done it to rile up Si Qing anyway.

She knew which class the person was in. She’d just corner them later.

Shen Ke yawned, sleepiness settling in. But just as she closed her eyes, her phone rang sharply.

Her drowsiness vanished. She answered and heard a low, hoarse voice. “Shen Ke, ugh… Shen Ke, it’s me—Wang Manyu.”

“I’m in the third-floor public bathroom. C-can you come? I-I have something important to tell you.” The call ended abruptly.

Shen Ke hadn’t even processed it. Wang Manyu’s voice sounded off, full of pauses like she was desperately holding something back.

Shen Ke got up, changed clothes, and pinned on her black brooch to ward off any idiots.

She remembered Wang Manyu. Back when Shen Ke had worn Si Qing’s black gem brooch, Wang Manyu had cursed her out as the shame of the special admission students.

Wang Manyu was a stupid bastard, but they’d been on decent terms before. Might as well help.

That call had sounded weird, so Shen Ke decided to check it out.

Night had quietly fallen, silencing the world—but Noah Academy was the exception.

Qi Yuan returned from the library to shower, only to find the faucet and showerhead broken. She grabbed her clothes and headed to the public bathroom.

Her roommate stopped her. “Qi Yuan, best not go out at night.”

“Girls like us with no status or background—we’re easy prey.”

Qi Yuan turned and gave her a polite smile. “It’s fine. I’ll be right back.” She’d entered as a high school sophomore special admission student and didn’t know the school as well as her roommates who’d started freshman year.

What could happen? At worst, a beating—like that shorty she’d run into today. Small stature, big temper.

Her roommate couldn’t dissuade her. For special admission students like them, the biggest wish was to graduate safely without stirring trouble.

Though some chose to latch onto the young masters and misses as their toys—in every sense.

Qi Yuan had been at Noah Academy for a full month but had never used the public bathroom.

As expected of a rich kids’ school—even the bathrooms were extravagantly luxurious.

Hot water soaked her body, steam clouding her vision. Qi Yuan closed her eyes and let it pour over her.

Gradually, amid the patter of water on tile, she heard a suppressed sobbing.

“Urgh… no more, someone’s bathing.”

“Shen Ke’s almost here. She’ll see.”

“Ugh, your fingers are too deep—”

Qi Yuan exhaled slowly and sped up her washing. If she remembered right, this was the girls’ dorm building.

Would a guy break in?

The panting from next door grew more urgent, movements more exaggerated. She heard light thuds against the partition—but in the vast space, they echoed.

“Heh, that’s exactly what I want her to see. Shen Ke probably hasn’t tasted real pleasure yet. Once she has, who knows—I might get to sleep with her.” The voice wasn’t quiet, unconcerned with being overheard, and clearly female.

Girl on girl? Noble schools really were that open.

Back in her village, that kind of thing got you shunned and gossiped about endlessly. Even she got flak for being too tall.

Stuff like, “A girl’s too tall to ever marry.” It pissed her off at first, but she’d gone numb. Words didn’t cost flesh.

Qi Yuan lathered shampoo into her hair, massaged it in, and rinsed.

Suddenly, a coquettish voice called out. “Hey! Wang Manyu, where are you!”

Qi Yuan’s hands paused mid-scrub. The crisp, pleasant voice—she’d heard it that day from the girl with two brooches, the miser.

Was the miser Shen Ke? Connecting it to the earlier words, Qi Yuan froze.

From next door: “Shen Ke… um, I’m here. Just push the door open.”

Qi Yuan spotted the shadow growing in the door crack. On impulse, she flung her door open, yanked the person inside her stall, and clapped a hand over her mouth.

Qi Yuan was strong, and Shen Ke light—the scuffle made only a faint splash, drowned by the water.

Shen Ke’s eyes flew wide in fright. Hot water streamed down her forehead to her eyes, making her look like she was crying.

A firm arm locked her waist tight. Her mouth was covered—no sound escaped.

Her entire back pressed flush against another body. She’d only worn a thin shirt, now soaked and clinging to her skin. The flimsy fabric couldn’t block the heat from behind.

Shen Ke yanked at the hand over her mouth, but it was futile no matter how hard she tried.

The wheat-colored arm didn’t budge.

Angry and scared, Shen Ke trembled.

Qi Yuan sensed it and whispered right in her ear, “Wait a moment.”

So close now, the rich sweet scent intensified. Qi Yuan had never been pressed this tight against anyone. At 185 cm with broad shoulders and long arms, she completely enveloped the slender girl ahead.

Perfectly fitted into her embrace.

Qi Yuan felt her heartbeat quicken, the hot water suddenly scorching on her skin.

Her arm around Shen Ke tightened unconsciously—that waist was so narrow, her arms still had length to spare.

Hot water poured relentlessly. Shen Ke’s hair, shirt, and pants were utterly drenched.

The height, the skin tone, the calluses grinding her cheek—someone flashed into Shen Ke’s mind.

She scowled. It was definitely Qi Yuan.

Shen Ke inwardly cursed. Damn Qi Yuan! What the hell are you doing!

She pounded Qi Yuan’s arm, but to Qi Yuan, it was nothing. “Quiet.”

Voices came from the next stall.

“Shen Ke… urgh… Shen Ke, where are you?”

Shen Ke stilled and went silent.

Next door called several times with no answer. Then another voice.

“Shit, did Shen Ke leave?”

“Tsk, useless.”

Sudden slaps rang out, shameless: “Get on the ground, ass up, legs spread.”

“Urgh, don’t hit me—I’m down.”

“Ugh… that… ah, about my mom’s job… um.”

“Tsk, didn’t even lure her over, and you want rewards? Get her here first.”

The exchange silenced Shen Ke completely.

She wasn’t a kid—she knew exactly what was happening. And she was the main target. If she’d gone in, she might’ve ended up as one of them.

Furious and annoyed, Shen Ke fumed.

Time ticked by. The lewd sounds from next door faded, the stall door opened, and the voices receded into the distance until they vanished.

The hand finally released her face.

Qi Yuan wiped her face. “I didn’t mean to.”

Shen Ke was livid, intentional or not—she’d been scared shitless.

She swung her hand high for a slap, but predictably, it didn’t land. Qi Yuan blocked it.

Qi Yuan pursed her lips, gripped Shen Ke’s wrist, and pinned her—wrist and all—against the partition wall. Wet strands dripped water onto Shen Ke’s cheek.

Tall as she was, Qi Yuan looking down exuded overwhelming pressure.

Shen Ke’s heart clenched. She bit her lower lip and raised her other hand to slap—but in the next second, both were pinned to the partition.

With her hands secured, Shen Ke tried to kick. But as her leg rose, Qi Yuan’s knee wedged between, pressing her crotch hard against the wall.

Now her hands and feet were immobilized.

Qi Yuan’s naked body loomed over her entirely—lean, clean lines, even tight abs on her stomach.

Shen Ke had no time to appreciate it. Her mind was full of how she had just been scared and how she had been restrained in such a particularly weak posture.

She was so angry that her eyes turned red. Her nose tingled, and crystal-clear tears welled up in her eye sockets.

Qi Yuan slightly furrowed her brows. She pressed both of Shen Ke’s hands down with one hand while pinching Shen Ke’s chin with the other, lifting up that little head.

“What are you crying for? I didn’t bully you.”

“Moreover, I helped you, but instead of saying thank you, you tried to hit me first.”

“You’re such a bad person.”

Qi Yuan had a bit of a headache. She had never encountered someone like this.

Soft like tofu, with tender, soft skin. The face she had just covered was rubbed bright red.

Slender wrists, small chin—the whole person was petite. She cried at the drop of a hat, and on top of that, she had a bad temper.

Shen Ke sniffled. Her rosy lips pouted downward, looking both aggrieved and pitiful. Her voice was sticky and nasal, laced with a crying tone. “It’s all your fault! My clothes are soaked!”

“How am I supposed to go back to the dorm like this!”

Qi Yuan’s gaze drifted downward, landing on the shirt that clung tightly to her skin, outlining her waistline and the shape of her chest.

Qi Yuan inexplicably felt her throat go dry. She withdrew her gaze and looked into Shen Ke’s wet eyes, saying seriously, “You can call a friend to bring you some clothes. Or your roommate would work too.”

Shen Ke angrily turned her head away, dodging Qi Yuan’s hand on her chin. “I live alone! And I don’t have friends!” Her friends had to be rich and powerful. She didn’t want ordinary ones!

Qi Yuan fell silent for a moment before saying slowly, “Then wait for me a bit. I can carry you back and block the front for you.”

Shen Ke considered the feasibility of this idea, then nodded with a reluctant little expression. “Fine. That’ll work.”

With that, Shen Ke stared at Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan looked back at Shen Ke. At such close range, she could see Shen Ke’s features clearly.

A very delicate and refined appearance. Qi Yuan’s gaze slid from Shen Ke’s forehead down to her lips.

Shen Ke inexplicably felt her face heat up. What was with Qi Yuan’s gaze? It felt… somewhat heating.

As Qi Yuan’s face drew closer, Shen Ke’s heart pounded wildly. She suddenly shouted, “What are you doing?! Let me go right now!”

Qi Yuan froze for a moment, snapping back to her senses. She noticed how close they were and felt a bit flustered, unsure why she had done that. She let go of Shen Ke lightly.

Qi Yuan said in a low voice, “Why don’t you go out first? I haven’t finished showering.”

Shen Ke wiped her face, clearing away some water stains, then turned her back to Qi Yuan and snorted coldly. “Hurry up. I’m waiting right here for you.”