Chapter 33: Please let me go

A Tense Reunion

“Lin… Junior Lin…”

Mi Xue’s soft voice trembled with unease.
When Lin Lu whipped around, she flinched back half a step, one hand instinctively clutching her chest.
Yet her other hand clung tightly to his sleeve, as if letting go would make him vanish.

Lin Lu scratched his head, flashing an awkward but polite smile.
“Wow, what a coincidence, Senior! I was thrilled to see you today, but I just remembered an urgent matter at home. Let’s catch up another time. See you, adios!”

He grabbed her delicate hand, unceremoniously pulling it off to free his sleeve.
Then he bolted out of the restaurant toward the subway station.
Tonight was a disaster—not only did he delay his tutoring job and lose income, but he also ran into another ex-girlfriend and barely ate dinner!

He couldn’t help but rant inwardly.
Why were his exes swarming the university?
After Su Keke, Zhuang Yanyue, and Yi Diandian formed a trifecta of chaos, now Mi Xue joined the fray.
It was a four-sided siege, leaving him no escape!

Worse, they were all more successful than him.
Taking revenge would be as easy as squashing an ant.
If they teamed up, they’d obliterate him in a snap, no matter how hard he fought.

What a mess he’d made!

Truthfully, compared to the other three exes, the seemingly frail and harmless Mi Xue scared him the most.
Her type, bottling up resentment for years, struck the hardest when seeking vengeance.
Back then, Lin Lu had bullied her the worst…

A Painful Past

In high school, Mi Xue was a poor student, the classic “poor but brilliant beauty” from a CEO romance novel.
She juggled school and part-time jobs, which was fine—she was used to the grind.

The trouble was her striking face.
Even faded, oversized school uniforms couldn’t hide her stunning figure.
A gust of wind would reveal her curves, and she knew how “unlucky” her looks were.
She kept her head down to avoid unwanted attention from boys.

But one day, passing through an underpass on her way home, she encountered a group of school delinquents.
She planned to slip by, head down, reciting her notes.
Yet, in her peripheral vision, she saw them surrounding a petite girl.
Leading them was a tall, roguish-looking boy with a devil-may-care charm.

Though Mi Xue focused on studies, tuning out school gossip, she’d heard of this notorious bully who terrorized the school.
He’d strutted through every class, junior and senior, like a lion claiming his territory.
Everyone knew his face and name—Lin Lu.

Mi Xue had mild face blindness, common among introverts.
Her brain was too busy storing knowledge to remember strangers’ faces.
Yet she’d never forget the moment she first saw Lin Lu’s striking features.
For weeks, his face haunted her before sleep—not love, just a human inability to forget beauty.

A Fateful Encounter

But that wasn’t the point.
The real issue was Lin Lu pinning the petite girl against the wall, teasing her verbally and physically, touching her face as she cried pitifully.
The more she sobbed, the more excited he seemed, his lackeys cheering louder.

Mi Xue knew this poor girl had been targeted by the school’s tyrant.

She understood she couldn’t afford to cross him.
If he saw her face, she and her family could face ruin.

Yet her kind nature couldn’t ignore the girl’s desperate, helpless cries.
She considered fetching a teacher, but then recalled the school’s staff turned a blind eye to Lin Lu.
Just recently, his family had donated air conditioners to every classroom and heaps of money.

His family’s business was a major local contributor.
Not just teachers—even the authorities couldn’t touch him.
That’s why he was so brazen.

A Brave Stand

Torn and conflicted, hearing the girl’s pitiful sobs, Mi Xue’s innate kindness took over.
With a trembling voice, she stepped forward.
“Junior, c-can you please let her go…”

Her abrupt voice echoed in the dim tunnel.
Lin Lu turned to her.
She kept her head down, her face hidden, only her head visible.
But her backpack straps accentuated an exaggerated curve at her chest.

Lin Lu frowned, paused his actions, and approached her.
“Lift your head.”

Mi Xue shook her head frantically, her long legs pressed tightly together, her body trembling.

The next moment, a hand grabbed her chin, forcing her face up.
Her breathtakingly beautiful features met his gaze, her pitiful peach-blossom eyes igniting his urge to torment her.

A Nightmare Begins

That day, Mi Xue saved the petite girl, but her peaceful high school life shattered.
A nightmare of campus torment began.

The next day, her desk mate was replaced by Lin Lu, who claimed he, a junior, wanted to “experience high school academics.”
In reality, he was there to harass her, forcing her to be his girlfriend.

During and after classes, he pestered her relentlessly, disrupting her study plans and tanking her efficiency.

Gradually, her consistent academic scholarships vanished.
She pleaded with her homeroom teacher, but he could only sigh and shake his head.
Returning to her seat, she met Lin Lu’s wicked grin—he’d sabotaged her behind the scenes.

Even her part-time jobs fired her.
When she found new ones, they fell through the next day—Lin Lu’s doing again.

A Desperate Plea

Mi Xue broke down in tears.
Scholarships and job income were vital to her poor family.
More importantly, she needed to ace her college entrance exams to secure a future.
If she failed, her family would be doomed to darkness forever.

Lin Lu’s presence ruined everything.

She remembered that rainy night, thunder booming outside her rented room.
With trembling fingers, she called Lin Lu, sobbing.
“Junior Lin, please spare me. I’ll be your girlfriend. Whatever you want, I’ll do it obediently…”