Chapter 15: “Rinrin, don’t be afraid!”

“…which is more than enough time for us to set the others aside and have some real fun first!”

Lin Zhizhi leaned in extremely close, her eyes gleaming with wicked delight, hot breath brushing across Bai Linlin’s face.

Bai Linlin’s heart hammered wildly. Horrific, bloody images flashed through her mind.

What the hell does this psycho plan to do?!

“So… what should we start with?”

Lin Zhizhi tilted her head, genuinely seeming to ponder an interesting game.

Her gaze swept slowly over the curves of Bai Linlin’s rope-bound body, finally settling on the tips of her toes swaying slightly in midair.

“I’ve got it!”

She snapped her fingers, smile radiant.

“Let’s hoist you up a little higher first! The angle will be much better for playing~”

With that, she walked behind a nearby thick tree.

Only now did Bai Linlin notice that a simple but sturdy pulley system had already been prepared there. One end of the rope hung down; the other was looped high over a thick horizontal branch.

Lin Zhizhi deftly clipped the dangling carabiner to the main rope knot behind Bai Linlin’s back.

“Wait! You mmph—!”

Bai Linlin’s words were muffled back into her throat by the remaining gag cloth.

Lin Zhizhi ignored her completely. She grabbed the other end of the rope and pulled downward with force.

“Mmph…!”

Bai Linlin felt her body suddenly lighten. The ropes at her back cinched brutally tight, forcing a stifled grunt from her.

The ground fell away rapidly. She was hoisted entirely upward, swaying gently about a meter and a half off the forest floor.

Now she was completely transformed into a “human ornament”—suspended in midair, tightly wrapped in a grid of ropes.

The lavish skirt hem drooped limply.

The ropes dug deep into the soft fabric. Her full body weight rested on the crossing knots, creating unrelenting pressure everywhere.

This pose… Bai Linlin’s mind filled with utter despair.

This was straight out of certain unspeakable anime scenes—where the evil villain uses tentacles to bind and suspend the magical girl, preparing for the next horrific step!

Only here the “tentacles” had been replaced with coarse hemp rope.

The “villain” was a blonde crazy psycho, and the “magical girl” was her—a total imposter!

Lin Zhizhi stepped back a couple paces, arms crossed, admiring her masterpiece with a satisfied nod.

“This look… pretty good, right?”

She clapped her hands once, then—without warning—drove a fist straight into Bai Linlin’s abdomen!

“Ugh!”

Bai Linlin’s body rocked in the air from the impact. The expected sharp, searing pain… didn’t come.

Was this body unusually tough?

Or had that inexplicable “transformation” somehow boosted her defense?

All she felt was a dull ache and a powerful jolt.

“Oh? You can take a hit.”

Lin Zhizhi raised an eyebrow, interest visibly growing.

She stepped forward. Icy fingers pinched one of Bai Linlin’s cheeks, kneading roughly.

“Now that I think about it… I don’t think I’ve ever really looked closely at your face before.”

Her nails scraped lightly across the skin, stinging.

“No wonder that guy Jiang Jiaojiao would say disgusting things like ‘you two are in love.’”

Lin Zhizhi scoffed, her gaze turning colder.

“Hahaha! Such a cute little face… it would be heartbreaking if it got ruined, wouldn’t it?”

With that, she raised her fist again and smashed it viciously into Bai Linlin’s cheek!

Bang!

This blow was far heavier than the one to the stomach.

Bai Linlin’s head snapped to the side. Her ears rang. Her left cheek instantly swelled hot and throbbing; the taste of blood grew thicker in her mouth.

Humiliation and pain made her eyes burn. All she could manage were broken, muffled whimpers.

“Yes—exactly that expression!”

Lin Zhizhi grew even more excited.

“Fear, pain, complete helplessness… perfect!”

Just as she seemed ready to continue enjoying her human punching bag, she suddenly paused, as though remembering something.

“Right!”

She clapped once more, reached over, and roughly yanked the gag cloth out of Bai Linlin’s mouth.

“Cough cough… cough!”

Bai Linlin coughed violently several times, gulping down the cold night air. Ignoring the possible trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth, she rasped urgently,

“Lin Zhizhi! What the hell do you want?!”

“What do I want?”

Lin Zhizhi tilted her head, smile innocent yet utterly cruel.

“‘Bai Linlin.’ Watching you, watching Jiang Jiaojiao, watching Xi Ran… this little drama of yours is even more entertaining than I expected. Especially you.”

She poked Bai Linlin’s swollen, red cheek.

“You feel… different now from that blustering idiot before. Really interesting.”

Bai Linlin’s heart clenched. Enduring the pain and dizziness, she forced her mind to race.

She couldn’t provoke her—but she also couldn’t just let this continue.

She tried to make her voice sound steadier.

“You kidnapped me just to beat me up? What kind of fun is that? Jiang Jiaojiao… if she sees you like this, she’ll just think you’re a violent lunatic.”

“Lunatic? Hahaha!”

Lin Zhizhi burst out laughing.

“So what? I like it. As for Jiang Jiaojiao…” A calculating gleam flashed in her eyes.

“She’ll find this version of you much more interesting. I’m waiting for her.”

She glanced up at the sky, estimating the time.

“The main course guest should have received her invitation by now, right?”

Perspective shift—to Jiang Jiaojiao.

After returning from the restroom in the stairwell and finding Bai Linlin gone.

She had searched everywhere Bai Linlin might normally go.

Where did Linlin run off to?

Could she have been taken by Xi Ran…?

An ominous premonition spread through her chest.

She stood alone in the empty corridor. Her white hair stirred in the breeze from the open window. The gentle smile that usually graced her face had vanished, replaced by an icy calm.

At that moment, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

She took it out and opened the message.

The instant she read those three lines, the air around Jiang Jiaojiao dropped to freezing.

Her fingers tightened on the phone until her knuckles turned white.

The cold glow of the screen illuminated her expressionless face. The eyes that always held soft warmth were now bottomless abysses—fleeting traces of dark crimson light flickering within.

“Lin. Zhi. Zhi.”

She spoke the name softly, each syllable dragged up from an ice cellar.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

When she opened them again, her gaze was flat, emotionless, filled with pure killing intent.

She pocketed the phone, turned, and began walking toward the “upstream along the cliff” location mentioned in the message.

“Linlin,”

she murmured gently, voice as tender as if soothing someone to sleep—yet the words sent chills down the spine.

“Don’t be afraid.”

“I’ll kill Xi Ran. Then I’ll clean up everyone who dares interfere with us.”

“And then… I’ll save you.”