Chapter – 47
Ā Lin Ruirui
At the same time, at the hospital.
Guan Ruirui lay in her hospital bed, once again ensnared by a nightmare.
As the beloved youngest princess of the Guan family, Guan Ruirui had always gotten whatever she wanted. She understood that her family wasn’t among the top-tier elite, but in the eyes of ordinary people, she was still a ‘child of heaven’.
At first, she had taken notice of Lin Ruirui simply because they shared the same name. Once, hearing a classmate call out and thinking it was for her, only to find it was for someone elseāin that moment, Guan Ruirui’s heart was filled with displeasure. *How disgusting that a poor wretch like her would have the same name as me.*
But to maintain her image of purity and gentleness, she never showed it outwardly. Instead, she would smile and say, “What a coincidence,” while subtly hinting at her annoyance that it could be confusing when called.
The Qin and Guan families had business dealings, and Qin Hao had fancied her since they were young, following her around like a loyal dog. Naturally, upon hearing her “trouble,” Qin Hao took action.
He began openly bullying Lin Ruirui. Blocking her path to school, deliberately spilling her lunch tray, throwing her desk and books into the trash. Every time Lin Ruirui was left in a pitiful state, he would laugh without hesitation.
Guan Ruirui would lightly chide him for his “efforts.” “Don’t bully our classmate.”
Lightly, sweetly, just enough to scratch an itch. It became tacit encouragement, and Qin Hao tormented Lin Ruirui even more enthusiastically.
Initially, Guan Ruirui didn’t pay much mind to such trivial matters. But one day, she noticed something. Qin Hao was spending less time by her side. Even the daily messages he never failed to send had stopped.
Guan Ruirui didn’t love Qin Hao, but she had accepted his devotion as a given. Wanting to know why, she turned her attention to his activities for the first time.
And then she witnessed it.
Qin Hao had Lin Ruirui pinned against a wall, his body covering hers, ignoring her desperate struggles as he forced a kiss on her. He whispered into her earā”Lin Ruirui, I like you. If you listen to me, I won’t bully you anymoreā¦”
At first, Guan Ruirui thought it was just another part of the bullying, or that he was doing it on her behalf.
But even when she gave him opportunities to approach her, Qin Hao seemed indifferent.
Later, when she jokingly brought up “that Lin Ruirui,” Qin Hao said, uncharacteristically serious, “Ruirui, I might not be able to keep liking you anymore.”
He had genuinely fallen for Lin Ruirui. Not as a substitute, not as a game, but truly wanting her for herself.
Guan Ruirui found it utterly ridiculous. The bully falling for his victim during the bullying? And even wanting to be her boyfriend? Qin Hao was trash, and stupid.
Guan Ruirui didn’t love him. But she hated having her things taken from her even more. Even if that thing was garbage.
So she pretended to smile and offer blessings, inviting Lin Ruirui into their circle.
On the surface, she was considerate, treating her to mealsāthough the food was yesterday’s leftovers, cold and stale. Pretending to fix her hair, she’d burn her scalp; saying she’d trim her nails, she’d cut her skin.
Each time, Qin Hao would worry about Lin Ruirui and shield her. And each time, Guan Ruirui would dramatically apologize, putting on a show of guilt. Qin Hao would accept it without question.
*Idiot.*
With Lin Ruirui right in front of him, receiving such treatment, he never noticed.
Initially, she just wanted to punish the girl who had taken something from her a little.
But unexpectedly, she found out Lin Ruirui was pregnant. With Qin Hao’s child.
Guan Ruirui couldn’t describe the feeling she had then. It was like a toy she’d played with for years, now covered in someone else’s scent.
To her, Qin Hao had become “soiled.”
So, she called the emotionally unstable, pregnant Lin Ruirui to the deserted school rooftop.
And told her, “Qin Hao did those things because of me. He hated that you shared my name, so he bullied you.”
“Thought he really liked you? You’re just a substitute. Because I wouldn’t have him, he looked for a replacement.”
“Sorry, but you are just a substitute.”
“He’s a fool too. To make me happy, he didn’t need to go that far. Even playing with a lifeā¦”
In that moment, Lin Ruirui understood everything.
Why she had been bullied, why she had been bound by that man in the name of “love.”
She hated Qin Hao. She hated Guan Ruirui.
On the rooftop, shrouded in despair and curses, Lin Ruirui suddenly miscarried.
Blood spread across the floor.
Terrified by the sight, Guan Ruirui was the first to run. Ignoring the plea in Lin Ruirui’s eyes, ignoring the blood-stained hand reaching out. She ran without looking back, even closing the rooftop door behind her.
She went home and didn’t tell anyone.
The next day, news spread online. A teenage girl, pregnant, found after a suicide attempt on an abandoned school rooftop.
Luckily, she was found in time. Her life was saved, but the child was lost.
Later, she heard Lin Ruirui had taken a leave of absence from school.
After that, all trace of her vanished, and Qin Hao transferred away and disappeared too.
But by then, Guan Ruirui held no interest in Qin Hao whatsoever.
A year passed, and she had almost forgotten about Lin Ruirui’s existence.
So why, now, was she haunting her?
Was she dead?
Even so, it had nothing to do with her.
*She* didn’t kill her.
That girl was foolish for getting involved with Qin Hao.
Getting pregnant, miscarryingāit was her own fault.
“Why do you hate me?!”
Guan Ruirui, frantic, screamed at the Lin Ruirui before her eyes.
“Lin Ruirui! Your death has nothing to do with me! It’s not my fault! Why are you tormenting me?! Don’t think you scare me! I’m not afraid of you! You slut who slept with Qin Hao! I’m not afraid of you! My father will call a real master to exorcise you! I’ll have your soul scattered to pieces! You trash woman!!!”
As if answering her curses, Lin Ruirui’s face contorted with rage.
And then, she never woke up again.
Because Lin Ruirui’s hands had closed around her throat.
To ensure she would never wake up again.
