Volume 1 Chapter 16: Being Bullied
“Hmm, in the end, studying is still your own responsibility. You should put more effort into it.”
Teacher Zhu looked at Lin Lin with a disappointed expression, like she was upset that Lin Lin wasn’t trying harder. Lin Lin felt a little embarrassed.
She lowered her head and replied casually, “Yes, I know…”
“Sigh~” Teacher Zhu sighed. No, she still had to think of a solution. Otherwise, this kid would forget everything as soon as she left.
“At the next monthly exam, I want you to score over 100 points. If you don’t understand something, you can ask Gao Liang. Go find him to tutor you during this time! Otherwise, I would’ve arranged such a good desk mate for nothing.”
Teacher Zhu looked at Lin Lin meaningfully and whispered, “Xiao Lin, if that guy isn’t willing, just tease him a little. Gao Liang isn’t very good at refusing people!”
Uh…
Lin Lin’s mouth twitched. Teacher, is it really okay to teach this kind of thing?
Isn’t this basically telling me to use charm for studying?
Today it’s asking a boy to tutor me. I don’t even dare to imagine what comes next.
Well… Gao Liang definitely can’t be some kind of ‘study tyrant’ anyway.
Lin Lin could only nod unwillingly, thinking to herself…
One hundred points? Forget it.
Anyway, if she didn’t reach it, the teacher couldn’t really do anything to her. So she agreed casually.
Teacher Zhu nodded. “Alright then, you can go back to the classroom.”
Phew~
Lin Lin finally let out a sigh of relief and turned around to run back to the classroom.
Near the classroom door, she picked up her math test paper and looked at it again.
The bright red failing mark immediately made her feel sad.
Thinking carefully, her grades were bad, and her relationships were bad too…
Sigh, what should she do?
Why is her school life still so gloomy?
Lin Lin couldn’t help feeling sad. She really couldn’t understand why, even after becoming a pretty girl this time, she was still an introverted shut-in.
This…
Where exactly did the problem start?
Could it be… because she doesn’t dare to start conversations with others?
Hmm…
Lin Lin thought about it carefully and realized that this was very likely the reason.
If someone never talks to others, people will often think they are dark, cold, and unwilling to socialize.
But the real reason Lin Lin doesn’t talk to others is…
Social anxiety.
Sometimes, even when talking to someone, she feels extremely nervous. When talking to strangers, her voice seems to automatically drop to the lowest volume. And if she ever gets emotional and speaks loudly, she will regret it afterward.
This is Lin Lin…
There may be many reasons for her social anxiety, but the biggest one is probably her extreme lack of confidence.
Originally, Lin Lin thought that after becoming a pretty girl, her social anxiety would get better.
But…
Now.
Lin Lin started to feel anxious. It seemed that she wasn’t very popular in her classmates’ eyes.
Waa…
If this keeps going, her high school life will probably be lonely until the end.
What should she do…
Lin Lin started thinking hard. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at her seat in the classroom.
The corner of her mouth twitched.
She saw several girls holding textbooks, gathering around Gao Liang, clearly eager to get close to him. One of them was even holding an art book!
Isn’t this a bit too much…?
Is there really any reason to ask questions in a high school art class?!
Seeing top student Gao Liang being so popular over there, Lin Lin quietly clenched her small fists.
No, she also has to study hard.
Eh, speaking of it, being a top student seems to be a big plus in social life, right?
And if you think about it more… a top-student pretty girl, hmm~
So that’s how it is?
Lin Lin sighed to herself. She finally understood why that guy Gao Liang was so popular.
But… how is she supposed to improve her grades?
Hmm… she glanced at Gao Liang again.
Tsk—
Looking at all the girls surrounding him, Lin Lin secretly swore that she would never have anything to do with this guy.
It’s not that she wants to be different, and it’s not that she thinks girls liking someone at this age is stupid. It’s just because…
Because even though she’s no longer a boy, she still has her “male pride” deep in her heart!
Mm…
So asking this guy for tutoring?
Don’t even think about it!
Tsk.
No, just not interacting with him isn’t enough to calm Lin Lin’s anger.
Damn it, at least 70% of the reason she became socially anxious is because of this guy.
Why are you so popular?!
Angrily, Lin Lin ran back to her seat. As she stood there, a few girls froze awkwardly.
Thinking about how Lin Lin even dared to confront Han Kui during morning reading, they quickly stepped back and made space.
Just as Lin Lin was about to sit down, suddenly, a hand landed on her shoulder.
Lin Lin froze and turned around, only to see a blonde girl behind her, smiling at her.
Gasp—
Lin Lin sucked in a sharp breath. Mainly because the smile looked strange, like it was forced.
Th-this isn’t Han Kui, the one she argued with this morning?!
Why is she here? To get revenge?
No way… right?
Facing this “tough girl,” Lin Lin instantly lost her courage. The confidence she had in the morning had already disappeared after all the setbacks.
She asked nervously, “Um… excuse me… is there, is there something you need?”
“Ahaha, well…”
The other girl put on a friendly look, rubbing her hands and smiling. “I have something I want to talk to you about, Lin Lin. Can we go outside for a bit? Don’t worry, I just want to be friends~”
“F-friends?!”
The moment she heard those words, Lin Lin’s eyes lit up. She wanted this so badly. She was so excited that even the blonde girl now looked kind and gentle to her.
What was there to think about? Of course she would go!
Lin Lin nodded hard and followed Han Kui out of the classroom.
This is amazing, she’s finally going to have a friend!
At the classroom door, Lin Lin stood straight, looking at the other girl with hope.
The blonde girl started sweating a little, seeing how excited Lin Lin was. She was speechless for a moment, but still kept a cute smile. She reached out, leaned close to Lin Lin’s ear, and whispered, “Listen carefully, Lin Lin~”
Then she took a deep breath and said:
“Ah—who the hell do you think you are, you stupid trash? Just because you’re in the same class, you really think you’re someone now? Believe it or not, I’ll slap you right now, idiot! You better not get any ideas about Gao Liang just because you’re his desk mate, or I’ll bury you behind the school mountain, idiot! How dare you talk back to me? You should be grateful just to breathe the same classroom air as me, idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot—!”
“And that’s it~ So, could you please help me deliver a love letter for me, Lin Lin~?”
“……”
After listening to this machine-gun-like speech, Lin Lin stood there in shock. After a long moment, she shivered—
And her heart completely broke.