Clearing the Shame: The Delicate Girl Who Faked a Fall on the Playground

Outside the cafeteria.

"Miss! Miss, wait for me!"

The little secretary jogged to catch up with her young mistress, who had left without a word.

Dongfang Zhixia only walked quickly inside the cafeteria. Once outside, her pace slowed considerably, and the usual "special effect" of her hair flowing effortlessly behind her disappeared.

It hurt too much.

The spot where she had been bitten by the venomous snake hadn't fully healed yet, and walking still caused her pain.

She couldn't make a dramatic exit like she usually did, but she had already made her declaration, and with so many people watching, limping out would have been humiliating.

Even if it killed her, she wouldn't let her dignity slip in public!

The little secretary wasn't the brightest, but she was observant enough to notice her mistress's discomfort and quickly moved to support her.

"You're so reckless, Miss! Your injury hasn't even healed, yet you still insist on walking so fast."

Her voice was filled with frustration.

Dongfang Zhixia never imagined she'd be scolded by her airheaded secretary one day.

With the secretary's help, they headed toward the school infirmary. Since they were already outside, they might as well get the antivenom injection.

Though some time had passed since the bite, and the remaining toxins in her body were negligible, it was better to be safe than sorry.

As the two walked toward the infirmary, a pale-skinned girl suddenly appeared in front of them—so pale it almost looked unnatural.

The girl had large eyes and a gentle smile that inexplicably put people at ease. When she smiled, her eyes narrowed slightly.

However, her frail figure gave off a delicate, almost fragile impression—though she still had curves in the right places.

Hm?

The little secretary guided Dongfang Zhixia past her.

A pleasant scent wafted from the girl—precious golden nanmu wood and the rich aroma of ink, soothing in an inexplicable way.

Dongfang Zhixia frowned.

"What's wrong, Miss?" the secretary asked, noticing her pause.

Dongfang Zhixia turned to look back at the unnaturally pale girl, her brows furrowing.

"She looks familiar."

Hearing this, the secretary also craned her neck to look, studying the girl's retreating figure.

Blinking her innocent, doe-like eyes—filled with nothing but pure, clueless sincerity—the secretary nodded sagely.

"I think she looks familiar too. One head, two arms, two legs."

She delivered her analysis with absolute conviction.

Dongfang Zhixia: "..."

"Idiot! Stop staring and let's go!" Dongfang Zhixia snapped, glaring at her dim-witted secretary.

"O-okay..." The secretary pouted, withdrawing her gaze and continuing to support her mistress toward the infirmary.

But it was true! She did look familiar—just like any other human.

As the two walked away, neither noticed that the pale girl had turned around at some point, watching them leave.

"Dongfang Zhixia... Does brother like her because of her looks?"

Lin Baizhi tilted her head slightly, murmuring to herself as she stared at Dongfang Zhixia's retreating figure.

New student orientation had ended days ago.

But she had only arrived today.

A pity—she had missed the opening ceremony, and with it, her brother's confession.

Had she been there, perhaps things wouldn't have ended with him becoming the laughingstock of the entire school.

She had seen the video on the forums.

Though years had passed, Ye Cheng's face remained crystal clear in her mind. Back then, she had been a timid little girl, hiding away to cry whenever she was bullied.

Later, the only place she could cry freely was in Ye Cheng's arms.

The girl seemed lost in thought for a long moment before finally snapping out of it and walking away with light, steady steps toward another part of the campus.

---

Evening.

Ye Cheng strolled out of the cafeteria alone, a toothpick dangling from his lips as he patted his full stomach, looking utterly carefree.

Shen Qinghan had wanted to drag him out to redeem herself at the claw machine today—after yesterday's hands-on tutoring from Ye Cheng, she was convinced she could finally win.

But... having stayed overnight at a hotel, she hadn't showered and insisted on changing and freshening up first.

She made Ye Cheng wait outside the girls' dorm for an hour before they'd go.

Ye Cheng agreed readily—then immediately ditched her to grab a meal instead.

Like hell he was going!

After nearly getting caught by Dongfang Zhixia for staying out all night yesterday, he had narrowly escaped disaster today thanks to some quick thinking.

Ye Cheng wasn't the type to make the same mistake twice—or fall into the same trap again.

Especially with the way that scheming young mistress had looked at him earlier.

If they went claw machine hunting today, she'd probably literally smash the machine to pieces.

Ye Cheng found himself wandering the familiar school track field.

Despite being a prestigious academy, the students at night weren't much different from those at any other school—some jogged, some sang, some performed magic tricks, and some paired off in couples...

But Ye Cheng's favorite pastime was observing the hidden activities—like a guy leading a girl into the woods, or a girl dragging a guy in, or...

Thud!

Distracted by the woods, Ye Cheng accidentally bumped into someone.

Soft. Fragile. The person crumpled to the ground with barely any resistance.

The girl landed in a perfect "seiza" sitting position, her hands already scraped red from the rough track surface.

"Oww..." A pained whimper escaped her lips.

Only then did Ye Cheng realize he had knocked someone over.

"Sorry, you okay?" He instinctively reached out to help her up but withdrew his hand when he saw her injury, opting to crouch instead.

The girl blinked up at him with teary eyes. "I-I'm fine..."

Her voice, however, was so pitiful it sounded like she had been grievously wronged.

Any normal person would have been moved to protect and comfort her—some might even skip straight to imagining wedding bells.

This was textbook anime protagonist material!

The perfect setup for a wish-fulfillment story!

"Glad you're fine! Well then, uh... my mom's calling me for dinner, so I'll be going now. Bye!"

With that, Ye Cheng turned on his heel and bolted.

The girl froze, as if questioning whether she had misread the situation—or if her acting had been unconvincing.

Shouldn't he have asked about her injuries and escorted her to the infirmary?

Instead... he just ran?

Had all that pitiful acting been wasted on a blind man?

The girl didn't hesitate any longer. Seeing Ye Cheng about to bolt, she quickly clung to his leg, her voice pitiful and pleading.

"I'm fine..."

"If you're fine, then let go of me!" Ye Cheng snapped angrily.

Damn it, this school's expenses were ridiculously high—how could an ordinary guy like him afford the medical clinic?

Hearing her claim she was unhurt, Ye Cheng's first instinct was to run.

You said it yourself, didn't you? The disclaimer's already out there—you think I'm still responsible?

Not a chance!