pjbooks Chapter 42 Shangyin
Chapter 42 Shangyin
Jiang Wanren laughed heartily, twirling the steel pipe in his hand in the air with a flourish, looking quite skilled, clearly indicating that he had practiced quite a bit.
But Xu Xiu turned to face him directly, and seeing his appearance, she unconsciously took a step back.
Looking at this burly, dark-skinned young man, she didn't find him childish or ridiculous at all. In the unusual setting of the "back room," witnessing this scene instead sent a chill down her spine.
"You... what you're saying... since you know this is the 'back room,' you should understand. The 'back room' isn't the real apocalypse, so why are you being so crazy!?"
"...You knocked Su Xu unconscious, and then tried to attack me. What exactly are you trying to do?! Aren't we classmates? We should be working together to figure out how to get out of here!"
"...Not the real apocalypse?"
Jiang Wanren frowned dramatically.
"So what?"
"Xu Xiu, I know you."
He carried the steel pipe and approached Xu Xiu again and again, baring his two rows of pale white teeth and laughing like a mad dog, with bloodshot veins seeping from his eyes.
"You've always looked down on me... no, not just me, but also Shang Yin, Chen Fangyuan, and everyone else except you and that thing lying on the ground, right?"
"...What are you talking about?!"
Xu Xiu stared in astonishment at the bloodshot veins in Jiang Wanren's eyes. Although her body was still trembling, she quietly clenched her fists, but her ears seemed to be perked up, paying close attention to the movements behind her.
"You think I can't tell? Heh!"
"What I hate most is that look on your faces, that 'I think I've got everything under control' look... Pah! So damn self-important! Like everyone else in this world is just a supporting character!"
"I hadn't thought of it that way..."
Before Xu Xiu could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a resentful voice behind her:
"Xu Xiu, I've always envied you."
"..."
Xu Xiu stood there, stunned.
Although she didn't turn around, she could tell from the tone of her voice what kind of expression the girl with pigtails had on her face at that moment.
—That must be similar to every time she brought up a topic in the past, she would excitedly pick up on it, only to be teased by Jiang Wanren in a sarcastic way, and then the two of them would flirt and banter in front of her, while she would helplessly cast her gaze towards Su Xu on the outermost edge of this small group…
...The expression on their faces during breaks between classes, when they chatted and joked with their friends, and spent their leisure time in a relaxed manner, was exactly the same.
"But……"
But why did things turn out this way?!
...Why is it that not only Jiang Wanren, but even Shang Yin has gone mad!
"Is it because of the environment? Is it because this 'back room' has corrupted their hearts?"
Xu Xiu cried out in her heart, lost in thought.
But Shangyin's voice came from behind her, sweet and charming, casually refuting her guess:
"I know what you're guessing, Xu Xiu, but it's actually different from what you think."
"This place is called the 'back room,' right...? Staying in there for too long definitely makes your mind feel a bit muddled..."
"However... I think the main reason is probably because the environment is too monotonous?"
"My personality, spirit, consciousness, and so on, are actually no different from who I was before."
"and you--"
Xu Xiu's voice had barely begun when Shang Yin interrupted her again:
"Xu Xiu...don't interrupt me so quickly!"
"..."
Xu Xiu didn't speak again. Her gaze sharpened, and after glancing at the ground, she looked up again, her lips pressed tightly together.
Shangyin's voice also became more sentimental.
"Sigh, Xu Xiu, just like I said before. Actually, I'm quite envious of you..."
"...A girl like you, although your grades aren't particularly good, are still much better than mine. More importantly, you have a cheerful personality, are excellent at sports, and are prettier than me too..."
"Do you know why I keep my hair in pigtails and deliberately try to sound cute in my speech and actions?"
"Because I admire you so much!"
"I admire your cheerfulness and boldness. Wherever you stand, you automatically become the center of attention. But I'm different..."
"I admire you and respect you, but I know that if I try to imitate you, I'll never reach your level..."
"So I chose another direction."
"I deliberately kept my hair in pigtails, wore clothes that accentuated my petite figure, and went for a cute look, all so that I could be with you..."
"...Hey, what's that term again? 'Differentiated competition,' right?"
"Doing this did have some effect, because I did receive some love letters after I started high school, but it's still nothing compared to you. I heard that if it weren't for you thinking about Su Xu all the time, your desk would have been overflowing with love letters and gifts by now—"
"At least as far as I know, most of the guys who like me are just choosing me as a second option after you..."
"Shangyin..."
Xu Xiu's throat went dry, but as soon as she called out that name, the girl behind her immediately bristled, like a mad cat.
"...Don't interrupt me! Xu Xiu! Do you think I'm complaining about this? You're wrong again. I don't care at all about the boys who confessed to me. Their feelings are completely insignificant!"
"But you...you alone are different!"
"..."
"That's why I've always said... I envy you, but you have no idea just how much I envy you!"
"I still remember the first day I saw you in class."
"That was at the beginning of the first year of high school. It was basically the first time everyone had met, but you weren't shy at all."
"You gave a fluent opening speech and even cracked a joke... So everyone's attention was focused on you, and everyone was scrambling to get your contact information..."
"Back then, I huddled in the last row of the classroom, watching you, thinking: 'She's so amazing, so beautiful... and so happy!' It's like she's never been bullied in her entire life!"
"...Someone like you must always be very happy, right? You must be completely different from someone like me, right?"
"That's what I was thinking when I looked at your back at that time."
"Shangyin..."
Xu Xiu's weak voice was drowned out by Shang Yin's hurried speech.
You probably don't know Xu Xiu, do you?
"After all, I've never told you this before, but actually... I was often bullied in junior high school, you know?"
"Because I've always been the kind of person who's somewhat good-looking, but not the most good-looking, and I'm also quite slow-witted, my entire three years of junior high school were very difficult..."
"But that's precisely why I understand best that some people in this world are born stars, destined to be the focus of everyone's attention; some are born planets, destined to orbit around stars, sharing their light and heat; and many more are just inconspicuous asteroid belt meteorites, who might be bullied at any time, just like I used to be."
"So in my eyes, Xu Xiu, you are a star. So I did everything I could to become a planet orbiting around you... Although it was only because you wanted Su Xu to make more friends, so you decided to open up your social circle a bit, right?"