Lost Land (GL)

Chapter 17: The Seventeenth Night

No.

Zhang Wan Ying hugged her arms, biting her lower lip until it bled. Everyone could hate her, she was used to it, but not Mo Ran.

She couldn't.

Dark thoughts surged within her, clawing to break free. They roared to be unleashed, but just as they were about to break through the last vestiges of her sanity, they vanished.

Why couldn't she be the exception?

The question suddenly popped up. Yes, why couldn't Mo Ran be different? She had no connection to her, just a fellow survivor in this apocalyptic world.

Her emotions gradually calmed, and Zhang Wan Ying sighed softly. Her behavior today was out of character. She wasn't usually so volatile.

It must have been the familiar faces that triggered her outburst. After all, she loathed them.

Liu Xue, Yang Yuan, and the two deceased girls were the ones she had "known" since transferring to this school.

Initially, she was puzzled by their inexplicable cold stares. She wondered if she had done something wrong.

Later, the situation escalated. She became their target. They seemed to be stalking her, "accidentally" bumping into her in the bathroom after class.

They mocked her, locked her in the bathroom stall, pretended to bump into her, deliberately splashed water on her, and then laughed as they walked away.

At first, she thought they were truly careless, but as it happened more and more, she realized it was all intentional.

She tried to talk to them, to ask them to stop, but every time she approached them, she only received innocent replies.

"We're not targeting you."

"We were just joking. You make it sound like we're bullying you."

"We just think you're pretty, so we want to get to know you better."

"If you don't want to interact with ordinary people like us, you shouldn't slander us like that."

And so, the rumors began. They started targeting her more openly, even recruiting more people to join them.

She tried to connect with other girls in her class, but it didn't work. No one wanted to be friends with her. It was as if they had drawn a circle around themselves, excluding her.

So, no one helped her.

The people around her were either indifferent, sympathetic, or unconcerned. Some even seemed to be enjoying her misfortune, their smiles were insincere, like their faces were twitching.

She retreated. She started avoiding people, even going to the bathroom during class. This situation significantly impacted her life.

Fortunately, she was a good student, so her teachers helped her. Adults dismissed it as childish games, and the girls were severely punished.

She would never forget the look in their eyes as they walked out of the principal's office. It was as if they wanted to tear her to pieces.

The situation worsened.

Rumors spread like wildfire. Her beautiful face, once a source of pride, became a weapon that wounded her from both sides. She started receiving countless harassing messages.

The desk drawer was filled with letters, half of them confessions, half of them insulting propositions. She threw them all in the trash, but it was useless.

Someone would pick them up, laugh, read them aloud to everyone, and ask loudly who had dropped them, their eyes fixed on her.

These incidents were countless, and they eventually overwhelmed her. She started developing psychological problems. Walking through the school, she felt like everyone was hating her.