chapter 2: LAUGHTER IN THE HALLWAY

The hallway was full of noise—squeaking shoes, whispered gossip, and the occasional slam of lockers. It was just another Monday for most students at Huaiyin No. 3 High School.

But for Liang Yuxin, it was the first time she had shown her face in school after her disappearance.

One month.

That’s how long she’d stayed away. She’d told the school it was illness. A weak stomach. Stress.

No one questioned it. No one really cared—except to whisper.

As she stepped into the corridor, silence didn’t greet her. Laughter did.

The kind of laughter that lives behind hands and in the corners of eyes. Not loud—but cruel, sharp, suffocating. Like a dagger wrapped in a joke.

"There she is," someone muttered.

"The fake love-letter girl."

"She’s still alive? I thought she transferred schools after that disaster."

Yuxin didn’t look at any of them.

Her uniform was immaculate—ironed flat, her sleeves buttoned all the way to her wrists. Her hair was longer now, tied neatly behind her back. No bangs to hide behind anymore.

The makeup on her face was light, but intentional. Not the kind she used to wear. She’d always preferred the natural look, soft pinks and gentle tones.

Today, her lips were crimson.

A color Zhou Qian once said didn’t suit her.

Now it bled confidence.

In Class 2-B, people turned their heads as she entered. Eyes widened. The whispering intensified.

Chen Jiahao wasn’t in his seat yet. But Zhou Qian was.

She looked up from her desk and froze.

Yuxin walked right past her, not sparing her even a blink.

She took the empty seat near the back, where no one sat before. Where the quiet kids sat. Where ghosts sat.

Her new throne.

Zhou Qian fidgeted. She whispered to the girl beside her—Lin Yue, her new "friend." Someone fake enough to laugh at anyone for the right price.

"She’s probably still upset," Lin Yue said.

Zhou Qian scoffed. "She’ll get over it."

But deep down, her stomach turned.

There was something different about Yuxin now. Something terrifying.

Her silence wasn’t weak. It was calculating.

---

During the break, Chen Jiahao swaggered into class like nothing ever touched him. He threw his bag onto his chair and stretched like he owned the world.

"Yo," he greeted Zhou Qian with a wink.

She smiled. Forced.

That’s when he saw her.

"Eh? Liang Yuxin’s back?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You sure she’s not a ghost?"

A few boys chuckled. It was all just fun to them.

Yuxin looked up.

Their eyes met.

And she smiled.

Not the sweet, nervous smile she used to give him.

No—this was the smile of someone who could gut you with kindness.

Chen Jiahao blinked.

For a second, he felt cold.

---

Later, in the bathroom, Lin Yue whispered, "Did you see her face? She looked like she wasn’t even human anymore."

Zhou Qian gripped the sink, staring at her own reflection.

"She’s just faking it," she muttered.

But the doubt had begun to creep in.

And somewhere in the back of the school, beneath the sound of wind and cicadas…

Liang Yuxin was smiling to herself in the empty stairwell.

“Soon,” she whispered.

“I’ll take everything from you.”

---

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