Lala leaned against the wall, watching Haruko with a playful look in her eyes, fiddling with her phone, and simultaneously kicking her companion who was squatting on the ground beside her.
The follower, wearing black-rimmed glasses, with her hair down, and a gloomy expression on her lowered head, froze for a moment and immediately put away her phone.
Standing up with her head lowered, she stared blankly at Haruko.
The sinister gaze made people even more fearful of Lala, the leader.
Haruko composed herself, reached up to grasp the brim of her hood, pulled the hoodie's hood down low, covering the lower half of her face, her red eyes only glinting with a hint of red light within the shadow of the hood.
Facing such bullies, the weaker you are, the more they will take advantage.
Haruko was clearly aware of this, and timidly walked towards Lala.
Lowering her head, allowing a wisp of her beautiful hair to escape from the hood and hang down, she extended a small hand and said nervously, "Money... give me my money back..."
Lala smiled,
She immediately wanted to get angry and mock, but was quickly pulled back by her follower.
Lala turned her head unhappily, "What?"
The follower, with her hair down, pointed her finger towards a corner of the hallway, where red light was emanating.
Lala's pupils contracted slightly, her tense shoulders relaxed, and she pointed at the door, "Since we're already here, aren't you going to invite us in before we talk? It's freezing outside, the snow came a bit late this year, it'll snow in a few more days, isn't it too cold?"
As she spoke, both she and the follower moved away from the doorway.
Haruko glanced at a camera in the hallway, which was installed by the community's property management; there were several on each floor to prevent accidents.
If they were to make a move here, it would be perfect.
But it didn't matter, Rinko would come looking for her because of the handkerchief anyway.
Haruko opened the door and walked in. After Lala and her follower had entered, she pulled the door shut, leaving a gap without closing it tightly.
After walking in together, Lala casually opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of cola, and sat down on the sofa as if she were in her own home.
Crossing her legs, she sighed to herself, "It's truly unbelievable, you say we're both from the bottom, so why can you own such a nice house in such a good location?"
Haruko remained silent, just watching her open the cola and take a sip.
Then she slowly walked in front of her, raising her small head, "Can you give me my money back now?"
"Heh." Lala turned around and looked down at Haruko from above, "Sure, how much do you want me to return?"
Haruko bit her lip, this small expression reflected in Lala's pupils, "Three... three years, not counting the middle school ones, you... you just need to give me back seven thousand yuan!"
Lala sighed, "Seven thousand, I didn't realize I'd asked you for that much money?"
Even she herself found it hard to believe.
After all, Haruko was just like her, dirt poor, her family didn't even have money for her tuition, she only knew that her brother, who was out in the world, had been giving her money.
She looked at Haruko, a hint of mockery in her eyes, "Return money?"
Haruko seemed shocked in her heart, and stepped back fearfully, "You... what do you mean? You don't want to return the money? You said you would give it back to me!"
"Heh!" Lala spread her thumb and index finger, covering her mouth, looking like she was trying to stifle a laugh.
She then covered her forehead with her hand, pushing up her bangs, and burst into laughter, "Heh hahahaaha, you actually said return the money?!"
"Hahahahaha are you trying to make me die of laughter?" She raised her head, lifting her fist high, asking as if not asking, "When did you get the guts to resist me? Who gave you the courage?"
"Liang Jingru?!"
A sharp shout rang out.
"Bang—!"
A heavy punch landed on Haruko's face.
The strong force brought up a gust of wind, flipping Haruko's hood open, and she herself fell towards the ground, rolling twice before hitting a chair.
The force was heavy, and her face hurt a lot.
Even with reduced pain sensation, Haruko still felt a burning sensation on her face; this pain was no less than the self-harm she inflicted during her plans.
But... it was bearable.
She didn't let anger cloud her judgment; the pain made her even more rational.
As long as she waited for Rinko to bring the handkerchief, the harsher the beating she received, the more valid her reason for "self-harming and becoming a yandere because of being bullied" would become.
This punch was also part of the plan, there was no need to get angry at all.
Haruko was perfectly clear; the moment she raised her head, her calm eyes turned tense, fearful, and fragile, and her lips trembled uncontrollably, "You... how could you do this!"
She covered her cheek, feeling a slightly salty and bloody taste in her mouth.
This punch had caused some bleeding in her mouth.
This taste was really unpleasant.
A hint of strangeness flashed in her eyes, seeing Lala stand up, Haruko's body began to tremble slightly.
As if the fear from the past surged into her heart.
The girl tossed her yellow hair and walked step by step towards Haruko, "Honestly, I didn't expect you to actually dare to ask me for money back, this is perfect."
Coming in front of Haruko, she squatted down.
She grabbed a handful of that tea-colored long hair.
Pulling her head up, "You've been hiding from me for half a month, it's time to remind you who the master is."
"Slap—!"
Another slap landed on Haruko's face. The soft touch and crisp sound from her palm made Lala frown slightly.
At this moment, Haruko should be snotting and crying, begging her on her knees to stop hitting her.
What does such a dull reaction mean?
Looking down on me?
And this face...
"Tsk!"
She slapped her again, "Always this face, always this face! Why are you so good-looking, why is your fragile appearance so likable, why!"
"Clang—"
She pulled out a small knife from her lower back, held it against Haruko's face, and grinned maliciously, "Haruko, what do you think will happen if I scratch your face?"
Haruko's pupils contracted, fear surfaced on her face, and she shook her head, about to struggle.
Seeing this, a satisfied expression finally appeared on Lala's face, and she said to the follower behind her, "You, go check if the window is closed tightly, it won't be good if she screams."
The follower squatted on the ground, leaning against the sofa, knees curled up, arms wrapped around herself, as if experiencing the same abuse as Haruko, trembling uncontrollably.
Seeing no movement behind her, Lala frowned in dissatisfaction and said fiercely, "What, didn't you hear me?"
"Yes... yes!"
The follower nodded and hurried towards the large open window on the balcony.
Meanwhile, Lala watched this scene with satisfaction, then turned her head to look at Haruko, "Did you see that? You should have become like her too, instead of still daring to glare at me now."
She didn't notice the calmness hidden in Haruko's eyes. The cold back of the knife traced across her cheek, and Lala declared her victory, "I'm also very curious, after training you for three years, why haven't you become a dog yet? Who gave you hope?"
Her eyes shifted, thinking.
Finally, they settled on a photo of two people under the television.
She sneered, "Is it that bitch Ichiko?"
"Bang—!"
A small hand clamped tightly onto Lala's wrist, a pair of crimson pupils contracted, like a cat protecting its food.
"Say that again, I dare you?"
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