Chapter 8: 8

When Song Juyao uttered the word "okay," Tang Kai, Ming Shu, and the production team let out a collective sigh of relief. If Song Juyao remained in the school, it would be simpler to manipulate her as a real-life NPC.

Of course, she had to stay in this school because it was the platform for her most significant performance.

The kitten in her arms meowed, and Song Juyao said to the headmaster, "I want to take it to see a doctor first."

"Good. You remember the way to the school doctor's office, right?"

"Yes."

Tang Kai's eyes gleamed with excitement, and he hastened back to the school clinic.

Ming Shu grew increasingly anxious as she watched Tang Kai sprinting away upon spotting a chance to connect with Song Juyao. Ming Shu and Tang Kai were competitors, and every NPC that entered the show was their adversary. They competed for the audience's affection and popularity. Otherwise, what was the purpose of participating in this show?

But now she had no idea how to establish a relationship and make friends with Song Juyao.

Tang Kai rushed back to the school clinic, straightened his clothing and hair, regulated his breathing, and waited for Song Juyao to knock on the door while the audience also waited in anticipation.

Tang Kai had already contemplated several gestures and ways to interact with the cat to garner Song Juyao's attention. Tang Kai had faith in his looks and demeanor and even though Song Juyao was no longer a vulnerable child, she still lost her father at the age of 10, Tang Kai was confident that her preference for older individuals would not waver.

However, after waiting for an extended period, no one arrived. Some spectators in the live stream chat began to ridicule him.

【Ha-ha-ha, what a dimwit! Song Juyao went to the veterinary clinic, not the school infirmary.】

【Ha-ha-ha, private schools for the elite are different. They even have a vet for students' pets..】

【Use your brain. How could they bring a cat to the school infirmary?】

【......】

......

Jinke Duola was an elite private school exclusively for the wealthy. With the exception of a handful of specially admitted students like Song Juyao, all attendees hailed from affluent families. The campus was vast, boasting stunning scenery, opulent amenities, and apartment-style dormitories. Moreover, Jinke Duola wasn't far from the city center, and the school gate was only four bus stops away, making transportation very convenient.

Song Juyao's dormitory was a luxurious two-story apartment fully furnished with top-of-the-line amenities. It was located within the student dormitory building. Initially, the school wanted to provide her with a dormitory in the teacher's quarters, but Song Juyao declined and chose this one herself.

Song Juyao's baggage was minimal, comprising only a handful of clothing and daily essentials. The sole valuable possession she had was a computer, and she also brought along the little stray cat she picked up on the way to Jinke Duola Academy.

Seated on the sofa, wearing thin-framed glasses and engrossed in reading, Song Juyao exuded a scholarly charm akin to that of a painting. Fans couldn't help but express their admiration, but they didn't dare to post in the chat, fearing potential backlash.

The kitten paced back and forth next to her, mewing beside her. The sound seemed to unsettle Song Juyao, prompting her to turn and glance at the feline. Her eyes were profound and enigmatic, and as the cat's round orbs met hers, a moment of connection was established.

【Here it comes, here it comes!】

【We'll finally see the true face of this beast!】

The audience in the live broadcast became excited.

Slowly, Song Juyao removed her glasses and her aura suddenly exploded. She then pounced on the little cat, pressing it down on the sofa like a girl being pinned down. She buried her face in its belly, taking a deep breath.

The little cat stared back at her with confused, round eyes.

Song Juyao was smitten, putting down her book and starting to play with the cat, rolling around on the floor with it.

Her love for small animals was no different from that of an ordinary person.

It was especially evident after playing with the cat for a while as she watched variety shows with the cat by her side, sending bullet comments (danmu).

Song Juyao exclaimed, "Ahhh! You guys are all amazing! Let's walk the flowery road together!"

But throughout the hour, Song Juyao remained very restrained. An hour later, she returned to her image as the unattainable winner of life. With a book in hand, she made her way to the balcony and read it intently. The little cat had finished eating, drinking, and playing, and had curled up at her feet to sleep.

While reading, the soft light illuminated her gentle eyes, the curve of her lips softened. Time seemed to stand still in this picturesque moment.

Occasionally, she would pick up the binoculars on the table and glance across the way, as if she were observing something. However, whenever the audience tried to catch a glimpse of what she was looking at, till then she would quickly avert her gaze.

【Isn't that the boys' dormitory across the way? Is she peeping on them?】

【And with binoculars, no less. How disgusting.】

【I knew she couldn't be as normal as she seems on the surface. There must be something she's hiding!】

【She'll eventually reveal her true nature if we keep watching her!】

【Is she looking at the same person from earlier? The one she was searching for during the day?】

【It's so dangerous. I almost fell for her facade!】

As Song Juyao turned the page, the smile at the corner of her mouth deepened.

When an average person engages in everyday activities, it's not considered noteworthy. However, when someone who appears to be above the common people does something ordinary in private, people tend to find them cute and endearing due to the contrast effect. The so-called contrast effect is synonymous with cuteness.

But they had too high expectations for her to do bad things and show her evil true face. If they found out that she was just an ordinary person, the sense of gap would be too great, and they might turn away in anger, so they had to throw a hook to pique their interest.

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The audience had high expectations of Song Juyao, hoping that she would do something bad or reveal her true evil nature. But if they discovered that she was just an ordinary person, it would create a significant gap in their perception of her, and they might turn away in anger. So, Ming Shu had to use a hook to capture their attention.

In this way, step by step, she would slowly lead them into her trap.

......

Ming Shu was worried that Tang Kai had already established contact with Song Juyao, leaving her feeling anxious and flustered.

Since she couldn't think of a way to connect with Song Juyao and form a friendship, she focused on increasing her livestream's popularity. The team's script centered around romantic campus idol dramas, which appealed to a broad audience.

To make the audience empathize more with the transfer student Ming Shu, the team decided to make her a special admission student, which means she was also a commoner girl just like many of the viewers.

Although she was excited when the script was presented, the virtual world felt overly realistic, with NPCs that seemed like real people and the five senses feeling 100% real to reality all made her recoil.

As she walked into the women's restroom, she saw several girls pulling another girl's hair and slapping her repeatedly, and she was dumbfounded.

She recognized the victim as Li Zhao, another special admission student in her class. She had good grades, but was often quiet and gloomy. The moment after school, she would pick up her school bag and rush out as if there was a ghost chasing her from behind. Several of the little princess-like girls in the class would immediately follow suit.

Ming Shu had suspected that the special admission student might be a victim of campus violence, but she did not dare to intervene, so she could only pretend to be ignorant to avoid letting the audience in the live broadcast room think she was cowardly. Those viewers may be even more cowardly in real life than her, but she knew that they have high expectations of their idols, and any negative quality shown by a star could lead to disappointment.

Now, the bullying was right in front of her.

What should she do? Should she intervene? She had to decide whether to intervene and risk becoming the next target, or to run away and risk damaging her public image. If she got beaten in front of the audience, it would be embarrassing, but running away would also be a negative reflection on her character.

Ming Shu's body froze as if she had fallen into an icy cave.

"Hey, I'll give you two seconds to get out of here," one of the girls warned her while Li Zhao looked at her with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

Ming Shu turned and ran away, leaving Li Zhao's hope to vanish into the darkness.

【Did she just run away like that? So disappointing.】

【She usually puts on a positive and energetic appearance, but in reality, she's just a coward.】

【Put yourselves in her shoes, would you dare to do anything? It's easy to talk tough from behind a screen.】

【Ming Shu was alone, and if she had intervened, she would have put herself in harm. It's better to prioritize your own safety before helping others. Isn't that what the government encourages?】

【See, Ming Shu sought out a teacher for assistance, rather than standing idly by.】

【The defendant has arrived. Observe her, she'll certainly turn tail and flee, even quicker than Ming Shu did.】

Upon entering the teaching building, Song Juyao heard voices emanating from the women's restroom. Curious, she pushed the door open and went inside to check. As soon as she saw a girl's head being forced into a toilet bowl, her expression changed drastically.

"Stop it!" she exclaimed, without hesitation. "What are you doing? How can you treat a fellow student like this?"

The girls, upon spotting Song Juyao, were not as bold as they were when they saw Ming Shu. The person who had been holding Li Zhao's head down looked at Song Juyao with a hostile expression and sneered, "Mind your own business and get out of here."

"Release that student," Song Juyao commanded firmly.

The person's expression grew even more unpleasant. They let go of Li Zhao and approached Song Juyao, attempting to push her with their hand. "Who do you think you are to boss me around? Do you really think everyone at Jinke Duola is a fan of yours? You're just a nerd..."

"I advise you not to touch me. The moment you lay a hand on me, you'll be in violation of the Imperial Personal Safety Law, the Imperial Criminal Law, and the Imperial Campus Violence Law. Once I sue you in court, you'll face a sentence of three to five years," Song Juyao stated coldly. She had already turned on her phone and started recording.

The person's hand froze in mid-air, just as it was about to touch Song Juyao's shoulder.

"Don't try to intimidate me. Do you know who I am?" the girl said, attempting to sound threatening.

"Do you even know who I am? I have 30 million A-blog followers, and I dined with the president at the Red House with my team just last month. Who's your dad? What's your family's business? Real estate? How much is your family worth? Can your company's stocks withstand instability? Hmm?"

The girl's complexion paled, and she couldn't even muster the courage to move her hand forward. Her friends also looked frightened and stood rigidly.

In the end, they fled like beaten dogs.

【I'm completely captivated by her appearance.】

【She's so cool!】

【Think about how different it is from the scene where Ming Shu turned and ran away. The contrast is too strong.】

【If Ming Shu had the same background as Song Juyao, she wouldn't be scared either. Besides, she was going to find a teacher and not ignore someone in danger!】

【It's as if Song Juyao comes from a very influential family. Let's not forget the background given to her by the program group.】

【Just because someone is wealthy doesn't mean they would help someone in danger. There are many wealthy students in this school. I don't believe no one in the class knew this girl was being bullied.】

【Regardless, Song Juyao is a murderer, and I don't believe she's a good person in the virtual world!】

【She's definitely pretending!】

In the end, the prevailing public opinion was that Song Juyao was not a good person. Although some people were charmed by her and had softened their dislike of her since last night, they still weren't willing to defend her and argue with others online.

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