After Becoming the Abused Heroine in a Campus Story - Chapter 27: You Really Want to Know About the Video?

Chapter 27: You Really Want to Know About the Video?

After dinner, Zhou Yining found the house too crowded and noisy. She left early and went to a nearby internet café to check her submission status.

Zhou Yining opened her submission email and found one of her short stories had been accepted. The editor left contact details. Zhou Yining added the editor on WeChat.

Zhou Yining: [Hello, has my short story been accepted? I’m Zhou Yining.]

After a while, Zhou Yining received a reply.

Wu Xinyu: [Yes, your story was accepted. We’ll publish it in next month’s third issue. Since it’s our first collaboration, we’re setting the rate at 150 yuan per thousand words. If the response is good, we’ll increase the rate later.]

Zhou Yining: [Okay, thank you.]

Zhou Yining calculated she’d earn 900 yuan for this story. It wasn’t much compared to her previous life, but it was decent and could help in a pinch.

Wu Xinyu asked for Zhou Yining’s bank account for payment.

Then Zhou Yining realized she only had one bank card, with no money in it.

She didn’t want to use her old card. Given the original Yining’s personality, her family likely knew the card number and password. Zhou Yining didn’t want her hard-earned money ending up in their hands.

Since banks were open at noon, she got a new card and canceled the old one. After sending the new card number to Wu Xinyu, Zhou Yining headed to school.

The afternoon had two consecutive English classes. Teacher Cao, as usual, disliked Zhou Yining. He never called on her to answer questions.

Zhou Yining never listened to his lessons either. Her English was already strong, so she didn’t need to. Instead, she worked on a novel outline. Earning money was the priority.

At dinner time, Zhou Yining packed up and noticed Tian Xue had left early. They had argued at noon, or rather, Tian Xue had picked a fight.

Zhou Yining walked to the cafeteria. Yu Yang and other girls who often asked her for help saw her alone and approached.

“Sister Zhou, want to eat with us?” Yu Yang asked, grabbing Zhou Yining’s wrist. She had grown close to Zhou Yining from asking math questions.

“No, I have something to do later. You guys go,” Zhou Yining said with a smile.

“Alright, if no one’s eating with you, come find us,” Yu Yang said.

“Hmm, got it,” Zhou Yining nodded.

She got her food at the cafeteria and spotted Tian Xue sitting at their usual spot, eating alone.

Zhou Yining sighed. Thinking it over, she walked over. They had just argued, with Tian Xue lashing out. If Zhou Yining took the initiative now, she might learn about the video.

Investigating the video was tough for Zhou Yining. Tian Xue was the only person she knew who had information. The easiest way was to ask Tian Xue directly.

Zhou Yining carried her tray and sat across from Tian Xue.

Tian Xue seemed surprised Zhou Yining came to her. Her eyes flickered, and her face showed a hint of a pleasing smile.

“I thought you’d ignore me. I was wrong at noon. I got too emotional and shouldn’t have said that. Sorry,” Tian Xue said, watching Zhou Yining’s expression.

Zhou Yining smiled at her. “It’s fine. It’s all good now. Friends fight sometimes.”

“Hmm, want milk tea? I’ll buy now,” Tian Xue said. In Class 19, she had no friends. Without Zhou Yining, she ate alone. Now, regaining her friend, Tian Xue was thrilled.

“Buy it after school. By the way, I still want to know about the video. I’ve been studying so much, my brain’s a mess. I don’t remember some things clearly,” Zhou Yining said, testing the waters.

Tian Xue felt guilty from the noon argument. Zhou Yining saw this as a perfect chance. If she asked now, Tian Xue would likely answer to make amends.

Tian Xue looked into Zhou Yining’s eyes and asked seriously, “I’m telling the truth. Forgetting is better than remembering. You really want to know?”

Zhou Yining nodded firmly. “Hmm, no matter what it is, it’s part of my past. Good or bad, I want to know. Avoiding it is useless.”

Tian Xue looked deeply at Zhou Yining. “You’ve changed a lot. Remember last summer’s sports meet? Everyone signed up for one or two events. We all changed in the locker room by the field.”

Tian Xue glanced at Zhou Yining, seeing no reaction, and continued, “Lin Shaohui had one of his lackeys wear a wig and girls’ clothes to sneak into the locker room. He filmed a video with his phone. The sports meet was starting, so the guy only filmed a few people, including you.”

“Later, Lin Shaohui and his group confronted you and the other girls filmed. They used the video to bully you, saying awful things, threatening to post it online. You ran to the school’s rooftop, saying you’d jump. They got scared of the consequences and deleted the video in front of you, but whether it’s truly gone, only they know,” Tian Xue said, watching Zhou Yining’s expression.

Zhou Yining took a deep breath. She knew it wouldn’t be good news. “Have you seen the video? Were me and the other girls wearing clothes?”

“I haven’t seen it, but I heard it spread among some boys in Lin Shaohui’s class, only those close to him. You were changing into sports uniforms, so you were probably in underwear,” Tian Xue said.

She looked at Zhou Yining’s expression, surprised. Tian Xue thought mentioning this would make Zhou Yining break down crying, like before. Every time Lin Shaohui’s group approached, Zhou Yining would collapse in tears. Though Tian Xue stayed far away, she saw it secretly.

Tian Xue remembered once when Zhou Yining knelt, begging Lin Shaohui’s group to delete the video, only to face harsher mockery and insults. That time, Zhou Yining ran to the rooftop recklessly.

Lin Shaohui’s group got scared. After much persuading and deleting the video in front of her, Zhou Yining didn’t jump. But whether they kept backups was unclear.

Because of the rooftop incident, Lin Shaohui’s group stopped bothering Zhou Yining. It had been nearly a year.

Zhou Yining’s face stayed calm, but her heart surged with shock. The original Yining’s pain was worse than she imagined. A chaotic home, ostracized and isolated in class, an invisible presence, filmed changing clothes, and threatened by Lin Shaohui’s group, living in constant fear.

Such a life was pitch-dark. Even Zhou Yining, an adult who had lived once, found it grim. How much worse for a girl under 18?

The original Yining’s pain and confusion had no outlet. Her family didn’t care, even subjecting her to emotional manipulation and verbal bullying. Facing these wounds, she could only lick them alone. Perhaps Tian Xue, her only friend, was her sole comfort.

“You okay? Don’t do anything rash like last time,” Tian Xue said, watching Zhou Yining’s expression closely.

“I’m fine. Do you know who the other girls in the video were?” Zhou Yining asked.

Tian Xue shook her head. “I don’t know them. They’re not from our class.”

“Okay, let’s eat,” Zhou Yining said, starting on her food. No matter what happened, she needed to eat. Since Lin Shaohui dared do something so shameless, she’d make him pay.

“You sure you’re okay?” Tian Xue asked cautiously.

“Really, I’m fine. The ones who should suffer are others. I won’t punish myself for their wrongs. Don’t worry. Remember to buy me milk tea later,” Zhou Yining said, smiling to ease Tian Xue’s concern.

“Hmm, good that you’re okay,” Tian Xue nodded.

They finished eating and walked to the teaching building together. On the second floor, Zhou Yining said, “I’m going to Class 1. You head back.”

“Okay,” Tian Xue nodded, heading upstairs.

Zhou Yining lingered in the third-floor hallway, thinking. With her current resources, getting the video from Lin Shaohui was hard. Without witnesses, even reporting to the police was tricky. It had been so long; nearby surveillance footage was likely gone. She needed evidence to prove Lin Shaohui’s group did it.

Among those she knew, only Jiang Xianzhi could help.

Zhou Yining pursed her lips. She wanted her friendship with Jiang Xianzhi to stay pure, not relying too much on her connections. Jiang Xianzhi had helped with the diary issue before. Zhou Yining didn’t want to use her influence again.

Plus, Jiang Xianzhi’s family was protective. If Zhou Yining asked for help, they might see her as a social climber.

Zhou Yining sighed, then thought of Zhong Yumeng. She could ask Zhong Yumeng for help, offering to tutor her in math for a year without charge in exchange.

Zhou Yining adjusted her expression. This matter couldn’t be rushed; she needed to handle it slowly. First, she’d explain wrong problems to Jiang Xianzhi.

At Class 1’s door, the boys in the front row recognized her. “Looking for Jiang Xianzhi again?”

Zhou Yining smiled and nodded. “Hmm, you’re pretty sharp.”

“Of course, I’m practically the receptionist here,” the boy said, shouting into the class, “Jiang Xianzhi, someone’s here for you.”

“Coming,” Jiang Xianzhi replied, knowing it was Zhou Yining. She had prepared her wrong problems from yesterday, grabbing a notebook and pen.

Zhou Yining smiled at her. “Let’s go to our usual spot.”

“Hmm.”

“Did you eat the snacks from this morning? Any you like? I’ll get more next time,” Zhou Yining asked softly.

“They’re all good. You might not believe it, but my family doesn’t let me eat those. I have to sneak them at school,” Jiang Xianzhi said, blinking her pretty fox-like eyes, full of amusement.

Zhou Yining laughed. “Alright, I’ll buy more. No sneaking. We’ll eat openly.”

“Hmm.”

Chatting and laughing, they reached the open-air corridor from last time. “Show me the wrong problems,” Zhou Yining said.

Jiang Xianzhi obediently pulled out her mistakes. “I checked the answers later and kind of know where I went wrong, but doing them again is still tough.”

“Hmm, these mistakes share a pattern. You haven’t mastered this formula. It has a few variations…” Zhou Yining said.

When explaining problems, Zhou Yining became intensely focused, as if trying to pour all the knowledge into Jiang Xianzhi’s brain.

Her tone was gentle, occasionally asking if Jiang Xianzhi understood. Jiang Xianzhi’s ears reddened as she listened.

Zhou Yining was so kind and gentle. How could she have disliked her over Zhang Ye before?

While Zhou Yining explained, Jiang Xianzhi zoned out. Zhou Yining lightly touched her lower back. “What’re you thinking? You’re distracted.”

Jiang Xianzhi’s ears flushed again. The spot Zhou Yining touched felt soft and ticklish. “N-Nothing, sorry. I didn’t catch that. Explain again.”

Zhou Yining looked at her, amused. The little fox was caught, all red-faced and cute. “Alright, one more time. Listen carefully.”

“Hmm,” Jiang Xianzhi said, her heart racing. She took deep breaths, pressing her hand to her chest for a few seconds before refocusing.

When the bell rang, Zhou Yining had finished explaining. She instructed, “This week, review the notebook on your own. On Sunday, I’ll go over the points with you.”

“Hmm, got it. Thanks, Teacher Zhou,” Jiang Xianzhi said, winking and jogging back to class.

Zhou Yining hurried back to her class. During evening self-study, she worked on outlines. After school, Tian Xue waited at the classroom door.

She checked Zhou Yining’s expression and asked, “You really okay?”

“I’m fine. Didn’t you say you’d buy me milk tea? Let’s go. I’m waiting,” Zhou Yining said lightly, not wanting to worry Tian Xue. This matter needed patience.

“Hmm,” Tian Xue’s eyes brightened. She had snapped at Zhou Yining at noon and was eager to make up for it. Hearing Zhou Yining still wanted her treat, Tian Xue’s mood lifted.

“Let’s go. The milk tea shop at the gate has new flavors. Pick any you like,” Tian Xue said.

“Hmm, fruit tea, or I won’t sleep tonight,” Zhou Yining said after thinking.

Leaving the milk tea shop, Tian Xue reverted to her old self, chatting about school gossip.

Zhou Yining listened willingly, knowing Tian Xue was important to the original Yining.

After parting, Zhou Yining still thought about Lin Shaohui. If she met him again, she’d find a way to get stronger evidence. Her last recording only mentioned a video, not what it was or what Lin Shaohui’s group did.

Thinking this, Zhou Yining sighed. Her lousy phone lagged terribly after a few recordings. Opening WeChat took minutes. She feared it would fail her.

She uploaded the audio to the cloud and deleted it from her phone to avoid crashes.

Checking her phone, Zhou Yining saw the 900 yuan payment had arrived. If she earned more this week, she’d replace her phone first.

Back home, the relatives were gone. Zhao Xiuna was cleaning up.

The house was dirty from the guests, and the bedding had snack crumbs from the kids. Zhao Xiuna was washing clothes in the machine.

Zhou Yuanfei hadn’t gone to his room. Zhou Yining glanced at him, said nothing, and headed to the dining room.

Zhou Yuanfei stopped her. “Zhou Yining, don’t go too far.”

“What’d I do?” Zhou Yining asked, looking at him coldly.

“I’m your father. Can’t you give me some face in front of relatives?”

“Face is earned, not begged. You have no face. Can you blame me? It’s your own incompetence,” Zhou Yining said, scanning him with a flat tone.

Zhou Yuanfei nearly exploded. “How’d you get so sharp-tongued? I barely recognize you.”

“Hmm, so what? I’m comfortable like this,” Zhou Yining said, ignoring him and heading to the dining room.

Zhou Yuanfei sat on the couch, fuming. He couldn’t outtalk Zhou Yining now. He’d lost two hundred yuan to shut her up today, which made him angrier.

Zhou Yining, in a great mood, washed up and went to bed early.

High schoolers lacked nothing but sleep. With her grades, she didn’t need to study. Homework was done at school. At home, Zhou Yining just wanted to sleep.

At 5:30 a.m., the alarm rang. Zhou Yining got up reluctantly. She really wanted the college entrance exam to come. Waking early was brutal.

She got up resignedly and went to school. After the second period, during the long break, they had to do exercises. After, there was a twenty-minute rest. Tian Xue, too tired, returned to class.

Zhou Yining lingered on the field. Going back to class felt torturous.

As she walked, she saw a few people approaching. Her sharp eyes spotted Lin Shaohui leading them.

Zhou Yining took out her phone, started recording, and put it away, pretending to leave. Lin Shaohui’s group took the bait, jogging toward her.

“I thought it was you, and it is. Zhou Yining, we’re quite fated, huh?” Lin Shaohui teased. The two boys beside him laughed.

Zhou Yining looked at him coldly. “This fun for you? What do you want?”

Lin Shaohui eyed her. “Tch, getting feisty. You know how polite your little friends are to us?”

Zhou Yining scoffed, looking at him coldly. “You guys? What’s worth respecting?”

Lin Shaohui frowned, seeing her cold eyes. He smirked. “Zhou Yining, you’re no fun now. I liked you better a year ago, crying and begging us. Your friends are more interesting.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Han Fei echoed.

Another lackey, annoyed by Zhou Yining’s attitude, sneered. “Acting tough? Forgot about the video? You think it’s really gone?”

Zhou Yining’s eyes darkened, but her heart leaped. A fool took the bait.

“Just sneaking into the girls’ locker room dressed as a girl to film us changing, right? We were in underwear, but even if we weren’t, so what? You’re the despicable ones. We’re victims. Don’t threaten me with the video. If you’re so bold, post it. I’d respect you more,” Zhou Yining said loudly, with a reckless air, scanning the three coldly. “If you dare post it, I’ll report it to the police. Actions leave evidence. Filming isn’t a small crime. Want jail? Post it now. No one’s stopping you.”

Lan Guangwen was intimidated by Zhou Yining’s aura. Before, mentioning this made her shrink and cry, begging them to keep it quiet, fearing exposure. How had she changed in a year, speaking so loudly, unafraid of making it a big deal?

Lin Shaohui was startled too, but teenage boys value face. Unwilling to lose ground, he said, “Fine, Zhou Yining. A year apart, and you’re bold now. I underestimated you. You think we won’t post it?”

“Then post it. Do it now, in front of me. You guys only brag. Got less guts than a sesame seed. Pathetic,” Zhou Yining said loudly, acting like she was daring them to post it.

“You think I’ll post just because you say so? Crazy. Zhou Yining, you’re insane. Bad luck,” Lin Shaohui said.

The three came to corner Zhou Yining, thinking she’d gotten prettier and smarter. If she begged like before, it’d be fun. Who knew she’d be so tough, unafraid of exposure, even acting crazy? This wasn’t what he wanted.

Lin Shaohui lost interest. “Boring, so boring. Let’s go,” he said, signaling his lackeys. The three slunk off the field.

Zhou Yining pressed save, storing the recording. She’d make these beasts pay sooner or later.