The Senior Student (female) Is Not Human - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Performance

“I don’t like Jiang Xiyao.”…

Inside the music room.

Xie Shiwei’s body flinched violently at the resounding kick, her heart feeling as if it had been tightly squeezed by a hand!

The melodious violin music abruptly turned discordant, like a saw scraping through tree bark, harshly grating on the ears.

Then, she heard Sister Le Qiong cautiously inquire:

“Jiang… Xiyao, is something wrong?”

However, the brazen intruder didn’t spare her a glance, completely ignoring her words. Her dark pupils focused solely on staring intensely, oppressively, at Xie Shiwei, who was sitting in the corner.

Xie Shiwei slowly rubbed her chest. Already terrified by Jiang Xiyao’s actions, and now being stared at with such menacing, demanding eyes, her heartbeat involuntarily quickened again.

She thought in confusion that she didn’t seem to owe Sister Jiang any money, but at the same time, her nose uncontrollably began to sting, as if the switch for her tear ducts was no longer in her control but in Jiang Xiyao’s hand.

Wuwu.

My body is going to be molded into Sister’s shape.

Jiang Xiyao’s sharp eyes noticed the girl’s teary eyes beneath her thick lenses. Although she looked just as beautiful crying as before, at this moment, Jiang Xiyao lacked the composure to appreciate it, feeling only unparalleled irritation.

—She had clearly warned her not to cry in front of others. Now, with such improper people present, she dared to cry?!

Jiang Xiyao walked towards her expressionlessly.

But in the next instant, a figure suddenly rushed in from the side:

“Jiang, Jiang Xiyao, sh-she’s just a junior I asked over to help out. Please, don’t trouble her.”

As she spoke, the person rushing in even seemed to be aiming to bump into Jiang Xiyao!

Jiang Xiyao instinctively knitted her brows, recoiling half a step back in disgust.

At the same time, Le Qiong, who barely managed to steady herself, stood between them, her figure perfectly blocking Xie Shiwei behind her.

As Le Qiong’s face was forced into the reflection in Jiang Xiyao’s dark eyes, her inner voice transmitted at close range:

【What a pity. Why did she dodge? I thought I could accidentally touch her and then conveniently be pushed down by her. In that case, the junior would definitely feel very sorry for me, right?】

Jiang Xiyao looked at her coldly, wanting to slap her, but not wanting to dirty her hands.

For a second, she hesitated about ordering Xie Shiwei to do it, but then decided against it—

The person she wants to touch is not allowed to touch such a meddlesome, dirty thing.

So, Jiang Xiyao closed her eyes, no longer looking at the ugly face in front of her. She only slightly parted her red lips, threatening with malice:

“If I hear my name come out of that ugly mouth again, I’ll make sure you can’t speak in your next life.”

Le Qiong suddenly realized she had overacted.

Thinking of Jiang Xiyao’s insane and terrifying admirers, she visibly flinched, instinctively stepping aside.

Finally, she revealed the Xie Shiwei behind her, and the bright look of worry and concern on her face.

After being alone with Jiang Xiyao this morning, and having courageously refused the “aesthetic oppression” she tried to impose, Xie Shiwei was still alive and well, so she wasn’t as afraid of her anymore.

In fact.

When she saw Le Qiong rushing over just now, her heart almost jumped into her throat:

Is Sister Le also nearsighted?! Why is she running toward where Sister Jiang is standing!

Oh my god! My delicate and helpless Sister Jiang, who needs someone else to open a water bottle for her, with such a beautiful face—she won’t fall and ruin her looks, will she?!

It was only when she realized that Sister Jiang’s “cleanliness” instinct had kicked in and she had timely dodged any possible contact with Le Qiong that Xie Shiwei let out a long breath!

Thank goodness, today is another day where Sister Jiang’s beauty remains intact!

Jiang Xiyao’s eyes were icy as she stared at Xie Shiwei’s look of relief, unable to suppress a sneer:

How long has she known Le Qiong? And she’s already starting to feel bad for her? Starting to worry that this “kind and innocent” senior will suffer a loss because of her?

Jiang Xiyao was infuriated.

Then, she abruptly turned her head to look at the Head of the Publicity Department who was still lingering outside the door:

“That boring competition you just mentioned, I’ll participate. Go change the list.”

The Head of the Publicity Department looked at her ecstatically: “Really?! I’ll go change the form right now. Just let me know the program type and name when you’ve decided. As long as you’re willing to go on stage, anything is fine—”

The next moment.

Jiang Xiyao’s dark-colored fingernails pointed from afar, gesturing at Xie Shiwei.

“Remember to add her name as well.”

The beautiful woman lifted her chin arrogantly: “I need a useful assistant.”

Xie Shiwei: ?

Her pupils dilated in shock.

No? What do you mean ‘participate in a competition’? Why drag me into it?!

“No, no, no, I, I can’t do it, I don’t know anything…” Xie Shiwei instinctively waved her hands frantically.

Jiang Xiyao couldn’t even remember how many times she had been rejected by her.

In short, this custard bun could be swayed by other people’s money or by other people’s pitiful pleas, but she remained completely unmoved by any of her invitations.

Liar, fibber.

She constantly says she likes me, she loves me, yet she is only this cruel and heartless towards me.

Having heard Xie Shiwei’s rejections so many times, Jiang Xiyao could now even remain calm. She simply glanced lightly at the Head of the Publicity Department, curving her lips into a malicious smile:

“Ah. If I don’t have such a useful servant, I won’t go on stage.”

The Head of the Publicity Department was immediately threatened. Although he couldn’t see how Xie Shiwei—who couldn’t lift anything, couldn’t carry anything, and whose looks were completely unmemorable—was useful at all.

But he still beckoned to Xie Shiwei without hesitation.

“Student, come here for a moment, let’s talk.”

A few minutes later.

Xie Shiwei, with “school promotion and honor” in her left ear and “academic credits and student club activity evaluation” in her right, returned in a daze, having received a full package of promises and threats from the school’s publicity department.

In short, if she refused to cooperate with Jiang Xiyao—a student with a good image who could help promote the school and recruit new students—to perform on stage, then her chance of getting a school scholarship later… Hehe, no way!

Xie Shiwei, who had absolutely no experience with events, returned dejectedly to Jiang Xiyao.

Staring at Sister Jiang’s still beautiful embroidered shoes, she mumbled softly:

“Don’t you dislike being photographed and recorded? Why did you suddenly decide to participate in an event?”

She had just found out, while delivering documents for her advisor and overhearing other teachers chatting in the activity room, that an influential figure like Jiang Xiyao had never participated in any major school event in the previous years.

Thinking back to the photography incident on the sports field, Xie Shiwei was certain of one thing:

Sister Jiang must absolutely hate being in front of the camera.

She wonders if it’s because the camera can’t capture her supermodel beauty.

Jiang Xiyao saw the unwilling, deathly look on her face ever since she found out they would participate in the event together. She could no longer contain her temper and mocked:

“You think you know me very well?”

Xie Shiwei was stunned and immediately shook her head violently: “I-I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant…”

Le Qiong, who had remained in the corner all along, her eyes shifting, came up with a new idea and tried to help her out:

“The Junior doesn’t seem to have any experience with large-scale events. There’s not much time left until the finals. If it’s just the two of you preparing, you probably won’t make it in time, right?”

“Besides, the number of programs for the finals was already set. Suddenly adding one now might cause complaints from other students. How about… you two join my group and just use my slot?”

【Jiang Xiyao never agreed to participate in events before, so she must be afraid of making a fool of herself on stage. There won’t be many opportunities like this—where I can steal the spotlight, she can be bullied, and I can play the victim for sympathy. This is a godsend.】

【If I can make a splash in the show and also secure this junior who seems to hold some kind of leverage over Jiang Xiyao and is obviously important to her, it won’t be long until I regain my school beauty glory, right?】

The word “scram” was on the tip of Jiang Xiyao’s tongue, but she suddenly looked at Xie Shiwei.

She wanted to hear this custard bun’s choice: would she choose this hypocritical, disgusting, two-faced woman, or would she choose herself?

“You answer.”

Xie Shiwei: “…Huh?”

She looked bewildered and innocent. Even now, she hadn’t fully processed why her trip to deliver documents for her advisor had suddenly turned into signing up for a school competition.

Moreover, the plot had now advanced to the point where she had to decide whether Le Qiong’s program would be kept as it was, or if they would form a new performance group with Jiang Xiyao?

Seriously, who am I?

Xie Shiwei wanted to cry but had no tears. She truly wanted to kneel and beg her Goddess to stop tormenting her.

These two—one has the looks, the other has the talent. Can’t they just be a team together and leave me out of it, please?

Under the simultaneous gaze of both Jiang Xiyao and Le Qiong, Xie Shiwei nervously pushed up her glasses.

She replied in a tiny voice: “I… I’ll listen to both of you, Seniors.”

The Head of the Publicity Department had made the matter final. Until Jiang Xiyao changed her mind, the right to withdraw from the program was not in Xie Shiwei’s hands. She only prayed now that her work would be entirely behind the scenes, and never on stage.

Both?

Hearing that irritating word, what flashed through Jiang Xiyao’s mind was the image of Xie Shiwei earlier, gazing at Le Qiong’s profile as she played the violin, and letting her imagination run wild.

This dead custard bun, could it be that she thinks one isn’t enough, and she wants to have both?

Can she even handle it?!

The moment Jiang Xiyao’s malicious thought surfaced, she recalled the past incident at the Tang family funeral, where she frantically wiped her fingers.

If the guest at the same table hadn’t accidentally bumped Xie Shiwei while offering a toast, what Jiang Xiyao would have had to wipe at the other table would have been more than just her index and middle fingers.

Her thoughts paused.

Jiang Xiyao calmly reached the terrible conclusion that, “mere two? She really can handle it.” She chuckled to herself, and at the same time, her killing intent toward Le Qiong suddenly intensified.

Though standing in the sunlight, the shadow extending from her feet grew darker, even beginning to writhe, like a monster in a cage about to break free from its restraints—

Le Qiong inexplicably shivered.

Meeting Jiang Xiyao’s cold, lightless eyes, she seemed to remember something:

“We can discuss the program later. Are you just singing or performing with an instrument? Do you have a favorite instrument? How about I go borrow some instruments for you to look at and see which one you want to use?”

Despite her words, as Le Qiong turned to leave, she decided to fully commit to the act, moving as many portable instruments as possible. She wanted to personally witness the moment Jiang Xiyao’s lack of talent would be exposed, proving she was nothing but a useless vase.

With Le Qiong gone, only Xie Shiwei and Jiang Xiyao remained in the music room.

The friend who reportedly had a dispute with Le Qiong about the program had left earlier when she was playing, perhaps truly disagreeing so much that they lacked even this much patience.

As these irrelevant thoughts drifted through Xie Shiwei’s mind, her gaze unconsciously followed Jiang Xiyao’s figure standing in the distance.

She was actually the type of person who rarely looked closely at others’ appearances. Perhaps due to innate lack of confidence, Xie Shiwei was afraid of meeting anyone’s gaze and usually only glanced fleetingly.

For example, she still hadn’t really remembered what Sister Le Qiong looked like.

But.

Only upon seeing Jiang Xiyao for the first time did her eyes unilaterally betray her will, uncontrollably drawn to this breathtakingly beautiful face.

And this heart-stirring beauty captivated her in every subsequent meeting, as if it were the first time.

Although she didn’t know why Sister Jiang was in such a foul mood today, Xie Shiwei still wanted to try to appease her, lest she get upset and constantly torment her.

Xie Shiwei cautiously approached. Remembering Jiang Xiyao’s words about needing her as an assistant, she asked obediently:

“Is there anything I can do for your performance, Sister? Please feel free to instruct me.”

Jiang Xiyao peered down at her.

Very good.

The moment Le Qiong leaves, she’s eager to follow, not even willing to stay in the same space as me? She used to enjoy fantasizing about me, didn’t she?

What, she found someone with a better temper now, and she’s impatiently switching tastes?!

Dream on!

Jiang Xiyao immediately folded her arms and took a step towards her. She only stopped when the tips of their shoes were touching, then spoke languidly:

“Use you? What part of you do you think is useful enough to be used by me?”

Although there wasn’t much difference in their height, Xie Shiwei felt an intense sense of oppression radiating from the other person.

Embarrassingly lowering her head to avoid that gaze, she saw their shoe tips pressed together—one pair exquisite and beautiful, the other deformed and yellowed. It suddenly felt like seeing Snow White deliberately kissing Cinderella.

Xie Shiwei blushed unconsciously, wanting to step back, but her waist was pressed against the cold iron railing that hadn’t been removed from the corner when this dance studio was converted into a music room.

Her blush deepened as she recalled Jiang Xiyao’s question.

What did she mean… what part of her was useful?

Does she dare say it, and would Sister Jiang dare listen?

There’s a spot between her legs that’s very useful, and incredibly durable. Would Sister like to try it?

Xie Shiwei bit her lower lip. Just thinking of uttering such explicit words to Jiang Xiyao’s face made her knees feel weak. She had to use her hands to brace herself against the railing, steadying herself.

Jiang Xiyao, however, was unrelenting, pressing her relentlessly. Her unique scent enveloped Xie Shiwei completely:

“Speak.”

“Weren’t you very confident just now, telling me to use you however I want? You should at least let me know what your most useful part is, shouldn’t you?”

Xie Shiwei was completely shrouded in Jiang Xiyao’s distinctive fragrance. She watched the red lips open and close repeatedly at close range, with her voice echoing all around, asking to use her—

Just as Jiang Xiyao moved closer, so close that she was about to kiss her.

Xie Shiwei’s palms were soaked with sweat, slipping on the cold railing. She instantly lost her support and tumbled to the floor!

Jiang Xiyao instinctively took a step forward, raising her hand to catch her, but her movement faltered halfway. She remembered Xie Shiwei’s dismissive attitude since meeting Le Qiong.

“Oof!”

Xie Shiwei’s knees hit the ground. Even with the carpet, it hurt enough to make her whimper.

But something else was more concerning…

Because her legs were already weak, she landed in a ‘W-sit’ position, and she could clearly feel that she hadn’t completely sat on the floor, but rather… she had sat on one of Sister’s shoe tops?

Xie Shiwei was thankful that she didn’t have a habit of wearing skirts. Otherwise, the thin fabric wouldn’t have been able to hide the moisture that had seeped out from her earlier fantasies.

Yet, she couldn’t help but associate this with the intricate, layered, uneven, bright patterns on Jiang Xiyao’s embroidered shoe. Because it was now damp, it was suddenly covered by a patch of discordant dark color.

The sudden stain on the radiant, beautiful person was particularly conspicuous.

Anyone could clearly see it with her every movement.

Xie Shiwei fantasized about dragging the bright moon into the mire and brutally defiling it.

—She was the one dirtying Sister.

Just as the images in her mind grew more and more taboo, Jiang Xiyao moved her ankle at that moment.

Jiang Xiyao, who she could only hear whimper before she lowered her head and remained silent, couldn’t see her expression, assuming she was just trying to recover from the pain of the fall.

The earlier baseless anger was suddenly replaced by a more pressing emotion. Jiang Xiyao hesitantly called out to her:

“…Xie Shiwei?”

Xie Shiwei snapped back to reality. Before the cold stickiness inside her jeans could soak through the fabric, she scrambled up clumsily and ran toward the door without even waiting to steady herself.

“I, I request to go to the restroom.”

Ignoring the need to confirm Jiang Xiyao’s expression, she ran breathlessly to the restroom at the end of the hallway.

After cleaning up the inappropriate mess on herself and emerging from the stall, Xie Shiwei walked to the sink, turned on the cold water, took off her glasses and placed them beside her, and leaned down to wash her face with cold water.

She felt like she was losing control lately.

Xie Shiwei had always enjoyed reading heavy-themed novels. It started because she overheard the gossip her so-called friend was spreading about her.

She couldn’t tell her grandparents about the unpleasantness at school, so she had to quietly process it herself. But she found it hard to fall asleep at night, forcing her to endlessly scroll through her phone.

Until she accidentally clicked on a novel, opening up a new world. She found that this form of release helped her sleep, and from then on, she became uncontrollably addicted—

She knew it wasn’t a healthy habit, but she intentionally ignored that fact, self-deceivingly thinking: I’m not hurting anyone, I just have a unique way to relieve stress, isn’t that okay?

But ever since meeting Jiang Xiyao, and after she unilaterally substituted Jiang Xiyao’s perfect face into one of her fantasies, her addiction grew exponentially, becoming increasingly greedy.

This is wrong.

Xie Shiwei reminded herself repeatedly in her heart that this was wrong. Today, she could be driven by a slight touch to think about dirtying Jiang Xiyao. What if one day she acts impulsively and actually does it?

That is terrifying.

Sister Jiang hadn’t done anything wrong, yet she had brazenly used the excuse of “liking” her to approach her, and had selfishly derived pleasure from her presence. That was truly unforgivable.

Did she really have the nerve to call her feelings for Jiang Xiyao pure love?

She was clearly just using Sister as a tool for release.

Just then, a faint male voice suddenly appeared beside her.

“Hey. Do you like Jiang Xiyao?”

Xie Shiwei jumped, quickly raising her head, trying to grab her glasses—

Isn’t this the women’s restroom? Why is there a man’s voice?

Did she enter the wrong one, or did a peeping pervert come in?!

In her panic, her fingertips touched the frame of her glasses, but she suddenly heard the sound of glass shattering.

“Thud!”

The boy, who had been egged on by You Jiayi and was raising a small knife towards her neck, inexplicably jerked his wrist, stabbing the glass partition next to him. The glass cracked and fragments flew right into his eye.

He immediately shrieked: “Ah ah ah ah what did you do?!”

Xie Shiwei screamed even louder: “Ah ah ah my glasses!” Could the glasses be broken? These were one of the few things her grandmother left her!

Believing her glasses were shattered, Xie Shiwei dared not put the temple arms back on her face. She screamed and retreated, confused and helpless amidst her rapidly soaring heartbeat:

What should I do, what’s going on, what happened, did I enter the wrong restroom?

But the sightless boy clearly had more lung capacity than her. As he fiercely searched for the knife among the glass shards, he asked again stubbornly:

“Tell me! Do you like Jiang Xiyao!”

Is he crazy? Why is it another one of Sister Jiang’s psycho fans—

Xie Shiwei heard the question again amidst the chaos, collapsing internally: “I don’t like her! I don’t like Jiang Xiyao!”

Perhaps because she had encountered too many perverts recently, Xie Shiwei’s fainting threshold had actually increased.

Now, not only could she spare a moment to answer the man’s question, but she also had a sense of practiced familiarity, screaming and repeating to him:

“I don’t like Jiang Xiyao, did you hear me! Don’t follow me again or I’ll call the police!”

All she could see were blurred blocks of color.

Even so, she could see a black, reddish mass grabbing towards her from the floor.

She recoiled sharply.

At the same time, the ceiling lamp abruptly fell, landing on the person’s body with a dull thud.

In the distance.

Jiang Xiyao, in the music room diagonally across the building, accurately caught the scream mixed in with the nearby clamorous inner voices. Her instinct reacted faster than her body—

The moment she realized it, she was already standing outside the restroom door.

Ignoring the useless garbage lying unconscious on the floor, her eyes were fixed only on Xie Shiwei. She saw the girl huddled in the corner. Although she wasn’t wearing her glasses and her face was pale, there was clearly no change in her condition…

Hmm?

Two of the Buddha beads on her wrist were missing?

Jiang Xiyao narrowed her eyes, an expression of contemplation on her face. Finally, she deigned to glance at the prey bleeding dirty bl00d and dirtying the floor, noticing two large wounds on him.

But she paid no mind to the power of the Buddha beads, only focusing on the person in the corner.

At the same time, the girl, who couldn’t see anything and was helplessly huddled against the cold corner wall with her arms wrapped around herself, heard footsteps and saw a figure approaching her.

Instinctively, she spoke, repeating the phrase that could make everything return to normal:

“I don’t like Jiang Xiyao.”

Her dark thoughts didn’t truly constitute love anyway.

Xie Shiwei thus convinced herself, and her words became more candid and composed:

“I don’t like Jiang Xiyao. Don’t come near me.”

The phrase fell repeatedly.

The blurry color that had been walking towards her finally stopped not far away.