These Dangerous Girls Placed Me Into Jeopardy

After Lillian Ji left, I sat on the toilet for a long while before I could force myself to pull it together. If I had a cigarette with me right now, even though I didn’t smoke, I probably would’ve lit one just to calm down.

She said she would wait for my answer... but she didn’t set a time limit. Normally, people would give you three days, maybe a week, but Lillian Ji didn’t give me any kind of deadline.

Wasn’t she worried I would just keep dragging it out and never give her an answer? Or did she think I would definitely answer her eventually?

Don’t tell me she plans to grab me by the throat and force me to say I like her... Ugh... That’s terrifying.

Leaving aside whether that hidden title of hers is real or not, there’s no doubt that Lillian Ji is a truly dangerous person. That dangerous aura she gave off when she stroked my cheek just now was absolutely not something an ordinary beautiful girl should possess. Madness, coldness, cruelty, a gaze like that of a cold-blooded animal—just being stared at made my entire body feel frozen.

What was even scarier was that she could perfectly hide that aura under normal circumstances. In front of others, Lillian Ji was nothing more than a flawless, perfect school beauty.

Then why did she reveal her true self in front of me?

She had been hiding it all this time, and yet suddenly chose to show it to me... Wasn’t she afraid I would tell someone?

Uh, no, wait, I can’t even tell anyone... It’s not like I have any close friends I could confide in, and am I supposed to go tell a teacher? And even if I did, nobody would believe me. They’d just think I’d gone insane.

Is that why Lillian Ji could reveal her true self to me without a shred of worry?

Hmm... Still feels a little unreasonable.

But with just the information I had now, I couldn’t deduce what her true objective was.

And another thing... her name tag had turned green too... If the color really represents favorability, why would Lillian Ji have a green tag too? I thought I was being pretty cold to her? Did I accidentally hit her G-spot or something? Or is she really just a hardcore masochist?

Seriously, none of this makes any damn sense...

I stayed in the bathroom until the bell rang, and only then did I head back to the classroom.

Everyone in the classroom was looking at me, even the teacher. It seemed like the news that Lillian Ji had barged into the boys’ bathroom looking for me had already spread.

That’s just how it is at school—whether it’s something big or small, it triggers a reaction like tossing sodium into water.

I returned to my seat with a blank expression. Lillian Ji didn’t even glance at me, acting as if she didn’t know me, like she had reverted to her old self. Was this her way of saying she wouldn’t bother me again until I gave her an answer? If so, then thank God.

I had thought she would stay away from me for a while... I really thought that...

"Ethan, let’s have lunch together, okay?"

And yet, as soon as lunchtime arrived, Lillian Ji showed up with her lunchbox and invited me to eat lunch with her!

"Uh, I usually go to the cafeteria..." I said.

"That’s fine~ I’ll go to the cafeteria with you," she chirped.

"Uh..."

What the hell is she thinking?! Give me a break already! This is enough!

"The cafeteria’s super crowded, you know? Maybe... it’s not a good idea for you to go."

Very few people packed lunches; most either ate at the cafeteria or bought bread from the convenience store. As for me, being a diehard rice fanatic, I always opted for the cafeteria meals—even if it was so packed it felt like a battlefield, I’d never stoop to eating just bread.

If it were just me, that would be fine, but bringing along a stunningly beautiful girl like her into that madhouse?

Don’t be ridiculous! The moment those guys laid eyes on Lillian Ji, they’d swarm her like lunatics! Who the hell knows what kind of incident could break out then? 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

I had dropped some pretty obvious hints that the cafeteria wasn’t a good idea, but Lillian Ji just smiled breezily and said, "It’s okay~ I’ve actually never been to the cafeteria before. It’ll be an interesting experience."

Ah, screw it! Why am I worrying about her anyway! If she gets groped or harassed later, it’s not my responsibility—it’s her own fault for insisting on going!

With that heavy feeling hanging over me, I walked toward the cafeteria, and Lillian Ji followed about two meters behind me. It was an awkward distance—too far to look like we were together, but too synchronized to look like strangers.

Maybe that was the perfect metaphor for the distance between us right now...

Even though I’d been sitting in front of her for a whole semester, it was only today that I really got to know her.

And my perception of this beautiful girl had done a complete 180—all because of that bizarre title... My feelings were complicated.

I crossed the hallway on the first floor and entered the annex building on the left side of the main academic building. The first and second floors of the annex were the student cafeteria. Incidentally, the library I often visited was on the third floor of the annex.

The cafeteria tables seated four people each, so during crowded times, it was normal to share a table with strangers.

But today... it was weird.

No, it wasn’t that there were fewer people; the cafeteria was just as packed as usual.

It’s just... people were avoiding me... or rather, avoiding Lillian Ji?

The students who normally fought over seats had all stopped to stare at me, like they were looking at some rare animal.

I mean, sure, she’s beautiful, but do you guys really have to be this dramatic?

And it wasn’t just the guys who were stunned—the girls were too? Was Lillian Ji’s charm really that universal? I remembered hearing that she didn’t get along with other girls, but maybe that wasn’t envy and jealousy after all—maybe it was the frustrated yearning of girls who couldn’t approach the idol they admired?

Overwhelmed by all the attention, my thoughts started running wild again.

Forcing myself to calm down, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ I went to my usual food counter and ordered mapo tofu, stir-fried shredded pork with green peppers and dried tofu, yu xiang pork, and cold noodles.

I’d always liked trying new dishes or picking weird drinks. I had basically eaten my way through the entire cafeteria menu by now, so I knew exactly which dishes were good—and also which ones were absolute landmines of disgusting taste.

The cafeteria auntie who usually had a bad attitude and would short me on portions was acting weird today too. She not only piled a huge mountain of rice on my plate, but also forced a fake smile onto her face.

Holy crap... even the cafeteria auntie was affected by the "Lillian Ji effect"?

This level of influence is seriously terrifying...

I had never really paid much attention to Lillian Ji before, just thinking she was the school’s popular beauty or whatever. But now... it clearly wasn’t that simple.

Who the hell was she, really?