On the podium.

Lin Youyou was introducing herself. After a few polite phrases like “let’s get along” and “I’ll do my best to integrate,” she stepped back and yielded the spot to the nearest newcomer.

As for the trembling tone and occasional glances from that student, she was used to it.

She didn’t care. Instead her gaze swept the classroom, casual on the surface yet carrying a trace of urgency she herself barely noticed.

Before coming she had already found what she wanted.

Only one Fang Tong from Yunbin No. 3 Junior High had advanced into Yunbin No. 1 High, in Class Three.

She had even attended the same cram school with that little one, under dual supervision from herself and Fang Tong’s mother. Getting admitted was inevitable.

The original plan had been entering together and remaining classmates.

But her father’s branch encountered serious trouble. He wouldn’t leave her behind, forcing her to depart with him.

Fortunately the problem was resolved and new business emerged in a neighboring province.

Her father intended to keep her there due to superior resources.

She thought Yunbin’s (previous school) memories had faded.

Yet just before agreeing, unprecedented hesitation burst forth.

Her lips refused to move.

Only then she admitted, despite avoiding memories and leaving no contact, Fang Tong’s image had slipped into her heart.

Perhaps occupying something special.

Had her carefree departure made her a clown?

She realized speaking to Fang Tong might have been her worst decision.

Loss of control brought anxiety and irritability.

She prided herself on clarity about life choices.

Reason dictated staying, yet she couldn’t speak.

Perhaps more time would erase Fang Tong.

But she wasn’t sure.

‘Could I forget her?’

Her mind churned like conflicting instructions from a faulty processor.

The concern she couldn’t explain was like a scar on her heart, ugly yet irremovable.

Must one carve out the heart to remove a scar?

So she let it remain.

This clashed with her principles, yet she couldn’t escape it. Perhaps subconsciously she’d sensed it earlier.

Thus before leaving she toyed with Fang Tong.

Recalling it now, though partly revenge, she found herself reluctant to stop.

She’d assumed distance would dissolve things, yet they intensified instead.

‘How annoying!’

Now she decided: if she couldn’t discard it, grasp it tightly.

Spend time together, perhaps boredom would follow.

Yes, she returned to solve this lingering issue.

Seeing Fang Tong’s name in the roster stirred curiosity.

‘Ah, these cursed feelings!’

At least the one haunting her was little Fang Tong.

Memories resurfaced of the timid follower trailing her.

‘So pliable, so easily controlled. Such a manageable person, keeping her nearby posed no issue.’

She scanned faces until finding one hidden behind a textbook.

‘Covering yourself like that? I found you.’

Even after two years she remembered every detail.

‘Still foolish. Little Fang Tong, surely you cried alone without me? Were you waiting for me? Yet now you hide? Are you trying to excite or tease me? Heh, I’ll devour you today.’

Memories of two years ago flashed, translucent like peeled pomegranate. Her hands clenched behind her back, fingertips reddening.

Especially seeing the empty seat behind Fang Tong.

She began planning to secure it.

Meanwhile Chu Xinxi noticed Lin Youyou’s subtle gaze and poked Fang Tong.

“Do you know her?”

“Uh… I guess?”

Between clashing memories Fang Tong wasn’t sure who Lin Youyou was.

Her own feelings were foggy.

Yet one thing was clear, Lin Youyou belonged to the past.

Without her sudden return, she wouldn’t recall even fragments.

Regardless, after a year she was satisfied with life.

Thus she wished no contact.

But how did Lin Youyou see her?

Knowing Lin Youyou’s unpredictability, she dismissed past sweet words as lies, perhaps mere manipulation.

Lin Youyou coveted her body.

‘My best friend? Leaving without contact for two years?’

Fang Tong didn’t even know her QQ or phone number.

‘I was clearly treated like bait. So why return now?’

Spare her talk of rekindled youth.

‘Enough! Why should I care about Lin Youyou?’

She would never again deal with such a dangerous woman.