Chapter 233: Ning Dongli’s Crisis

She did not know how much time had passed—maybe only a minute, maybe a full hour.

Ning Dongli still stepped out of the stall with a gloomy expression.

Being alone could no longer give her any sense of security.

Even in that small, enclosed space, fear gripped her.

So she wanted to find An Yu. Right now, only An Yu could make her feel safe.

Bang—

“Uwah!”

Ning Dongli shoved the stall door open roughly, ignoring the startled passerby, and hurried out in a panic.

She thought she must have made An Yu wait too long.

She should apologize properly later…

And then… what should she do?

Should they continue playing here? But those people were all here. If she ran into them, Ning Dongli had no idea what she should do.

Her heart was filled with the desire to escape, yet she also felt hesitant.

She had not let An Yu have enough fun yet. How could she just run away?

Ning Dongli bit her lip hard, then shook her head vigorously.

She could think about those things later. For now… she had to find An Yu first.

Ning Dongli rushed out of the bathroom in a fluster and instinctively looked around.

“An Yu… An Yu… where are you?”

But no matter how long she looked, she could not find any sign of An Yu. This made her suddenly panic.

Ugly emotions surged in her heart. 

Ning Dongli began to wonder if An Yu had gotten upset because she had kept her waiting too long.

Even though she knew An Yu would never do that, she could not stop herself from thinking that way.

Ning Dongli had always been like this—extremely insecure, viewing herself as worthless, always thinking negatively, and overcomplicating everything.

Now, because she could not see An Yu, she fell into a state of extreme panic.

She suddenly had the feeling that if she did not see An Yu soon, something bad would happen.

“Where exactly are you… An Yu…”

“Ning Dongli?”

Ning Dongli’s entire body trembled. She froze on the spot.

That was not the soft, cool voice she wanted to hear.

Instead, it was a fake, nauseating voice.

She knew this voice very well. 

It had become her nightmare, haunting her constantly and tormenting her nerves without end.

This voice belonged to the “Brother Hao” those girls had mentioned—Lin Haoyi. 

He was the main culprit behind her bullying.

Ning Dongli bit the corner of her lip. 

The blood that had just stopped flowing started seeping out again uncontrollably.

She was overwhelmed by fear. More than those girls, she did not want to see this man named Lin Haoyi.

Because he was the root of it all.

No… she had to run.

She had to escape. She could not let An Yu see this. She had to run!

But no matter how loudly she screamed inside her mind, her body reacted too slowly.

Lin Haoyi had already moved in front of her, his face full of feigned surprise.

It was worth noting that a somewhat unfamiliar girl in cosplay stood beside him.

At least Ning Dongli did not recognize her.

“It really is you! It’s been so long!”

His smile was bright and sunny, as if it could light up the hearts of countless young girls.

But to Ning Dongli, it only made her feel sick.

She frowned. It seemed too late to run now.

“Seeing an old friend after so long, and you’re still as quiet as ever…”

Lin Haoyi shook his head helplessly, acting as if he understood Ning Dongli well.

“Sigh. But seeing you like this puts my mind at ease.”

He stepped forward with a smile, as if genuinely concerned for her, seemingly wanting to touch her. 

But Ning Dongli recoiled like she had been shocked, taking two steps back immediately.

Disgust was written clearly across her incredibly cute face.

“Don’t… don’t touch me.”

The girl’s voice was extremely soft, yet filled with determination.

Having his advance rejected, Lin Haoyi pursed his lips. A dark look flashed in his eyes before he quickly hid it.

He shook his hand as if nothing had happened, his smile remaining unchanged.

“Looks like you’ve become even more shy. It’s okay, I’ll help you.”

Lin Haoyi smiled with narrowed eyes, looking like a smiling tiger.

He stared intently at Ning Dongli, examining her outfit, and nodded in satisfaction.

No matter how you looked at her, Ning Dongli was very beautiful. 

It was just a shame she did not know what was good for her.

She had fallen into his grasp yet still wanted to run. It seemed she still needed some “persuasion.”

Ning Dongli keenly sensed his gaze and retreated with a face full of disgust, her eyes full of vigilance.

But Lin Haoyi paid it no mind.

“Don’t worry. I promised your mother I would take good care of you.”

Ning Dongli let out a startled cry.

“Mother?”

Seeing her reaction, Lin Haoyi smiled with satisfaction.

“That’s right. I promised her that once you return to school, I would take good care of you. Once you return to school, okay?”

He deliberately repeated the phrase, as if reminding her.

From those words, it was clear that Ning Dongli’s mother was already arranging for her to return to school.

He believed that after hearing this, Ning Dongli would obediently submit.

Once she returned to school, she would be like a lamb entering a tiger’s den. He could do whatever he wanted.

If those idiots pushed her a little harder, Ning Dongli—who would have lost all protection—would naturally turn to him.

There was no other way, because Ning Dongli had no choice, right?

Her mother, as a parent, did nothing. 

The teachers and students did not dare to interfere either.

If she wanted to avoid being bullied at school, she could only come to him obediently.

And this time, he would not let her escape. 

This was Lin Haoyi’s usual tactic, even though Ning Dongli had coincidentally gotten away once before.

Looking at Ning Dongli’s current state, Lin Haoyi felt a surge of excitement. 

The girl in cosplay beside him looked increasingly inferior in comparison.

“Brother Hao, what’s going on here?”

Just as they were in a standoff, a somewhat artificial voice rang out.

Three girls approached from nearby, confusion written all over their faces.

“Ah, you’re back.”

Lin Haoyi restrained all the wicked thoughts in his heart and smiled faintly at his three lackeys.

Perfect timing. 

These three were extremely useful.

With just a little hint, they would put pressure on the girls for him.

And right now, Lin Haoyi needed them to apply some pressure on Ning Dongli.

As for whether Ning Dongli would be bullied until she broke down?

What did that have to do with him?

He had not done anything.

So Lin Haoyi smiled and spoke as if he knew nothing, making introductions:

“I don’t know if you still remember her. This is Ning Dongli. Come to think of it, you were all classmates.”

“Ning Dongli?!”

Hearing the name, the three girls were shocked and immediately turned to look at the girl in front of them.

The moment they saw Ning Dongli, amazement flashed in their eyes, followed by boundless jealousy.

They no longer cared about the girl they had originally planned to target.

In a sense, Ning Dongli had inadvertently helped that girl…

But she herself had fallen into crisis.