After Becoming a Cannon-Fodder Lackey, I Swore to Protect the Young Lady to the Death - Chapter 3

Li Gangjiao: I honestly don’t get it. Why does bullying in campus novels always happen in the restroom? Do these bullies just have a refined appreciation for the aromatic bouquet of a septic tank?

Lu Jiaoyue frowned upon hearing the commotion, her expression unreadable as she drifted into thought.

Just then, a weak cry for help rang out again.

Li Gangjiao glanced at the Eldest Miss, then at the group of girls cornering a lone student in the stalls. Without a second thought, she grabbed Lu Jiaoyue and pulled her off to the side.

Lu Jiaoyue was clearly caught off guard by the sudden tug. She shot Li Gangjiao a bewildered look that screamed: What on earth are you doing?

Li Gangjiao rubbed the back of her head and whispered, “Stay back. I don’t want you getting caught in the crossfire.”

Lu Jiaoyue nodded and turned to leave. But after a few steps, she realized the hallway behind her was silent. When she looked back, Li Gangjiao had already vanished into the fray.

“Who the hell are you?! Why are you pushing us?!” A shrill voice pierced the air from inside the restroom—definitely not the voice of the girl calling for help.

The sounds of a scuffle—heavy thuds and muffled curses—erupted and echoed off the tile walls. The chaos was intense but brief, settling into a heavy silence as quickly as it had begun.

Inside, one girl stood off to the side, clutching her stomach and sobbing. Two others were leaning on each other for support; one of them looked like she’d been dragged through a hedge backward, her hair a total disaster.

Li Gangjiao crouched in the corner, panting for breath. Damn, she thought, I’m definitely out of practice. My face hurts like hell.

In the heat of the one-on-three brawl, she hadn’t been able to dodge every blow. One girl, unable to reach Li Gangjiao’s temples, had settled for landing a solid punch right on her cheek.

“Thank you,” the victim whispered, her voice trembling. She was soaked to the bone, water dripping from her hair onto the floor as she frantically tried to straighten her torn clothing.

Li Gangjiao opened her mouth to tell her it was no big deal, but her eyes snagged on the clumps of hair scattered across the floor. They had been hacked off with shears.

Suddenly, a booming, authoritative voice reached them. “Every single one of you—to the office! Now!!”

The math teacher stood at the entrance. Taking one look at the scene, he pieced together exactly what had happened. He shot a blistering glare at the three bullies before gently guiding the victim toward the exit.

Being a terrible math student, Li Gangjiao had an instinctive, bone-deep fear of the man. She tried to shrink into the corner, hoping to blend into the tilework.

“Li Xi, you too!” The math teacher caught her attempt to sneak away and gave her no room for escape.

Resigned to her fate, Li Gangjiao trudged after them. The moment she stepped out of the restroom, she saw Lu Jiaoyue standing nearby, phone in hand.

“You got hit?” Lu Jiaoyue asked, her brow furrowed as she fell into step beside Li Gangjiao.

“Ah… well, yeah. But you should have seen me! I was a beast in there, one-against-three!” Li Gangjiao gingerly touched her throbbing cheek, giving a sheepish grin.

The group filed into the staff room, drawing looks of shock from the English and Chinese teachers. They moved quickly; the Chinese teacher grabbed a clean towel from her desk to dry the victim’s hair, while the English teacher searched a cabinet for a spare jacket.

“Wait… aren’t you Su Momo from Class A?” the Chinese teacher asked, pausing as she looked at the girl’s face.

Li Gangjiao’s head snapped toward Su Momo. Holy crap, is this actually the female lead?

In an instant, Li Gangjiao grabbed Lu Jiaoyue and pulled her back several paces. Safety first! My sugar mommy cannot go bankrupt! I have to keep my Eldest Miss as far away from the protagonist as possible!

Su Momo shot her a puzzled glance before looking back down, returning to her state of quiet, detached apathy.

If Lu Jiaoyue’s beauty was a sudden, breathtaking strike to the senses, Su Momo’s was a calm, distant chill. There was a profound sense of isolation in her eyes, as if the world around her were nothing but passing clouds.

This girl is untouchable. That was Li Gangjiao’s first impression.

Wait a minute, she thought, wasn’t the female lead in the book supposed to be a delicate, cute type? Why does she feel so… different?

“Li Xi, hold still.” The math teacher finally found a tube of anti-inflammatory ointment in the cabinet and moved to apply it to Li Gangjiao’s face.

“Hiss… ouch…” Li Gangjiao winced. The teacher was being a bit heavy-handed.

“Sir, let me do it.” Seeing Li Gangjiao’s discomfort, Lu Jiaoyue stepped forward.

“Fine. I need to call Mr. Liu anyway.” The math teacher handed the tube to Lu Jiaoyue and stepped out onto the balcony to make the call.

Lu Jiaoyue’s movements were incredibly gentle. She applied the ointment with her fingertips, her touch light against Li Gangjiao’s skin. A faint, elegant scent drifted from her.

In the reflection of Lu Jiaoyue’s beautiful eyes, Li Gangjiao saw herself—and a flicker of genuine worry in the other girl’s gaze.

Help! If a top-tier beauty stares at me like this for much longer, my heart is going to beat right out of my chest!

Thankfully, the Chinese teacher was an expert at breaking a mood. As she dried Su Momo’s hair, she turned to the English teacher, her voice thick with indignation. “These students have gone too far! How can they be so cruel?”

She was so loud that Lu Jiaoyue’s hand flinched, smearing the ointment.

“I know your heart was in the right place, but next time, find a teacher first! If Lu Jiaoyue hadn’t called me, I wouldn’t have known you were in there getting into a fistfight.” The math teacher had returned, standing right behind Li Gangjiao.

“Right… sorry, sir…”

The Eldest Miss made the call? Does that mean she technically helped the female lead? If she keeps helping instead of bullying her, does that mean we’re officially safe from the tragic ending?

“Excuse me, Teacher. What did Mr. Liu say?” Su Momo, who had been silent until now, finally spoke in a slow, measured tone.

“Sigh. He said he’ll handle it,” the math teacher replied, patting her messy, shorn hair with a look of pity.

“I see. Thank you.” Su Momo nodded and lowered her head again, looking small and frightened.

Lu Jiaoyue noticed Li Gangjiao’s eyes wandering toward the other girl. Her grip on the ointment tube tightened, and she applied the next bit of cream with a bit more pressure than necessary.

“What’s wrong? Still staring? Do you like looking at her that much?” Lu Jiaoyue’s voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable edge of irritation beneath the surface.

“Not at all! Heaven is my witness—my Jiao Jiao is the only one for me!” Wealthy beauties are the only true gods in this house!

Terrified of upsetting her benefactor, Li Gangjiao snapped her head back toward Lu Jiaoyue, pointedly ignoring everyone else in the room.

“Jiao Jiao?”

“Do you not like it when I call you that?” Li Gangjiao immediately struck a pose of exaggerated heartbreak, looking as if she might go run into a wall if Lu Jiaoyue said no.

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