Students poured out of the school gate like a wave.
I was just about to pull Ah Li through the crowd
when a sharp bicycle bell suddenly pierced the noise.
"Watch out!"
Ah Li shouted and shoved me aside.
The next second, a bike rushed past—
its handlebar scraping her arm as she fell hard to the ground.
Blood immediately seeped out.
People froze.
"Oh my god… she's bleeding!"
Students and passersby gathered around us, whispering in shock.
And then—
It happened.
Ah Li's wound began to heal
right in front of everyone's eyes.
The torn skin slowly closed.
The blood disappeared.
Not even a scar remained.
"What… how is that possible?"
A girl gasped.
"That's impossible…"
A guy whispered, hands already filming with his phone.
Within minutes,
the video exploded across the school forum and social media.
"Is she a monster? Normal people can't do that."
"She's always with Lin Han… something is wrong with both of them."
Li Ya seized the chance.
She posted cryptic messages, fanning the flames:
"Don't you all find it scary?
No normal person heals like that.
She's not human."
The next morning,
the entire school felt different.
Every corridor.
Every stairway.
Whispers followed us everywhere.
"That's her… the healing girl."
"You think she's some kind of monster?"
"Stay away from them."
Each word stabbed deeper.
During break, Li Ya blocked us near the entrance,
with a group of her followers behind her.
Loud enough for everyone to hear, she shouted:
"Tell them the truth, Lin Han!
What is she?"
"Can normal people heal like that?"
"You brought a monster into our school, didn't you?"
A crowd quickly formed around us.
Their faces filled with fear,
curiosity,
and disgust.
The air felt like it was suffocating.
For the first time,
I truly felt helpless.
I always knew this day might come…
but I didn't think it would hurt this badly.
"Explain it!"
Li Ya sneered.
"Why are you silent now?"
I opened my mouth—
but no sound came out.
Not because I didn't want to speak.
Because I didn't know
how to fight the kind of lies people wanted to believe.
Ah Li stood beside me.
Calm.
Unshaken.
She didn't explain.
She didn't defend herself.
She simply reached out
and held my hand.
Her fingers were warm.
Steady.
As if to say—
Don't be afraid.
Li Ya laughed louder.
"What, still pretending?"
"Fine. If you won't say it, I will."
"She's not human.
She's some abnormal thing!"
The crowd erupted.
"Is it true?"
"That's terrifying…"
"Stay away from them!"
Some students instinctively stepped back.
Their eyes full of fear.
And disgust.
Ah Li didn't react.
She just tightened her grip slightly,
telling me without words—
I'm here.
And in that moment, I understood something clearly:
No matter how the world tried to label her—
monster, abnormal, demon—
I couldn't step back.
I wouldn't.
Because she was the only one
who ever stood beside me without hesitation.
And she mattered most.
That night, back home,
I locked the door and exhaled slowly.
"I'm sorry…"
Ah Li said softly.
"You're dragged into this because of me."
I turned to her.
"No."
I looked straight into her eyes.
"This isn't your fault."
"They just believe what they want to believe."
"But I don't care."
"Whatever happens…
I won't abandon you."
Her eyes trembled.
There was a faint redness at the corner.
She didn't answer.
But I could feel it—
She believed me.
What I didn't realize was…
The people targeting Ah Li
weren't just idiots from school anymore.
It had already gone beyond that.