It seemed that He Zhilan’s reaction took Gu En by surprise. She shrugged, laughing without a hint of remorse, "Well, He Zhilan, you’re learning from your mistakes. You’re not beyond help. Are you scared? Don’t worry, I said I wouldn’t mess with you and I meant it."
Having said that, Gu En paused, took two steps forward, towering over He Zhilan in her high heels. She leaned down, whispering in Zhilan’s ear, "Stay tuned for what’s to come."
After uttering those words, Gu En turned and went back to her bed to tidy her things.
Everything about her phrase, "Stay tuned for what’s to come," oozed passive aggression, sinister yet subtle.
"What did she just whisper in your ear?" Jiang Biyun whispered, pulling He Zhilan closer.
He Zhilan shook her head, suggesting they freshen up first. It was only after they left the dormitory that He Zhilan repeated Gu En’s words to Biyun and Chen Xiting.
"She must have been reprimanded by Brother Lan Li after Lin Deng told him about her recent actions. She’s genuinely worried your brother might involve the army, so she’s laying low for a while. She also wants to drop your guard to seize any opportunity to mess with you," Jiang Biyun conjectured. "Her act of apology at the beginning was so convincing, it almost fooled me and Chen Xiting. But the moment you resisted, she showed her true colors. How could such people exist in this world?"
"Remember her expression and that look in her eyes when she saw the cactus Lin Deng gave to Biyun? My God, it was so venomous, and it scared the life out of me!" Chen Xiting shivered at the memory of Gu En’s reaction.
"It’s alright. She can’t really do anything to me now that she’s laying low. Besides, winter break is only two months away, and I just need to be careful. My brother is still at the military academy in the capital, so she wouldn’t dare to cross the line," He Zhilan sighed. Nevertheless, it still wore her out to be on her guard every day, but it was better than letting it affect Biyun.
While the trio initially thought Gu En would keep a low profile over the weekend because of He Teng’s presence, they were taken aback when they went back to the dorm after breakfast and discovered the ruined cactus at the foot of their dorm building.
"Who did this!" Jiang Biyun was furious upon seeing her cactus shattered into pieces. It was a healthy plant just an hour ago, and now, its destruction brought her to tears.
"It seems someone threw it off the top floor. Pick up the pot and the cactus, we can replant it in something else. Cacti are resilient, it’ll survive," Chen Xiting comforted Biyun, patting her shoulder. Looking up at the wide-open window, Chen sighs deeply out of frustration with Gu En.