Chapter 80 — A Shift in the Wind
Shang Shan's footsteps were quick, silent, and filled with murderous intent.
Bai Xia stood near the railing, her back half-turned, calmly looking at the shopping bags. She didn't need to look to know what was happening—her instincts sharpened like a blade.
Shang Shan was three steps away.
Two steps.
One.
Just inches from Bai Xia—
Bai Xia vanished.
Shang Shan's eyes widened.
Her breath froze.
She stumbled forward, seeing nothing but empty space where Bai Xia stood a heartbeat ago.
What—?! Where did she—?!
Suddenly her body felt weightless.
A cold rush swept through her legs as if invisible hands had lifted her off the ground. Her surroundings blurred—the railing, the tiled floor, the display window—all spinning for a split second.
Then—
She was shoved.
Not by herself.
Not by Bai Xia.
But by momentum she could no longer control.
In front of her, Li Guyan turned at the wrong moment, confusion on her face.
Shang Shan slammed into her.
Li Guyan's eyes widened in horror as her body pitched over the edge of the railing.
"Aaaaaahhh!!"
Her scream ripped through the entire floor, drawing every pair of eyes.
Shoppers gasped. A mother pulled her child close. A man dropped his drink. Even Su Yin froze, hands going cold.
But before Li Guyan could fall—
Bai Xia appeared again.
As fast as she had disappeared, she materialized at the railing, grabbing Li Guyan's wrist with one hand and anchoring herself to the metal bar with the other.
"Li Guyan! Don't let go!" Bai Xia shouted.
"I'll pull you up, okay?! Shang Shan didn't mean it!"
Li Guyan's tears streamed down instantly.
"B-Bai Xia! Please! Don't let me fall! Please don't let go!"
Her voice cracked with pure fear.
People ran over, shouting for security. Two guards rushed forward, grabbing Li Guyan's other arm and helping Bai Xia pull her back to safety.
Bai Xia could have easily done it alone—her martial arts strength was more than enough—but she stayed subdued. She couldn't afford to look too inhuman.
Li Guyan collapsed to the ground, legs trembling uncontrollably. She looked at Shang Shan with eyes filled with fury and disbelief.
"You—"
She stood up, her fear turning instantly into rage.
"SHANG SHAN YOU BITCH! I'll show you today!"
She lunged.
Shang Shan had still been stuck in a daze, staring stupidly at Bai Xia. Her plan had been simple—pretend to fall, then blame Bai Xia. She never expected to end up pushing Li Guyan instead.
Nor did she understand how Bai Xia disappeared and reappeared like a ghost.
Was I hallucinating? Did she move that fast? Impossible…
Li Guyan's slap brought her back to reality with a sharp crack.
"Li—Li Guyan, I didn't do it! It was Bai Xia! Bai Xia pushed me!" Shang Shan cried, shielding her face.
But Li Guyan wasn't listening. She punched, slapped, dragged, pulled—her fury exploding everywhere.
The onlookers gasped at the intensity.
"Stop! Stop!" Shang Shan sobbed.
Then—
A voice echoed from the stairs.
"OFFICER! She's right there! She tried to kill a classmate out of jealousy!"
Everyone turned.
Even Bai Xia.
Standing with a smug expression was Bai Gin, smirking like a snake.
"Bai Xia," Bai Gin said loudly, full of fake disappointment and drama, "how could you push Shang Shan? If she hadn't been careful, she would have fallen and died! This is attempted murder!"
The officers stepped forward.
The crowd murmured instantly.
Bai Xia's eyes sharpened.
She understood everything now.
So that was their plan—use Shang Shan to stage a fall, blame her, and let Bai Gin play the victim witness.
Vicious.
Cold.
Cowardly.
"Bai Gin," Bai Xia whispered, letting a tear slip down her cheek, "did you and Shang Shan plan this?"
Her tear shimmered—Reaper Tears activating.
Immediately, the crowd stirred.
"She cried… wait, is she the victim?"
"That other girl pushed someone over the railing!"
"This new girl brought police? At her age? How vicious."
"A high school student planning murder? Unbelievable."
"So young yet already scheming like this?"
"I saw it! That girl charged at Bai Xia first."
"And she dared to blame her classmates? Shameless."
"That kind of girl is dangerous—lock her up."
"Poor Bai Xia, she must be terrified."
"The push was intentional, I could tell."
"Trying to frame her own classmates? What type of monster is that?"
"That's not jealousy, that's insanity."
"Some kids are just born wicked, I swear."
"How could parents raise daughters like these?"
"That friend group should throw these two out immediately."
"They're lucky no one actually died."
"I hope the police handle this properly."
"She should be expelled from school immediately."
"Girls like that ruin other people's lives."
Bai Gin's face twisted in panic as the tide turned.
Shang Shan realized too late that everything had gone horribly, horribly wrong.
The police officer stepped forward.
"Miss, please come with us for questioning."
Li Guyan exploded.
"My father is the CEO of Li Real Estate!" she shouted.
"And I want these two bitches in jail RIGHT NOW!"
The officers faltered.
The Li family was too powerful to offend.
Shang Shan fell to her knees.
"Please! Please, Li Guyan, I didn't do it on purpose!" She sobbed. "It was all Bai Gin! She forced me! She threatened me!"
Before she could finish her sentence—
SMACK!
Su Yin slapped her nose-first into the floor.
Shang Shan saw stars. She blanked out for a second before coming back to consciousness, trembling violently.
"How could you do this?!" Su Yin cried angrily.
"Officers! Take them away!"
Shang Shan kept pleading, voice breaking, but she dared not look at Bai Xia—shame burned too deep.
The officers turned to Bai Gin next.
"I—I didn't do it!" Bai Gin shrieked. "It was her—it was Shang Shan! Bai Xia, I'm your cousin! Please, she's jealous of you!"
Shang Shan screamed back, voice hoarse, "It's YOU, Bai Gin! Not me! You planned everything! Bai Xia, I love you like my own sister—!"
"You love her," Bai Gin snapped, "then WHY DID YOU TRY TO FRAME HER?!"
"You're forcing me!" Bai Gin shrilled. "I'm the victim!"
The two girls kept bickering, screaming accusations, clawing at each other verbally as the police dragged them toward the exit.
People watched. Others whispered. Some shook their heads.
Just as the officers reached the mall doors, a calm but firm voice echoed behind them—
"Wait…"