Chapter Seventeen: The Sinister Grin

When Fanny saw Han Shuo’s current miserable state, her face paled with panic. Her straight, shapely legs moved quickly as she ran toward Han Shuo with urgent steps.

“Ah…” Han Shuo let out a terrible scream, staring at Fanny with a bloodless face and stammered in pain, “Miss Fanny, you… you stepped on my hand!”

Fanny was nearsighted to begin with, and in her flustered hurry, she hadn’t paid any attention to where she was running. Adding to that, Han Shuo, in order to make his act convincing, sprawled on the ground with his arms stretched out, which led to the current predicament. Fanny wore high boots with slender heels, and as she ran, her momentum only increased her force. The heel came down directly onto Han Shuo’s left hand—any agony on his face was entirely genuine, pain seeping straight to his bones.

He had just fought with Kelley and the others for quite a while without sustaining any real injuries, but now, after Fanny’s single misstep, the pain was excruciatingly intense.

"I’m so sorry, Bryan! I didn’t see your hand stretched out so far,” Fanny exclaimed in alarm, apologizing hurriedly. She quickly shifted her boot, which was still on Han Shuo’s left foot, moving instinctively to the right in her shock—only to land precisely on Han Shuo’s other outstretched hand.

Seeing the sharp heel about to afflict his right hand, Han Shuo was terrified, whipping his hand away like lightning. He wiped the “blood” from his face, pointed accusatorily at Kelley and the others, who stood behind dumbstruck, and cried out for justice, “It was them! They beat me!”

With those words, Fanny’s expression darkened at once. Although Kelley and the others also bore marks of injury on their faces, they had wiped away all traces of blood in fear of being discovered when they heard someone approaching. Their discarded weapons, however, bore the smeared blood.

Their plan had been to suffer in silence, covering up the incident and taking the blame as bad luck. Who could have guessed Han Shuo would be so malicious, beating them up and then framing them for it?

Fanny’s sharp gaze swept over Kelley and his group. Though their clothes were disheveled, their faces were clean of blood, but the sticks thrown aside nearby still carried stains. With a glance at Han Shuo’s bloody face and back, Fanny quickly “wisely” pieced together the story—Kelley and the others had ganged up on Han Shuo, and the blood on the sticks was proof.

“I’ll report this to the school administration. Just wait for your punishment. So many of you bullying one frail Bryan—shame on you!” Fanny’s eyes were icy as she addressed Kelley and his accomplices, her voice sharp.

“Miss Fanny, that’s not how it happened! He was the one who beat us! Jack, you saw it—didn’t Bryan attack us?” Kelley panicked, shouting in distress.

Jack, the chubby boy, was still trembling, cowed by Han Shuo’s earlier violent outburst. At Kelley’s appeal, Jack glanced at Han Shuo, who was sprawled on the ground, making telling faces at him.

Emboldened, Jack puffed out his belly, pointed his plump finger at the group, and declared righteously, “Kelley, stop lying! With Miss Fanny here, I’m not afraid of you. You all ganged up on Bryan and now want me to lie for you? Honest Jack can’t do that!”

Kelley and his companions tried to protest further, but Fanny cut them off with a cold snort and a raised hand. “Enough excuses. Just wait for your punishment.”

Turning away, Fanny glanced at the “pitiful” Han Shuo, then stepped up, grasped the collar at his back, and gently helped him up, her voice soft: “Come, I’ll treat your wounds first. You’re my research subject, after all, and you can’t be getting injured so often!”

As Fanny spoke, a fresh, sweet scent brushed Han Shuo’s face, and suddenly the pain in his hand faded. With his back to Fanny, Han Shuo shot Jack a look, signaling him to slip away, then grinned foolishly at Kelley and the others.

But after being battered by Han Shuo and then maliciously framed, seeing that simple smile on his face now seemed to them the most terrifying and wicked expression in the world.

Ten minutes later, in Fanny’s laboratory.

Aside from Fanny, the little witch Lisa had also come, claiming she wanted to consult Fanny about a problem. All along the way, Lisa’s glances at Han Shuo were tinged with a strange curiosity, making Han Shuo uneasy.

Once in the laboratory, Fanny told Han Shuo to lie down on the bed and fetched a bottle of potion, intending to apply it herself. But Lisa chuckled softly, snatching the potion from Fanny’s hand. “Miss Fanny, you aren’t wearing your glasses—let me help him with the medicine.”

Fanny didn’t mind, nodding. “Alright, you handle his wounds. I’ll find some gauze—I can’t recall where I left it.”

Muttering to herself, Fanny began searching the laboratory. Meanwhile, Lisa, holding the potion in her left hand, dipped her right fingers in it and leaned close to Han Shuo’s back, whispering, “Hmm, this wound doesn’t look fresh—the outer layer’s already scabbed over!”

Han Shuo’s heart skipped a beat. He realized he’d underestimated his body’s odd nature—after practicing demonic arts, his wounds healed faster. The injury he’d received before dawn was already scabbing over in so little time. Now Lisa had noticed.

Remaining silent, Han Shuo decided that feigning ignorance was best. He continued to moan and groan as if the pain were unbearable.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot from his back. Han Shuo cried out, turning his head to glare at Lisa. Seeing the secretive pride in her eyes at having caught him out, Han Shuo realized things were not going well. He forced a smile, muttered “Pain,” and turned his head away again.

“What’s going on, Bryan?” Fanny called from across the room, still searching for gauze.

“Oh, Miss Fanny, I just accidentally touched his wound. It’s nothing. I’ll be more careful,” Lisa replied.

“Just be careful,” Fanny answered, distracted, not paying further attention.

A delicate fragrance drifted to Han Shuo’s nose, followed by Lisa’s warm whisper in his ear. “You damned Bryan, do you think I don’t know you’re faking? Hmph, you played dead to scare me, then gave me the wrong potion recipe—if I hadn’t been smart enough to test it on Kelley, I’d be dead by now.”

“Let me tell you the truth: I arrived at the laboratory before Kelley and the others. Through a wraith, I heard everything you and Jack said, and saw you beat Kelley afterwards. You’ve grown bold, even framing people now! Hehe, not bad, not bad!”

As Lisa spoke, she continued to apply the potion, but deliberately pressed hard on Han Shuo’s wound. Now that she’d exposed his act, Han Shuo’s heart was pounding. He had no idea what her intentions were. The pain was intense, but he dared not cry out, only gritting his teeth and groaning softly.

Lisa brought her lips near his ear, her sweet scent enveloping him. Seeing Han Shuo stubbornly silent, she threatened in a low, fierce voice, “Last time in the trial ground, you—you kissed me, and even touched… touched me there. I won’t let you off. Tonight, meet me behind the rockery by the teaching building. If you dare not come, you’re dead!”

With that, Lisa pressed down hard on his wound again. Seeing Han Shuo’s grimace and muffled cries, she finally felt satisfied, giggled with triumph, then walked over to Fanny, returned the potion, and said, “Miss Fanny, I’ve finished treating him. I just remembered something urgent—I’ll come see you about that question tomorrow.”

“Oh, go take care of your business,” Fanny replied absently, then exclaimed, “Ah, here it is! I finally found it.”

Having found the gauze, Fanny strode over to Han Shuo, intending to bandage his wound. As she leaned in, she frowned in puzzlement. “Strange, the skin already shows signs of scabbing.”

With his head turned toward the bed, Han Shuo was still worried about Lisa’s threat, unsure how to face her that evening. Now, hearing Fanny’s words, he grew anxious—would she start suspecting him too?

Fanny pondered for a moment, then her brows relaxed and she exclaimed to herself, “Ah, last time when Fitch hit you, your forehead healed quickly too. Could it be the effect of the Undead’s Pain spell? Incredible!”

Han Shuo was speechless. He couldn’t imagine how Fanny’s mind could leap to such conclusions, finding such a far-fetched explanation for something so bizarre.

After marveling at her own deduction, Fanny began bandaging Han Shuo’s wound, her touch gentle as if afraid to hurt him.

Han Shuo couldn’t help but think that Fanny’s hands were much gentler than Lisa’s. As he turned to thank her, he suddenly noticed, standing at the open door of the laboratory, a tall, thin figure glaring at him with jealousy. As soon as their eyes met, the figure vanished from the doorway—it was Fitch.