Chapter 840: The Old Principal's Past

Chen Ge felt sympathy for Ying Bai, but if she wouldn't speak up, there was nothing he could do to help her.

"I just transferred here, so I don't know much about this school yet. If anything I say makes you uncomfortable, please don't take it to heart."

The girl's mental state was extremely unstable. Forcing her to talk might cause a complete breakdown. For her safety, Chen Ge memorized her bed number and prepared to pull the curtain closed and come back later.

The thick white curtain closed again, sealing off the hospital bed from the outside world as though they were two separate realms.

Chen Ge turned and walked toward the next bed. After only a few steps, he suddenly felt someone tugging at the hem of his clothes from behind.

He looked back. A pale hand was reaching out from beneath the white curtain, gripping his clothes.

"Run away. Don't attend classes in this school — you'll go crazy." Ying Bai's voice was very low, requiring full concentration to make out.

"Actually, I think the learning atmosphere at our school is pretty great, and everyone seems to enjoy being friends with me." Chen Ge wasn't afraid that the girl might harm him — he was afraid she wouldn't speak. As long as communication was possible, everything else could be worked out.

"Go back to your old school. Please, go back." There was a hint of pleading in the girl's voice. She didn't give a specific reason, but Chen Ge could tell from her tone that she was genuinely looking out for him, not wanting him to get hurt.

In the blood-red world behind that door, a girl this kind actually existed — even Chen Ge found it hard to believe.

"I can't go back." Chen Ge paused briefly, his brain already crafting an explanation in a fraction of a second. "I was bullied at my old school. I don't know what I did wrong, but those people tormented me every day for fun. My parents went to the school administrators and teachers about it, but the more they complained, the worse it got. Eventually, not a single person in the class was willing to be my friend. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I transferred here."

"You were bullied at your old school, so you transferred here?" The curtain was pulled open a crack, revealing Ying Bai's tiny, palm-sized face.

The fear in her eyes had faded considerably, replaced by surprise and worry. "I don't even know how to tell you this. If you don't want to get hurt again, I'd advise you to go to some other school."

Perhaps because they were both victims of bullying, the distance between Ying Bai and Chen Ge had narrowed considerably.

"Why? Today is literally my first day after transferring. Half an hour ago I was up at the podium introducing myself — it'd be pretty awkward to just leave now, wouldn't it?" Chen Ge was steering the girl toward revealing the truth. He needed more information before he could truly help her and change this school.

"This school is like a black vortex. You have to leave before you get too close. Once you're inside, you'll never be able to escape. They'll drag you down to the very bottom of the abyss — you'll either be ground to dust, or you'll become one of the monsters like them." The girl sat on her hospital bed. She refused to make contact with the outside world; reaching her hand through the curtain seemed to be her absolute limit.

"Is it really that terrifying?" The blood-red world behind the door stood in stark contrast to the campus the painter had constructed in the mirror. At this moment, Chen Ge was beginning to understand both the painter and Chang Wenyu.

One chose to embrace only beauty and hope, tearing at human nature in the process. The other chose to flee, hiding in a place where they couldn't be hurt.

The methods they used to earn the school's approval were rather clever — not exactly wrong, but they hadn't addressed the root of the problem.

"You'll be assimilated. If you don't want to be bullied, the only way is to become a monster yourself." Ying Bai probably hadn't spoken to anyone in a very long time. Seeing that Chen Ge looked like a decent person and was also a transfer student, she had chosen to open up to him.

"Are those the only two outcomes? Then what about you…" Chen Ge set down his backpack and sat down beside the hospital bed.

The bed, separated by the white curtain, was like the girl's sealed-off inner world. Chen Ge carried his goodwill with him as he slowly stepped into her world, one piece at a time.