章 25: **Chapter 25: Restoration**
Song Shi was awakened by pain.
Every bone in her body ached, especially her right waist. Each breath she took tugged at the injury, causing sweat to form on her forehead within moments. She could only breathe as gently as possible, inching her body forward with slow, deliberate movements.
She was still lying on the cold floor of the cafeteria, with no one caring about her fate.
Bracing herself on the ground, Song Shi slowly sat up, grabbing onto a nearby chair for support as she struggled to stand.
The effort left her drenched in sweat, and she leaned against the table, panting.
The cafeteria was empty, all the food cleared from the tables. Through the window, daylight still shone brightly. Looking down at her wristwatch, she saw that it was three in the afternoon.
She had slept for more than two hours.
A holographic screen appeared in her mind.
**[Masochism Progress: 26%]**
**[Anti-Masochism Progress: 21%]**
**[This system does not harm the heart, only the body. Endure to the end, and the rewards will exceed your expectations.]**
Song Shi stared at the last line, lifting her head and forcefully suppressing the sour sensation rising in her chest.
Tucking the watch into her pocket, she took heavy steps toward the dormitory building.
As she entered, the woman on duty in the guard room called out to her.
"Where are you going?"
Song Shi turned around. "I need to go back to my dorm." Only when she spoke did she realize how hoarse her voice had become.
"It's class time. No one is allowed to return to the dorms." The woman, with her wild hair, rushed out of the guard room, holding a half-meter-long steel ruler and blocking Song Shi's path.
Song Shi glanced at the steel ruler and, through its reflection, saw the bloodstains on her face—large patches on her cheek and under her nose, extending to the roots of her left temple. She didn't know when her nose had started bleeding, but it had already dried. Her swollen lips, bruised from a punch to her abdomen, were also bleeding.
Her current appearance was enough to suggest the situation, but still, they wouldn't let her return to rest. Song Shi could sense the underlying reason.
Supporting her waist, she slowly moved toward the exit, making her way to the teaching building.
It was class time, and the corridors were empty. Passing by the restroom, she turned into the washroom and twisted the faucet, washing the blood off her face.
The cold water stung her split lip, and despite her effort to hold it in, she let out a groan.
Slamming her palm against the sink's edge, her chest heaved violently. The pain in her waist gradually began to needle at her nerves, and a savage impulse to destroy everything surged within her, peaking in that moment.
Looking up, the woman in the mirror had bloodshot eyes, their red hue almost frightening.
Was it rage clouding her mind, or had the pain numbed her to the point where she felt detached from her own suffering? Slowly, the pain seemed to ebb away.
Waves of heat pulsed from her chest, flowing through her veins, gradually spreading through her limbs, soothing her battered body and calming the violent emotions inside.
The person in the mirror paused, her hand moving to her chest, feeling the unfamiliar warmth that seemed to come from nowhere, wondering if it was just a figment of her imagination.
Before she could discern its true nature, exhaustion overwhelmed her, swallowing her whole.
Song Shi's eyelids fluttered shut in an instant. She took a step back, and the sudden sensation of weightlessness jolted her awake.
Frantically, she gripped the edge of the sink, struggling to stay upright, but a wave of drowsiness hit her again. She shook her head, splashing cold water on her face from the sink's spout.
The chill helped ease the heaviness in her body as she stumbled toward the classroom.
She nearly collapsed several times on her way, but each time, she punched her injured waist, forcing herself to stay conscious with the sharp, dull pain that shot through her nerves.
Finally, she arrived at the back door of the classroom. Her eyelids were as heavy as lead. Kicking the door open with a forceful push, she squinted through the gap in her eyelids, scanning the room for her seat and hurrying toward it.
The moment her body hit the chair, she fell asleep.
The instructor's scolding and the hushed whispers around her were blocked out by the exhaustion that enveloped her.
Her body was rapidly healing, emitting heat from within. Her wet hair quickly dried, her face flushed with an unnatural redness, burning with fever.
Song Shi slept through the entire afternoon, her head resting on the desk, until the classroom darkened and the bell rang. The sound of chairs scraping against the floor broke the silence, and she groggily opened her eyes.
Half the class had already left, while the others were still gathering their belongings, some cleaning up.
Song Shi instinctively looked at her wrist. No watch. Both of her arms felt strangely empty. She paused, gathering her thoughts, and then remembered that she had tucked the watch into her pocket.
As she reached for it, her gaze faltered on her right wrist. She remembered the deep marks she had noticed there before falling asleep, marks left by the strap of her watch.
Now, the wrist only bore a faint red line, like a healed wound where the scab had fallen off, revealing fresh skin beneath.
As soon as a thought crossed her mind, Song Shi immediately reached for the injury on her waist.
She gently touched the area, finding no pain at first, but when she applied slight pressure, a dull, internal ache radiated through her.
This pain brought a strange sense of reassurance to Song Shi.
At least it confirmed that everything in her memory was not a dream—it had truly happened.
But why had she recovered so quickly? She recalled the soothing, warm current that had surged through her chest in the bathroom, followed by an overwhelming wave of drowsiness.
Could it be that she was awakening some healing ability?
"We're locking the door."
A man's impatient voice interrupted her thoughts. Looking up, Song Shi saw the cleaning crew placing their tools down and heading toward the door, while a boy outside held the handle, urging them on.
Song Shi rose from her seat.
The moment she took a step, a sharp pain shot through her waist, and her legs weakened, nearly causing her to fall.
Luckily, she reacted swiftly and managed to steady herself against the table.
The injury on her waist was severe, but after resting, it seemed to have healed about seventy to eighty percent.
Her face remained calm as she released her grip on the table, slowed her pace, and walked toward the door.
Just as she stepped out, the sound of the door closing echoed behind her.
The cleaning crew quickly brushed past her in pursuit of each other.
Song Shi continued her slow pace toward the dormitory building, adjusting to the pain. After a while, she made her way back to her room with relative ease.
She locked the door behind her, removed the bloodstained clothes, and headed to the bathroom with a fresh change of clothes.
In front of the mirror, Song Shi closely examined her body. All external wounds had healed; the cuts on her lips and the bruises on her body were no longer visible.
Only the areas on her waist and chest still ached when pressed—those were the places most heavily beaten.
The speed of her recovery was a pleasant surprise.
After cleaning and hanging her bloodied clothes, Song Shi pushed open the bathroom door. During dinner time, she had slept through the meal, feeling no hunger, yet she decided to eat a little.
Such things wouldn't happen just once, she thought. From the few fragments of conversation she had overheard, it was clear that the video of her being beaten was being used to extort money from Wei Yuyu's mother.
She didn't know how much money was involved.
But once someone was driven by money, it was certain that others would follow.
Song Shi grabbed the milk that had been opened by that lackey the previous day. Tearing a small hole in the carton, she tilted her head back and drank slowly.
Her stomach felt slightly bloated. After washing up, she lay down on her bed.
Despite having slept the entire afternoon, the moment her head touched the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep.
(End of Chapter)
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