Chapter 5

Lily didn't answer until the tenth call, and Zella blocked her social media accounts.

 

Zella released a frustrated breath and threw herself onto the bed, unsure what to do. She recalled the meals and beverages she had taken.

 

She wasn't entirely innocent; there must have been some stimulants mixed into her food and drinks. Her body experienced intense sensations of blistering and excitement, which caused her to lose her mind.

 

Zella tapped her head with her hand as she began to think. “Come on, what did I drink and eat?”

 

She didn't drink or eat anything other than the lemon tea the waitress offered, and she didn't drink anything else after that.

 

Zella abruptly awoke from her slumber, recognizing something. She opened her laptop and typed quickly to find a hacker. She spent a little more money, but it was worth it to maintain her excellent reputation and avoid ruining their friendship.

 

Got it!!! Upon receiving the video from the hacker service, Zella observed a female waitress receiving money and a medicinal powder from another woman; sadly, the camera obscured the face of the powder dispenser, who was pouring the powder into her tea.

 

“I knew it; there’s something wrong here.”

 

Without much ado, Zella immediately saved the video footage to the gallery.

 

Zella smiled happily; this way, she could clear her name.

Zella immediately entered the class group, and Viola spread a video recording to the group.

 

Zella snorted unhappily; she had expected that the woman would not miss a bit of her suffering.

 

Zella was on the verge of sending the video to the campus group, but instead, she sent it to Lily and followed up with a message.

 

“Lily, please watch this video. I’m not guilty. I was framed, Lily.” Sent, read.

 

When Lily's call rang, Zella eagerly answered it with a beaming smile. “I told you, I’m innocent. You finally believed me and called me.” Breathing a sigh of relief.

 

“Again, you deceived me. Don’t you get exhausted from deceiving me? Once again, Zella, you truly enjoy manipulating me," Lily said icily.

 

“What do you mean? I don’t understand.” Zella was confused; her response was not what she had imagined.

 

“Look, from today onward, don’t consider me a friend!” Lily abruptly ended the call on her own.

 

“Lily! Lily! What do you mean?! Lily!”

 

Feeling something strange, Lily immediately checked the video sent from the hacking service.

 

“What happened?!” Zella panicked; the video evidence she had prepared had only been saved for 10 minutes and erased, only showing a black screen.

 

Zella inquired again about the video evidence provided by the hacking service, and they informed her that her laptop had also been hacked and infected with a virus, preventing further progress due to the virus's higher level.

 

“Perhaps?” Zella felt something strange, so she immediately checked the data on her laptop.

 

Unbeknownst to her, someone had been tapping her laptop for a long time. She even checked her cell phone; sure enough, someone had also tapped it.

 

Aria slapped her head in frustration and kicked the table in annoyance. Slapping her head. “Stupid! Stupid! Damn it!”

***

 

Three days had passed, and in that time, Zella avoided her, even moving her chair forward as if she didn't want to see her face.

 

During those three days, the students did not hesitate to insult her or even express dislike for her.

 

Zella approached Lily, who was chatting with her new friend. They looked familiar and laughed together.

 

“Lily, I—”

 

Before she could continue her sentence, Lily immediately stood up.

 

“Guys, do you want to come to the cafeteria?”

 

“Come on!” they exclaimed, leaving Zella alone. Zella let out a rude sigh.

 

For the next three days, Zella sat in class alone, eating a packet of bread. Dario's whereabouts were unknown to her ever since Brian’s murder. The man disappeared as if swallowed by the earth.

 

“When will this end?” Zella breathed heavily as she took a bite of her tasteless bread.

 

The next day, Zella returned to campus as usual; the difference was that she came with weak energy and was too lazy.

 

However, something strange happened: Zella didn't see Lily coming to campus.

 

“You know what? Last night, Lily's car failed to brake due to a chase with thugs, resulting in a collision with a tree. Her parents said so.”

 

“So?! How is Lily?“

 

"She's fine; it's just that she can't move her leg, which looks like an injury." The White Diamond Hospital is currently treating Lily.

 

Zella glared sharply, surprised to hear Lily's news.

 

After graduating from college, Zella hurriedly rushed to the White Diamond Hospital, where she saw her best friend lying with a breathing apparatus.

 

As Zella prepared to enter, something halted her progress. Lily didn’t like her at all. She was afraid of making Lily’s condition worse.

 

Damian noticed Zella’s presence and told her to come inside. “Are you here? Come in.”

 

But Zella shook her head no; in her heart, seeing the man still evoked a sense of awkwardness and guilt, reminding her of the accident three days ago. “No, I’m just here.”

 

Damian smiled as if he understood. “It’s okay; there’s no need to think about what happened three days ago. I’ve already forgotten about it. Lily was just frustrated yesterday. Anyway, Lily said it was okay; don't repeat it a second time.

 

Zella glanced doubtfully at Lily before resolutely heading inside. Her heart was pounding rapidly due to her intense nervousness.

 

Lily opened her eyes, her hands clenching the blanket, her gaze fixed on the man behind Zella, her body trembling with fear.

 

Zella believed she was the target of the gaze. Zella looked down, squeezing her hands together nervously.

 

“Lily, I’m sorry. I didn't intend to make fun of your boyfriend; however, I fell victim to a false accusation yesterday. Something tainted my drink, trapping me and causing me to lose my sanity; I was unaware that the man was Damian, and my vision was blurry at that moment. I’m not lying, Lily!”

 

Zella looked at Lily, who chose to turn her face away. Zella ventured to touch Lily's shoulder, but what she felt was a violent shake.

 

Zella assumed that her best friend was holding back tears because she was disappointed in her. “Lily, I’m sorry. I’ve got the evidence, but the video evidence is missing. Please forgive me.”

 

“Lily....” Damiam’s soft and gentle voice lovingly stroked Lily’s hair. Damian smiled.

 

Lily turned her head, looked at Zella, smiled stiffly, and nodded.

 

“Zella, can you come out? Lily needs to rest,” Damian said, and Zella nodded.

 

Lily tightly grasped Zella's hand as she turned to step out. Zella turned around, looking at Lily, who shook her head with tears flowing as if to keep her from leaving.

 

“I’ll come back tonight; you rest a bit first, Lily. Damian’s right; you need to rest. After all, Damian is still waiting for you,” Zella said, trying to release Lily’s hand, but it wouldn’t let go.

 

Damian took Lily’s hand gently, releasing Lily’s grasp. Looking at Lily, he smiled. “Honey, please leave Zella alone; she’ll be here again. Right, Zella?”

 

Zella nodded with a smile. “Right, I’ll go home first.”

 

That night, Zella walked cheerfully down the hospital hallway carrying her best friend’s favorite cheese bread; she was happy. Lily had forgiven her; she would take care of her tarnished reputation later.

 

Zella scowled as she observed Damian sitting in the waiting chair, gazing downward. “Damian, why are you here? Why don’t you wait inside? Lily is alone.”

 

Damian looked up. Zella was surprised to see Damian’s tears flowing. Damian was about to hug Zella, but Zella immediately walked back to keep her distance, knowing she didn’t want to hurt Lily again.

 

“I’m sorry, I just got carried away.” Damian smiled awkwardly, wiping away his tears.

 

Zella nodded in understanding. “I’m going in. I brought Lily some cheese bread; she’ll be happy.”

   

“She’s not there.”

 

“What do you mean?” Zella looked at Damian, confused.

 

“She’s dead.”