Chapter 3

The whispers and pointed fingers from the crowd reached Linda’s ears, and her expression instantly darkened.

"Avis! You did this on purpose, didn’t you? With so many people downstairs, you just wanted to embarrass me!"

“Oh, so you do know how to feel embarrassed. Seems like you aren’t entirely shameless after all. Perhaps the way you framed me in the past life wasn’t accidental either,” I thought.

Feigning innocence, I put on a hurt expression and said, "I was worried you’d get cold from staying out here too long. Why would I want to harm you? Look at you, Linda. You’re so captivating that even a simple shower has everyone watching.

“Just look at those men. They’re completely mesmerized. If I had a body as perfect as yours, I’d shower on the balcony too."

I forced out those insincere words, barely managing to keep myself from gagging.

Linda, soaking up my flattery, let out a smug huff and continued with her shower. "Hmph, of course, I’m irresistible."

Then, she shot me a disdainful glance, her tone dripping with scorn. "But you? Please. With your flat chest? Even if you were to strip bare, no one would bother looking."

I curved my lips into a faint smile and said nothing.

“Go ahead, laugh. Soon, you’ll have no reason to,” I thought.

Just as I expected, by the next day, Linda’s photos were plastered all over the university’s confession page.

The caption read:

"To the student in question: Please be mindful of your image and stop flaunting yourself. The school provides proper showers. Why insist on bathing on the balcony? Are you trying to seduce someone? Most of the men here already have girlfriends. Cover yourself up. Don’t you think this is disgraceful?"

Zooming in on the photo, I saw Linda squatting as she washed her private areas, a look of bliss on her face. As in my past life, her face was blurred with a mosaic filter.

The post spread like wildfire, causing an uproar in the university’s group chat.

It was only a matter of time before Linda's identity surfaced, traced back to a voice supposedly heard shouting in the dorm's central courtyard.

The female students were unrelenting, condemning her actions as indecent and immoral, saying she was a disgrace to the school.

Meanwhile, many of the male students, thoroughly entertained, only fueled the chaos. Some outright encouraged her behavior, making crude remarks:

“She’s doing charity work. At least let’s tip her for the free show!”

“Why pay for this outside when she’s giving it to us for free? What a saint!”

“You women are just jealous because her body is better than yours.”

The group chat became fiercely polarized.

I casually handed my phone to Linda, pretending to be concerned.

“Linda, maybe you should stop showering on the balcony. Even though your skin looks amazing now, and you’re more stunning than ever, this is drawing too much attention. People are starting to criticize you.

“Why not head downstairs to the communal showers and come back up to sunbathe? It would be just as effective.”

Linda glanced at the stream of hateful messages in the chat and exploded. She threw my phone to the floor and began raging, stomping around the dorm in fury.

“Jealous witches! Those ugly girls can’t stand that I’m prettier than them! They’re just bitter! They’re picking on me because they’re ugly and insecure! Yes, I have a great body, and yes, I’m beautiful! No matter how much they hate it, they can’t change it!”

Feigning sympathy, I picked up my phone and patted her shoulder, continuing to stoke the flames.

“You’re right. You were just taking a shower. It’s not like you did anything wrong. And look, there are so many guys supporting you. That’s all because of your charm.”

Linda’s expression softened slightly, but the tension lingered.

“Still, maybe it’s best not to fight with them. Let it go, okay?”

As expected, my words triggered her. She jumped to her feet, indignant.

“Why should I let it go? I didn’t do anything wrong! They’re the ones causing trouble!”

She grabbed my phone, intending to fire back at the chat.

Fortunately, I had set a passcode in advance. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t unlock it.

“What kind of useless phone is this?”

I quickly snatched the phone from her hands. If she got hold of it again, I’d end up taking the blame for everything.