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.

Seeing that I wouldn’t hand over my phone, Linda turned to Layla to complain.

“Layla, look at her! She’s too much!” Linda sniffled, putting on a pitiful expression, her eyes welling with tears. “She didn’t back me up in the group chat. I’m being insulted by everyone, and she won’t even let me borrow her phone! If I had access to the group chat, I would’ve fought back myself!”

Layla, who prided herself on being the dorm leader and head of the arts committee in the student council, had a small amount of authority and loved bossing others around.

Ever since I once refused to grab her food, she’d held a grudge against me. She and Linda were inseparable, like best friends, always backing each other up.

Whenever awards or opportunities arose, Layla always prioritized Linda, even going so far as to help her buy the shower unit for her balcony antics.

As expected, Layla sided with Linda yet again.

“Avis, we’re all classmates. Why can’t you just let Linda borrow your phone? It’s bad enough you didn’t defend her in the group chat, but locking your phone? What’s that supposed to mean?”

I let out a cold laugh, giving her a sidelong glance. Without hesitation, I snatched her phone and handed it to Linda.

“You two are so close. Why don’t you let her use your phone, Layla?” I said, my voice dripping with mock sincerity.

“Linda, Layla’s in the group chat too. You can use her phone to respond. I’m fully behind you. Show them what you’re made of. Teach those girls a lesson!”

Layla’s expression faltered, a crack appearing in her composure.

Yet with Linda already holding her phone, she couldn’t snatch it back without looking ridiculous, leaving her awkwardly standing off to the side.

Linda’s eyes lit up with excitement at my words.

Eager to take action, she grabbed Layla’s phone and dove into the group chat, ready for a fight.

Tagging every girl who had commented, she began firing off a series of scathing replies:

“Why so sensitive? If you’re feeling too old to keep up, maybe it’s time to skip the drama and book a few more cosmetic treatments."

“If you can’t keep your boyfriend, it just proves you’re ugly and boring. If he dumps you, it’s on you!”

“You’re all just jealous. Even if you were to strip bare, no one would give you a second glance. You’d still have to pay others to look at you!”

…

After Linda’s smug outburst, she seemed pleased with herself, but the university group chat had descended into complete chaos.

When Layla noticed her messenger flooded with dozens of messages filled with insults, panic set in. She turned on me, blaming me for letting Linda use her phone and getting her dragged into the mess.

Feigning innocence, I waved my hand dismissively. “Layla, how can you say that? Linda’s your best friend. What’s wrong with letting her borrow your phone?”

Layla was left speechless, unable to argue.

All she could do was quietly leave the group chat in defeat.

I thought the drama might settle after that, but that night, Linda’s entire chat log, along with explicit photos of her showering, was posted online.

Her balcony escapades and her obnoxious attitude instantly shot to the top of every trending list on social media.

By early morning, there was a loud pounding at our dorm room door.

A mob of furious female students crowded the hallway, shouting accusations at the top of their lungs.

“Get out here, you shameless woman! Don’t you dare hide!”

“Weren’t you so bold in the group chat? Come out and face us!”

“We’re not leaving until we strip you bare!”

Hearing the commotion, Linda’s face turned ghostly pale.

I remained seated on my bed, a faint smile playing on my lips.

“This time, there’s no way I’m taking the blame for you, Linda. Looks like your luck’s run out,” I thought.

“Linda, it sounds like they’re looking for you,” I said, stretching lazily.

Pretending to be puzzled, I added, “Could it be something serious? You’d better go check.”

I gave her a slight push, making her tremble in fear. She immediately turned and tried to hide behind Layla, clinging to her like a lifeline.

Linda was all bark and no bite—a loudmouth with no real backbone. When confronted with actual trouble, she couldn’t even utter a word.

“Avis, I’m scared. Can’t you go check for me?”

Just like in my previous life, she wanted to shove me into the line of fire.