My best friend, Kahlan Ellis was invited by an online acquaintance to explore an abandoned school.

I told her it was dangerous and urged her not to go.

A young woman nearby overheard our conversation, got curious, and went with him instead.

Later, the local news blew up with a trending story about how a wealthy heir and a village girl who met during an exploration adventure had fallen in love and lived happily ever after.

Around that time, I was preparing to get married.

On the night before my wedding, Kahlan pushed me off a high-rise.

"If you hadn't stopped me from going back then, I'd have married rich by now! You deserve to die!"

It was only then that I realized how much she had resented me all this while for stopping her that day.

When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn to the day she first asked me to go on that exploration.

In the parking garage, Kahlan looked at me excitedly and asked, "Patricia, do you think I should go explore that abandoned school with Robert?"

Goosebumps erupted all over my skin the moment I heard Kahlan Ellis' voice.

The panic from falling off that high-rise and the crushing agony in my organs had yet to fade.

On the rooftop of the hotel, I closed my eyes, full of anticipation, waiting for her to take a beautiful photo of me.

She spoke softly, telling me the pose looked perfect, and then shoved me off with all her strength.

I managed to grab the railing, hanging there by a thread, and asked in disbelief, "Why? Why would you do this to me?"

Kahlan pried my fingers off one by one.

Her voice was filled with relief and satisfaction as she explained slowly.

"I was the one who met Robert Albrecht first! If you didn't stop me from going on that exploration, I'd be living the high life as a rich wife now!

"You ruined my perfect marriage, and you still think you get to marry? Dream on!"

But if I did not stop her, we both would have fallen into the abyss that night.

"Patricia?"

Her voice snapped me back to reality.

I felt my heartbeat pounding rapidly, powerful and alive. I realized I was reborn, given a second chance at this life.

Looking at the longing written all over her face, I said coldly, "You're an adult. Make your own decisions. Don't ask me."

She clearly did not expect such a blunt response. Her eyes reddened instantly.

I shot her a mocking glance. If she was so eager to throw herself into danger, I had no reason to stop her.

It was the same in my previous life.

After dinner with Robert and the others, we were supposed to go for karaoke.

But when we reached the parking garage, Robert suddenly suggested he knew of an abandoned school and asked if Kahlan wanted to go explore it. He said it would be way more interesting than karaoke.

She turned to me immediately for my opinion.

Robert was just an online acquaintance we only just met. Going off in the middle of the night with a stranger to some unknown abandoned place.

No matter how I thought about it, it was dangerous. So, I firmly rejected the idea.

Unexpectedly, a girl nearby in the garage overheard us.

She said she was very interested in exploring and wanted to go along.

Hence, we split into two groups and went our separate ways.

The next day, the news reported that someone was assaulted by a vagrant in that abandoned school, and that someone even died.

But the report was quickly taken down, as if it never existed.

Kahlan clearly escaped disaster because I stopped her.

Yet in the end, all she remembered was that she missed out on a wealthy heir, and she blamed it all on me.

This time, I did not stop her.

Blushing shyly, she slipped her hand around Robert's arm.

"Let's go, let's explore together."

"Wait. I'm not going. You two go ahead," I said, stopping them as they headed toward the car.

"Don't be childish!" Kahlan snapped, clearly displeased. "Didn't we already agree on this?"

I rolled my eyes. "You agreed. Not me."

She pouted, unhappy. "It's so late. It's dangerous for you to go home alone. Just come with us."

Robert raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, come on. What, you think we're going to sell you or something?"

I shook my head firmly. "I drove here. I'll head straight back to my home garage. I'll be fine."

Suddenly, Kahlan stepped forward, snatched my bag, and pulled out my car keys.

With a sharp clang, she tossed them straight into the drain.

"Are you insane?" I shouted in disbelief.

She just laughed sweetly and looped an arm around me.

"Come on, Patricia. Now you can't drive anyway. Just come with us."

"You can just ride with Charles. It's a good chance to get to know each other. Maybe you'll even find a boyfriend sooner," Kahlan offered.

Hearing that, Robert let out a whistle, looking between Charles Levitt and me with a suggestive grin.

I felt sick to my stomach.

Earlier that evening, Kahlan suddenly asked me out for dinner. I happily agreed.

Only after arriving did I realize she invited me because she was meeting her online acquaintance, Robert.

But Robert brought his friend Charles, who did not have a date. To keep him from feeling awkward, she deliberately called me over to keep him company.

Not wanting to interfere with whatever reckless thing they were planning, I swallowed my anger.

I simply waved my hand firmly and said I could take a taxi home.

But Kahlan blocked me, and we ended up in a standoff for quite a while.

Robert complained to her, "Kahlan, young women like this just love to act difficult, always need people to beg them again and again. I don't know what makes her think she's so special. I prefer someone obedient like you."

Kahlan blushed shyly and lightly punched his chest.

The two of them flirted shamelessly as if no one else was there.

I took a deep breath and stopped wasting words. I brushed her hand aside and headed straight for the exit.

"Don't go!" she shouted.

Before I could get far, someone suddenly lifted me and slung me over his shoulder.

"Come on, just give me a chance. I'll definitely satisfy you in every way," Charles said, smacking my backside as he spoke in a lewd tone.

Only then did it hit me. This so-called exploration of the abandoned school was probably just a cover. Their real intention from the start was something far more twisted.

And me? I was already thrown under the bus by Kahlan.

In my previous life, I was even stupid enough to think I owed her.

The thought filled me with overwhelming hatred.

I struggled violently, kicking and flailing. "Put me down! I said put me down! Can't you hear me?"

In the struggle, I drove my foot hard between Charles' legs.

With a cry of pain, he dropped me.

Clutching himself, he howled.

Kahlan, however, scolded me loudly, furious that I attacked a man's vital and most vulnerable spot, calling me a vicious bitch.

The fall left me dizzy, my head spinning.

Before I could recover, Kahlan grabbed my hair and slapped me hard across the face.

"I brought you here to make me look good, and you just embarrassed me! Charles, let's go. I'll introduce you to someone ten times prettier than her!" she said, glaring at me with venom.

Charles, having recovered slightly, spat at me and kicked me several times before being pulled away, still cursing as he went.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the girl who went with Robert in my previous life. She looked terrified and hurried into the car.

I did not have time to focus on her.

Robert's car pulled up in front of me. Kahlan rolled down the window and called out, "I kindly invited you out to have fun, and this is how you repay me?

"You brought this on yourself. If you dare run to my parents and complain, I won't let you off."

I shrank back, pretending to be afraid. Only then did she seem satisfied and drive off.

I hailed a taxi and quickly put on makeup.

Half an hour later, I was already at the plaza of Kahlan's residential complex.

The elderly people dancing there stared at me in shock—hair disheveled, looking like a mess.

Like a madwoman, I grabbed the microphone, my voice trembling with tears as I shouted with all my might.

"Does anyone know Kahlan? Which building does she live in? She's been taken away by men! Can someone please save her?"

No one answered me. If anything, they all edged a little farther away.

I kept shouting, "Kahlan's parents! Where are you? She's been taken away by a man! What are we going to do? Please, come out!"

I had to admit that the microphones the elderly used for dancing in the plaza were powerful.

When I shouted into it, it felt like the entire residential complex could hear me.

From a distance, I saw Kahlan's mother rushing toward me in her pajamas.

I collapsed under the harsh white lights, exposing the bruises on my face and the footprints on my body.

Through tears, I cried out toward her, "Mrs. Ellis! Kahlan insisted on going with a stranger to explore an abandoned school. I thought it was dangerous and tried to stop her, and this is what I got for it!

"I really tried my best, but couldn't stop them. They've already left for a while now. What are we going to do?"

Mrs. Ellis snatched the microphone from me and raised her hand as if to slap me.

"How dare you spout such nonsense!"

The elderly women around us, seeing that I wasn't some lunatic, quickly stepped in to stop her.

Mrs. Ellis began shouting that I was deliberately trying to ruin her daughter's reputation.

The elderly ladies fired back immediately, "You call yourself a mother? Instead of worrying about your daughter's safety, you come here accusing this girl? Sounds like you've got a guilty conscience!"

Overwhelmed by their barrage, Mrs. Ellis couldn't get a word in.

Someone shouted anxiously, "Forget arguing! A life might be at stake! Call the police first!"

Mrs. Ellis spat angrily, "Fine, call the police! Let them arrest this little bitch for slander!"

The group of elderly women turned to look at me. They hesitated and started doubting me.

I quickly pulled out my phone, but the battery was dead.

"No, it's not like that. My phone ran out of battery, and I used up all the cash I had on the taxi. I don't even know how to get to the police station."

A few kind young people who were livestreaming nearby immediately offered to take me there.

After we filed the report, the police checked the parking garage's surveillance footage.

Unfortunately, the system was old and poorly maintained. The video worked, but there was no audio.

Still, everyone could clearly see Charles grabbing me forcefully and the group of them hitting me together.

One empathetic girl burst into tears on the spot, saying I was such a good person, that after all that I'd been through, I was still trying to save Kahlan.

Mrs. Ellis' expression darkened, but she still insisted her daughter was simply dating normally.

I grabbed her hand, choking back tears. "Mrs. Ellis, I know you're worried about Kahlan's reputation, but her life is more important!

"Even if they're dating, that's just a guy she met online for the first time! And they're going to an abandoned school that's been deserted for over ten years in the middle of the night. That's just too dangerous!"

After that, I turned to the police again, begging them to act. What if killers or vagrants were hiding in the school?

The officers looked at me helplessly and said it was all speculation. They couldn't dispatch a team based on that alone.

After hearing me out, Mrs. Ellis seemed to finally grow uneasy about the possible danger and decided to go look for her daughter herself.

The kind young people offered to drive us there as well.

When we arrived at the entrance of the school, the seven burly men I called, each wielding a bat, were already waiting.

With the "bodyguards" in place, the livestreamers became even bolder.

We went in together. As soon as we reached the school building, we heard several bloodcurdling screams.

They were so horrifying that people instinctively huddled closer together.

Suddenly, one of the girls pointed toward a window and shouted, "Mrs. Ellis, is that your daughter?"