The summer break kicked off with a school-organized volunteer trip to an orphanage, where we’d live for a month. As a med school representative, I quickly noticed something was off with one of the orphan boys. Julian, who looked eight years old, had the bone age of a forty-two-year-old! In my previous life, I spilled the beans about his bizarre check-up results to my classmates, warning them to steer clear of the kid. But they scoffed, accusing me of being a cold-blooded monster for bullying a poor orphan. The next day, Julian vanished. Rumors flew that I’d driven him to believe he didn’t deserve to live. My classmates, furious, cornered me on the rooftop, demanding I jump to my death to atone for their accusations. The orphanage fence was old and rickety, and I ended up smashed onto the pavement below, dying instantly. Then I opened my eyes. I was back. Back to the very first day at the orphanage. This time, I decided to tell them Julian’s check-up was perfectly normal. **01** Standing at the orphanage gate, a swarm of kids rushed out to greet us. My eyes immediately locked onto him – Julian. He threw himself into Brittany, a junior from the finance department, clinging to her. “You smell so nice, big sister!” he chirped. “Unlike the other big sister over there, she smells stinky.” Julian shot me a dirty look as he finished. Last time, I’d noticed Julian’s behavior was way out of line. He’d bury his head in Brittany’s chest, acting all sweet, but then he’d deliberately touch her thigh. When I kindly warned Brittany, she snapped at me, self-righteously, “Riley, do you have any humanity left?! Or is it just that you’re so used to being groped that everyone else seems ‘dirty’ to you?!” Her words sparked a wave of laughter among the other students. The gossip spread like wildfire, painting me as a classist, snobby, cold-blooded monster. They constantly sabotaged me, even egging on the orphanage kids to torment me. “That big sister is a bad person! Don’t be like her!” The orphanage kids were young; they believed whatever the adults told them. They copied everything they heard, constantly pelting me with pebbles, sprinkling sand in my bed, and some even intentionally putting cockroaches under my covers! In the end, when I fell from the roof, it was them—the kids, egged on by my classmates—who swarmed me and pushed me over the railing! This time, I decided I wouldn’t meddle in their affairs. I clutched my bottle of disinfectant and medical equipment. “That’s the smell of alcohol, it might be a bit strong,” I told Julian, “but it helps keep everyone healthy!” Hearing me, the other kids crowded around, their big eyes wide with curiosity. “Wow, big sister, you’re so smart!” “Can this water really protect us? Can you give me some?” Seeing their innocent faces, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of emotion. These precious little angels had been corrupted in my past life by those classmates, who were always sucking up to the powerful and stepping on the weak. This time, I vowed to protect their purity! “Of course! Every day, I’ll use this disinfectant to wash your hands and keep you safe!” As soon as I said that, the children started jumping up and down, cheering for me like I was a superhero. But Derek from the Business Management program wasn’t thrilled. He was always the center of attention, and seeing me surrounded by adoring children, his face immediately fell. He strode forward and kicked the bottle of disinfectant out of my hand. “Oh, so you think you’re some kind of savior around here, huh?” he sneered. “You’re so good at buttering up these kids. Are you from here too?” He laughed. “Seriously, Riley? You’re an orphan too? No parents?” The children instantly went quiet, their faces falling in disappointment. Being told they were “parentless”—they probably heard that a lot. But Derek just said it right to their faces. “Derek, are you insane? How can you say that in front of the kids?!” I stared at him, shocked. Before Derek could reply, Julian spoke up from the side. “Derek didn’t say anything wrong, big brother.” He giggled. “Are you really parentless, big sister? Hehe.” Brittany and Derek exchanged a look and burst into laughter. “Julian, you’re so funny!” Brittany exclaimed. “After this volunteer trip, I’m going to adopt you as my little brother!” But Julian buried his head in Brittany’s chest again. “I don’t want to! I want to be Brittany’s *baby*.” Brittany was still basking in the glow of being liked by a child. She didn’t even notice that Julian, barely eight years old, had a noticeable bulge in his crotch, pressed against her. **02** The next morning, I woke up early to draw blood for the children’s physicals. When it was Julian’s turn, he completely shut down. No matter what I said, he refused. “This woman’s a liar! She’s taking our blood to sell it! Don’t trust her, everyone!” In my previous life, Julian pulled the same trick. Back then, I just thought he was a scared kid, terrified of needles. The other kids, hyped up by his words, went wild and wouldn’t let me draw their blood either. Julian even grabbed a syringe and lunged at me. “You want my blood?! I’ll stab *you*!” The other students followed suit, grabbing syringes and trying to stab me! My body was covered in countless tiny puncture marks, nowhere untouched. The other students just stood there watching, completely unconcerned. “That’s not our problem. I’m a finance major, this isn’t my field,” one said. “Seriously? You think you’re going to be a doctor? You should just drop out and get a factory job!” another scoffed. I even tried to ask the school for help, to get out of the volunteer trip. But when my classmates found out, they cornered me. Derek viciously kicked me. “This volunteer trip is tied to all our credits! We can’t have any screw-ups!” he snarled. “If you chicken out and mess with our grades, I swear I’ll make you pay!” Brittany crouched down, her eyes narrowed menacingly. “If you don’t draw their blood and complete the check-ups, then *I’ll* be drawing *your* blood. Understand?” Her dad was a notorious figure in the city’s organized crime scene, and she’d always thrown her weight around at school. Once, a student dared to contradict her in front of everyone, and the next day, that student was found badly beaten on the outskirts of town. I knew she wasn’t kidding. In the end, I had to ask the orphanage director for help to resolve the situation. After I discovered the irregularities in Julian’s medical report, I immediately told my classmates. But they didn’t care, accusing me of deliberately targeting Julian, saying I was a cold-blooded animal! It ultimately led to my innocent death. This time, all I wanted was to protect myself. Facing Julian’s defiant glare, I stood up and addressed all the children. “Kids, this is a magic wand that can draw all the bad stuff out of your bodies!” I announced cheerfully. “Once the bad stuff is out, everyone will be super strong! Plus, I’ve got candy for all of you!” As expected, the children eagerly lined up, all wanting their blood drawn. Only Julian remained, clinging desperately to Brittany’s neck, rubbing his face against her chest. “I don’t want to, I don’t want to! No blood draw!” Derek was getting impatient. “Come on, hurry up, don’t drag it out. If you mess with our credits, I swear I won’t let you off, you brat!” Seeing there was no way out, Julian reluctantly allowed me to draw his blood. The entire time, the look in his eyes was filled with a chilling killing intent that sent shivers down my spine. After collecting all the samples, I locked myself in my private room in the dorm. I started testing each sample, one by one, until the last one was done. I looked up and realized it was late into the night. Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed past the window. I immediately tensed. The next second, the lights in my room went out, and the door creaked open. In the moonlight, I saw Julian, his face grim, staring intently at me. **03** I forced myself to stay calm. “Julian, little one, what’s wrong? Do you need something?” His hands were clasped behind his back, as if hiding something, and he stepped closer, inch by chilling inch. “Did you finish testing my blood sample?” I nodded, fighting back the rising panic. “Yes, I just finished.” He stared me down, trying to read my expression for any hint of a lie. “So, what did you find?” I swallowed hard, backing away until my spine hit the cold wall. “Julian, your check-up report… there’s a problem!” As soon as I said it, Julian lunged at me like a madman! In the nick of time, I shouted, “Your iron levels are low! A bit anemic, actually! You need to eat more, kiddo!” Julian suddenly froze. I saw him hurriedly stash something behind his back. It was a gleaming fruit knife! My shouting quickly drew the attention of my classmates in the next room. They gathered outside my door. “Riley, why’s your room dark? Oh, Julian, why are you here?” Julian instantly plastered on his usual innocent smile. “I just came to see if big sister Riley was done with her work. She must be so tired working so late!” He bounced away amidst their praises. But I knew for sure now: Julian was hiding something big. His blood oxygen levels and bone age clearly showed he wasn’t a child at all! He was a forty-year-old man! What was he doing, pretending to be a child in this orphanage? If he was just freeloading off them for food and shelter, that wouldn’t be enough to make him want me dead. Soon, a staff member came and restored the power to my room. “That’s weird. Your power lines were cut from the outside.” The staff’s words only confirmed my suspicions. Julian definitely had a bigger secret! First thing the next morning, I went to the director’s office. “Director, may I see the students’ files?” The director was surprised by my request, frowning. “What do you need them for? We usually don’t show them to outsiders, it involves the children’s privacy.” I remembered how, in my previous life, when my classmates cornered me on the rooftop, the director simply stood by his window, watching my plight, without the slightest intention of helping me. This time, I didn’t dare tell him my true suspicions. I had to lie. “My aunt and uncle don’t have kids and are looking to adopt an orphan. I wanted to see if there were any suitable children to help them find the right one.” The director finally lowered his guard, smiling as he pulled a thick binder from his drawer and handed it to me. “Oh, I see. All the children’s records are here. You can look at them in my office, but you can’t take them out. We have several well-behaved children here; take your time choosing.” I took the binder and started flipping through it. I’d reached the very last page of the thick file, but there was no information about Julian. “Director, why isn’t Julian’s information in here?” A flicker of unease crossed the director’s eyes, and his face immediately hardened. “Why do you want Julian’s file? I heard you two had some disagreements a few days ago. What’s the real reason you’re asking for his file?!” He said, and then, with a click, he locked the office door from the inside. A bad feeling instantly washed over me . Why was the director so alarmed by my question about Julian’s file? What was the director’s relationship with Julian? What secrets were they hiding? “Julian, that kid, he’s a handful sometimes, but he’s bright! You know, Director, most of the kids in the orphanage have some health issues. But Julian, he looks perfectly fine!” I rambled, trying to reassure him. The director visibly relaxed, awkwardly saying, “I was just trying to open the door for some air. How did it get locked? Guess I’m getting old.” He cleared his throat. “Julian, he was adopted once before, but the adoptive parents said he had violent outbursts, always breaking things and screaming to be brought back here. They were forced to return him. To avoid a repeat, I removed Julian’s file from the general records.” I nodded, then left the office. The next second, a dark figure slammed me into the corner. **04** Julian’s eyes were filled with murderous intent as he glared at me. “What were you doing talking to the director?! Were you investigating me?!” He barely reached my ear, but his strength was terrifying! “I just wanted my aunt to adopt you, that’s all. My aunt and uncle run a restaurant. You’d be well-fed, I promise.” I pretended to be casual. He violently flung my wrist away, his face twisted with rage. “I like it here with everyone! Just leave me alone!” he snarled. “If I catch you snooping again, you’ll regret it!” With that, he dragged me to the bathroom at the end of the hall and locked me inside one of the stalls. The bathroom was out of the way, near the staff offices, so normally no one except the director would pass by. I pulled out my phone and texted my classmates, but they all claimed to be busy, and no one was willing to come and unlock the door. I decided that if no one came by midnight, I’d have to call the police. But around eleven at night, I suddenly heard a girl crying from inside the bathroom! My blood ran cold. No way this is actually happening, right?! Then I heard words mixed with the sobs: “Waaah, why… waaah, if only I had a mommy…” I instantly realized it was one of the orphanage children crying. I whispered, “Little one, it’s big sister Riley. Can you open the door for me?” The child immediately shrieked in terror, then took a while to articulate a full sentence. “Are you really big sister Riley?” After confirming my identity, the child opened the door. The crying child was Lily, a quiet and easily overlooked little girl among the other kids. I crouched down to wipe her tears. “Tell big sister, why are you crying? Did someone hurt you?” Lily was trembling all over, just sobbing. I reached out to comfort her, but she suddenly winced, as if in pain. I lifted her shirt and discovered her body was covered in bruises and cuts! “Lily, tell big sister what happened. Big sister promises, I’ll get you out of here!” She finally started telling me her story. My tears streamed down my face, and I was shaking with fury as I listened. The moment I woke up tomorrow, I would call the police! After taking Lily back to her room, I returned to mine to gather evidence for the police report tomorrow. Passing Brittany’s room, I heard muffled moans and gasps coming from inside. “Derek, go easy!” I heard Brittany pant. “Why won’t you let me touch you?! Okay, okay, I get it, it’s just your little… thing.” I paid them no mind, rushing back to my room and locking the door. First thing the next morning, I was woken by a commotion in the courtyard. I looked out to see Brittany yelling at Derek, raging. “You scumbag! Why didn’t you tell me you were hooking up with Chloe?!” Derek and Chloe stood hand-in-hand, looking utterly bewildered. “Why do I need to tell you who I’m dating? What’s it to you?” Derek retorted. *Slap!* Brittany slapped Derek across the face, utterly distraught. “Then why did you come to my room last night and do *that* with me?! I’ll have my dad kill you!” Chloe looked shocked. “Brittany, what are you talking about? Derek was in my room all night!” **05** By now, everyone had rushed into the courtyard to watch the drama unfold. Brittany, humiliated, turned her fury on Chloe.
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