Lin Qing didn’t spend long wondering about this strange ability. Once he connected it to what he’d experienced, he quickly figured out how it worked.

A white skull represented a person’s potential for evil.

Everyone had a limit to their potential.

That was true in every area, including a person’s capacity for evil.

But people were born with different circumstances, so their potential varied too.

After all, among the people in this world, there were geniuses and idiots.

They represented the two extremes of potential.

And most people fell somewhere in the middle.

Ever since Lin Qing’s ability appeared, every ordinary person he’d met had the standard single white skull.

People with violent tendencies had two white skulls.

Basically, anyone with two or more white skulls had a better-than-sixty-percent chance of becoming a criminal.

Whether it was violent crime or financial fraud, they were all tied to one of those things.

As for why the chance wasn’t one hundred percent…

It was because the number of white skulls only represented a person’s potential for evil.

Only when a white skull turned black did it mean that person had already done something unforgivable.

The greater a person’s potential, the more likely they were to commit a crime.

That was why Lin Qing hadn’t run away on his first day after transferring, even when he saw just how enormous Su Yao’s “potential” was.

It was simply because the skulls above Su Yao’s head were still white, with no sign of turning black. That meant her evil had yet to take root.

Even so, Lin Qing knew he couldn’t get close to this woman. He had to stay as far away from her as possible!

If this hadn’t been the only school that waived all fees, he wouldn’t have stayed here, forcing himself to stick it out.

If he wanted to receive his small monthly allowance, he had to maintain his status as a student…

With the harsh reality staring him in the face, Lin Qing knew there was no use being afraid.

But if he kept reacting so strongly, Su Yao would eventually notice something was off.

Su Yao hadn’t done anything bad yet, but with potential that high, she was sure to become someone not to be underestimated.

Perhaps ten white skulls was the absolute limit of a person’s potential.

Reaching that peak meant that, in another sense, Su Yao was a genius among geniuses.

From what Lin Qing had heard over the month since transferring, his deskmate Wang Fanran had made it clear that Su Yao came from a powerful family, excelled in her studies, and took first place in every sports competition.

And that was without even mentioning her musical performances, skiing, go, and all the rest… Basically, she was good at everything.

Now that Lin Qing had returned to a normal life, all he wanted was a peaceful one.

He didn’t want anything else to change.

Just let him live in peace!

“You fat pig! What the hell were you yelling about just now? Just wait till I get back—I’ll beat the crap out of you!”

Lin Qing’s thoughts kept racing, but his body wouldn’t obey him. He continued to shake uncontrollably. Seeing this, Zhou Lin—who’d thrown Lin Qing to the ground—started to panic.

Anyone with eyes could tell that something else was wrong with Lin Qing.

What if this ended with someone dead…

To make sure he didn’t end up taking the blame, Zhou Lin gritted his teeth, crouched down, and hoisted the still-shaking Lin Qing onto his back. Then he hurried toward the nurse’s office.

Lin Qing, please don’t let anything happen to you!

If his family found out he’d done something like this at school, getting beaten half to death would be the least of his worries. They might even make him quit school.

Zhou Lin wasn’t especially devoted to his studies, but the carefree life of a student was still better than slogging away at a job.

He didn’t want to go out and work!

“Teacher, come quick! One of my classmates suddenly started having a seizure!”

Worried as he was, Zhou Lin didn’t slow down.

When they reached the nurse’s office, the school nurse was the only one there, and no other students were being treated. Zhou Lin’s frantic shouting immediately caught her attention.

When she saw Lin Qing lying on the bed and still shaking, the school nurse didn’t bother scolding them for making noise. She hurried over and lifted Lin Qing’s eyelids.

Once she opened his eyes, she saw them darting wildly in every direction, unable to settle.

“How did he end up like this?”

As she asked, the school nurse rolled up a book from the desk and shoved it straight into Lin Qing’s mouth to keep him from biting his tongue.

“I don’t know either. It seemed to happen all of a sudden. Oh, right! Someone said he started acting like this after a girl from our class came in.”

Seeing how seriously the school nurse was taking it, Zhou Lin’s last doubts disappeared. Lin Qing really was sick—he wasn’t faking it!

He wasn’t pretending!

“Was there any clear trigger? We’ll have to take him to the hospital for a thorough examination… Don’t worry, you can head back to class. I’ll take him to the hospital.”

Then the school nurse saw how shaken Zhou Lin was. She knew the student had been frightened by what happened, and that it would be better for him to leave.

Now that an adult was taking charge, he didn’t need to worry about anything else.

The half-conscious student didn’t seem to be having a seizure. It looked more like he might be suffering from the aftereffects of psychological trauma… They’d better take him to the hospital and find out.

“Okay, Teacher. Just make sure nothing happens to him!”

After hearing what the school nurse said, Zhou Lin knew that no matter how panicked he felt, staying there wouldn’t help.

He’d better go back and wait for news!

Wait—it was all that fat pig’s fault. If not for him, none of this would’ve happened!

The moment Zhou Lin thought of the real culprit, he quickened his pace. By the end, he was sprinting.

“You fat pig, you…”

But when Zhou Lin arrived back in the classroom, panting, someone had already given Wang Fanran a thorough beating.

Both his eyes were black and swollen, like a panda’s.

Blood was running everywhere from his nose, mixed with snot and tears. It was disgusting.

He looked ridiculous and revolting.

Zhou Lin glanced at his good buddy Wang Jian. Wang Jian immediately grinned and flashed him a V sign, showing that he was the one who’d done the deed~

“How’s that guy?”

“He’s been taken to the hospital.”

As Wang Jian asked how things had gone, Zhou Lin answered and gave Wang Fanran’s hefty body a vicious kick, sending him sprawling to the floor. He didn’t dare get back up.

All he could do was sob and whimper. He couldn’t have looked more pathetic.

He was nothing like the bully who’d treated Lin Qing so cruelly. But his resentment toward Lin Qing was growing fast.

It was all that damn Lin Qing’s fault. He’d gotten Wang Fanran into this mess.

It hurts so much!

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

“It’s that bad?”

When he heard what Zhou Lin said, Wang Jian froze. He hadn’t expected things to get this serious.

He’d thought Lin Qing was faking it!

“The school nurse asked what triggered it too. How would I know? I just told her it started when he saw a girl from our class… We’ve got so many girls in our class, all chattering away, and he’s fine. But the moment he sees Su Yao, he’s suddenly like this…”

Zhou Lin grumbled to Wang Jian without lowering his voice, so Su Yao, sitting right in front of them, heard every word.

Her eyes, which had lost interest, lit up once more.