The Psychotic Girl’s Revenge

His voice sounded as though it had been scraped with sandpaper.

Hearing this familiar phrase, Paige felt her blood run cold. She gripped her bag tightly, nearly unable to control her emotions.

“Arjun, I thought you were dead.”

She spoke in a suppressed voice.

Arjun, 27, was a descendant of slum dwellers. At the age of ten, he was fitted with an electronic bracelet that stunted his growth, making his wrists look as thin as a child’s even at this age.

He had never left Wind Island, where he was naturally optimistic and loved to smile.

When Paige first arrived at Wind Island, she wanted to return home every day and would stand by the sea, trying to find a way back.

Once, Arjun saw her and, thinking she was trying to kill herself, rushed to save her. As a result, he ended up in the sea, hit by a wave, cramped up, and was about to float away. Paige grabbed a vine and went into the water to rescue him.

From then on, Arjun considered her his savior, teaching her how to survive on the island. When he heard her talk about the outside world, Arjun became eager to explore it and yearned to leave.

One day a year ago, Arjun carved a clumsy farewell message on a rock and disappeared.

He said he wanted to see the real world.

He swam away from the island, despite Paige’s warnings that the electric fences outside the slums would kill him.

But he didn’t listen and left anyway.

Others had left by sea before; many days later, their bodies floated back.

Everyone, including her, thought Arjun was dead, but now she saw him alive in this prison.

It should have been a joyous reunion, but it was happening on the day he was to be executed.

“Pretty much. After this meal, I’ll be dead.”

Arjun said nonchalantly, as if discussing what to eat next.

Paige’s throat tightened. She took out a small notepad from her bag, opened it, and took off the pen cap, pretending to take notes as she asked, “How were you captured?”

“Someone reported me, and I was caught.” Arjun smiled.

“Didn’t you see me on the news?”

She asked. If he had seen her, why didn’t he come to find her?NôvelDrama.Org copyrighted © content.

If he had come to find her, with her current abilities, she could have saved him.

At her words, Arjun placed his hands on the table, pushing the cold noodles aside. He didn’t answer but smiled, “Little Paige, the outside world is quite interesting, more so than you described. I had never used a phone before.”

“…”

Paige looked up at him with a complex expression.

Arjun’s eyes were red, his smile deep. He lifted a hand to his nose and said, “When I first arrived, I stole a wristband to pass as a normal person, and I wasn’t discovered. It helped me survive.”

“…”

Paige stared at him in silence.

“This year, I’ve seen and experienced so much more than in my twenty-some years on Wind Island. I even earned my own money. You said you liked candy, so I bought a lot for you. I planned to bring them to you when you came back.” Arjun said with a smile, “Just note down an address, and you can collect it later.”

They both spoke in hushed tones to ensure the guards outside wouldn’t hear.

“…”

Paige remained motionless, looking at his smile, struggling to control her breathing.

“Write it down.” Arjun urged.

Paige reluctantly looked down and noted the address as he had instructed.

“This year has been quite happy for me. I’ve seen and experienced more than in all my years on Wind Island.”

As if to prove his happiness, Arjun’s smile was as bright as ever, full of cheerfulness. “By the way, I even found a girlfriend for you. She’s very beautiful and has a tiny waist.”

Arjun gestured with his hands.

“Is that so?” Paige quietly listened as he spoke.

“Yes, she knew I came from the slums and still loved me. She stayed with me in a basement for six whole months, often cooking for me.” Arjun spoke of his girlfriend with love in his reddened eyes, then sighed in resignation, “But unfortunately, I didn’t have a stable status or a lot of money to provide the life she wanted. She ended up with a rich second-generation guy, which is good for her.”

Paige’s expression grew cold as she listened to the sudden turn of events. “Did she report you?”

“Ah.”

Arjun responded with a smile, calmly saying, “It’s my fault. I couldn’t let go of her and kept bothering her. Naturally, she became impatient. That rich kid had me beaten up and thrown out at the police station.”

Paige’s grip on the pen tightened, her eyes flashing with anger. “What are their names? Where are they now?”

Arjun could tell what she was planning. “Don’t go looking for her. No matter what, she was a woman I loved. Don’t make things difficult for her. She was very helpless; such a beautiful girl shouldn’t have to live a poor life forever.”

“…”

Paige remained silent, her anger unyielding.

Arjun frowned. “Little Paige, listen to your brother.”

Paige wished she could snap the pen in her hand.

“Meal’s here!” The guard’s voice announced.

Arjun leaned back, and Paige looked up to see the guard entering with a simple chicken leg meal.

The meal looked poorly cooked, with rice that was barely cooked and the chicken leg simply boiled, accompanied by a few green vegetables. It was worth less than twenty yuan.

She had given so much money, yet this was what they brought in.

Paige was nearly seething, while Arjun simply reached for the chicken leg with chopsticks.

“Delicious.”

The guard smiled and turned to leave.

Arjun took a bite of the chicken leg and smiled, “You remember I love chicken legs?”

Paige looked down, scribbling on the notepad, and said quietly, “Arjun, I’ll take you out. Are the keys to your shackles with them?”

“I’m not going out.”

Arjun chewed the chicken, looking at her with a calm expression.

“This kind of woman isn’t worth you suffering and giving up your life.” Paige said coldly, disapproving of his resignation.

“Little Paige, when you truly love someone, you don’t care if it’s worth it.”

Arjun’s love for her was genuine. “And it wasn’t too painful. She stayed with me, a slum dweller, for six months, which was already good enough.”

Paige was unable to tolerate his self-deprecation. “Slum dwellers are no less than anyone else; we are all human. Where’s the difference?”

Her face was cold, clearly agitated. Arjun quickly said, “Alright, there’s no difference. But I really don’t want to go out.”

Paige’s breath caught, and she looked at him coldly. “Then I’ll drag you out.”

“I’ve seen you on the news. Little Paige, so impressive. As an older brother, how could I not see it?”

Arjun smiled, as if they were reminiscing in a cafe rather than in a prison. His voice dropped even lower. “I collected all your news. I know what you want to do, so I can’t come to you. I can’t drag you down.”

He was finished, but she still had hope. She could bring hope to the slums.