Chapter 7: The Submissive Girl
However, after saying that, Carrie immediately cowered again.
She immediately lowered her head.
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have asked..."
"I'll go."
Xue Landi interrupted her: "But not now."
The excuse for taking time off from school these past few days was that his parents had passed away, and he was feeling unwell and too sad. The school expressed understanding.
But it had been almost a month. It was certainly not advisable to keep taking time off. Given America's meddling nature, a teacher would likely visit his home very soon.
However, it was impossible for Xue Landi to actually go to school and behave himself in class.
But he also didn't have the qualifications to arrange a leave of absence.
As far as Xue Landi knew, the original owner was not yet eighty. In America, he would most likely be sent to other relatives or fostered by a local family.
It was just that he was still a nobody, and no one had paid attention to him.
Otherwise, he might very likely be caught by some juvenile protection organization.
"Oh."
Carrie still kept her head down, no longer asking questions.
However, Xue Landi was now interested, opening his own door and warmly inviting her in.
"Come in and sit for a while."
"Ah?"
Carrie looked shocked, waving her hands in a panic.
"No, no, no... I have to go to school."
But Xue Landi said nothing, just looked at her expressionlessly, and even stepped aside, offering half his body.
His attitude was somewhat unquestionable.
Carrie began to nervously look around, not knowing whether she wanted to ask passersby for help or was worried that passersby would discover the situation here.
In the end, she still entered the house with small, hurried steps, like a thief, head down.
Submissive, unable to refuse, she most likely had a severe people-pleasing personality.
Although he wasn't a psychologist, Carrie's psychological problems were obvious to any normal person.
However, to ease her nervousness, Xue Landi still explained, "It's still early. As a thank you, I'll make you breakfast."
"No need, really..."
Carrie turned her back, refusing softly, constantly straightening the hem of her clothes.
"You must seriously accept my gratitude."
Xue Landi stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders.
Carrie visibly trembled, tense like a wooden puppet, not moving an inch.
Xue Landi let out a silent chuckle.
It had been a long time since he had met such an interesting person.
At the same time, due to the close proximity, he could also properly examine Carrie's condition.
It was like a treasure wrapped in a thick fog.
Although he could sense something extraordinary about Carrie, Xue Landi just couldn't clearly perceive it.
"Sit down, Carrie."
Xue Landi gently guided Carrie towards the dining table.
But Carrie's joints seemed to be stiff, walking rigidly straight and sitting rigidly straight.
Even her entire face was flushed red, as if she had never had contact with someone of the opposite sex.
Thinking of her mother, Margaret, such an extreme person, it was normal for her to raise such an insecure and sensitive daughter.
Xue Landi went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, while also asking about Carrie's family situation.
"Where's your mother?"
Carrie, body tense, lowered her head and replied.
"She went to the shop early this morning."
This time, Carrie spoke much more smoothly.
Usually, Margaret wouldn't drive her, and Carrie would typically ride her bike to school. Today, when she passed by next door, she looked more closely and happened to find the phone left at the door.
Only then did she make up her mind to knock on the door and return it.
"Oh."
Xue Landi nodded, then asked about something else: "Why did you come back so late last night?"
If he remembered correctly, Carrie's life trajectory was very simple, with almost no other social interactions, and she only recited the Bible at home on weekends.
As soon as Carrie heard this, she immediately became flustered again, with a hint of fear in her eyes, but in the end, she still said, "Nothing..."
Carrie felt especially wronged remembering last night's events.
She didn't understand why her classmates liked to target her.
Yesterday afternoon, she accidentally overheard her classmate Chris and her boyfriend Billy talking about waiting for Carrie at the school gate, tricking her into the Town's pig farm, and locking her in a pigsty to stay with the pigs for a night.
"This freak shouldn't be in school; she should go work at a pig farm directly."
Chris even claimed she would introduce Carrie to the bald, sweaty pig farmer as a girlfriend.
This terrified Carrie, but she didn't have a phone to ask her mother for help. In her subconscious, her mother couldn't help her either.
She also didn't dare tell the teacher, so she could only hide in the classroom, trembling.
She didn't leave until evening, carefully.
But when she returned home, Carrie did not receive comfort from her mother.
In fact, because she was late, Margaret, without distinguishing right from wrong, sent her to the confinement room, and she didn't even eat dinner.
It wasn't until this morning, when Margaret had to go to the tailor's shop in Town for work, that she was released.
Carrie felt she urgently needed to confide, but unfortunately, Xue Landi did not press her.
Xue Landi could guess that it was mostly related to bullying by classmates, but if Carrie didn't speak up, he wouldn't ask further.
When negative emotions haven't reached a certain threshold, just let them continue to accumulate.
Anyway, Carrie had no other outlet for psychological relief.
Xue Landi also didn't let the atmosphere cool down, asking some other provocative questions.
"Does your mother often put you in confinement?"
Carrie nodded.
"That's not confinement, it's... repentance to God."
Xue Landi almost laughed.
"God doesn't have that much free time to listen to your complaints."
Carrie's expression changed, but then she remembered this was a neighbor's house and relaxed.
"Don't worry, your mother won't come here, because we are Asians, and Asians are infidels who will go to hell in her eyes. She won't step into my yard."
Indeed, ever since the Xue family moved in, Margaret had never shown a good face. Previously, Xue Dad and Xue Mom had thought about visiting, but were coldly driven out.
Even at Xue Dad and Xue Mom's funeral a while ago, Xue Landi's classmates' parents attended, but Margaret, as a neighbor, showed no indication.
Xue Landi even overheard her muttering to herself.
"It's because they don't believe in God that Satan took their lives."
Even Xue Landi's own followers in his previous life weren't as extreme as her.
After all, the philosophy promoted by the heterodox cult was universal love, giving their followers a warm home.
Compared to that, his own heterodox cult seemed more like a righteous sect.
"You can relax, this isn't your home."
Although that sounded strange, for someone like Carrie, home might be even more terrifying than school.
Sure enough, after hearing Xue Landi's words, Carrie visibly relaxed, and her rigid body also loosened slightly.
