Early the next morning, St. Silan Academy issued a notice.
Freshmen would undergo a stage assessment in three days, supervised and invigilated by the Student Council.
This was the second major exam since the start of the semester.
The results from the previous exam were still posted on the honor wall at the end of the corridor—Lin Jinhuan’s name topped the list.
As for Jing Nian’an, during that period, it was still early in the semester… there were too many new and exciting things, and the girl had been playing too recklessly.
In short, her name was pitifully tucked away in the latter half of the rankings, even one spot lower than Sheng Ran!
Jing Nian’an still clearly remembered that blond foreign dog leaning over her desk, laughing arrogantly and maliciously:
Want me to teach you, Jing Jiaojiao?
He deliberately dragged out his tone, his haze-blue eyes filled with mockery.
Although she had openly retaliated afterward, thinking about it now still made her furious!
Having just been lectured by her brother last night for cursing, she now arrived at school only to receive the dreadful news of an upcoming exam.
For the entire morning, the girl wore a cold, stern expression.
Even Sheng Ran didn’t dare approach to provoke her—going near now would likely result in getting scratched.
Meanwhile, on the campus forum.
Today’s Hot Post on the St. Silan Anonymous Forum
Emergency Avoidance Guide: Today’s Hachimi is in a sustained low-pressure mood (includes candid photo)
1L Anonymous User:
Captured this morning—drinking milk with a cold expression, even her hair seemed to radiate displeasure.
But still… seriously, don’t mess with her today!
2L Anonymous User:
LOL, the OP says not to mess with her, but you took a sneaky photo first, huh?
3L:
You guys don’t get it! The contrast of the little drama queen suddenly acting aloof makes me want to provoke her eight hundred times!
4L:
My guess is it’s because of the exam, haha. After the last final exam, she saw her ranking and immediately threw Sheng Ran’s limited-edition motorcycle model into the fountain, LOL.
5L Anonymous User:
@4L, and then Sheng Ran squatted by the fountain fishing out the model, grinning like a total fool…
6L:
That was probably Sheng’s happiest moment, huh.
—This post has been locked, do not spread outside—
～
Not long after, the crisp sound of the lunch break bell rang.
Song Shishi hummed a tuneless little melody as she carefully picked up the three-tiered lacquered lunchbox.
Compared to the simple glass lunchbox from a few days ago, this exquisite container could hold more dishes.
Inside were all Hachimi’s favorites… another day where Ming Jiahe couldn’t compete with her～
Song Shishi thought, nothing was more rewarding than watching Hachimi eat up close!
Because the young lady’s dining posture always reminded her of a precious cat—each bite taken with refined elegance, yet her bright almond eyes couldn’t hide her delight.
Like a pampered cat unable to suppress its purring after tasting a delicious can of food.
When Song Shishi first entered St. Silan Academy, her father had solemnly reminded her that the young lady of the Jing family had done their family a favor.
It was because her father had almost been fired by the Sheng family back then, as Mrs. Sheng, being Russian, never quite adapted to Chinese cuisine.
But coincidentally, the day before he was to be dismissed, the young lady visited the Sheng household.
After tasting her father’s cooking, she casually remarked, “It’s delicious.”
Since then, her father had remained with the Sheng family, up to this day.Song Shishi had just stood up when Qiu Qing’er approached with a beaming smile. “Shishi, shall we go have lunch together?”
She was slightly taken aback. Qiu Qing’er had never taken the initiative to invite her before—today was certainly unusual.
Song Shishi curved her lips politely. “No, I already have plans.”
“With whom?” Qiu Qing’er tilted her head, feigning innocence.
Song Shishi immediately eyed her with suspicion.
The forum posts about “scholarship students seducing the young mistress” were causing quite a stir—could Qiu Qing’er really be unaware?
In this academy, while everyone tolerated Jing Nian’an’s willful behavior, they couldn’t help but look down on scholarship students like them with subtle disdain.
But Qiu Qing’er was exceptionally adept at socializing, often chatting and laughing with the wealthy young ladies.
As for Song Shishi… she had already been blacklisted as number one on the forum gossip rankings.
Oh, right—Ming Jiahe was second.
But she had always been broad-minded, simply dismissing those people as jealous.
No, they were definitely jealous!
“I’m going to find Jing Nian’an,” she replied bluntly.
As expected, before her words even finished, several sharp, dagger-like gazes shot over from the front row.
Qiu Qing’er continued to smile gently and amiably. “Then, may I join you?”
Song Shishi immediately narrowed her eyes warily, her internal alarm bells ringing loudly.
—Was this person trying to steal the young mistress from her again?
Seeing Song Shishi’s guarded expression, the corner of Qiu Qing’er’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
She truly couldn’t understand what the other was so wary of…
Did she think everyone liked that capricious young mistress?
“Don’t misunderstand,” Qiu Qing’er quickly adjusted her expression, putting on a perfectly appropriate look of distress. “I upset the young mistress yesterday—she didn’t like the chocolates I gave her. Today… I wanted to go apologize.”
She deliberately phrased it ambiguously, making anyone who heard it think the recipient was being unreasonable.
At the very least, they would feel her humble attitude wasn’t worth it.
However, Song Shishi’s thought process was clearly different from others. She automatically filtered out a few key words:
Upset, didn’t like, apologize…
No thanks, sis!
Song Shishi abruptly retreated several steps, nearly backing into Class Two’s rear door.
“Um… you’ll have to figure that out yourself. I can’t help you. I’m leaving now!”
“Oh, and from now on, please call me ‘Classmate Song.’ Thank you!”
With that, she dashed off in a flash, afraid that even a second’s delay would mean missing her beautiful “hachimitsu.”
After running some distance, Song Shishi patted her chest, still feeling uneasy.
—This Qiu Qing’er was really too scheming. She offended someone and now wanted to drag her down too?
This person was absolutely not worth befriending!
Meanwhile, Qiu Qing’er watched Song Shishi’s hurried retreating figure, her brow furrowed in confusion.
Was there… something wrong with what she said?
Probably not…
When she finally snapped back to reality, she realized… why did the surrounding classmates seem to be looking at her with… somewhat subtle expressions?