“Morning, Yan Huan.”
The pleasant voice drew both Yan Huan’s and Ying Gong Tong’s attention immediately. They turned to see a girl whose beauty couldn’t be hidden, even behind a mask.
Yan Huan paused briefly, then smiled warmly. “Morning, Bai Yi.”
Bai Yi gently removed her mask, revealing a pure, breathtakingly beautiful face.
Ying Gong Tong maintained her polite smile, but her eyes subtly entered “scanning mode,” meticulously observing Bai Yi’s features. Bai Yi was taller and clad in a tailored spring campus-style skirt that emphasized her elegance. In comparison, Ying Gong Tong, standing next to Yan Huan, appeared petite and delicate.
After greeting Yan Huan, Bai Yi turned her attention to Ying Gong Tong and smiled.
“Morning, Vice President Ying Gong.”
“Good morning, Bai Yi.” Ying Gong Tong responded with a graceful bow.
Although Ying Gong Tong suspected that Yan Huan’s “friend” from the previous day might have been Bai Yi, she had not felt any immediate threat. Yan Huan had shown little reaction when mentioning Bai Yi, certainly less than when he spoke of his childhood friend.
However, seeing Bai Yi in person—stunning and radiant—triggered a pang of unease.
Adolescents, after all, were easily swayed by hormones, and love often ignited at first sight. Yesterday’s loud proclamation about “Fan A” lingered in her mind as well. I’d better keep a closer watch, she thought.
Ying Gong Tong decided to gather more information before acting and initiated a conversation with a light smile.
“Bai Yi, your performance yesterday was amazing! The Student Council members who attended were all very impressed.”
“Really? Thank you!” Bai Yi’s cheeks flushed with pride, and her nose tilted up slightly in delight.
Ying Gong Tong nodded “sincerely.” “Of course. But when I looked into your past performances, I noticed you rarely sang despite participating in so many events. That was surprising.”
Bai Yi bit her lip shyly. “Well, it’s… complicated. But it’s all thanks to Yan Huan.”
As she spoke, her gaze shifted toward Yan Huan, her smile brightening like a flashbang straight into Ying Gong Tong’s calculating eyes.
That look…
Ying Gong Tong’s smile stiffened momentarily, but before she could respond, Yan Huan glanced at his watch and interjected, “We’ve got our Monday meeting soon. Let’s head to the teaching building.”
“Sure,” Bai Yi replied cheerfully.
The subtle shift in topic silenced Ying Gong Tong, though she was clearly displeased. Yan Huan, meanwhile, had his reasons for stepping in.
Even though Bai Yi hadn’t used the Modifier yesterday and no new fragments had appeared, she was still a Modifier user with unresolved tensions with her mother. She was a potential time bomb, and the last thing Yan Huan wanted was for Ying Gong Tong to get involved.
As they walked, Bai Yi pulled a small box out of her bag and handed it to Yan Huan.
“By the way, I haven’t forgotten the headphones you lent me. They looked a bit old, so here’s a new pair. These are prototypes I received from a sponsorship deal.”
The box contained sleek blue noise-canceling headphones, far superior in appearance to Yan Huan’s basic model.
“Ah, thank you,” Yan Huan said, accepting them gratefully. Given all the effort he’d put in recently, the new headphones felt like a consolation prize.
Ying Gong Tong, however, noticed something peculiar: Bai Yi was still wearing one pink noise-canceling earbud on her left ear. It was subtle, but its placement suggested a deliberate attempt to draw Yan Huan’s attention.
This is no coincidence, Ying Gong Tong mused. If a girl liked someone, she might not directly confess her feelings but instead drop hints. Bai Yi’s choice of matching accessories was a classic example.
Crafty.
Recognizing Bai Yi as a rival of equal cunning, Ying Gong Tong grew increasingly vigilant.
As they walked, a passing female student spotted Bai Yi and exclaimed, “Bai Yi! Your performance at the convention yesterday was incredible! So, tell me, who is Fan A?”
“Ah, well… That’s a secret,” Bai Yi replied with a nervous smile, her gaze flickering toward Yan Huan for just an instant before darting away.
The other girl giggled. “A secret, huh? I see!” She then greeted Yan Huan with a polite “Morning, President,” before walking off.
While Bai Yi was confused by the girl’s frosty reaction to Ying Gong Tong, Yan Huan seemed unfazed.
Ying Gong Tong had a reputation at school that wasn’t exactly favorable. Her swift ascent to the Vice President position, her strict enforcement of rules, and her exceptional grades—all backed by her affluent family—made her both admired and resented.
In contrast, Yan Huan, despite his humble background, was charming, approachable, and adept at navigating social nuances, earning him a wide circle of friends. Bai Yi, with her bright personality and sincerity, was similarly well-liked.
This disparity gnawed at Ying Gong Tong. Standing beside the sparkling Bai Yi, Ying Gong Tong couldn’t help but feel the gap between them widening.
Wait a minute, she thought, her face paling. I’m starting to sound like Yaqiao Mu.
As this troubling realization hit her, she glanced at Yan Huan and Bai Yi. They looked… perfect together: well-matched in height, appearance, and popularity.
Wait, am I… shipping them?
No!
Angry with herself for entertaining such a thought, Ying Gong Tong clenched her fists and resolved to refocus her efforts.
Just as Bai Yi was about to continue the conversation, Ying Gong Tong stopped in her tracks.
“Ying Gong?” Yan Huan turned, his voice laced with concern.
Bai Yi watched the exchange with thoughtful eyes, a glimmer of curiosity in her gaze. Ying Gong Tong mustered a strained smile and said, “President…”
But before she could finish, You Anlina bounded up from behind and hugged her tightly.
“Ying Gong, you’re so soft and comfy to hug~”
Ying Gong Tong’s face turned crimson as she struggled. “You Anlina!!”
“Hehe, I just love hugging you~ You’re so cute and pretty! And your temper is the best!”
“Really? Am I that great?” Ying Gong Tong felt a spark of confidence reignite as she caught Bai Yi’s surprised expression.
Right. I have my own strengths. Why doubt myself?
But her pride was short-lived as You Anlina clasped her hands together with pleading eyes.
“So, can I borrow your math homework this week? Pretty please?”
“...”
You Anlina, go back to elementary school!
Watching the scene, Yan Huan couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s You Anlina, the Student Council secretary,” he explained to Bai Yi.
“Ah… I see.”
Bai Yi blinked, her gaze lingering on the direction of Yan Huan’s attention.
As students passed by, many greeted Yan Huan warmly, even upperclassmen from second and third year. Some even invited him to karaoke or dinner after school.
The process of youthful infatuation was always similar—initial attraction grew into sweet fantasies of love, but once the realities of life set in, insecurities often followed.
Bai Yi, still basking in the romantic glow of the previous day’s “Fan A” reveal, suddenly realized just how popular Yan Huan was. He had his own social circle, friends, and a life outside of her. There might even be other girls who admired him or liked him.
Especially Ying Gong Tong. Bai Yi couldn’t shake the feeling that the Vice President’s gaze held a certain dangerous undertone whenever their eyes met.
This wasn’t a fairy tale with a prince and princess destined to be each other’s one and only.
Bai Yi’s lips tightened as her first blush of love gave way to a touch of nervousness.
Just then, Yan Huan turned to her and asked, “By the way, didn’t you want to ask about the study group?”
“Huh? Oh, yes!”
Surprised that Yan Huan remembered, Bai Yi quickly refocused.
“The study group starts tomorrow. Yaqiao Mu, the Student Council treasurer, and I are in charge. It’ll meet twice a week—Tuesdays and Thursdays during lunch. Before exam weeks, there will also be weekend study sessions off-campus,” Yan Huan explained.
Smiling, he added, “It’s optional to join, so it’s entirely up to you.”
“I’ll join!” Bai Yi blurted out before she could think, her gaze fixed on Yan Huan’s handsome profile.
From what she’d heard, very few students had ever joined the study group in previous years. That meant she’d likely have two private study sessions a week with Yan Huan—one-on-one!
Yaqiao Mu? Completely overlooked.
Her cheeks flushed at the thought, and her imagination began painting a rosy picture. But then Yan Huan handed her a slip of paper.
“Great. Here’s a list of the books you’ll need to prepare.”
“Huh?”
Bai Yi glanced at the paper, her romantic daydreams shattering instantly. Written neatly were:
Three Years of High School, Two Years of Simulations
One Hundred Drills in Advanced Mathematics
Comprehensive Guide to Grammar and Reading
She stared at the list, her face transitioning from pink to pale as her fantasy gave way to cold reality. Looking up at Yan Huan, she saw him smiling as he said, “Teaching an idol is a bit of pressure, but I’ll do my best to guide you.”
“…”
Meanwhile, in the principal’s office…
“Principal, here’s last week’s disciplinary record for her,” the secretary said, placing a document on Principal Hermes’s desk.
The name
Aria Spencer
was printed in bold at the top.
Hermes skimmed the file, noting the exhaustive list of infractions from various departments:
Breaking the doors to the equipment room and locker room…
Beating up three classmates…
Skipping classes, failing entrance exams, and scoring poorly on quizzes…
All of this in just one week.
Each department’s complaints were mounting, and several influential parents, including those of Park Shuwen, had already contacted the school.
With a deep sigh, Hermes removed his glasses and set them on the desk. His wrinkled face showed none of the joy it typically did when collecting “contributions.”
“Just one week, and everyone’s begging me to expel her. But if we expel Little Spencer, Old Spencer will show up next…”
He stood and looked out the window at the nearly completed, luxurious new teaching building. Turning back, he asked, “Our school values well-rounded development, not just academic performance. Surely she has some redeeming qualities?”
Though he was phrasing it tactfully, the request was clear: find something, anything, to counterbalance the complaints.
The secretary adjusted her glasses and thought for a moment before shaking her head. “It doesn’t appear so.”
“…”
Hermes stared out the window again and spotted Spencer crouched outside the teaching building. She seemed engrossed in a book, a black bag beside her. Occasionally, she scratched her head, as though she was actually learning something.
Curious, Hermes squinted to see what kind of book had her so absorbed.
And then he saw it—pages filled with censored illustrations.
“…”
Hermes nearly fainted. His eyes rolled back, and he fell backward.
“Principal!”
The secretary rushed forward to catch him, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Do you need your medication, Principal?!”
Hermes’s trembling lips managed a faint protest as he weakly grabbed the secretary’s hand.
Through ragged breaths, he muttered words that felt like an epitaph:
“Making money is hard… but eating this crap is harder…”
“Principal!”
A single tear rolled down Hermes’s cheek as he remembered the phone call from Spencer’s mother.
“My daughter has just arrived at Linmen. She’s in your care now.”
“Of course! Absolutely!”
Now Hermes wanted nothing more than to slap himself. He had made such bold promises, and here was Spencer, one week in, bringing smutty books to school.
Expelling her would upset the Board of Directors and the Golden Lion Group. Keeping her, though, would disgrace the school and strain relationships with parents and staff.
Caught between these pressures, Hermes sighed. “Is there any way to keep her here without losing face?”
The secretary thought for a moment before her eyes lit up. “The Club Competition, Principal.”
“The Club Competition?”
She nodded and leaned closer. “The winning club gets to make a wish to the Board. If we have her join a top club, it might work. Of course, it can’t be too obvious. Here, look at this.”
She handed Hermes a document titled,
Notification on Strengthening Student Campus Experience and Comprehensive Skills Evaluation at Linmen.
“Right now, there’s a policy encouraging students without clubs to join one. We could use this as a pretext to have her join the Track and Field Club—they’re likely to win this year.”
Hermes’s eyes brightened. “Ah, I see. You’re good at this. People like you should be making the real money.”
The secretary smiled modestly as Hermes began reading the policy in detail.
“Let’s finalize this today and issue a directive to the Student Council,” he said.
“Understood, Principal.”