She was a scholarship student at the school, excelling academically, upright and kind-hearted. She usually served as the counselor’s assistant and had a good relationship with the advisor. So, when everyone else remained silent and fearful, she, as the class monitor, stepped forward.
But her courageous questioning did not receive the counselor’s approval. The counselor even buried their head, not daring to look at her, almost wearing the words “I want nothing to do with this” on their face.
“Jin, Huang, Yue.”
A phoenix among stars, the moon surrounded by a galaxy.
Her beautiful eyes, devoid of emotion, scanned everyone in the room as she slowly enunciated each syllable of her name.
“Listen carefully to my name. This is the only chance you poor wretches will ever have to know someone from the upper echelons.”
The class monitor’s face turned pale with anger. She hadn’t expected the other girl to completely ignore her existence, not even sparing her a glance.
“What? What is she saying?”
“She’s looking down on us, isn’t she?”
“How dare she talk to us like that!”
Jin Huangyue’s words clearly stirred public outrage. No one would be happy being called a “poor wretch” to their face. She might carry herself with elegance and beauty, but with that sharp, disdainful attitude, who did she think she was?
“What does your money have to do with us, ” The class monitor’s angry words were cut short as red “snowflakes” began drifting into her line of sight.
The tall girl had opened the black leather suitcase she carried with her, revealing stacks upon stacks of red banknotes. Casually grabbing a handful, she tossed them into the air above the classroom.
“Whoever picks these up can keep them,” Jin Huangyue said calmly.
Her words sent shockwaves through the room.
Everyone stared, mouths agape, at the dazzling red banknotes fluttering in the air, each one so charming and desirable. It was money. A single note was enough for a good meal, and now there were so many flying around.
All of it was money.
Money.
Some people’s eyes turned red with greed as they reached for the notes in the air. The first thing they did upon grabbing one was to hold it up to the light, checking its authenticity.
“It’s real! It’s real money!” someone exclaimed excitedly, covering their mouth.
They weren’t practice notes or counterfeit bills, they were real. Handfuls of money now littered the classroom floor and seats. She wouldn’t even dare to waste toilet paper like this, yet this girl had thrown such a large sum of money around.
After the initial excitement, she frantically crouched down, searching for more red banknotes. Following her lead, the rest of the class snapped out of their daze and rushed to grab what they could.
At weddings, people would fight over a two-yuan red envelope. These red banknotes were far more tempting. Some even argued heatedly over a single note they both tried to claim.
In their struggle, a bright red banknote was torn in two, splitting into separate halves.
Jin Huangyue leaned casually against the podium, examining her slender, manicured nails as if the money fluttering in the air were nothing more than worthless scraps of paper to her.
The proud, cold-hearted young lady watched the panting, scrambling crowd below as if observing an entertaining circus act. Finally, a flicker of interest and amusement appeared in her eyes.
“Do you like it? Want more? As long as you keep me entertained, there’s as much of this as you could ever want,” she said with a smile, her words dripping with malice.
“Right now, there’s something you can do to make me happy. Anyone who slaps her once can come to me and collect ten thousand.”
As soon as the words were spoken, someone with reddened eyes asked, “Slap who?”
No one questioned why, nor did they doubt it, the cash they had grabbed was proof enough that the speaker could pay. All they needed was a name, and at least 50% of the people present would act without hesitation.
Ten thousand, for some of the parents of those present, working hard for a year might not even save that much money. Yet here, all it took was a simple, effortless task to earn it, or even more.
Just slapping someone, no need to sacrifice their dignity. Even for a hundred, people would scramble to do it. Ten thousand, so expensive. Whose face was worth that much?
Jin Huangyue didn’t answer the foolish question. She raised her hand and held up three fingers.
“Three minutes. The timer starts now. I’ll only pay for those who act within three minutes.”
No more words were needed. Someone had already reacted swiftly. The class monitor was dragged by her hair and thrown to the ground. Along with her screams came the sharp, resounding slaps.
The others quickly caught on and crowded around, scrambling for the precious opportunity.
“Let me hit her once, let me do it! Get out of the way!”
Several people fought over it, their faces flushed. Unable to reach the center, they even began hitting each other, as if turning their peers into enemies.
More and more people joined the farce, which no one dared to stop. It eventually escalated into a chaotic brawl. The sound of fists hitting flesh echoed nonstop, and the class monitor at the center was in a pitiful state.
Insane.
Ruan Jiao sat in her seat, watching the crowd like they were madmen. Not many remained as clear-headed as her, mostly those who weren’t short on money in their daily lives.
As for the polite, well-mannered students from poor backgrounds who usually chatted and laughed with the class monitor, they were now scrambling like madmen to hit her.
[Madmen.]
Her gaze shifted to the stunningly beautiful girl leaning against the podium, smiling brightly. Ruan Jiao silently thought to herself. Those frenzied people were madmen, and the instigator was the maddest of them all.
How could she still be smiling? Was she really so happy watching a group of people make fools of themselves over money?
And what about the counselor? Why was he turning his back like a coward, too afraid to look at the scene below? It was surreal. In a school, in times of peace, could something like this really happen?
Ruan Jiao wouldn’t step forward to stop it. She was afraid of getting caught up in it. She sent a message to Shangguan Yun on her phone, briefly explaining what was happening at school, hoping he could help by calling the police.
After doing this, she looked up and met those cold, enchanting fox-like eyes again. This girl named Jin Huangyue was looking at her once more, and there seemed to be something meaningful in her gaze.
“Clap, clap.”
A pair of pale, slender hands lightly clapped twice in the small classroom. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked toward the source of the applause.
Jin Huangyue crooked a finger, and a tall woman beside her immediately brought a leather suitcase to her side.
With slender fingers, she picked up a stack of cash and addressed the crowd softly, “After all, I’m not a bad person. My intention was simply to make friends with everyone. After all, I’ve come alone to an unfamiliar environment, and I feel quite helpless.”
“Those who did as I said just now, line up here to collect your money. Also,” she curled her lips into a playful smile, “for those who want to be friends with me, an extra 10,000 each, a little gift for my new friends.”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the room erupted in excitement, scrambling toward the podium. One person even ran so frantically that, just a meter away from Jin Huangyue, the tall girl grabbed them by the collar and threw them back.
“Keep your distance. Don’t let your foul breath bother the young lady,” the tall woman said coldly.
The previously frenzied crowd instantly calmed down, obediently forming a line. Even their parents had probably never seen them so compliant.
The person who had been thrown to the ground by the collar didn’t get angry. Instead, they smiled obsequiously, scrambling and crawling to a spot not far from Jin Huangyue.
“Miss Jin Huangyue, my name is Shi Kaihua. I slapped that girl six times just now, and… I’d like to be your friend.”
Jin Huangyue impatiently tossed two stacks of money toward her without counting them, but it was definitely more than 70,000.
Shi Kaihua took the money, her eyes wide with disbelief, and thanked her profusely before scurrying to the back. With her leading the way, everyone else lined up in an orderly fashion to receive the money handed out as charity.
Even though Jin Huangyue’s attitude was cold, condescending, and even disdainful, no one dared to show any hint of displeasure. They surrounded her like a shining god of wealth, filled with respect, admiration, and fervor.
The girl whose phone had been smashed even received more compensation than the others, making everyone green with envy. The class monitor, bruised and battered, lay on the ground wailing and shouting about calling the police.
No one paid any attention.
The counselor stood to the side, pale-faced, but in the end, said nothing.
“Oh, sorry, sorry. I just remembered class has already started. Teacher, please continue with the lecture. We should all listen attentively, so let’s go back to our seats,” Jin Huangyue said, yawning as if she were tired.
“Um, then… I’ll start the class, Jin Huangyue?” the counselor asked tentatively.
Jin Huangyue nodded and then walked down from the podium as if she had genuinely come to attend the lecture. University seats weren’t assigned, and for someone like her, she could sit wherever she pleased.
Some even tried to fight for the seat next to hers.
Shi Kaihua wiped the stool beside her with her jacket, eagerly inviting her with a sycophantic smile, “Jin Huangyue, sit next to me.”
She was one of the impoverished students who had been close to the class monitor, receiving financial aid but always sporting the latest model of a high-end phone. It was said her father had abandoned the family, her mother was disabled, and she had struggled through college on her grandmother’s pension.
The money she had just received was more than the compensation her mother had gotten from the factory when she became disabled.
If she hadn’t gone to college, she would never have met someone like Jin Huangyue in her lifetime. So, she had to seize this opportunity firmly, she had to become this girl’s dog. Even the smallest scraps from Jin Huangyue’s fingers would be enough to change her social class.
Jin Huangyue ignored her and walked straight to the back of the classroom, heading in the direction of Ruan Jiao.
Xiang You, sitting on the outer edge, nervously fidgeted with the desk, unsure why this seemingly unapproachable young lady was walking toward her.
“I’ll buy your seat. Name your price.” Jin Huangyue’s gaze swept past her, landing on Ruan Jiao beside her.
Xiang You was stunned, unable to speak for a long moment.
The other party clearly had little patience. “Can’t you understand? Get lost now. I want to sit next to her.”
This time, Xiang You fully understood. Her face flushed red with anger as she stood up. Having been pampered since childhood, she had never endured such humiliation.
“Who wants your money? I-”
“Xiang You, the project your parents risked their entire fortune to secure, I can replace them with a single phone call. Don’t make me say another word.”
Jin Huangyue’s gaze was cold, but her voice was even colder, like unyielding ice.
“How… how do you know my name?”
Xiang You tensed up, unable to comprehend why the other party knew her name and even details about her family.
Ruan Jiao watched the person outside with a sense of impending danger, her unease growing stronger. As an ordinary university student, attracting the attention of someone like this was definitely not a good thing.