Ever since learning from 002 the night before that she could regain her original constitution after completing the plot, Bai Xi felt a sudden spark of genuine enthusiasm for the story for the first time.
Consequently, she showed up at Yu Mo’s doorstep early in the morning. After helping herself to his breakfast, she dragged him to school, perfectly embodying the role of a “shameless and inseparable” shadow.
Since Bai Xi and Yu Mo were day students, they weren’t required to attend early self-study from 6:10 to 7:30 AM. By the time they arrived at the classroom, most of the students had just finished breakfast and were returning to their seats.
“Hey, did you hear? The Class Monitor and the others are returning today! I saw the three of them in the White Eunuch’s office.”
“Really? That’s tragic. They just spent two months studying abroad and missed the whole summer break, only to come back and jump straight into classes?”
The discussion about the three returning students was exceptionally heated. Bai Xi twirled her fountain pen, her eyes cast down as she communicated with 002.
[Bai Xi: If I remember correctly, the Class Monitor is a close friend of the female lead, Ye Ying, right? Jiang Zhiya and the monitor, Fu Zuo, are also friends, but this Chen Jingmo seems to have only appeared once?]
Due to the unexpected encounter with Ye Ying and the rush to open the System Mall, Bai Xi had nearly forgotten these three. But thinking back to the original plot, aside from Fu Zuo acting as a “gold finger” friend for the female lead with significant screen time, the other two were mere background characters—the kind used to show that Nanluo Academy was truly a place of “hidden dragons and crouching tigers.”
002 remained stiff in Bai Xi’s bag for a moment. Sensing she couldn’t see him, he moved his paws awkwardly and spoke with a hesitant tone.
[002: Actually, I forgot to tell you—this book is titled The Black Lotus. You should know it wasn’t exactly ‘pure and righteous.’ The setting has always included an underworld (Mafia) element. In this world, the Mafia is legal; it’s just that when the book was published, those parts were deleted to pass censorship. I didn’t expect the world to auto-complete the revision so thoroughly.]
Bai Xi: …
[Bai Xi: How could you forget such an important setting? Do I have Mafia-related plotlines that weren’t in the book?]
Hearing 002’s hesitation, Bai Xi got a bad feeling.
[002: Uh, I just realized it myself. But if you can complete these unwritten plotlines, the rewards will be doubled!]
[Bai Xi: I’m a ‘pay-to-win’ player now. Do you think I care about your stingy little rewards?]
002: I…
002 was speechless. Being rich really was something.
[Bai Xi: Fine, I won’t argue with you. Just tell me—any other settings you ‘forgot’ to mention?]
[002: That should be it. Oh, wait, one more thing. The guys you beat up on the first day of school? They’re actually Chen Jingmo’s underlings. You… take care of yourself.]
Bai Xi: …
The pen spinning on her finger stopped abruptly. Bai Xi suddenly wanted to pull 002 out of her bag and give him a beating. If this were wartime, this guy would be executed by military law for delivering distorted intel and sabotaging the mission.
Just as Bai Xi was thinking this, a commotion erupted at the door, followed by the bell. The first period began.
Tucking two books under his arm, the Form Teacher, Liu Xin—Old Liu—walked onto the podium with a triumphant grin. He thudded his textbook onto the desk and leaned over, right elbow propping himself up as he looked at the students.
“Alright, alright, stop howling. I have some good news. The three students who went to Europe for ‘friendly exchange’ are about to make their glorious return.”
The moment he finished, the class burst into laughter, with the chubby Qian Ying laughing the loudest.
“Hahaha! Teacher, did you misspeak? ‘Friendly exchange’? I heard from the European students that those three made them so angry they almost chartered a plane to follow them back for a duel!”
“That wasn’t a ‘friendly’ exchange; it was a ‘no-friends-left’ exchange!”
Looking at the noisy crowd speaking the truth, Old Liu couldn’t keep his serious face. He glanced at the door, laughing as he pointed toward it.
BANG! The door to International Class Two was kicked open. Three students in the International Class uniform stood at the entrance. At the front was a girl with long straight hair dyed with green highlights and tied in a high ponytail. She caught the rebounding door with one hand, raised an eyebrow, and scanned the frozen, laughing faces.
“What are you laughing at? I leave for two days and you think you can start a revolution? Hmm?”
“Old Liu, look at you—your teeth are showing so much I’m surprised your dentures didn’t fall out!” The green-haired girl looked at her teacher with a look of pure disdain.
“Let’s have a round of applause for the Monitor, Lord Jiang, and Brother Chen! They have returned from their European expedition in triumph!”
After a moment of shock, the class erupted in thunderous applause, trying to drown out the earlier insults.
Bai Xi sat in the second row, feeling like an outsider to the farce. Beside her, Yu Mo had fallen back into a deep sleep; even this level of noise couldn’t wake him.
Bai Xi’s gaze fell behind the arrogant girl at the front.
Nanluo Academy had many sets of uniforms. Aside from the basic color palette, there were over a dozen styles for both genders.
The girl at the front wore a black-and-white lapel top with long trousers. Behind her stood a boy in a black shirt and dress pants with his jacket draped over his arm, and a girl in a white, black-edged embroidered dress, looking dignified and elegant.
Bai Xi was looking at the girl in the dress. According to the original text, this was the female lead’s best friend, the Monitor of Class Two: Fu Zuo. She was a goddess-level figure who helped the female lead through various challenges. After the leads ended up together, she graduated, followed her family’s arrangements to go abroad, and lived out a relatively good ending.
Though she had read about her, seeing her in person was a surprise. Bai Xi had to admit that when she herself was seventeen or eighteen, she was a total troublemaker—impulsive and arrogant. Only after being beaten down by society did she learn to be reserved. Even now, returning to seventeen with the mind of a thirty-year-old, she struggled to suppress her “edgy” side. Yet, in Fu Zuo, she saw no trace of youthful flightiness. Compared to the boisterous green-haired girl in front of her, Fu Zuo was exceptionally steady.
Sensing her gaze, Fu Zuo—who had been quietly smiling while the girl at the front “reported” the exchange trip—turned her head. Her eyes met Bai Xi’s probing look.
Fu Zuo gave a natural, slight nod, then looked away as if nothing had happened. She stepped forward to stop the bickering between Jiang Zhiya and Old Liu. “Alright, Teacher, Zhiya. We still have class. Let’s not waste time.”
“Exactly,” added Chen Jingmo, who had been chatting with Qian Ying at the door. “Jiang Zhiya, what are you dawdling for? Can you take responsibility for wasting the precious study time of an academic enthusiast like me?”
“Chen Jingmo, you—!” The girl on stage glanced at the smiling teacher. “You’re being presumptuous! Class is starting! If you don’t study hard, I’ll beat your head sideways!”
“Where are my desk and chair?” The three realized the classroom layout had changed during Old Liu’s reshuffle.
“Oh!” Old Liu slapped the podium. “I forgot to include you three when I arranged the seats. I thought you weren’t coming back this semester. Tell you what—we’ll adjust the seats after class. For now, you two can stand in the back for one period. Fu Zuo, come here—I have a spare chair on the podium. Find a desk in the front row to sit next to for now.”
Jiang Zhiya & Chen Jingmo: … If we had a dictionary of curses, we’d read it to you.
While Bai Xi was watching this lively scene and reminiscing about her own messy youth, she saw the “Goddess Monitor” pick up the chair and walk over… to sit right next to her.
Bai Xi: ??? Is this the legendary ‘destiny’ just because I looked at her in the crowd?
As Fu Zuo sat down, Old Liu tapped the table to quiet the class. “I almost forgot to introduce someone. We have a new student, Bai Xi—the one next to Fu Zuo. Chen Jingmo, Jiang Zhiya, especially you two—no bullying the new student, got it?”
At Old Liu’s words, Jiang Zhiya, who had almost reached the back row, spun around. She took a good look at Bai Xi, her eyes lighting up. She reached out and patted Bai Xi’s shoulder. “Whoa! A hottie! Don’t worry, if anyone bullies you at Nanluo, just tell me. With me here, no one in the whole of Y-City will dare touch you!”
Bai Xi was caught between laughter and tears at the girl’s bold praise and guarantee. She had said those exact words to others so many times in her past life, but this was the first time someone had offered to “cover” her.
Unsure how to react, Bai Xi didn’t have to; Chen Jingmo, already at the back, slammed his textbook against the blackboard. “Jiang Zhiya, get your ass back here! You’re so fat standing up there you’re blocking my view!”
“You’re so annoying!” Jiang Zhiya turned to glare at him. Her face, which had a bit of “baby fat,” puffed up as she stomped toward the back.
Bai Xi watched Jiang Zhiya’s petite figure. At barely 160cm, she looked like a child standing in front of the 185cm Chen Jingmo. Despite the bickering, the atmosphere between them was incredibly harmonious.
However, Bai Xi remembered that in the original text, Chen Jingmo died this winter—during the first snowfall two months from now. His only significant scene was saving the kidnapped female lead from the Chen family’s rivals. No one knew what happened during the rescue, only that they found the female lead safe, while Chen Jingmo was found in the snow, riddled with bullets and breathless.
By then, the “supporting character” Bai Xi had already been written out, the Bai family was in chaos, the Yu family had tightened surveillance on the male lead, and Fu Zuo’s family of scholars was powerless. Fu Zuo could only beg Jiang Zhiya for help, but Jiang was stuck abroad, so she entrusted the task to Chen Jingmo in the country.
In the end, the female lead was saved, Chen Jingmo died, and Jiang Zhiya went missing. They both exited the story abruptly, existing only in the memories of the leads.
“Hello. I’m Fu Zuo. She’s Jiang Zhiya. She’s a cute girl, isn’t she?” A lowered voice interrupted Bai Xi’s thoughts. She turned to see Fu Zuo looking at her.
“Hello, I’m Bai Xi.” Not knowing the intent behind the comment, Bai Xi didn’t engage further.
“They are biological siblings. They look close, don’t they?” Fu Zuo mentioned it casually while taking notes.
Bai Xi couldn’t help but steal another glance at Fu Zuo. She was surprised by the fact, but why was this person suddenly telling her this?