"Who called me over?" The Dean of Discipline’s expression turned cold. "I heard there was trouble, so I came to check it out."
"Who said that?" The long black hair on Zhou Yu’s forehead drooped over his bleeding eye. He suddenly lurched a few steps toward the Dean of Discipline, his movements and tone urgent and rash, as if desperate to confirm something.
The Dean of Discipline jumped in surprise, but Lin Jie, who was standing nearby, immediately shoved Zhou Yu hard. His tone was vicious. "Is that how you talk to the Dean of Discipline?!"
Caught off guard, Zhou Yu staggered back a few steps.
"Xiao Yu!" Zhou Yan rushed over to steady him.
But Zhou Yu pushed Zhou Yan away and stubbornly continued toward the Dean of Discipline. One of his eyes, blurred with blood, was tinged red, while the other, a cold and gloomy black eye, was filled with a dark obsession. His lips twitched. "Who said it?"
’Was it her? She just passed by here.’
But as soon as he took a step forward, Lin Jie sent him reeling back with a heavy kick. "What do you think you’re doing? You dare threaten our Dean!"
Zhou Yan rushed to steady Zhou Yu again, her expression a mask of anxiety. "Xiao Yu, what is it you’re trying to ask?"
But Zhou Yu remained silent, his gaze fixed darkly on Lin Jie.
"What are you looking at? You looking for a fight?!" Lin Jie felt instantly provoked and snarled.
The Dean of Discipline was annoyed by Lin Jie using him to throw his weight around, but he didn’t say anything.
He shot Zhou Yu and his sister an impatient look. "Alright, you two special admission students will be cleaning the toilets for a week. I’m very busy today; I don’t have time to waste on this nonsense!"
With that, the Dean of Discipline turned and left. Lin Jie shot them a smug, contemptuous glare before leaving with his cronies.
Zhou Yan stomped her foot in frustration. "They were the ones who started it! Why are we the only ones getting punished?!"
Beside her, Zhou Yu remained silent.
Zhou Yan was used to her brother’s quiet nature. Not expecting him to say anything, she simply accompanied him to the school infirmary.
Zhou Yu was still wondering, ’Was it her?’
’It must have been her,’ he thought.
And it was, in fact, Jiang You.
A short while earlier, Jiang You had gone back to look for her hairpin but couldn’t find it. Not wanting to run into the main character again, she took a detour back to the grand auditorium.
Perhaps the sight of the boy’s miserable state had pricked her conscience.
Jiang You and her followers had deliberately passed by the Dean of Discipline, gloating, "You guys have no idea. On the main path to the opening ceremony, some special admission student is getting beaten up. It’s pathetic, honestly, kind of funny to watch. And those guys didn’t even bother to find a private spot. Who knows if someone from outside the school will see it and ruin our school’s reputation."
She was arrogant and gloating, acting as if she couldn’t care less that the student was being beaten—in fact, she found it amusing—and was only concerned that they were tarnishing the school’s reputation.
It was perfectly in character.
Jiang You had said all this in a seemingly casual manner as she walked past the Dean of Discipline.
She was still a bit nervous inside, until she saw the Dean of Discipline actually leave and she received no OOC warning from the system. Only then did she relax.
Jiang You and her three followers went to the designated area for Healing Class 1 and sat down.
The grand auditorium was vast, its lights brilliant and dazzling.
The rich, wood-paneled floors and red seats were elegant yet grand.
Students milled about, all wearing the Rose Liss College uniform. The only difference between them was the color of the rose-shaped brooch on their chests.
[Mission Two has been issued. Host, please review.]
[Auxiliary System Reminder: Mission failure will result in a one-minute electric shock.]
Jiang You’s bright, charming expression froze for an instant.
"Oh, by the way, Sister You, did you find your hairpin?" Yu Lin nudged her.
Jiang You snapped out of it and said casually, "No, I couldn’t find it. I have no idea where it could’ve fallen."
"Ah, but that hairpin cost over a million! It’d be such a waste to lose it," Chen Yu lamented from the side. "Let’s go look for it after the opening ceremony."
"Don’t bother." Internally, Jiang You’s heart was bleeding. She had only just learned that the pearl and diamond hairpin was so expensive. She’d never worn anything that pricey in her past life.
At most, a one-yuan hairpin, or a ten-fen bobby pin.
That was why, when Jiang You realized the hairpin she’d casually put on—a hairpin worth over a million—was missing, she had gone back to look for it. And that’s when she’d run into the male lead being bullied.
Though her heart was bleeding, on the surface, Jiang You had to maintain the breezy, unconcerned air of a rich young miss. "It’s just a hairpin worth a little over a million. If it’s lost, it’s lost."
’Damn it! ’If it’s lost, it’s lost’?! How could I say that so easily!’
’Burn it! Burn it all! Burn everything to the ground!’
Her three little followers gazed at her with envy and admiration.
Jiang You: ...
"Exactly! Sister You can have as many hairpins as she wants. What’s one little hairpin to her?" another follower, Lin Xue, immediately chimed in, eager to flatter.
"Totally! Our Sister You is the most beautiful and dazzling person here, with or without a hairpin!" Yu Lin quickly added.
"That goes without saying! Our Sister You is the center of attention wherever she goes. How can anyone be so beautiful? If I were as gorgeous as Sister You, I could die without any regrets," Chen Yu added, her eyes sparkling.
Listening to her followers’ flattery, Jiang You felt her head starting to swell.
It was no wonder the original owner of this body was so confident and full of herself.
She herself was starting to get carried away, feeling like she really was the hottest thing around.
"Alright, I’ll treat you all to dinner at Qingfeng Pavilion tonight," Jiang You announced generously.
"Oh my god, you can’t even get a reservation at Qingfeng Pavilion! You’re amazing, Sister You, just as we’d expect!" The three followers immediately launched into another round of effusive praise.
The scary part was how genuinely sincere their flattery sounded.
Naturally, a girl like Jiang You was completely susceptible.
The opening ceremony began.
The host gave some opening remarks, followed by the principal’s speech. It was the usual fare: a look back at the past, a word on the present, and a vision for the future.
Reporters from off-campus had their cameras set up, flashes going off constantly.
The audience below was starting to doze off.
The drowsiness continued until the host announced, "And now, please join me in welcoming our freshman representative, Xi Cheng, to the stage!"
The grand auditorium erupted in thunderous applause.
Jiang You was distractedly fiddling with her terminal, her mind on her mission. The mere thought of what she had to do next made her want to die of social embarrassment.
The sudden, thunderous applause made her heart jump. Like most of the students around her, she instinctively looked up toward the stage.
The stage was brightly lit.
He wore the elegant, rose-colored uniform, a golden rose brooch pinned to his chest.
The tall, slender young man was exceptionally handsome. He had short silver hair and silver eyes that seemed to glitter with flecks of light. His features were gentle and refined, but a small red mole at the corner of his eye added a touch of demonic allure.
The young man had a gentle yet distant, almost untouchable, air about him.
Xi Cheng walked across the stage with a composed gait, as if wreathed in his own light. Though the stage lights were the same for everyone, he seemed to shine more brightly than anyone else.
He began to speak, his voice cool yet gentle, like an ice-cold soda on a summer day—crisp and refreshing:
"Hello, everyone. My name is Xi Cheng."