In early September, with the last traces of summer heat lingering, the school term finally began.

After the high school entrance exam, Jiang Lu moved into an apartment near the school. He had always been an early riser, and on registration day, he had arrived early as usual.

At the school gate, a large red list was posted and the long board was crowded with people. Each student was accompanied by parents who looked either pleased or disappointed. The noise of chatter filled the air, buzzing with excitement.

Jiang Lu walked past them without glancing sideways, quiet and alone.

He didn’t stop at the front, but went straight to the end. Xincheng No. 1 High School organized classes by exam scores. The top scorers went into Class 1, and the lower the score, the further down the class number.

He had missed one day of the entrance exam, so his scores were predictable. However……

Jiang Lu stared at his name under Class 16, a hint of sarcasm tugging at the corner of his lips. This was exactly what he had wanted.

He turned and walked through the crowd into the school grounds.

────ρя


On the day Qi An’an came to register, she asked Qi Zhen if she wanted to go together, but Qi Zhen told her she was already at school.

On the other end of the phone, Qi Zhen’s voice was soft and gentle, “An’an, I saw that you also enrolled in Xincheng No. 1 High. Your score is great. We’re in the same class!”

Qi An’an had originally wanted to ask if Jiang Lu was also in their class, but before she could, a new friend of Qi Zhen’s called out to her. She responded briefly and ended the call.

Well, asking or not made no difference anyway. Jiang Lu’s grades were always stellar, so he must’ve gotten in with the highest score in the school. It was almost certain they were in the same class.

However, when Qi An’an confidently stood in front of the red list, she was stunned. Jiang Lu’s name wasn’t in Class 1. Nor was it in Class 2 or 3.

There was no way Jiang Lu could have scored that low. Qi An’an’s heart sank. No way. Had she been too confident? Had the storyline glitched? Had Jiang Lu not even applied to Xincheng No. 1?

It felt like a thunderclap on a clear day. If Jiang Lu hadn’t enrolled there, then he wouldn’t be in the same class as Qi Zhen, and that meant all the sweet moments Qi An’an was looking forward to were gone.

Qi An’an had asked Jiang Lu twice before, and both times he’d said he hadn’t decided. Trusting the plot, she hadn’t asked again. She had even planned to surprise him on the first day of school. Instead, she had surprised herself— with disappointment.

She slipped into a quiet corner and dialed Jiang Lu’s number.

The line rang for a long time with no answer. Qi An’an told herself that maybe he couldn’t hear it while registering, so she waited a moment before calling again.

This time, he picked up after a few rings. His voice was low and a bit cold, “Do you need something?”

“Jiang Lu, are you registering now? Why— which school did you end up choosing?” Qi An’an almost blurted out, ‘Why didn’t you choose Xincheng No. 1’?

Technically, she had no way of predicting what school he would pick.

“No. 7 High.”

“Oh……”

“Is there anything else?” His voice shifted from cold to slightly impatient, “If not, I’m hanging up.”

Qi An’an was just about to respond when the sound of the disconnection reached her ear. Jiang Lu had already hung up.

She stood there, a little dazed. How had just one summer break created so much distance between them? Was it because she hadn’t kept in touch after Qi Zhen moved out? But then again, he hadn’t contacted her either.

It was just too hard. She had thought that once they started high school, she wouldn’t have to scheme anymore to get the two together and she could just sit back and enjoy her favorite couple. But now, the plot had collapsed beyond recognition. The romance hadn’t even started, and already they were in a long-distance relationship.

────ρя


Qi An’an’s high school life began with the shattering of her dreams. After several days of classes, she still felt listless. Not only could she not ship her favorite couple, but she had to suffer through studying. Was there anything worse?

She had tried to come up with solutions, but trying to get two people who barely knew each other and now went to different schools to fall in love was a hopeless mission.

What’s more, Jiang Lu had become inexplicably distant. Qi Zhen was nearby, but since she was petite and Qi Zhen was quite tall, they had been seated far apart and barely had time to interact during the day.

And Qi An’an could tell that although Qi Zhen spoke gently and kindly, she wasn’t particularly close with her either.

Still, Qi Zhen was pretty and well-mannered, and she quickly became popular. She made friends easily and seemed genuinely happy in class. Qi An’an wasn’t worried about her.

It was Jiang Lu she couldn’t stop thinking about. How was he doing? Was he adjusting well to his new environment? Getting along with classmates? Was anyone bullying him?

“An’an, what are you daydreaming about? Did you hear what I just said?” Her deskmate, Ji Ruomeng, gently tugged on her ear.

“Huh? No…… What did you say?”

Ji Ruomeng’s eyes gleamed with gossip, “There’s this guy in third year called Li Hanyu. Ever heard of him? Total school bully.”

The name rang a bell. She had heard about him during the first few days of school. He’s someone not to be messed with, known for dominating the place.

Qi An’an replied offhandedly, “Oh…… sounds familiar.”

“He got taken down by a freshman.” Ji Ruomeng said, eyes wide. “Apparently it was the first time he hit a wall. He got pinned to the ground and beaten. If his lackeys hadn’t pulled the guy off, who knows what would’ve happened to him.”

She went on excitedly, “You probably don’t know, Li Hanyu is a real piece of work. He bullies people like it’s his hobby, and with his wealthy background, even the teachers don’t dare interfere. Serves him right this time. I heard he saw this good-looking freshman and had the nerve to whistle at him. Turns out he picked the wrong target. That whistle nearly cost him half his life.”

Qi An’an wasn’t too interested in school gossip but nodded along. “He totally deserved it. People like that need to be put in their place.”

“Exactly! It got my blood pumping.” Ji Ruomeng said with a regretful sigh. “That bastard had taken advantage of my cousin once. If I could beat him, I’d have done it myself. This freshman hero? So satisfying. And rumor has it he’s really good-looking. I’m dying to know what he looks like.”

While Ji Ruomeng brimmed with curiosity, Qi An’an didn’t care at all. Good-looking? Please. Jiang Lu wasn’t there. He was the peak of all appearances. Who could compare to him?

“I really want to go check out Class 16 to see for myself.” Ji Ruomeng sighed, though her inner good-student instincts held her back. “But I’m kind of scared. That class…… you have no idea. Their grades are terrible, and they’ve got a bunch of students who fight, skip class, and never study. Now with a new boss in charge, it’s even more chaotic.

It’s such a shame. If there were an annual school heartthrob contest, he’d win for sure based on the hype alone. Then at least I could see a photo. But no, it’s only school belles that get picked.”

During break, Ji Ruomeng stealthily pulled out her phone and showed Qi An’an the current school belle ranking page. “An’an, do you never follow this kind of gossip? Every year when school starts, there’s a new wave of pretty freshman girls going viral online.”

Qi An’an smiled at her. Of course she knew. Not only did she know, but she also had divine perspective. She knew that the final winner of the school belle vote would be Qi Zhen.

Qi An’an tilted her head to glance at Ji Ruomeng’s phone screen. Sure enough, Qi Zhen’s name sat firmly at the top of the list. The photo had been taken in the classroom. Qi Zhen sat upright at her desk, her long hair tied into a sleek high ponytail. Her looks were beyond the maturity of her peers, graceful and refined. It was a face that could undoubtedly be called school belle-worthy.

“Hey, look at your ranking, it’s actually pretty high!” Ji Ruomeng poked Qi An’an’s arm cheerfully.

Huh? Why was she even on there? Qi An’an blinked, a little surprised, and followed Ji Ruomeng’s finger to the image.

She was ranked sixth, and unlike the top five, her photo had been taken secretly.

It was from the day she arrived at school. She had been wearing a simple white T-shirt, denim shorts, and white canvas sneakers. Because it was a candid shot, her full face wasn’t even captured.

Ji Ruomeng slapped her thigh regretfully. “Our An’an! Even though this photo turned out decent, the resolution is terrible. It doesn’t show your true beauty at all! If you took a proper picture like the others, would any of them still stand a chance?”

Qi An’an laughed at Ji Ruomeng’s dramatics and turned slightly to glance at Qi Zhen, who was sitting behind them. “Mengmeng, how could I possibly be prettier than Qi Zhen?”

“That’s nonsense. Sis, you need to get your eyes checked.” Ji Ruomeng looked Qi An’an over with exaggerated disdain. “Trust me. Sure, your styles are different, but you’re definitely prettier. A hundred times prettier.”

She made a dramatic hand gesture to emphasize her point.

Qi Zhen had big eyes and fair skin, but her beauty carried a sense of calculation. She looked attractive at first glance, but not in a way that felt pleasant.

But Qi An’an had an aura of vitality and charm. Her every frown and smile radiated sweetness and grace. Even with just one side-profile candid shot, she had reached sixth place without campaigning. If she had taken a proper photo, she would’ve crushed Qi Zhen easily.

Forget it. These school belle rankings were probably just the result of bored guys voting. That’s how someone like Qi Zhen ended up ranked so high.

Seeing Qi An’an looking completely unconcerned, Ji Ruomeng rolled her eyes and, with a dramatic flourish, stabbed her phone and cast ten votes for Qi An’an.

That was all she could do without paying.

────ρя


“Man, Qi Zhen from our school really is beautiful. Ever since the voting started, she’s held first place without ever slipping.”

While other classes were quietly attending their lessons, Class 16 was in chaos. Their language teacher was a newcomer of less than two years, timid and soft-spoken. Her voice was barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz. She couldn’t control the students at all. While the ones in front were still somewhat attentive, she didn’t even dare to look at the back rows.

With no discipline from the teacher, He Jiahao was being even more outrageous. He lounged back with his phone in hand. “This girl in second place ain’t bad either, but she looks a bit fake. What do you guys think, are those eyelashes real? Can lashes even grow this long? They’ve got to be glued on.”

Zhou Qi and Jiang Zifan burst out laughing. Jiang Zifan nudged the guy beside him. “Brother Lu, what do you think?”

Jiang Lu didn’t even look. “None of my business.”

“Second place doesn’t cut it. If Brother Lu were to be matched with anyone, it’d have to be that number one beauty.” Jiang Zihan grinned.

He meant every word. Jiang Lu’s debut on the first day of school had been downright earth-shattering. It was a fight that left half the school dumbstruck. By now, everyone in Xincheng No. 1 High knew that they had a terrifying new student in their midst— cold, ruthless, and impossible to mess with. He had taken down Li Hanyu, a senior, without giving him any chance to fight back, and the next day, he beat up a dozen of Li Hanyu’s friends who’d come to seek revenge.

No one had heard of a student like that from any middle school and he seemed to have appeared out of thin air. But where he came from didn’t matter. The guy was strong, rich, and untouchable. No one dared dig into his background, and he’d already attracted a group of loyal followers.

“Yeah, Qi Zhen is pretty. Her features are perfect, not a flaw in sight. I’ve had my eye on her for a while. How about we go check out Class 1 after class? You coming, Brother Lu?” He Jiahao raised an eyebrow.

The name ‘Qi Zhen’ triggered a visceral disgust in Jiang Lu. “Not going.”

He Jiahao chuckled knowingly. “So Brother Lu’s not interested in her. Let me show you someone else, then. Honestly, I’ve always thought the girl in sixth place is really cute. The photo’s a bit blurry, but her face gives off this sweet and innocent vibe. She really grows on you. The more you look, the prettier she seems.” He Jiahao zoomed in on the photo. “Damn, look at those legs— so slim and straight, practically glowing white. Tsk, tsk. And her ankles? So delicate, they look like they’d snap with a pinch. Brother Lu, take a look. You seriously not interested in this kind?”

He shoved the phone into Jiang Lu’s face.

Jiang Lu hated this kind of thing. He impatiently pushed the phone away, but just as he glanced at the screen, his eyes froze.

The girl in the photo was delicate and charming, with a petite figure. Her thick, fluffy black hair was loose, and at her temples, she had clipped in two small white hairpins.

Jiang Lu went still.

“Ohhh, so Brother Lu is into this type? Makes sense. That skin’s gotta feel amazing to the touch.” Seeing Jiang Lu staring dazed at the phone, He Jiahao grinned wickedly and picked it up again. “I didn’t notice before. Let me see which school she’s from……”

……

Two students from Class 16 got into a fight during class.

They called it a brawl, but according to witnesses, it was clearly one-sided— one doing the beating, the other taking it. No one knew what deep-seated grudge had prompted the attack in the middle of class. The school was deeply troubled. Who would’ve thought they’d admitted someone like that? They called the parents right away.

In the end, the school issued a disciplinary notice, which was posted publicly on the bulletin board. But Qi An’an didn’t pay any attention to the matter.

Ji Ruomeng, on the other hand, did check it out. “It was brutal. The devilishly handsome demon king is brutal. No idea what the other guy said to piss him off, but he knocked out eight of his teeth! And I heard his parents didn’t even show up. He just transferred over the medical fees and left. Twenty thousand yuan, just like that. He didn’t even blink. How much pocket money do you think he gets a month?”

Ji Ruomeng was practically drooling with envy. Qi An’an couldn’t help but laugh. “School’s over and you’re still sitting here daydreaming. Come on, tell me, what’s the name of this devilishly handsome demon king you’ve been going on about? You sound obsessed.”