Chapter 1
Fu Xia stared out the window, lost in thought.
It was the long break between classes, and only a few scholarship students remained in the classroom, each of them hunched over their desks, trembling.
Outside the classroom, a bullying session was in full swing.
Ten minutes earlier, a scholarship student had accidentally bumped into one of the young masters with a notoriously short fuse. Despite his desperate apologies, he was dragged out of the room by his collar. Right now, he was probably being kicked and punched by a group of them.
Fu Xia dragged her gaze back from the window, her eyes falling on the half-finished problem set on her desk. She felt a profound sense of calm.
Lorenz Academy was an institution for the elite, its students either wealthy or powerful. Every year, the school would also admit a handful of academically gifted students from ordinary backgrounds. These students were primarily used to participate in national academic competitions, a convenient way to bring more glory to the academy’s name.
But these students, known as “scholarship students,” were not treated well at Lorenz Academy.
A similar vicious incident had occurred just last year.
A scholarship student had his leg broken and tried to expose the matter online. But the bully turned out to be the young master of a prominent local corporation, and his family simply paid to have the entire incident suppressed. Within three days, those who had spoken up were either silenced or had simply vanished.
As for the bully, he was back at school within a week, swaggering around as if nothing had ever happened.
In this day and age, the rich and powerful could effortlessly trample over others.
The pleas for mercy from outside continued for a while before the front door of the classroom was slammed open with a loud bang.
A group of students swaggered in, the one in the lead looking thoroughly annoyed.
Fu Xia heard him complain, “Damn it, my brand-new tie got wrinkled.”
The others laughed. “We beat him until he was bleeding. Still not satisfied?”
“Just hitting him felt unlucky! He stinks of poverty. What’s the point of good grades? If it weren’t for this bunch of scholarship trash, my old man wouldn’t be chewing me out!”
“Haha, whose fault is it that your grades are so bad?”
“Tch. If I hadn’t heard there was a new transfer student coming today, I would’ve really taught him a lesson.”
Their topic quickly shifted from the pitiful scholarship student to something else.
“A transfer student? Where from?”
“Weird. Why would someone transfer in during their second year?”
“No idea. They’re keeping it all very mysterious. I wonder which family they’re from.”
Anyone who could transfer into this school midway through the year was no ordinary person, Fu Xia thought. It certainly had nothing to do with her. As long as it didn’t disrupt her daily routine, she couldn’t care less if the new student was a human or a ghost.
After all, these young masters and misses were so arrogant they wouldn’t spare a second glance for a scholarship student—unless, of course, they suddenly took an interest as part of some cruel bet.
Because of her status, Fu Xia had no friends at school, but she didn’t mind the solitude.
The group that had just entered found their seats, speculating about the new arrival.
Just then, Fu Xia heard the back door of the classroom creak open.
The bullied student shuffled in, his face bruised and swollen. He carefully pulled out his chair, letting out a suppressed sob, terrified of disturbing the others’ conversation.
A wave of irritation washed over Fu Xia, and even the exam paper in front of her suddenly seemed grating.
She was a second-year high school student.
As the saying goes, the greatest determinant in life is the water you’re born from.
Fu Xia’s family life could only be described as abysmal. Her biological mother ran off when she was very young. Her father, a staunch misogynist, saw that she was reasonably intelligent and planned to marry her off early for a handsome bride price to benefit her younger stepbrother. Her stepmother and stepbrother treated her with even more contempt. Growing up, Fu Xia never had enough to eat or warm clothes to wear; even the neighbors pitied her.
Fortunately, her grades were excellent. She secretly applied to Lorenz Academy and moved out of her house as soon as she graduated from middle school.
Before leaving, she didn’t forget to smash her stepbrother’s room to pieces and help herself to the few thousand yuan her father had stashed away.
Fu Xia considered herself quite adept at reading situations. Though she despised these rich kids, she lacked the power to resist them. Naturally, she wouldn’t play the hero.
She had no one to back her up; a single impulsive act could land her in a world of trouble.
Fu Xia forced her thoughts back to her work. Get the school scholarship, get into a good university, and earn enough money to escape my family for good.
Just as she solved the final major question, the bell for class rang.
The homeroom teacher walked in, beaming. He clapped his hands twice on the lectern and announced excitedly, “This semester, our class will be welcoming a new member!”
After his announcement, he practically tripped over himself in a sycophantic dash to the front door, holding it open for the person behind him.
The transfer student walked to the front of the classroom.
The young masters and misses in the audience immediately erupted in excited whispers.
“He’s so handsome.”
“Oh my god… he’s even more handsome than Senior Song…”
“He’s definitely handsome, but they’re completely different types, okay? Don’t just compare them!”
Fu Xia glanced up as well.
The first thing she noticed were the emerald cufflinks on his sleeves.
He had black hair and green eyes, with a face that was both noble and strikingly beautiful. His school uniform was unbuttoned to the second-to-last button, revealing the lines of his neck and a sliver of pale skin. With his hands stuffed in his pockets, he stood with a casual, almost lazy posture that radiated a cold arrogance.
He looked like the type of young master who would say, “Your pathetic gaze is disgusting. Gouge her eyes out.”
Fu Xia’s eyes were drawn back to the emerald cufflinks, the beautiful gems glittering in the light.
The teacher’s smile was fawning. “Student Pei Wang was originally a student in the Night Division. He’ll be joining us for a temporary exchange. Let’s give him a round of applause!”
The moment the words “Night Division” were spoken, the students who had been eagerly discussing the transfer’s looks fell deathly silent.
Everyone knew that Lorenz was an academy for the elite. But even among the rich, there were levels: rich, very rich, and super rich.
If the students in this classroom were the “rich,” then the students of the Night Division were undoubtedly the “super-duper rich.”
The Night Division had few students, but each was a scion of a top-tier family, the kind whose dynasties controlled the economic lifelines of the city, or even the entire country. To call them the chosen ones would be an understatement.
Immensely wealthy and devastatingly handsome.
Did God open every door and window for him? Couldn’t He have at least left one cracked open for me?
Fu Xia was now even more certain that she would never have any interaction with a person like this.
But then, the teacher told Pei Wang to choose any seat he liked.
The young master’s gaze swept across the room. He walked past row after row of desks, finally stopping and sitting down in the empty seat directly behind her.
Most classes at Lorenz Academy were small, with only about twenty students. Fu Xia sat in the back row, near the door. It was a spot with poor lighting and a bad view of the blackboard.
Fu Xia: …?
Well, great. Now there’s someone behind me.
The teacher, of course, didn’t care where Pei Wang sat. He just smiled brightly and said, “Alright, let’s begin class!”
Fu Xia took two deep breaths. Even if this young master is sitting behind me, as long as I act like I always do, it should be fine, right?
…It turned out to be absolutely impossible.
The students were intensely curious about the mysterious and handsome transfer student. Throughout the entire class, Fu Xia felt more eyes on her than she had in the entire past year.
She spent the period mentally stabbing a voodoo doll of Pei Wang, her head bowed so low she had no idea what the teacher even taught.
When class finally ended, a girl who had been sitting in the front row stood up and marched menacingly over to Fu Xia’s desk.
She rapped her knuckles on the tabletop. “Hey, you. Switch seats with me.”
Fu Xia immediately stood up, lowered her head, and began gathering her books.
The girl, waiting for Fu Xia to scram, turned to Pei Wang with a dazzling smile. “Young Master Pei, my name is—”
Pei Wang was leaning back in his chair, his head down as he adjusted his emerald cufflinks. The contrast between his cold, pale skin and the vibrant green of the gemstone was stark.
Without looking up, he said one word: “Scram.”
The girl froze.
The smile on her lips gradually stiffened. She quickly recomposed herself and forced another smile. “My apologies for bothering you.”
Before leaving, she shot a venomous glare at Fu Xia.
Fu Xia: “…”
Clutching a stack of books, Fu Xia felt like her luck had completely run out.
The students at Lorenz Academy had egos of an absurdly fragile magnitude. They could accept being suppressed by someone richer and more powerful, but they would never tolerate being made a laughingstock by a scholarship student like her. It didn’t matter that Fu Xia had kept her expression neutral, staring straight ahead as if she’d seen nothing.
Am I going to get a sack thrown over my head and my body dumped in the wilderness?
Worried that she was now a target, Fu Xia didn’t even bother packing her bag. The moment the bell rang, she bolted out the back door.
Whatever the reason, that VVIP of a young master behind her wasn’t singling her out for any special reason; he probably just didn’t want to be bothered. Judging by his arrogant demeanor, he likely looked down on even the regular students.
But what was she supposed to do now?
Voluntarily switching seats was out of the question.
Being seen in an embarrassing situation by a scholarship student was one thing. A scholarship student actively showing her disdain for a young master from the Night Division was another. The first was far less dangerous.
Then again, both scenarios had one thing in common: they could both lead to Fu Xia disappearing without a trace.
So annoying…
With a heavy heart, Fu Xia took a long detour around the student activity center and started walking towards the scholarship student dorms.
Why would someone from the Night Division suddenly switch to day classes anyway?
Lost in thought, she walked on, her foot suddenly landing in a puddle.
She instinctively looked down and saw a dark red liquid flowing down a nearby slope, pooling right at her feet.
The moment she realized what it was, Fu Xia’s breath hitched.
Before her brain could fully process it, her eyes had already darted towards the source of the blood.
The first thing she saw was a body lying on the ground, and a boy crouching beside it.
Fu Xia’s gaze immediately locked onto the blood spattered on his gloves. Her eyes traveled up his arm to the brilliant emerald cufflink.
Further up was that impossibly beautiful face. Pei Wang’s expression was calm as he gripped a dagger in his hand and plunged it forcefully downward.
Fu Xia had seen Pei Wang sleeping at his desk when she left the classroom.
But now, here he was.
Because he was crouching, the already low collar of his uniform dipped further, revealing the elegant shape of his collarbones.
Having just witnessed a murder, a voice in Fu Xia’s head screamed at her to run, to get away and not get involved.
This was Lorenz Academy.
For Pei Wang, getting rid of her would be as easy as crushing an ant.
But her legs were frozen solid. She lost her balance and collapsed onto the ground, a sharp sting shooting through the palm she used to catch herself.
Fu Xia glanced down quickly. The skin was broken, and a bead of blood was welling up.
Pei Wang lifted his gaze, his eyes landing on Fu Xia. He looked like a predator that had been lying in wait, stalking its prey from the shadows.
He didn’t seem to care that he’d been seen.
His nonchalance was what made him so dangerous.
Pei Wang rose slowly to his feet. He casually pulled off his blood-stained gloves and tossed them onto the body of the person on the ground, whose fate was now sealed.
Then, he began walking towards Fu Xia.