The excitement from the morning confrontation had barely faded when a new crisis emerged for Class 9.
It was Tuesday afternoon. The deadline for the school's monthly Blackboard Newspaper competition was fast approaching. Every class was required to create a chalkboard display based on the theme "Dreams and Future."
The Alpha Stream (Class 1) had finished theirs days ago. It was a masterpiece of calligraphy and traditional art, spearheaded by the Student Council's art department.
Class 9, however, was in trouble.
Their art representative, a girl named Nie Fei, had suddenly quit. She had been "poached" by Faye to help with the Student Council's board instead.
"We're doomed," Lily wailed, staring at the blank blackboard at the back of the classroom. "The inspection is tomorrow morning! We have nothing!"
The blackboard was a vast, empty expanse of green slate. It mocked them.
Ren was sitting at her desk, spinning a pen between her fingers. She looked at Lily's distressed face, then at the empty board.
"Is it really that important?" Ren asked.
"Yes!" Lily cried. "It counts towards our class conduct score! If we get a zero, Mr. Gordon will lose his bonus!"
Ren sighed. She stood up, shoved her hands into her pockets, and walked to the back of the room.
"Go eat dinner," Ren said to Lily. "I'll handle it."
"You?" Lily blinked, drying her tears. "But Ren... can you draw?"
"I can hold a piece of chalk," Ren said vaguely. "Go."
Lily hesitated, but her stomach growled. She grabbed her bag. "Okay... but don't force yourself! If it's bad, we'll just say we tried!"
The classroom emptied out as students went to the cafeteria. The sun began to set, casting long orange shadows across the floor.
Ren stood alone in front of the blackboard.
She picked up a box of colored chalk. She didn't sketch an outline. She didn't measure proportions. She just started to draw.
*Scritch. Scratch. Scritch.*
The sound of chalk on slate was rhythmic, almost hypnotic.
Ren moved quickly. Her hand was steady, her strokes bold and confident. She didn't draw flowers or traditional landscapes. She drew a stage.
She used white chalk to create blinding spotlights cutting through the darkness. She used blue and purple to create a smoky, electric atmosphere. And in the center, she began to draw figures.
They weren't realistic portraits. They were Q-version caricatures—stylized, expressive, and full of life.
The first figure was a boy in a school uniform, looking up at the sky with wide, dreaming eyes.
The second figure was the same boy, holding a guitar, looking determined.
The third figure was him on a stage, battered and bandaged but standing tall.
The fourth figure was a superstar, bathed in light, holding a microphone to a roaring crowd.
It was a story of growth. A story of pain and glory.
Ren worked for hours. Dust covered her fingers, her sleeves, and the floor. She put on her headphones, losing herself in the music and the art.
Outside in the hallway, the sky turned dark.
Xavier was walking back from the cafeteria. He had forgotten his jacket in the Student Council room and was taking a shortcut through the teaching block.
As he passed Class 9, he glanced inside.
He stopped.
The classroom was dark, lit only by the moonlight and the faint glow of the streetlamps outside. But the blackboard... the blackboard was glowing.
The colors were vibrant, almost leaping off the surface. The composition was professional—the way the light and shadow were handled, the dynamic poses of the characters. It wasn't just a school project; it was street art. It was a masterpiece.
And standing in front of it was Ren.
She was wearing her headphones, her back to him. She was adding the final touches to the crowd at the bottom of the board—hundreds of tiny white silhouettes, each one unique.
Xavier watched, mesmerized.
He had always thought Ren was lazy. Useless. A waste of space. But looking at her now, focused and creating something so beautiful with such effortless skill, he felt his world tilt on its axis.
Who was she? really?
A dropout? A math genius who scored zeros on purpose? A fighter who took down gangs? And now... an artist?
Ren stepped back to admire her work. She dusted her hands off on her pants, turning her head slightly.
Xavier ducked back into the shadows, his heart pounding for reasons he couldn't explain. He waited until she grabbed her bag and left the room before he dared to step inside.
He walked up to the board.
Up close, it was even more impressive. The details were insane. The expression on the Q-version singer's face... it looked familiar.
It looked like **Yan Xi**, the most famous rock star in the country.
Xavier touched the chalk line gently. It was still warm.
***
The next morning, chaos erupted.
"OH MY GOD!"
The scream came from the hallway outside Class 9.
Students were crowding around the back door, pushing and shoving to get a look.
"Is that Yan Xi?! It's Yan Xi!"
"Who drew this? It's incredible!"
"I want to take a picture! Move!"
The hallway was blocked. Even students from the Alpha Stream were trying to squeeze in.
Faye walked down the hall with her friends, holding her notebook. She was feeling good. She had helped the Student Council create a very elegant, traditional board. She was sure they would win.
"What's going on?" Faye asked, frowning at the crowd blocking her path.
"It's Class 9's board," a student gasped, running past her. "You have to see it! It's insane!"
Faye pushed her way through the crowd. She looked into the classroom.
Her breath hitched.
The blackboard was a work of art. It was modern, edgy, and emotionally powerful. It made her class's traditional calligraphy look boring and outdated.
"Who drew this?" Faye whispered, a cold knot forming in her stomach.
"I heard it was Ren," someone said.
"Ren?" Faye shook her head. "Impossible. Ren can't draw. She can't do anything."
But then she saw Ren.
Ren was sitting at her desk, sleeping with her hood up, completely ignoring the mob of fans screaming over her work. Her hands were still faintly stained with colored chalk dust.
Xavier walked into the room, holding the grading clipboard. He looked at the board, then at Ren.
He picked up his pen and wrote down a score: **100**.
It was the first perfect score he had ever given.
Faye watched him. She saw the way Xavier looked at Ren—with a mixture of confusion and admiration.
Faye's nails dug into her palms.
First the fighting. Then the mysterious connection to the Principal. Now this.
Ren was supposed to be the shadow. Why was she shining brighter than the sun?
**[Chapter 18 End]**