By the time the final bell rang on Tuesday afternoon, the atmosphere at Wolven High had shifted irrevocably. The leaked surveillance video had spread through the school's digital veins like a virus, infecting every group chat and forum thread.
Wendy, once the picture of the aggrieved victim, had become a pariah. She spent the entire day with her head buried in her arms, unable to meet the gazes of her classmates. The students of Class 9, who had nearly turned on Ren due to Wendy's tearful acting, were now filled with a righteous indignation and a profound sense of guilt toward their misunderstood ace.
Ren, the center of this storm, remained indifferent. She sat in the back row, spinning a pen, her mind seemingly miles away from the high school drama.
However, outside the classroom, the ripples of her performance were turning into waves.
Down in the Grade 10 wing, Moyra was basking in reflected glory.
Moyra was Ren's cousin, a fact she had previously tried to bury. When Ren first arrived from the countryside, Moyra had been embarrassed by her "poor relative." She had kept her distance, fearing that Ren's lack of status would tarnish her own reputation among the wealthy students.
But today, things were different.
Ren was no longer the "village girl." She was the "English Speech Goddess," the "Hidden Genius," and the "Badass who crushed Wendy."
"Moyra, is it true?" asked Lisa, a girl from a wealthy merchant family whom Moyra had been trying to impress for months. "Is the legendary Ren really your cousin?"
Moyra flipped her hair, feigning a look of nonchalance. "Yeah, she is. We grew up together in Ninghai. We're super close. She used to follow me around all the time."
"That's amazing!" Lisa's eyes sparkled. "She's so cool. I heard she didn't even use a script for the speech. Can you introduce us? I really want to meet her."
Moyra hesitated for a split second. She knew Ren's temperament—cold, distant, and utterly unmanageable. But looking at the adoring faces of Lisa and the other girls, Moyra's vanity got the better of her.
"Sure," Moyra said, smiling sweetly. "My cousin listens to me. I'll take you to see her after school. She usually waits for me anyway."
It was a lie, of course. Ren had never waited for her. But Moyra figured she could just walk up to Ren, say a few words, and play it off as a family reunion. Ren wouldn't embarrass her in public, right?
***
The sun was setting, casting long, golden shadows across the school entrance. The plaza was crowded with students heading home or waiting for their family drivers.
Moyra stood by the flowerbed near the main gate, flanked by Lisa and three other eager girls. They were chatting excitedly, stealing glances at the senior building.
"She's coming!" Lisa squealed, pointing.
Ren walked out of the building. She looked distinct from the sea of uniformed students. Her jacket was unzipped, revealing a simple white t-shirt, and she wore her trademark black baseball cap pulled low. She walked with a lazy, rhythmic slouch, one hand in her pocket, the other holding a carton of strawberry milk.
She looked tired, bored, and effortlessly cool.
"Cousin! Ren!" Moyra called out loudly, waving her hand frantically to ensure everyone nearby noticed. "Over here!"
Ren paused. She took a sip of her milk and lifted her chin slightly. Her cold, dark eyes scanned the crowd before landing on Moyra. There was no recognition in her gaze, only a flicker of annoyance.
Moyra felt a bead of sweat roll down her back, but she kept her smile plastered on. She stepped forward, ready to perform her role as the "beloved younger cousin."
"Ren, these are my friends, they wanted to—"
*Screech.*
Before Moyra could finish her sentence, a sleek, black sedan glided through the school gates. It moved with the silent weight of extreme luxury. The crowd instinctively parted.
It wasn't just any car. It was a Mercedes-Benz S600 with a license plate that ended in a string of zeros—a number sequence that signaled immense power in Moon City.
The car pulled up directly in front of Ren, cutting Moyra off completely.
"Whoa," Lisa whispered, clutching Moyra's arm. "Is that... is that for you, Moyra? Is your family picking up Ren?"
Moyra stared at the car. Her family drove a Toyota. This was a car worth more than her parents' house. "I... I don't know..."
The driver's door opened. A uniformed chauffeur hurried out to open the rear passenger door.
A man stepped out.
He was elderly, dressed in a traditional charcoal-grey tunic suit that spoke of old-world authority. He leaned on a polished cane, his posture upright and commanding despite his age. His silver hair was neatly combed back, and his eyes were sharp behind wire-rimmed glasses.
A hush fell over the school entrance.
Every student at Wolven High knew this face. It hung in a portrait in the main hallway. It appeared on the news during education summits.
It was Principal Xu.
The head of Wolven High. The patriarch of the Xu family. The grandfather of Xavier. A man who commanded respect from the city's mayor.
"Oh my god," a student whispered nearby. "It's the Principal. What is he doing here?"
"Is he here to scold Ren?" Moyra thought, a spark of hope igniting in her chest. Maybe Ren was in trouble. Maybe she had broken a rule.
Principal Xu adjusted his glasses and looked around. He ignored the hundreds of students staring at him. He ignored Moyra, who was standing just a few feet away with her mouth open.
He walked straight up to Ren.
And then, the impossible happened. The stern, terrifying Principal Xu... smiled. It wasn't a polite smile; it was the eager, almost ingratiating smile of a fan meeting an idol.
"Student Ren," Principal Xu said warmly. "Heading home?"
Ren didn't bow. She didn't look surprised. She just bit down on her straw and frowned at the old man blocking her path.
"Principal," Ren acknowledged, her voice flat. "You're blocking my way."
The surrounding students gasped. Lisa looked like she was about to faint. *She just told the Principal he was in the way?*
Principal Xu didn't get angry. He chuckled. "Always so direct. I like that. I heard about your speech yesterday. Brilliant. That economic model you drew on the blackboard? That was master-class level."
"I just drew whatever came to mind," Ren said, sidestepping him. "If that's all, I'm leaving."
"Wait, wait!" Principal Xu moved quickly for his age, blocking her again. He looked less like a dignified educator and more like a desperate salesman.
"Ren, let's talk business," Principal Xu said, lowering his voice but still audible to the stunned circle of eavesdroppers. "Next month is the Provincial Physics Competition. Wolven High needs a heavy hitter. We need a captain."
Ren rolled her eyes. "Not interested."
"Why not?" Principal Xu pleaded. "You have the talent! I've seen your transfer files from Ninghai. I know about the 'perfect score' solution on that final physics question two years ago. I know you control your scores."
Ren stopped. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You investigated me?"
"I did my due diligence as an educator!" Principal Xu said hastily, raising his hands in surrender. "Look, I know you hate rules. I know you hate homework. So, let's make a deal."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "A deal?"
"You join the Physics team and bring home the gold trophy," Principal Xu proposed, his eyes twinkling. "In exchange, I give you a 'Golden Pass.' You can sleep in class. You can skip morning assembly. You can wear whatever you want. As long as you don't burn down the school, no teacher will be allowed to deduct points from you or give you detention."
Ren paused. The straw fell from her lips.
Freedom.
No more nagging teachers. No more detention for sleeping.
It was a tempting offer.
"And," Principal Xu added, whispering conspiratorially, "I'll approve your leave requests whenever you need to... deal with your 'other business' in the Capital."
Ren stared at the old fox. He knew more than he let on.
"Fine," Ren said, tossing her empty milk carton into a nearby trash can with a perfect arc. "Deal. But tell the Class 9 homeroom teacher I'm not coming in for early reading tomorrow. I need sleep."
"Done!" Principal Xu beamed, looking like he had just won the lottery. "I'll drive you home? We can discuss the competition format."
"No thanks," Ren waved her hand dismissively, walking past the luxury car. "I prefer to walk."
***
Ren disappeared around the corner, leaving a stunned silence in her wake.
Principal Xu watched her go with a satisfied nod, then got back into his car. The Mercedes drove away, leaving a cloud of exhaust and a crowd of shattered worldviews.
Moyra stood frozen by the flowerbed. Her face was burning hot.
"Moyra..." Lisa grabbed her arm, her grip painful. "Your cousin... the Principal personally invited her? He begged her? And she refused a ride in a Mercedes?"
"I..." Moyra stammered. Her throat felt dry.
"You said she listens to you," another girl said, her tone skeptical. "But she didn't even look at you. And she's on a first-name basis with Principal Xu."
"She... she's just rebellious," Moyra tried to explain, but her voice lacked confidence.
Lisa looked at Moyra, then at the direction Ren had vanished. "I don't think she's just rebellious, Moyra. I think your cousin is someone we can't even comprehend. You better be careful. Don't offend her."
Moyra felt a chill run down her spine. She remembered the dismissive look in Ren's eyes. It wasn't anger. It was total indifference. To Ren, Moyra wasn't an enemy; she was an ant.
***
High above, on the second-floor walkway connecting the administrative building, Xavier stood in the shadows.
He had watched the entire scene. He saw his grandfather—a man who rarely praised anyone, a man who held the Xu family's iron reins—bending over backward to please a high school dropout.
In Xavier's hand was the USB drive containing the surveillance footage Joey had given him. He gripped it tightly.
"Grandpa knows," Xavier whispered to himself.
His grandfather wasn't a fool. If he was recruiting Ren for the Physics Competition, it meant Ren's physics skills were genuine. The "4 points" on her exam paper were a lie. The rumor about her cheating was a lie.
Xavier felt a complex mix of emotions: admiration, regret, and a burning curiosity.
"Ren," Xavier murmured, watching the empty street where she had walked. "Just how many layers do you have?"
***
Meanwhile, oblivious to the chaos she had caused, Ren walked down the street, her phone buzzing in her pocket.
She pulled it out. It was a message from Juan.
**[ Juan: The old man Xu caught you? ]**
Ren typed back with one hand.
**[ Ren: He's annoying. He bribed me with sleep. ]**
**[ Juan: Good trade. I'm making sweet and sour ribs tonight. Come back. ]**
Ren's eyes lit up. The cold indifference vanished, replaced by a genuine spark of interest.
**[ Ren: On my way. Save the cartilage for me. ]**
She pocketed her phone and quickened her pace. The Principal, the competition, the drama with her cousin—none of it mattered. The only thing that mattered was that someone was waiting for her with dinner.
**[Chapter 45 End]**