The large hall buzzed with restless chatter, sneakers squeaking on polished floors, the occasional cough echoing louder than it should have. Students filled every row, some half-asleep, others whispering theories about why they were dragged here again. And then, like clockwork, the double doors at the front opened.
Headmaster Jian strutted up to the stage with all the self-importance of a royal peacock. He adjusted his mic, gave it the obligatory tap-tap, and then leaned forward with a grin that screamed mischief more than leadership.
"So, hello my cute little troublemakers!"
A few chuckles, a few groans. Classic Jian.
But just as the students were ready to tune him out, his grin dropped like a dead fly. His tone dipped.
"But lately, you people don't feel all that cute anymore… Somehow, you—"
Click.Jiayi, standing off to the side like a statue with arms crossed, shot him a single, pointed glare. It was enough to remind him—he wasn't an internet troll; he was a headmaster. The man coughed, cleared his throat, and attempted to recover with forced enthusiasm.
"Ahem, yes—today's results are out!" He waved a sheet of paper dramatically like it was a winning lottery ticket. "Our top student of this term, with perfect scores and discipline points, is—"
His eyes found Xu Lingwei in the crowd.
"Xu Lingwei! The model student!"
A smattering of polite claps followed. Xu Lingwei, standing near the back, didn't even flinch. His arms were crossed, expression blank, as if the praise bounced off his skin like water on wax.
Jian gave a forced pause for effect, scanning the paper again. His eyes narrowed, lips pursed in subtle distaste.
"And the second position goes to…"A longer pause."Hua… Rong."
The way he said it made it sound like the name had personally offended him.
Hua Rong blinked from her spot in the middle rows, then slowly leaned toward Bai Xinchen and whispered, "Did I just hallucinate that?"
Bai gave her a proud pat on the back. "Nope. You're officially number two!"
She smirked. "Tch. Feels like being the villain's favorite disappointment."
Meanwhile, on stage, Jian didn't even try to hide his lack of enthusiasm. He placed the paper back on the lectern like it burned him.
"Let's not talk about that," he muttered, then shifted gears.
"Students, do you remember the competition I mentioned?" His smirk returned, sly this time. "That inter-academy event will be held in fifteen days. Anyone interested, submit your name by the end of the week."
A few heads tilted. Murmurs rolled through the hall.
Then he dropped the bomb.
"Oh—and just so you know, at least 150 students must apply."
Silence. The kind that wasn't just quiet but offended.
Hua Rong blinked. "Wait… aren't there only 150 students in the entire academy?"
Lin Zeyan groaned. "He's forcing all of us. Again."
Jian smiled at the stunned crowd like a magician unveiling his final trick.
"That way, I'll get to handpick who gets in—and who gets to sit back and watch." He winked like it was some benevolent gesture.
Hua Rong leaned her head back dramatically, whispering toward the ceiling, "He's unhinged. One day I swear I'll hide that mic."
Jiayi, still beside the stage, rubbed her temple
"Today's final announcement!" Headmaster Jian's voice boomed across the hall, dragging every student back to attention whether they liked it or not.
Hua Rong's heart dropped.
No… please, not this…
But she already knew. Her eyes widened in horror as he reached into his coat pocket with dramatic flair.
"We're going to appoint our next student prefect!"
No no no.
She took one step out of the line. Then another. The nearest window wasn't far. She could jump, land in the hedges, roll out like an action heroine, and disappear into the woods for a good six years.
She braced herself.
But then—
A hand caught her wrist mid-move.
"Hua Rong, you can't!" Lin Zeyan hissed, pulling her back."Let me go! I have to!" she whispered-shouted, practically wrestling him off.
All eyes were on them now—rows of students blinking in synchronized confusion. The hall felt heavier with tension and second-hand embarrassment.
From the stage, Jian gave a long, unimpressed sigh, tapping his mic with a flat expression.
"Are you two done?"
Caught. They froze, then awkwardly shuffled back into the line like kids caught sneaking cookies from the principal's office.
Click.A sharp sound echoed as Jian pressed something on his tablet. A sinister smirk played on his lips.
"Lin Zeyan—500 points deducted. Hua Rong—1,000."
She groaned. "Of course."
"Now," Jian continued, "as I was saying, the student with the lowest point score in the entire academy is going to become…"
He paused for effect, letting the crowd murmur, and then turned back to the stage with exaggerated pride.
"The new prefect—the captain of this academy: Hua Rong!"
Gasps. Whispers. Someone in the back dropped their water bottle.
Hua Rong blinked. Her soul momentarily left her body.
Lin Zeyan gave her a look that was a mix of I told you so and you really need therapy.
But she had no choice now. Running was out. The whole academy had heard. Pride wouldn't save her—but confidence might.
So she straightened her back, lifted her chin, and marched to the stage as if she hadn't just contemplated defenestration ten seconds ago.
She stood beside Jian, who looked far too pleased with himself, and faced the hall full of students.
"So, from today onward," Jian said, his voice filled with false delight, "she will be your captain. She will train you, guide you, and take full responsibility for every single one of you in the upcoming competition!"
A stunned silence stretched across the hall.
Then, just when Hua Rong thought it couldn't get worse, he added casually:
"Of course, she'll be doing it with your usual, beloved captain—Xu Lingwei."
Cue the slow turn of every neck toward Xu Lingwei, who was now standing with the same emotion he had during physics class: none. If anything, he blinked slower.
Hua Rong's lips twitched.
"Do you want to say something?" Headmaster Jian asked, eyebrows raised as he extended the mic toward her, clearly expecting her to shrink away.
But Hua Rong didn't flinch.
To his visible surprise, she stepped forward with a calm that made the room lean in. With one hand, she took the mic. And from the other, she pulled out a folded sheet of paper and handed it to him.
"What's this—" Jian began, but she was already speaking into the mic.
"That's my filled prefect form," she said smoothly. "So from now on—I'm the head girl of this academy."
Gasps and stunned silence filled the hall like an invisible wave rolling through the crowd.
She didn't pause.
"So brace yourselves, students," she added with a sharp grin, tilting her head slightly. "Because now… you'll be seeing my face every single day."
The mic picked up scattered chuckles, a few wide-eyed reactions, and one dramatic groan from the back.
Then she leaned in again, voice brimming with boldness and pride.
"And for those who still don't know me properly… I'm Hua Rong—the only girl in Blackthorn Academy. And from today, your head girl."
She handed the mic back to Jian, whose expression had become a very satisfying blend of stunned and mildly panicked, and turned on her heel with the elegance of someone walking off the battlefield victorious.
From the crowd, Lin Zeyan gave her a dry but proud thumbs-up, and beside him, Bai Xinchen was practically vibrating with excitement as he mimicked two thumbs-up, nodding furiously.
And Xu Lingwei stood still—then, slowly, a small smile tugged at the corner of his usually unreadable face.
No applause. No confetti. But in that moment, Hua Rong didn't need any of it.
She'd made her statement. Loud and clear.
And now… Blackthorn Academy would never be the same.