4. The Arrogant Newcomer (Part One)

A ponytail paired with a school uniform—Chen Ruowen glanced at herself in the mirror, taking in the unadorned, almost outrageously pure appearance of a student. It was common knowledge that, to prevent early romance, school uniforms in middle and high school were designed with "ugliness" as the foremost principle: T-shirts so baggy that one's waistline disappeared, skirts so long they covered the knees, and as for the autumn attire… she could hardly bear to mention it.

Yet Chen Ruowen prided herself on being a natural clothes hanger; she could look good even draped in a burlap sack, so she didn’t fuss much about the style. The fabric, however, was so coarse that when she first touched it, she nearly hurled the uniform straight out the window. In the end, she had the housekeeper call their family designer, who custom-made a replica overnight with better material.

Thinking of Bai Jinyan’s advice yesterday to keep a low profile, Chen Ruowen reluctantly turned down the limited-edition red Ferrari reserved for her, borrowing Old Cui’s private car—their family driver—to get to school.

Yesterday had coincided with the September joint exams; today, after morning studies, homeroom teacher Mr. Wu finally remembered the trivial matter of a new student joining the class.

“Yesterday, we welcomed a new student. Please come up and introduce yourself.”

This was hardly unexpected for Chen Ruowen, who had transferred schools five or six times since childhood. She rose from her seat and made her way to the podium, unhurried and composed.

The second she stood up, the classroom erupted.

“Whoa, when did our class get such a beautiful girl?”

—from the top student who cared for nothing but solving the hardest problems.

“I noticed her yesterday. Her hair was down, she wasn’t wearing the uniform, sitting alone in the last row looking super aloof. I thought she’d wandered in from another class.”

—from the student who managed to glance around even during exams.

“I saw her too, but after school she went to find Bai Jinyan. They seemed pretty familiar.”

—from the student who not only looked around during exams but had energy for gossip.

“Seriously? Brother Yan knows her? Then I’ll go ask him for her phone number, QQ, and WeChat! Brother Yan, you’re my bro, share the goddess’s contact info!”

—from the student who not only looked around and gossiped during exams but somehow still had time to flirt.

Bai Jinyan raised an eyebrow, swatted away the hand resting on his shoulder from the row behind, and turned, saying, “Tell me, how many days are left until the college entrance exam?”

“……”

Ugh, what a pain—who brings up the college entrance exam at a time like this?

“Hmph, flirting with Bai Jinyan as soon as she arrives, dressing up so flamboyantly during school hours—clearly not a good student.”

—from Bai Jinyan’s devoted fangirl.

“Exactly! Look at her, skirt hiked up so high her thighs show, makeup caked on—how is she here to study or to date? How did someone like that get into South City No. 1 High, let alone our class?”

—from another of Bai Jinyan’s fangirls.

…

The comments were not whispered—they reached Chen Ruowen’s ears word for word. Yet she didn’t so much as frown, standing relaxed at the center of the podium, chin slightly raised as she swept her gaze over the forty-some seats below, as if she were a princess surveying her domain.

“I’m Chen Ruowen. I’m glad to join Class One of Grade Twelve…”

She made a brief introduction, then glanced at the suddenly silent classroom and the dozens of eyes that had become hollow with awe. Impatient, she sighed softly and shifted her stance ever so slightly, expertly.

It was only then that the students seemed to snap out of their trance, quickly bowing their heads and covering their eyes.

This girl’s looks were… completely distracting! No one could focus on her words!

“I hope you’ll all look after me in the days to come,” Chen Ruowen concluded, flashing a brilliant smile at her classmates, who barely dared to meet her gaze.

“—Though I probably won’t need it.”

…

“Whoa, this new student is so arrogant!”

“She just arrived and says something like that—doesn’t she fear getting beaten up?”

“I think it’s pretty cool. I like her.”

A new wave of discussion swept the classroom. Bai Jinyan, meanwhile, sighed and covered his eyes, muttering internally, “I knew she wouldn’t keep quiet for long…”

Sitting in the last row, a chubby boy who’d been buried in his problem book finally looked up after hearing her words, snorted, and returned to his scribbling.

“Even more arrogant than me.”

Unbothered by the stir she’d caused, Chen Ruowen left her words hanging and returned to her seat with ease. The homeroom teacher, face dark, tossed out a curt “Continue your self-study,” then strode to the last row and tapped Chen Ruowen’s desk.

“Chen Ruowen, come with me.”

The two exited the classroom one after another, and Class One was in uproar again.

“She’s just arrived and already called out for a talk with Old Wu. This newcomer… I doubt she’ll last long.”

“Eh, maybe her grades are good and she’s not worried at all?”

“Good grades? How good? Better than our genius Kai?”

The chubby boy in the last row, still immersed in his problem book, crushed his draft paper into a ball and lobbed it at the speaker without looking.

“Don’t @ me. You’re noisy.”

…

Mr. Wu regarded the relaxed and unconcerned girl before him, launching into his first round of guidance in a heartfelt tone.

“I know your situation is a bit special. But since you’ve come to No. 1 High and joined my class, you’re my student, and it’s my responsibility to look after you.”

Chen Ruowen nodded indifferently, her demeanor still nonchalant.

“Did you alter your school uniform?” Mr. Wu asked.

Without hesitation, Chen Ruowen nodded.

“The original fabric was too poor—I couldn’t wear it comfortably.”

Too poor? The school uniforms weren’t made of anything expensive, but the school took care to ensure good quality; they were certainly on par with clothes of similar price on the market. How had Chen Ruowen called it poor quality?

“If you want to customize, I can’t object, but even so, the uniform shouldn’t deviate from its original style.” Mr. Wu gestured toward her skirt, which revealed half her thigh. “Didn’t you make your skirt too short?”

Chen Ruowen glanced down at her outfit, a little puzzled.

“I asked the designer to cut it exactly like the one you gave me. After it was made, I compared it to the original—size and length were identical. If you don’t believe me, measure it yourself.”

She lifted her leg slightly, her expression turning a bit sour.

“Mr. Wu, is it my fault my legs are long?”

Mr. Wu cast a doubtful glance at her skirt, then hurriedly looked away. Judging by the skirt itself, there didn’t seem to be a problem—could it really be her long legs? Perhaps it was best not to dwell on such details.

“Ahem, let’s set that aside for now. But as a student, you shouldn’t perm, dye your hair, wear makeup, or jewelry during school hours. You agree with that, right?”

“Not really.”

Chen Ruowen replied lightly, but before Mr. Wu could object, she continued, puzzled.

“But why are you telling me this? I haven’t done any of the things you mentioned!”

Mr. Wu patiently pointed at her face, uttering two words.

“Makeup.”

Chen Ruowen sighed, reached up, and scrubbed her delicate cheek vigorously. She held out her reddened, fair hand for Mr. Wu to see.

“Teacher, I’m not wearing makeup—I was simply born beautiful!”