"Xia's at Xinghua High."
Zhou Kai tossed the magazine on the glass table, casually, as if it didn't matter.As if the article that named Xinghua High's newest mysterious transfer student as "one to watch" hadn't made his ears ring.
Madam Zhou looked up from her tea. "So?"
"She's in my school."
Master Zhou raised a brow. "And?"
Zhou Kai leaned back. "She probably just wants attention. That's why she picked the same school. I mean—she still probably... misses me. Right?"
His voice cracked ever so slightly, masked by a smug smirk.
Madam Zhou scoffed. "She has no family. She's nothing."
But Zhou Kai's fingers twitched slightly.
She looked nothing like a nobody when she walked down the halls like royalty, back straight, eyes distant.
And those whispers—"Who is she?""I heard she embarrassed Wei Zi at the canteen…""I heard she challenged Su Fei!"
He shook his head.
"She'll come around. She's always been soft with me."
He wasn't worried.
Right?
Xia's name was now spoken in hushed awe.
Top students watched her with caution. Bullies avoided her.And Su Fei, the second ranker, who once humiliated her publicly, now studied harder than ever to avoid defeat.
But not everyone learned.
That morning, a frail girl from Class 3B was being pushed around near the rear gate.
"She thinks getting a scholarship makes her equal," one boy sneered. "Can't even afford proper shoes."
Two others laughed as they surrounded her.
"Say you don't belong."
"I don't belong—"
"Louder."
A whistle cut through the air.
The next second, one of them was flying through the air, crashing into a trash bin.
Xia landed soundlessly beside them, one foot bent slightly, like a panther at rest.
"You again," she said calmly, brushing invisible dust off her sleeve.
The boy scrambled back, nose bleeding.
She didn't even look angry. Just bored.
"You're not even worth my energy. Get lost."
The girl she saved stared at her like she was a goddess.
From inside a sleek, black SUV parked nearby, Li Fan watched with interest.
"She didn't even blink," Lu Shen said beside him. "What kind of high school girl moves like that? Military-grade reflexes. Minimal movement. Clean takedown."
Li Fan's lips curved.
"She's wasted here."
"You're staring again," Lu Shen teased. "You've been watching her like she's a rare species."
"She is," Li Fan said, tapping a finger against the window. "No hesitation. No fear. But there's something else."
"What?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"She's not just strong. She's got rules."
As Xia turned the corner, the younger girl still trailing her like a duckling, Zhou Kai stood near the corridor.
He'd seen it all. And now, his arrogant certainty wavered.
She looked stronger. Harsher. Sharper.
Not the sister who used to hide behind him. Not the girl who smiled at him during festivals.
He scoffed to himself.
"She's just… bluffing. Deep down, she's still the same Xia. She'll forgive me. They all do."
But as Xia walked past him, her gaze cold and blank, she didn't even flinch.
Didn't nod. Didn't look.
Didn't acknowledge his existence.
Zhou Kai's stomach twisted.
Why… does that feel worse than being screamed at?