Ning Xiner and her men had already reached the entrance of Class 28. Zuo Ming and Li Yuting, along with the Class 28 students, stepped out and blocked their way, leading to a fierce standoff between the two groups.
Zuo Ming asked coldly, "Ning Xiner, what are you doing in Class 28?"
Ning Xiner smiled brightly. "We're here to see Celia. We heard she made it into the top ten of the Tsinghua University Campus Beauty list, and everyone wants to see her."
"Hahaha! A clown with a scar on her face can make it onto the Campus Beauty list. Did she pay to get on the list?"
"Of course she did. This Celia is so shameless! She's actually trying to rip off our class's campus beauty, Lu."
The students in the Rocket Class laughed and mocked.
Fan Jun had already disliked Celia, and now that he heard she'd supposedly paid to get on the list, he was convinced her character was flawed and vain. He shouted, "Where's Celia? Hurry up and get her out!"
"Yes, hurry up and get her out! Let's see if she's truly beautiful or not." The young men from Beijing could barely contain their impatience.
Zuo Ming and Li Yuting glared at Ning Xiner coldly. They knew very well that Ning Xiner herself had pulled strings to get Celia on the list, yet she now dared to turn the tables and slander her. What a vile move.
But instead of anger, smiles crept across their faces.
"Ning Xiner," Zuo Ming said slowly, "our classmate Celia really shouldn't be ranked tenth on the Campus Beauty list."
"Are you admitting it?" Ning Xiner sneered, sensing victory.
Li Yuting continued calmly, "Our classmate Celia shouldn't be ranked tenth. Your classmate Lu may be the campus beauty, but the top spot belongs to Celia."
"What?"
Everyone stared at Li Yuting in disbelief. How dare she say such outrageous words?
Lu Yao was the recognized campus beauty of Tsinghua University, the dazzling jewel of the imperial capital. And yet, this Celia dared to challenge her?
"Li Yuting, you've lost your mind! Stop the nonsense and get that clown Celia out here!"
"Then let's not waste time," Zuo Ming said with a smile. "Class 28, let's welcome our Celia."
The students in Class 28 automatically parted, making way. A slender figure stepped forward, her presence commanding attention with each unhurried step.
Hiss—
Someone gasped, and the whole corridor seemed to freeze.
The long scar that once marred Celia's face was gone. What emerged was a porcelain-like complexion, ethereal and luminous under the sunlight streaming through the windows. Her palm-sized face was delicate, her lips a soft shade of rose, and her clear, bright eyes carried a depth that pulled everyone in. She was like a painting brought to life, breathtaking and divine, a beauty so overwhelming it made their pupils contract and then widen in disbelief.
Ning Xiner and the Rocket Class students stood rooted in shock, struggling to breathe.
Was this… really Celia?
The young men from Beijing couldn't tear their eyes away. My God… what kind of fairy just descended upon us?
Fan Jun was the most shaken of all. His jaw dropped so wide it could've swallowed an egg whole. Little fairy… my little fairy!
He had searched for so long, only to discover that the Shen family's adopted daughter—whom everyone mocked as a clown—was in fact the little fairy he had been yearning for all this time.
Rumors… rumors were truly destructive!
Who had the audacity to call her a clown? From today on, he vowed, no one would dare insult Celia again.
"Ci Ci!"
The students of Class 28 swarmed around her with admiration. Zuo Ming and Li Yuting's eyes shone with unhidden pride. Even though they had seen Celia's bare face before, her beauty still felt unreal, as though it transcended human limits.
Celia stepped forward gracefully until she stood directly before Ning Xiner. Her lips curved into a confident smile.
"Ning Xiner," she said softly, yet every word cut through the tense silence, "weren't you the one who wanted to see me?"
Ning Xiner's throat tightened. Her eyes darted frantically across Celia's flawless face, her confidence shattering. "Celia… what happened to your scar?"
"I drew that scar on myself," Celia replied, her voice calm yet laced with irony. "And now, I've simply removed it."
The corridor fell deathly silent. The mocking laughter of moments ago had evaporated, replaced by awe and a suffocating realization—Celia had turned the tables completely.
Ning Xiner's face paled, her body trembling as she realized the cruel irony: the clown she had mocked was now standing before her as a radiant goddess, while she herself became the one ridiculed by silence.