A month later
Aihan
Life at school was dull—painfully dull. No fights, no drama, no real fun. Just the same routine, day after day.
That's what I thought… until she came.
An Ran. Just a transfer student who trailed after Lin An like a shadow. That's all we thought she was—until the day she opened her mouth.
"I want to be the representative of this school," she said clearly, standing in the middle of the hall.
We were all gathered for the assembly. Kai was already up on the stage, grinning as usual. He'd been our representative for years—tall, blonde hair catching the light, bright eyes, wide grin, the kind of guy everyone noticed. A proud product of our class.
And now a transfer student was claiming his position.
Kai let out a disbelieving laugh. "What did she just say?" he muttered under his breath.
"Can I speak to the headteacher?" An Ran asked, her voice firm.
The hall fell into whispers. The headteacher raised a brow, then nodded, allowing her to step forward.
Kai's grin slipped. He stepped down from the stage, brushing past a few students. "It's okay, bro," I said, trying to calm him.
"Who the hell does she think she is?" he snapped, his annoyance practically radiating off him.
From in front of us, Dongdong turned around with a smirk. "Her father is a civil servant."
Kai froze. "What?"
I stayed silent, watching. This was getting interesting.
"An Qingshan," Dongdong continued, his voice smug. "One of the most respected civil servants in the city. And why do you think our school cafeteria suddenly got renovated? Or how the broken air conditioners in the classrooms finally got replaced? Or the library finally got new computers?"
"Wasn't that the principal?" Kai asked, frowning.
Dongdong laughed under his breath. "That principal only knows how to eat the students' money. Dumb. It was all An Qingshan's doing."
Before Kai could reply, the headteacher stepped up to the mic. "This year, the position of school representative will go to… An Ran."
A wave of murmurs rippled through the hall.
Kai's jaw clenched. "How is that possible?" he muttered, fuming.
An Ran walked to the front, her expression calm, almost pleasant. "I'm glad to take this opportunity," she said with a small smile.
Beside me, Kai was practically shaking. "Teacher!" he suddenly shouted, his voice echoing through the hall.
Oh god, he was making a scene.
But I wasn't looking at Kai anymore. My eyes caught on something else—An Ran's gaze.
She wasn't looking at the crowd, or the headteacher, or even the stage.
She was looking directly at Lin An.
And when I followed that line of sight, a strange, fluttering feeling stirred in my stomach.