Chapter 1: You’re Here

“Prez, aren’t you cold?”

“Not cold.”

Yixin Xue answered without a hint of hesitation.

Her icy response made Yan Xi, who was accompanying her, flash a bitter smile.

Come on, it’s October! The temperature’s barely in the double digits, and Yixin Xue was still wearing her summer school uniform—a pure white short-sleeved shirt paired with a red-and-white checkered miniskirt.

Yixin Xue was taller than most girls, so her skirt didn’t even reach her knees.

The white stockings, standard with the school uniform, hugged her shapely curves perfectly, revealing tantalizing glimpses of skin as she walked.

For teenage boys in the prime of youth, it was almost too much to handle.

To think she wasn’t cold at all dressed like that—it was downright unbelievable.

Yan Xi, also wearing a short skirt, was already shivering from the chill.

Yixin Xue glanced down the corridor as if nothing was amiss, her tone light but firm.

“You all head to Area B. I’ll handle Area A alone.”

“Yes, Prez.”

No one dared object.

They wouldn’t dream of it.

After all, Yixin Xue was the perfect, untouchable Ice Queen of the entire school!

***

The back door of Class 1 in Area A was wide open, offering a full view of the classroom.

Including a certain Ling Yuan, sprawled across his desk, fast asleep.

Yixin Xue let out a soft sigh.

Moving as silently as a cat, she approached Ling Yuan from behind.

But when she opened her mouth to wake him, the words caught in her throat.

‘Damn it! I set up such a perfect team, and my teammates don’t even show up! This is infuriating!’

Lan Feng, the boy sitting in front of Ling Yuan, was grumbling to himself.

In just a few seconds, he’d mentally cursed out the ancestors of all four of his teammates.

At that moment, a pale hand shot out, snatching his phone before he could react.

“No phones during school hours. Playing games during evening self-study is a serious violation of school rules. I’ll report this to the homeroom teacher.”

That voice could only belong to one person…

“Haha, Class President, could you maybe pretend you didn’t see that?”

Lan Feng put on his most pitiful expression, hoping Yixin Xue would let it slide.

“No.”

Yixin Xue’s reply was cold, her gaze as if she were looking at trash.

“Is evening self-study over!?”

Ling Yuan jolted awake, and the first thing he saw was a cascade of pure white hair.

‘Crap.’

No need to guess who was standing in front of him. There was only one white-haired girl in the entire school.

His expression, initially bright with relief, froze.

His eyes followed the white hair upward, landing on the phone in her pale hands.

‘Wait a second. I lent that phone to Lan Feng, didn’t I?’

Before evening self-study, his good buddy Lan Feng’s phone had died, so Ling Yuan lent him his to play games.
How did a quick nap turn the world upside down?

The atmosphere around them plummeted to arctic levels.

Those flame-red eyes glared at the boy with disdain, while Ling Yuan sat frozen, a stiff smile plastered on his face.

“A phone case with a full-on anime vibe. I’m guessing this belongs to you?”

Yixin Xue’s tone was almost mocking as she dangled the phone in front of Ling Yuan.

Still groggy from sleep, Ling Yuan could only stare at the so-called “evidence,” his brain struggling to catch up.

Yixin Xue was their class president, the head of the school’s Discipline Committee, and one of Hengjiang High School’s most renowned beauties.

What stood out most was her milk-white hair and those flame-red eyes straight out of an anime or novel.

But Yixin Xue had a aloof personality.

A transfer student from Slovakia International School, she’d dominated every subject with top grades since arriving at Hengjiang High in her sophomore year.

To most boys, she was an untouchable goddess.

And right now was the worst time to cross her.

Why? It all started with the recent monthly exam.

For some reason, Yixin Xue, who had always held the top spot, was surpassed—by a whopping seventy points.

Now, it felt like anything that didn’t go her way could set off a blazing inferno around her. Those flame-red eyes didn’t radiate warmth; they sent chills down your spine.

“I’ll hold onto this until after school. If you want it back, come find me at the Discipline Committee office.”

“Oh.”

Not long after the girl left, Ling Yuan lazily slumped back onto his desk.

“Dude, what about your phone?”

Lan Feng scratched his head, looking lost. He’d been Ling Yuan’s best friend since middle school.

Ling Yuan was used to Lan Feng’s knack for screwing him over. The last time something this ridiculous happened was… well, the last time.

“No big deal.”

He was sure his sister would spot the phone. With her personality, getting it back should be a piece of cake.

If his sister had been on duty in Area A today, this probably wouldn’t have happened.

His “sister” wasn’t exactly a sister, since they weren’t blood-related.

After his mother passed away, she came from his adoptive mother’s family.

His adoptive mother was a highly successful entrepreneur, so his sister had plenty of pocket money—a real little rich girl.

His sister…

Ling Yuan’s feelings were a tangled mess.

Her personality was… well, very strange.

***

Rain fell in delicate threads, trickling along the roof’s drainage channels, making the pavement glisten under the streetlights.

The Discipline Committee was part of the student council, sharing a classroom in the office building with other departments.

It was already 9:30 p.m., dismissal time, and the large classroom held only Yixin Xue, sweeping the floor with a broom.

Ling Yuan, who had been nonchalant before, now felt real fear creeping in.

‘Holy crap, my sister’s not here!? It’s just the class president!? She’s been extra scary lately!’

As a bottom-of-the-class slacker, Ling Yuan hadn’t been afraid of the class president a few days ago.

Not one bit!

But yesterday, when he didn’t turn in his homework as usual, she—she—she snapped for the first time!

“If you want your phone back, come to the Discipline Committee office after school.”

Ling Yuan stared at Yixin Xue, dumbfounded, replaying her words in his head. It was just the two of them in the entire office building.

‘She’s not about to… lose it again, is she?’

‘Forget the phone…’

With that thought, Ling Yuan mechanically turned to flee this terrifying place.

“You’re here,”

Yixin Xue’s voice called out.

“Don’t leave. Don’t you want your phone back?”