Chapter 16: The Press Club’s Peculiar Interview

Bai Zhi, her face tinged with displeasure, regarded the two individuals standing meekly before her.

Beside her, Lin, with palpable interest, was flipping through the camera that Su Pei had held just moments ago.

“To permanently capture the scenes of reality onto a piece of paper—is this what you refer to as a ‘camera’?” Lin exclaimed, her expression brimming with fascination.

“What an incredible invention!”

“So this is how I appear in the eyes of others?”

“Hmm, next time, I must find a way to take a picture of Lady Ranxin as well, then keep it close to me always…”

“In that case, I can teach you how to use it later!”

“It’s a beginner-friendly model, so you’ll pick it up in no time.”

Devoid of any apprehension one might feel upon being ‘apprehended,’ Su Pei casually engaged Lin in conversation.

“I would be truly grateful for that!”

“If it’s not too much trouble… I would also like a full-body shot of Lady Ranxin.”

“Of course, you just need to ask the Student Council President!”

“After all, Classmate Xia Ranxin, as the Student Council President, would never outright refuse anyone’s request.”

As Su Pei spoke, she smoothly retrieved her camera from Lin’s hand.

“I’ll provide the equipment; you just need to remember to share a copy of the photos with me afterward.”

Noticing the conversation veering off course, Bai Zhi promptly cleared her throat, drawing the attention of all three back to herself.

“So, who exactly are the two of you?”

“And why were you hiding here, peeping at us?”

“S-s-s-s-s-senpai! I-I-I-I-I’m…!”

Zuo Yan, the slender boy, instantly flushed crimson, his voice trembling uncontrollably with nervousness.

Beside him, Su Pei cast him a glance, tinged with a hint of exasperation.

“You finally met your long-admired idol, only to be too nervous to utter a single word…?”

“How truly embarrassing, Classmate Zuo Yan.”

After mildly taunting her male companion, she calmly turned her gaze to Lin and Bai Zhi.

“Allow me, then, to greet you both on behalf of this rather inept junior.”

“A pleasure to meet you both for the first time.”

“I am the current Head of the Press Club at San City First High School, and this individual beside me…”

As she spoke, she gestured toward Zuo Yan, who stood beside her, a mixture of tension and excitement on his face.

“His name is Zuo Yan, a new student who recently transferred to our school.”

“He currently serves as my assistant, and coincidentally, he’s also a devoted fan of yours, Classmate Bai Zhi.”

“A fan?”

Bai Zhi looked at the slender boy opposite her with a hint of surprise, who, at her gaze, instantly became so overwhelmed with excitement that he could barely breathe.

“I wasn’t even aware I had such a thing as ‘fans,’ and honestly, your reaction is a bit much, isn’t it?”

“Never mind, none of that truly matters.”

Bai Zhi redirected her attention to Su Pei, who had once again raised her camera.

“Were you just… secretly photographing us?”

“Oh dear, ‘secretly photographing’ sounds rather unpleasant, doesn’t it?”

“I do hope, Classmate Bai Zhi, you might prefer to describe our actions as ‘gathering material’.”

“To the general public, this is precisely ‘secret photography,’ isn’t it?”

“What exactly is your objective? You’re not planning to use these photos to… blackmail us, are you?”

“That’s quite an interesting conjecture.”

“I merely captured a scene of the two of you chatting, so why would you assume I could use it to blackmail you?”

Su Pei adjusted her lens, then snapped a close-up of Bai Zhi’s face.

“Or perhaps… you possess some secret that cannot be known to a third party, which is why you harbor such concerns?”

“H-how could that be! I’m just an utterly ordinary high school girl!”

Caught off guard by Su Pei’s sudden insight into her thoughts, Bai Zhi became flustered.

Su Pei, meanwhile, observed her reactions with keen interest through the camera lens.

“You instinctively denied it without a moment’s thought, didn’t you?”

“What an amusing reaction…”

“Speaking of which, Classmate Bai Zhi, have you ever read any of my reports?”

“Reports? No, I haven’t.”

“Oh, what a pity!”

“My personally written reports are quite popular at First High; the mountains of complaint letters piled up in the Press Club room serve as undeniable proof of that.”

“I don’t think that’s something to be stated with such pride.”

“Yet, Classmate Bai Zhi has never once read a report from the Press Club.”

“Not only have you not read them, but judging by your reaction, it seems you haven’t even heard of them.”

“Th-that’s just because I don’t really pay attention to such things…”

“Ah, I understand perfectly, Classmate Bai Zhi… you do seem to be exceptionally busy, after all.”

Speaking entirely to herself, Su Pei pulled out a miniature notebook, identical to the one Zuo Yan had, from her pocket and flipped to a specific page.

“Since the beginning of this semester, Classmate Bai Zhi’s record for tardiness and early departures stands at a staggering thirty-five instances.”

“Furthermore, according to eyewitness accounts from classmates and students in the same grade, even when Classmate Bai Zhi does appear normally at school, over eighty percent of her time is spent sleeping, while for the remaining twenty percent, she is nowhere to be seen.”

“Considering this, it’s quite understandable that Classmate Bai Zhi would be completely unaware of the Press Club, which was only officially established this semester.”

“How do you have such detailed data!?”

“What exactly have you been doing in secret!?”

“These are merely basic information-gathering activities.”

“There’s no need for such alarm, Classmate Bai Zhi,” Su Pei explained nonchalantly.

“Records of tardiness and early departures are available from the teachers, and the rest of the information can simply be obtained by asking your classmates, so none of this is particularly significant.”

“However, judging by these unusual daily habits, Classmate Bai Zhi’s extracurricular life must be remarkably rich.”

“So much so that school life, which most students consider their primary focus, has become secondary for Classmate Bai Zhi.”

“Could it be that…”

Su Pei’s pretty, expressionless face emerged from behind the camera lens.

“Classmate Bai Zhi is secretly a superhero who patrols the city at night, protecting its citizens, isn’t she…?”

“Just kidding.”

“Ah, pardon me!”

“Please, could you display a look of disdain right here?”

“I’d like to use it for the cover.”

With a distinct click, Bai Zhi’s expression, a blend of slight surprise and wonder, was permanently captured within the camera’s frame.

“It’s a little different from what I envisioned; it seems it won’t work for the next issue’s cover.”

Su Pei sighed, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

“Nevertheless, it’s still enough to excite a hormonally charged high school boy for an entire day.”

“It looks like it could fetch a decent price.”

“Wh-wh-wh-what are you even talking about!?”

“How could I possibly be…?”

Bai Zhi, who had seemingly ‘crashed’ for a moment, finally reconnected with her thoughts.

Her expression was panicked, and her voice began to tremble.

Anyone familiar with Bai Zhi would know she was sweating profusely, to an extreme degree.

“Ah, those were merely jests just now; there’s no need to concern yourself.”

Su Pei calmly interrupted Bai Zhi.

“After all, how could ‘superheroes’ possibly exist in real life, right, Classmate Bai Zhi?”

“Y-yes, yes! You’re absolutely right; this isn’t some novel or manga!”

Bai Zhi struggled to maintain her composure, then somewhat awkwardly shifted the topic.

“A-anyway, it’s still class time, isn’t it?”

“Why are you two even here?”

“Don’t tell me… you’ve skipped school too?”

“Ah, regarding your question, Classmate Bai Zhi, I personally believe the Student Council President over there can answer it for me.”

Without directly answering Bai Zhi’s question, Su Pei’s gaze swept past Bai Zhi to something behind her.

Following Su Pei’s line of sight, Bai Zhi turned to see Xia Ranxin approaching.

“Classmate Su Pei…?”

“And Classmate Zuo Yan?”

“Why are you two here?”

“Perfect timing, Student Council President.”

Su Pei aimed her lens at Xia Ranxin and politely requested, “Please strike a captivating pose, please~”

“Eh? Th-this way?”

Xia Ranxin paused, looking slightly confused, then struck a rather awkward pose.

“Oh! Excellent, Student Council President!”

“While it has absolutely nothing to do with ‘captivating,’ this perfectly awkward feeling! It’s superb!”

As Su Pei uttered words that Bai Zhi found utterly baffling, she vanished from her spot with superhuman speed.

Then, with three swift “swish” sounds, she captured three close-up shots of Xia Ranxin from different angles almost simultaneously.

“No, no, no, you stop first!”

“And Ranxin, don’t be so cooperative with her!”

“Ah, I just did it without thinking…”

“Lady Lin, here is the full-body shot of the Student Council President you’ve always wanted.”

“Oh!!! I shall treasure it and keep it forever!”

“Lin?! How could even you…?”