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After the meeting ended, Jiao Jiao and Zhou Xiaoyu sat on the steps like a pair of despondent puppets whose strings had just been tugged into submission.

With her chin on her knees, Zhou Xiaoyu grumbled, "I've never liked that Ling Xue; she's just too fake! After I won the scholarship last year, I met her a few times, but she was so condescending like I should be in her debt or something. Now all of a sudden she's trying to get me to commit to attending events this year too. I don't get it!"

Jiao Jiao sighed and leaned back against the stone steps with her legs stretched out. "That might be my fault, Yuyu. She mentioned the role to me ages ago, but then... well, something happened so I've been avoiding her calls. It looks like she'll just twist my arm by going directly to the school. I'm sorry you got dragged into this, but at least we can do it together?"

Zhou Xiaoyu rolled her eyes in exasperation but nodded reluctantly. They sat briefly in the late afternoon sunlight that colored the campus in a warm golden hue. The soft murmur of students drifted on the cool breeze, which was interrupted by a trio of girls emerging from the school doors.

Xu Haomei spotted them and stalked over with an air of inflated arrogance, her steps punctuated by the sharp click of her heeled shoes against the pavement. She stood over Jiao Jiao with a malicious sparkle in her eyes, Chu Lili and Wang Xinyu like dark clouds hovering behind her.

Xu Haomei's lip curled as she sneered, "I hope you're ready for what's coming, Jing Jiao."

Jiao Jiao glanced at Zhou Xiaoyu and innocently said, "That sounded vaguely threatening, yes?"

Xiaoyu's eyes danced with amusement as she replied, "Oh, you caught that too, huh? She's not known for her subtlety, that's for sure."

She turned to face a glowering Xu Haomei and retorted, "You might want to tone it down, Haomei; you sound like a scorned concubine in the Emperor's harem."

A faint but indignant flush crept up Haomei's cheeks, her attempt at intimidation undermined by Xiaoyu's cutting remark. Her two minions spluttered angrily and stepped forward to bracket Xu Haomei's sides.

Jiao Jiao was bored of these petty girls and said, "Thank you for your concern, Haomei. I am ready. Both for the midterms and for the talent show. You don't need to worry about me."

Xu Haomei smirked, "I'm not worried; I'm excited. Excited to see you embarrass yourself. Watching you attempt a talent will be quite the spectacle. After all, how can an ignorant bumpkin from a village compare to someone like me?"

Jiao Jiao raised an eyebrow and replied, "I think I already showed how well we compare, Haomei. After all, I'm the one with a spot in the elite classes, not you."

Affronted by Jiao Jiao's audacity, Xu Haomei spit, "Not for long, you bitch. Just you wait and see."

As the girls stormed off in a huff, Lili and Xinyu trying to keep up with Haomei in a fluster of clattering heels and musky perfume, Jiao Jiao and Zhou Xiaoyu glanced at each other with wide eyes and burst out laughing.

"Why is everything bad happening right now, Yuyu?"

Zhou Xiaoyu caught her breath. "Dear gods, she is so extra! You should be grateful though, Jiao Jiao. Bad things usually come in threes, so you got off lucky!"

As the girls dissolved into another round of giggles, a luxurious black car pulled up to the steps. Li Qian emerged from the back seat and watched for a moment with a flicker of a smile on his lips. He was so happy that his girl was making friends, but it was time to steal her away. After a long day of boardrooms and negotiations, he was dying to spend time with her.

"Jiao Jiao!" His call wasn't loud, but the low tenor of his voice caught Jiao Jiao's attention immediately.

She turned to him with stars in her eyes and skipped down the steps to his side. "Brother Qian, what are you doing here?"

"I thought we could have dinner together and go over any last-minute questions you have before exams start."

Her face was so happy, so pleased, so pure, that Li Qian couldn't help but lift a hand and smooth the baby hairs from her forehead tenderly.

Jiao Jiao gave a quick wave to a stunned Zhou Xiaoyu, and the pair slipped into the car and drove away.

None of them noticed Ling Xue, who was lurking in the shadows with a smoldering rage that matched the fiery depths of her eyes. Her fingers curled into tight fists, her nails digging into her palms as her breath came in sharp, seething exhales.

As the car disappeared from view, Ling Xue's fury swelled to an all-consuming inferno. Once calculated and cunning, her plans for retaliation against Jiao Jiao now morphed into a torrent of hateful thoughts that consumed her every waking moment. That fucking bitch is dead!