Song Xu’s voice was so loud it made Lin Xi’s hand tremble. She lowered her voice, trying to explain, “Xu-ge, they’re just from the university’s Drama Club.”

“Tell him you don’t have the time,” Song Xu barked, his voice laced with irritation. “Lin Xi, don’t you forget the nature of our arrangement.”

“I get it.” Lin Xi had intended to decline anyway, but hearing Song Xu’s thinly veiled threat left a sour taste in her mouth. This money was certainly proving difficult to earn. “If that’s all, I’m hanging up.”

She cut the video call before he could respond and turned to the guy beside her. “I’m sorry, but I have no interest in joining the Drama Club.”

The student was momentarily stunned. He had caught a glimpse of the man on her screen—he looked remarkably like Song Xu. Shaken, he scrambled to his feet and took a hasty step back. “Right. Sorry to have bothered you. Goodbye!”

He signaled to his friends, and the group beat a swift retreat.

—

On the rostrum, Song Xu stared at his darkened screen, feeling a sudden urge to fly to Lin Xi’s side and give her a piece of his mind.

“Is something the matter, President Song?” the Vice Principal of Jiangda asked with a genial smile.

While Song Xu was technically a student at the university, he was also the sole heir to the Huayue Group—effectively the university’s primary benefactor. Jiangda and Huayue maintained a close partnership, with the group providing substantial research grants every year.

Song Xu set his phone down, his expression softening into one of polished humility. “It’s nothing. Just my girlfriend throwing a little tantrum.”

“President Song has a girlfriend?” The Vice Principal looked genuinely surprised. “You’ll have to bring her by for a gathering sometime.”

Song Xu nodded. “There will definitely be an opportunity.”

His girlfriend was right here at Jiangda, after all. He figured it was time he introduced Lin Xi to the university’s upper management—it would save her from being bullied in the future.

—

It took a full two hours for the military training exhibition to conclude. By the time Bai Tiantian returned to the stands, she looked like a wilted flower.

“I’m exhausted,” Tiantian moaned, kneading her thighs. “I think my legs have officially resigned.”

Lin Xi reached over, helping her massage the tension away. “Any better?”

“Much,” Tiantian said with a sweet grin. “Xi-xi, you have magic hands. One touch and I’m cured.”

Lin Xi rolled her eyes playfully. “Your mouth is practically coated in honey.”

Tiantian giggled. “I really do adore you, Xi-xi. If my brother wasn’t already married, I’d kidnap you and force you to be my sister-in-law.”

“We’re already as close as sisters,” Lin Xi replied with a smile.

“True.” Tiantian shook her head and glanced toward the stage, her expression suddenly souring. “Do you know who the Freshman Representative is this year?”

Lin Xi shook her head. She only knew she had been replaced. “Who is it? Someone you know?”

“Know her? I live with her,” Tiantian scoffed. “It’s Liu Ting. She’s been practicing her speech at the top of her lungs in the dorm for the past two days. It was driving me insane.” She paused, adding begrudgingly, “But I have to admit, the speech is actually quite good. I have no idea where she managed to copy it from.”

Lin Xi offered a faint, tight smile but said nothing. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret for her own speech—she had put a lot of work into it.

—

Up on the rostrum, Song Xu watched a girl in a shimmering red dress approach the microphone. He frowned. Shouldn’t the Freshman Representative be his Xi-xi? Why was there a replacement?

He pulled out his phone and messaged Lin Xi: [Why aren’t you the representative?]

Lin Xi felt her phone vibrate and checked the message. She typed back: [I was replaced.]

Song Xu’s brow furrowed. [When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me?]

Lin Xi sighed. It wasn’t exactly a crowning achievement she wanted to brag about. [It’s not a big deal. I’ve already received plenty of special treatment.]

Song Xu didn’t reply further. It truly wasn’t a major issue, and a part of him preferred it this way. He didn’t want her standing in the spotlight for everyone to see; he wanted to keep her brilliance to himself.

On stage, Liu Ting cast frequent glances toward Song Xu. She had done her homework: he was the “Prince Charming” of Jiangda, a legitimate second-generation billionaire who had already taken over the family business. If she could catch his eye and spark a “deeper connection,” her future would be set.

She had come prepared. She had memorized every word of the speech until it was second nature, and her makeup was flawless. She had spent a long time admiring herself in the mirror, practically swooning at her own reflection.

“Respected leaders, faculty…” Liu Ting began, her voice pitched into a delicate, artificial lilt.

Initially, Song Xu ignored her, focusing on work emails on his phone. But then, a few familiar phrases drifted into his ears, snapping his attention back to the stage.

The more he heard, the more familiar it became. This was the exact speech he had seen Lin Xi writing.

His eyes narrowed. He sent another message: [Did you sell your speech to her?]

In his mind, it was entirely possible that Lin Xi had sold her hard work for a quick buck.

Meanwhile, Lin Xi was no longer calm. She had labored over every sentence of that speech, weighing every word. No one knew that text better than she did.

She stood up abruptly, her body trembling with a mix of shock and fury. She wanted to march up there and demand to know why Liu Ting was reciting her words. She could accept being replaced, but she could not tolerate her work being stolen.

“Xi-xi, what’s wrong?” Tiantian asked, noticing the change. Lin Xi looked livid, her fists clenched white.

Lin Xi pointed at the girl on stage, her voice trembling. “She stole my speech!”

“What?!” Tiantian stood up instantly. She didn’t hesitate for a second, offering her friend blind, unwavering loyalty. “I knew a brainless hack like Liu Ting couldn’t write something that good. Stealing someone else’s hard work… how pathetic.”

Tiantian cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and screamed at the top of her lungs, “LIU TING, YOU’RE A DISGRACE! YOU STOLE THAT SPEECH! SHAME ON YOU!”

“SHAMELESS!” Lin Xi joined in, shouting with everything she had.

The Law Department freshmen were all seated in this section. While some of the girls found Tiantian annoying, they disliked Liu Ting even more. As for the boys, they naturally gravitated toward the department’s two true beauties.

Hearing Tiantian and Lin Xi lead the charge, the rest of the students began to join the fray. “SHAMELESS! SHAMELESS!”

Tiantian caught the rhythm, leading the chant like a conductor. “LIU TING! HAS NO SHAME! LIU TING! HAS NO SHAME!”

Soon, a chorus of over a thousand students was roaring in unison: “LIU TING! HAS NO SHAME!”

Lin Xi shouted along, feeling her bottled-up anger begin to dissipate with every yell.

On the rostrum, Liu Ting was dazed. She could hear the crowd shouting her name, but the roar of the stadium muffled the specific words.

To her deluded ears, “No shame” (Bu-yao-lian) sounded remarkably like “So gorgeous” (Ni-hao-mei). She touched her cheek, a smug smile spreading across her face.

I knew it, she thought. I really am stunning today.