Chapter 12: Deep Devotion? Really…

Just as Xia Mi La had anticipated.

Before she even stepped into the classroom, everyone had already dug up Pei Duo Xing’s family background.

The information that even Xu Lian Yi could easily obtain was hardly a secret to begin with.

It spread like wildfire through the grade group chat.

“That girl is called Pei Duo Xing.”

“She’s Han Lin’s sponsored student.”

“Just a mere sponsored student…”

Xia Mi La walked into the classroom under various gazes.

No sooner had she put down her backpack than Zhao Taihe entered.

Striding confidently, he casually pulled over a chair from nearby, placed it beside Xia Mi La’s desk, and sat down without ceremony.

He wore the Tanmyung High School uniform, his tie undone and the top two buttons of his collar casually open, with a Tiger Badge pinned to his chest.

Xia Mi La casually pulled out her pencil case and glanced at him. “What are you doing here?”

They weren’t in the same class, and Zhao Taihe’s demeanor clearly indicated he hadn’t wandered into the wrong classroom by mistake.

“Just came to see you,” Zhao Taihe replied with keen interest, staring at her. “To see if you’re crying and need comforting.”

His gaze was almost expectant.

“Disappointed?” Xia Mi La said.

Zhao Taihe studied her carefully, and indeed, he couldn’t detect even a hint of sadness or disappointment in her eyes.

“Why aren’t you upset?” he asked curiously, leaning in closer as he spoke. “Could it be… we’ve reached a preliminary consensus?”

Preliminary consensus? Xia Mi La immediately recalled what he had said to her that day Jin He, that guy, is useless.

Though somewhat inappropriate, Xia Mi La couldn’t help but laugh.

Watching her laugh, a flicker of amusement also appeared in Zhao Taihe’s eyes.

Just as he was about to say something, his chair was kicked hard.

Jin He, who had entered unnoticed, now stood with his hands in his pockets, glaring at Zhao Taihe with a dark expression.

Zhao Taihe wasn’t the least bit intimidated. He rose leisurely, glanced behind Jin He, and asked with feigned innocence, “Why are you alone? Didn’t that sponsored student come with you?”

“You’ve crossed the line,” Jin He warned grimly. “This isn’t a place for you to be.”

“Don’t misunderstand,” Zhao Taihe raised his hands. “I’m not here for you.”

He might not have come for Jin He, but he was undoubtedly there to provoke him.

Recalling how Zhao Taihe and Xia Mi La had just been exchanging glances, even smiling, Jin He’s anger surged, and he grabbed Zhao Taihe by the collar.

In the tense atmosphere, other boys in the classroom stood up and approached.

Class One was Jin He’s territory, and normally Zhao Taihe wouldn’t overstep, but now, surrounded by Jin He’s allies, he showed no fear. Instead, he continued to regard Jin He with the same lazy, provocative gaze.

This is insane… The girls felt uneasy. Were these two really going to fight so soon after the start of the school year?

Because of Xia Mi La?

But Xia Mi La remained completely detached. Without even looking up, she had already taken out an English book to read, as if the people and events around her had nothing to do with her.

The timely ring of the class bell sounded. Jin He didn’t throw a punch but shoved Zhao Taihe away with a warning: “Get lost.”

Zhao Taihe calmly straightened his collar, then leaned down to bid farewell to Xia Mi La. “I’m off.”

The pen twirled a few times between Xia Mi La’s fingers. She glanced up at him and gave a brief response: “Mm.”

Zhao Taihe curled his lips into a smirk, shot a glance at Jin He, and walked out the door.

Jin He’s anger hadn’t subsided, his expression still dark. He sat down at his seat, pulling out his phone to confront Xia Mi La.

But the screen was filled with messages about Pei Duo Xing.

His earlier conversation with Pei Duo Xing hadn’t gone well either, and seeing these messages only deepened his irritation.

Soon the homeroom teacher entered, followed by Jin Can.

There were two transfer students this semester, and Jin Can had been assigned to their class.

Xia Mi La met his gaze and offered him a faint smile. Jin Can gave a slight nod in return.

He was the type who rarely smiled or spoke much, and his self-introduction was equally concise.

“My name is Jin Can. I hope we can get along well from now on.”

His eyes swept indifferently across the room the latter half of his statement was clearly just polite formality.

He didn’t seem to care in the slightest whether he got along with anyone.

Yet no one questioned his tone or attitude.

He was Jin He’s younger brother, Han Lin’s heir. The name “Jin Can” alone was enough.

Pei Duo Xing, assigned to Class Four, wasn’t so fortunate.

A video of her self-introduction had been recorded and shared in group chats, where it was thoroughly mocked.

Many developed a strong interest in her. As a scholarship student, her status meant she could be freely toyed with at school without consequence.

Especially since she was someone Jin He was interested in that made it even more intriguing.

“Not everyone in this school fears Jin He, you know.”

At noon in the student cafeteria, Park Young-hyun once again volunteered to educate Jin Can, sharing more detailed insights about the school.

“If we’re just talking about family background, Jin He’s status as a chaebol heir puts him at the pinnacle of the pyramid. But these days, the school isn’t entirely divided that way.”

He raised his hand, pointing across the cafeteria. “See that building over there? The lounges there used to be for students to relax. But now, your brother has taken one floor, and Zhao Taihe has another.”

Jin Can looked up, following his gesture.

Though layers of dense trees blocked the actual view of the building, he understood Park Young-hyun’s meaning.

Cliques forming in school weren’t unusual, but here it essentially boiled down to two factions: Jin He’s and Zhao Taihe’s.

“By the way,” Park Young-hyun leaned closer, lowering his voice, “you know who Zhao Taihe is, right?”

Jin Can shifted his gaze to the long-haired boy on the left. “I know.”

The guy who’d flaunted a red tie while standing conspicuously beside Xia Mi La at the banquet.

“Right!” Park Young-hyun grinned. “That’s him!”

He continued explaining to Jin Can, “Jin He’s lounge is called the Azure Dragon Hall, and Zhao Taihe’s is the White Tiger Hall. Gradually, people started using the lounge names to refer to their factions the Azure Dragon Hall and the White Tiger Hall. They have badges, exclusive VIP Cards, share information within their groups, and support each other’s resources. It’s almost like a mini business circle.”

No wonder. Jin Can had seen a few people wearing badges.

But Park Young-hyun wasn’t one of them.

“What about you?” he asked.
“Me?” Park Young-hyun repeated, then realized what was being asked. “Well, I’m neither Azure Dragon nor White Tiger I’m neutral.”

He blinked at Jin Can: “Though I can’t enjoy the benefits of either faction, I do avoid a lot of trouble.”

So it wasn’t just two factions there was a third.

Jin Can lifted her gaze and looked at him expressionlessly: “Can you really avoid a lot of trouble?”

“Ahem.” Park Young-hyun chuckled dryly twice. “Well, occasionally, very occasionally, I do get picked on…”

While being unaffiliated meant freedom, it also meant having no backing.

“What about Xia Mi La?” Jin Can continued asking. “Which faction is she in?”

Xia Mi La wasn’t wearing any badge either. However, the two girls beside her both wore small, exquisite dragon-shaped badges on their left chests.

“Xia Mi La?” Park Young-hyun answered without hesitation. “She’s definitely Azure Dragon Hall. She’s deeply devoted to Jin He.”

Jin Can: “…”

Deeply devoted? Was that really true?

When Xia Mi La was with her, she hadn’t even mentioned Jin He’s name once it didn’t seem like she was in love at all.

Meanwhile, Xia Mi La and her two friends were also eating in the cafeteria.

Xu Lian Yi glanced in Jin Can’s direction and said to Xia Mi La: “It seems the relationship between the Jin brothers isn’t very good.”

“Why?” Song Ya-yun asked. “How can you tell?”

When it came to things outside her interest in luxury goods, she couldn’t be bothered to think.

Xia Mi La nodded slightly without saying much.

Smart people didn’t need to say everything out loud some things were obvious at a glance.

If Jin He actually cared about his younger sibling, on the first day of school, the person accompanying Jin Can around campus wouldn’t have been Park Young-hyun, a neutral party.

Even if Jin He couldn’t be bothered to do it himself, there was still Cui Zhe.

But come to think of it, neither Jin He nor Cui Zhe had appeared in the cafeteria, and neither had that transfer student named Pei Duo Xing.

At that very moment, Pei Duo Xing was standing with Cui Zhe at the foot of another building.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” Cui Zhe said.

Pei Duo Xing glanced at him, her eyes filled with sarcasm: “Han Lin waived my tuition fees, and Tan Ming’s teaching resources can help me get into the university I want more easily. So why shouldn’t I come? Do I have any better options?”

Cui Zhe sighed: “As you can see, almost every student here has connections. You could easily become a target.”

Pei Duo Xing retorted: “Wouldn’t I be targeted outside too, young master?”

Coming from a background like hers, she’d be at the bottom no matter where she went this was a truth she’d understood since childhood.

Cui Zhe was stung into silence by the term “young master.”

Their statuses were different. She probably thought he was speaking from a position of privilege without understanding her struggles, but he genuinely had her best interests at heart.

Now, all he could do was explain the school’s situation to her in more detail, hoping to help her avoid pitfalls and unpleasant experiences.

So he told her about the school’s class hierarchy: first-tier were corporate heirs, second-tier were share inheritors, third-tier were honorary successors, and fourth-tier were sponsored students like her with no background.

If Jin He was at the pyramid’s peak, then Pei Duo Xing was at its base where anyone could step on her.

He also told Pei Duo Xing about what Park Young-hyun had mentioned earlier the situation between the two factions.

He hoped in his heart that Pei Duo Xing would remain neutral, not aligning with either side. After some time had passed and the identity of the transfer student faded from attention, she could become a low-profile, invisible presence.

Of course, throughout this process, he would do his utmost to protect her.

“I’m telling you this for your own good,” he voiced these thoughts to her. “With A He’s family background, every move he makes is watched by far too many people watching him, and watching those around him. If you want to stay peacefully at this school, it’s best to keep your distance from him.”

Just like this morning. If Jin He hadn’t walked over to her in front of everyone, people wouldn’t have paid such attention to her, a mere transfer student, gossiping about her all morning.

“I understand what you mean,” Pei Duo Xing, however, had a different perspective. “So-called neutrality just means being a pitiful target that both sides can bully. But if I stand by Jin He’s side, his influence should be enough to help me gain a firm footing in this school, right?”

She had already looked into this online. Factions supersede social classes here. If she joined the Azure Dragon Faction, even as a fourth-class student, other neutral students in the school would have no choice but to defer to her.

“You want to enter the Azure Dragon Hall?” Cui Zhe was somewhat incredulous at her ambition. “It’s not that easy.”

Countless people want to join them juniors, seniors, even students from other schools. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help her, but with Pei Duo Xing having nothing to her name, what qualifications did she have?

“How will I know if I don’t try?” Pei Duo Xing said.

Cui Zhe fell silent for a moment.

A breeze blew by, ruffling both their bangs.

Cui Zhe, with his fair skin, was a handsome and refined youth. Pei Duo Xing, with her bright eyes, was a bright and stubborn young girl.

They hadn’t seen each other for several years, and their appearances hadn’t changed much since childhood. But at this moment, Cui Zhe could clearly feel that they were different from before.

Jin He’s arrival conveniently broke the silence between them.

He stood not far away, watching the two standing together, and frowned.

“What are you two doing together?” he asked.

Author’s Note:

———————-

A new storm has appeared, how can we stand still? ~[Throws confetti]