"You can’t put it like that. Maintaining first place since first grade absolutely isn’t something you achieve with just favoritism from teachers."
A gentle voice rose above the chatter near the score rankings.
Everyone turned to look, and saw a tall girl standing on the outskirts of the crowd, wearing a red scarf around her neck, which made her youthful and radiant face all the more striking.
This face had recently become familiar—Luuo Yunqi, a newcomer who trended lately because of her role as Cen’s actress.
Her popularity at Lanya High School was already rivaling Qin Xiangge, with faint signs of surpassing her.
It’s well-known that the entertainment industry is a murky pool; while actresses in the industry may gain both fame and wealth, in the eyes of these wealthy second-generation kids, they’re nothing more than tools of capital, deemed tarnished the moment they step into the game.
But Cen’s actresses are different. Director Cen holds a lofty status and immense influence, known for his clean reputation and being essentially scandal-proof himself, and he strictly forbids any misconduct among his team.
Thus, the actors handpicked by Director Cen are considered untouched by capital interference—arguably the safest and cleanest in the industry. Of course, their career prospects after completing the film depend on their own choices.
It could be said that Luuo Yunqi already has one foot firmly in the entertainment world. Being selected by Director Cen, without any shady dealings or unspoken rules—everyone was clear on that fact.
Right now, several bold, large words seemed to hover around Luuo Yunqi: "Radiant future, destiny’s rising star."
While people envied her good fortune, they also harbored an unspoken jealousy. However, since she was admitted to Lanya High School through the entrance exams, most weren’t familiar with her, and this jealousy wasn’t as intense as what they felt toward Shen You’an, whom they’d watched grow up.
Did she even know Shen You’an? And now she was speaking up for Shen You’an?
Gao Yuyue rolled her eyes: "She’s everywhere, isn’t she."
Shen You’an cast a detached glance. Although she was the focal point of the crowd’s discussion, she seemed like an outsider.
Gao Yuyue turned her head, only to find that Shen You’an had already walked off.
"An’an, wait for me..." Gao Yuyue gritted her teeth, stomped her feet, and chased after Shen You’an.
Among the 360 students in the first year, the girl who had spoken searched through the rankings list. She found Luuo Yunqi’s name near the last page and let out a mocking laugh.
"Luuo Yunqi, you’re about to drop out of Class L soon, and next you’ll be withdrawing from the school, right? Yet you still have time to care about Shen You’an? Maybe you should focus on catching up on your classes."
The girl speaking was Xing Ye, a student from Class B, who was determined to get into Class A, yet always missed her shot.
She had managed to enter the winter camp and was giving her all to achieve a good ranking, hoping it would help her secure a spot in Class A. However, upon learning that Chen Zhou was privately tutoring Shen You’an, her jealousy had flooded uncontrollably.
She was already naturally sharp-tongued, with a fervent personality reminiscent of an angry youth, and cared little about whether Luuo Yunqi was Director Cen’s actress or not; she lashed out as long as she felt annoyed.
"Xing Ye, what’s your problem? How did Luuo Yunqi provoke you to deserve such harsh words? She’s already juggling acting with maintaining these grades—that’s pretty impressive. Unlike you, always dreaming about Class A. Do you think you’ll get in?"
A boy jumped out to defend Luuo Yunqi and criticized Xing Ye.
The crowd echoed his sentiment, interjecting with words that supported Luuo Yunqi.
Xing Ye was red with anger and stormed off in fury.
Xiao Ling came off a bit surprised, glancing at Luuo Yunqi beside her. In such a short time, she had already amassed so many supporters—impressive.
Luuo Yunqi looked toward the boy who was the first to speak up for her, smiling warmly: "Thank you."
The boy’s face flush turned bright red as he waved his hands nervously: "I just couldn’t stand her bullying."
Luuo Yunqi chuckled softly and stepped out from the crowd, walking toward the teaching building.
Everyone couldn’t help but watch her retreating figure.
The boy muttered under his breath, "She’s really so nice... Truly worthy of being my goddess."
"Hey, Huang Jing, isn’t your goddess Qin Xiangge? Switch already?"
The boy named Huang Jing responded irritably: "Who doesn’t have an ex, huh."
Everyone burst into laughter, teasing him, "Huang Jing, you’re something else."
Standing on the fringe of the crowd, Qin Xiangge had a grim expression as she walked off silently.
Hao Yun squeezed out from the gathering and immediately spotted Qin Xiangge’s retreating figure. She rushed to catch up. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novel-fire.ɴet
"Xiangge, wait for me! Let me tell you something—your midterm exam results improved."
Qin Xiangge paused briefly, turning her head to look at her. A hint of anticipation flickered in her gaze: "Really?"
Hao Yun grinned broadly, raising a single finger: "Your ranking jumped up by one spot compared to the monthly exams! Progress, huh?"
Qin Xiangge hesitated.
Hao Yun’s overly radiant smile seemed almost like a mocking taunt.