Oh, and she had to take the bus home tonight.
Great. Her meager A2-level assets were about to lose another two yuan.
While Su Zhiyi was worrying about how to save the four yuan she needed for the bus every day, Li Yuexin and Xia Wan suddenly changed the subject.
"Oh, isn't that the top scholar?" Li Yuexin sneered arrogantly. "Sure enough, even with a special admission to this aristocratic academy, he can't shed that cheap vibe."
Xia Wan covered her mouth and laughed. "Isn't that right? And he even shares the same surname as our Zhiyi. Does he deserve to be called Su? I wonder which slum his Su family is from."
"Don't say that. Maybe with his surname, he might catch Zhiyi's eye and get a chance to shine her shoes."
"Shine her shoes? A special admit from the slums like him? Go post on the forum and see how many rich young masters would be willing to shine her shoes."
Su Zhiyi's attention shifted from the four-yuan bus fare to the boy who had just entered the classroom, as the girls' sarcastic remarks drew her gaze.
He was handsome, with clear, cold features that exuded a faint aloofness. The academy's uniform fit him perfectly.
Li Yuexin and Xia Wan hadn't lowered their voices, so naturally, he heard them.
Upon hearing the open mockery, his expression remained unchanged. He only cast an unreadable glance at the two heiresses and Su Zhiyi beside them.
His eyes met Su Zhiyi's calm, indifferent gaze for a moment, then he looked away, walked to his seat, picked up his pen, and started working on problems.
"Hmph... ignoring us like that. He really has the airs of a snob without the status to back it up," Li Yuexin, accustomed to being arrogant, was quite displeased by his disregard.
Only Su Zhiyi knew the truth.
This so-called "special admit" from the slums was actually the true heir of the Su family.
And her nominal elder brother—Su Qinghuai.
She almost forgot—she shouldn't call him that anymore.
After all, she had been removed from the Su family tree. Su Qinghuai was the legitimate heir, and they shared no blood ties.
"Yeah," she pursed her pale pink lips. "He really is aloof."
Her voice betrayed neither joy nor anger, tinged with a subtle hint of contempt for Su Qinghuai.
"I wonder what he's playing at with all that false aloofness."
Su Qinghuai was the only person at the entire academy who knew she had been expelled from the Su family and was no longer the eldest miss.
But she wasn't afraid he would expose her and tell everyone she wasn't the true heiress.
Because Su Qinghuai was a true "mute," a fake snob. All day long he pretended to study, ignoring everyone, barely uttering a few words.
Every year, Saint Deismo Academy had special admission spots for outstanding students from other schools, covering all tuition and fees. The young masters and misses of wealthy families held a stereotype of special admits as poor.
For these heirs, academic performance didn't matter. They entered the academy only to network and prepare for managing their family businesses.
In their eyes, Su Qinghuai wasn't worth networking with.
No one wanted to approach him. For the sake of reputation, the Su family hadn't publicly revealed that Su Qinghuai was a member of the family.
And since he was a "mute," naturally nobody knew he was the true Su heir.
Just the sight of Su Qinghuai sitting there annoyed Su Zhiyi, stirring an inexplicable anger within her. Her manicured nails unconsciously dug into her palm, leaving faint red marks.
She pushed aside her two friends, who were chatting about newly released luxury cosmetics, and slowly walked over to Su Qinghuai's desk.
Everyone in the classroom focused on the pair—or rather, on Su Zhiyi.
When they saw Su Zhiyi approach Su Qinghuai's desk, disbelief spread across their faces, and they began whispering.
"What is the Eldest Miss doing with that poor kid? Could she be into that pretty face?"
"Hmph, his face is the only thing he's good for."
"Tch, I hate seeing a guy breathing near the Eldest Miss."
Su Qinghuai ignored their hostile whispers, as well as Su Zhiyi standing in front of his desk.
She crossed one arm, tapping lightly on his desk with her other hand, but he only paused in his writing before continuing, unfazed.
It wasn't until Su Zhiyi called his name contemptuously, "Su Qinghuai," that he stopped writing and looked up to meet her clear, indifferent eyes.
"Come out. I need to talk to you."
She crooked a finger at him, a dismissive gesture as if calling a dog.
And yet, that "dog" actually stood up, following her out of the classroom.
The classroom fell silent for a moment, then exploded like boiling water.
"What the hell?! Is he her dog now?"
"The Eldest Miss called him out for a private chat? What makes him worthy of that?"
"Zhiyi... don't tell me she's actually into this poor special admit?"
"Don't overthink it. The Su family would never allow the heir to be with someone of no status. She's probably just messing around."
"I wish the Eldest Miss would treat me like a dog too..."
Author's note:
----------------------
Modern fictional aristocratic academy; all characters in the academy are adults.