Minutes earlier, when Hen Jao stepped into the classroom, the atmosphere felt oddly hollow.
Only a handful of students were present—some lazily slumped over their desks, others chatting in low voices that echoed faintly in the half-empty room. The ceiling fans hummed overhead, slicing through the silence in a monotonous rhythm.
Hen Jao didn't pay them much attention.
He walked straight toward his seat with his usual casual stride, his mind still lingering on trivial thoughts. As he reached his desk, he bent slightly and reached underneath, searching for the handkerchief he vaguely remembered stuffing there earlier.
But instead of cloth, his fingers brushed against paper.
He frowned.
"A paper?"
Pulling it out, he unfolded it absentmindedly. At first, his eyes scanned lazily over the words—but then they suddenly froze.
His expression changed.
Shock.
Then disbelief.
And in the next second—
"Holy damn, it's instructions to earn class points!"
His voice rang out sharply, cutting through the quiet classroom like a blade.
A couple of students turned their heads in confusion. One even flinched.
Hen Jao, however, didn't notice them. His eyes were glued to the paper, rereading the lines as if afraid they might disappear.
His thoughts began racing.
Who put this under my desk?
Who the hell would do that?
Is this real?
What if it's fake?
But… it doesn't look fake.
The handwriting was neat. The points were structured. It didn't feel like some random prank.
Still…
What do I do?
He clenched the paper slightly, his excitement mixing with suspicion.
More students began trickling into the classroom—footsteps, chatter, the scraping of chairs filling the room again. Hen Jao glanced around, then decided to wait. If this was something important, everyone needed to hear it.
So he stood there, silent, gripping the paper while his thoughts churned.
---
Back to the present.
The classroom was now full.
Every seat was occupied—
Almost.
Hen Jao's gaze swept across the room carefully, observing each student one by one. Then, suddenly, his eyes stopped.
Third row.
Fourth desk.
Empty.
His brows furrowed slightly.
"Where is Vin Jin?"
A student sitting right behind that empty seat—third row, fifth desk—looked up and replied casually,
"He left just after he came to class."
Hen Jao paused for a moment.
Left?
His eyes lingered on the empty desk for a second longer before he exhaled quietly.
I'll tell him this later.
Shaking off the thought, he turned toward the class. His expression became serious, but there was still a trace of excitement in his eyes.
"I don't know who put this paper under my desk," he began, raising the sheet slightly, "but it contains instructions to earn class points."
That immediately caught everyone's attention.
The room grew quieter.
Some leaned forward.
Others straightened in their seats.
Hen Jao glanced down at the paper and started reading.
"First—pay attention in class."
"Second—keep electronic devices inside your bag unless the teacher asks for them."
"Third—don't argue with the teacher."
"Fourth—don't fight. Not in class, not outside the class…"
He continued, listing point after point.
Each instruction sounded simple. Basic, even.
But that was exactly what made it unsettling.
These weren't complicated strategies.
They were rules.
Discipline.
Behavior.
Yet, as he read, the students' expressions slowly changed. Some frowned. Some exchanged glances.
Because if something so simple could earn class points…
Then why hadn't they been told this directly?
Hen Jao finally reached the last part. His voice slowed slightly, emphasizing the importance.
"And… there's one more thing written here."
The room fell completely silent now.
"If each one of you manages to secure no less than 50 marks in every subject in the first unit test…"
He lifted his head, looking at everyone.
"…then it can increase your class points by a huge amount."
That statement hit differently.
A ripple of reactions spread across the room.
Murmurs.
Whispers.
Shock.
Excitement.
Hen Jao lowered the paper slowly, his heart still beating faster than usual.
This wasn't just a random note.
If it was real—
Then it could change everything.
The discussions in Class-D eventually came to an end.
Voices died down.
Groups dispersed.
And one by one, students began leaving the school.
---
Outside the main gate of Dominator's Nurturing High School, Xiao Ziyan walked alone.
His hand rested casually inside his pants pocket.
His steps—
Uneven.
A slight limp.
Still acting.
His face remained the same as always.
Calm.
Unreadable.
As if nothing in the world could disturb him.
He turned slightly, about to head toward the dorm building—
"Classmate Ziyan, wait."
The voice stopped him.
Xiao Ziyan paused.
Then slowly turned his head.
His gaze landed on the person behind him.
Su Qing.
She stood there, looking directly at him.
Her expression—
Serious.
Focused.
Xiao Ziyan turned his body to face her fully.
"Ah… what happened?" he asked.
His voice was calm.
His eyes empty as they met hers.
Su Qing looked straight into his eyes.
Trying to read him.
But there was nothing to read.
No emotion.
No fluctuation.
Just a blank surface.
She didn't waste time thinking about it.
"I need to talk," she said. "Let's walk to the dorm together."
A brief pause.
Then, inside her mind—
I can't talk about this near the school. Someone might hear us.
Xiao Ziyan opened his mouth slightly—
But before he could respond—
"And don't even think about refusing," she added coldly.
Silence.
Xiao Ziyan looked at her.
For a moment—
He said nothing.
She rejected me yesterday…
And now she's ordering me?
A faint thought crossed his mind.
Then—
He turned.
"Fine," he said simply.
And began walking toward the dorm.
Su Qing followed.
The two walked side by side.
The distance between them wasn't large—
But the silence between them was heavy.
They walked far enough from the school.
Away from ears.
Away from eyes.
Then—
Su Qing turned her head slightly.
Her gaze fixed on him.
"Are you the one who placed that paper under Hen Jao's desk?"
Her voice was direct.
Sharp.
No hesitation.
Xiao Ziyan didn't look at her.
His eyes remained forward.
His expression unchanged.
"No," he said calmly.
Su Qing watched him for a second.
Then turned her gaze forward again.
"So what were you doing after going to the infirmary?"
Her tone didn't soften.
Xiao Ziyan replied just as calmly.
"Why do you want to know?"
A brief silence.
Then—
"Because you were the only one missing from P.E.," she said quickly. "That makes you the most likely person."
Her reasoning was simple.
Logical.
Xiao Ziyan heard her.
And inside—
He sighed.
There's no point arguing with her.
She won't stop.
She'll just keep pushing… and that'll become a pain.
His steps didn't slow.
His expression didn't change.
"Yeah," he said.
"I put it there."
Su Qing stopped walking.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"What?"
Then she quickly stepped forward again.
"Why?" she demanded. "Why do you think following your instructions will increase our Class Points?"
Xiao Ziyan didn't stop.
He continued walking at the same steady pace.
"It's simple," he said.
"You just need to become a proper student."
A slight pause.
"One with enough ability to win."
His voice remained calm.
But his words carried weight.
"Only then can you walk the path this school wants."
The meaning behind his words wasn't shallow.
It was direct.
Brutal.
Clear.
Su Qing fell silent.
Her mind processed what he said.
Step by step—
The logic connected.
Then she spoke slowly.
"You mean…"
A brief pause.
"In this school… failure equals expulsion."
But—
Xiao Ziyan had already walked ahead.
The distance between them had grown.
He didn't hear her.
Or perhaps—
He didn't need to.
Because the answer—
Was already obvious.