"Fine, just fine. Since you've entered Heavenly Song Academy, you just wait! Just wait! I'll make you understand the price of looking down on me, Ning Yiyi! You'll regret it. Truly regret it!!"
As she watched Chu Yun's back gradually disappear, Ning Yiyi's delicate body trembled with anger, and flames seemed to shoot from her eyes.
Wei Qie stood beside Ning Yiyi. He gazed greedily at this academy beauty, his eyes lingering on her heaving chest. He secretly swallowed again and again, even growing a little jealous of Chu Yun.
"To have Miss Ning pay him this much attention... If it were me, I'd gladly die for it!" Wei Qie sighed inwardly, and his hatred for Chu Yun grew even stronger.
He immediately declared his affection to Ning Yiyi. "Why get angry, Yiyi? He's just some Chu Yun. A reckless brat who got lucky and won a title thanks to heaven's kindness. If he'd seen you in person, Yiyi, he would've agreed in a heartbeat. I, Wei Qie, am willing to help you with your troubles!"
Ning Yiyi shot him a glance. "What good idea do you have?"
That flirtatious glance sent Wei Qie's heart fluttering. His soul seemed to leave his body, and he blurted out, "Wait until it's dark and quiet, then drag that kid out and give him a good beating!"
"A beating? That's far too good for him. How could that soothe my anger?" Ning Yiyi snorted, then turned to the handsome young nobleman beside her and smiled. "Young Master Hua Ying, you're renowned for your clever schemes. What good idea do you have?"
Hua Ying, who would later earn the title "Hundred Ingenious Schemes," was already displaying his talent for strategy. He wore a splendid pink brocade robe, every bit as luxurious as Ning Yiyi's clothes. His handsome face was pale, with a sickly, delicate beauty. His pair of Peach Blossom Eyes only made his rakish nature more apparent.
With a swish, he snapped open the folding fan in his hand. It was painted with a beauty chasing butterflies.
He fanned himself a few times, and a fragrance wafted from the fan. Hua Ying smiled slightly and replied calmly, "There are plenty of ways. But it's a little tricky to teach Chu Yun a lesson and make him regret it without violating the academy rules."
"Even Young Master Hua has no solution?" Ning Yiyi's eyes shifted as she sighed in feigned disappointment.
Provoked by her words, Hua Ying immediately answered, "But for me, Hua Ying, it's no difficulty at all. Mm, I've got it. There's a plan we can put into motion right now. We can use the Student Council's authority to assign Chu Yun his room. Put him in one of the dormitories on West Mountain."
Wei Qie immediately seized another chance to mock a rival. "What kind of lousy plan is that? How does assigning him a room teach him a lesson?"
Hua Ying glanced at Wei Qie disdainfully and drawled, "That's why true strength lies not in muscle, but in brains. How could a musclehead like you understand?"
"You!" Wei Qie was tall and burly, with well-developed muscles. He was a domineering figure who threw his weight around at the academy. Now he glared furiously, fists clenched tight, as if he were about to punch Hua Ying's pretty face.
"Master Wei, please calm down. Let's hear Young Master Hua's reasoning," Ning Yiyi hurriedly interjected.
"Hmph! Let's hear what you've got to say!" Wei Qie grunted.
Hua Ying took his time, raising his fan to hide his chin. A sly glint flashed in his eyes as he lowered his voice. "This is a scheme to kill with a borrowed knife! The student dormitories at Heavenly Song Academy are divided between East and West Mountain. The East Mountain dormitories house the children of the powerful clans, while the West Mountain dormitories house commoners. The powerful clans and the commoners have always been the two great factions among the students, and they've never gotten along. Chu Yun is the young island master of the Shu Clan, a powerful-clan heir through and through, yet he'll have to live among the commoners. Heh, will we have to wait long for the show to begin?"
"Brilliant!" A strange gleam flashed through Ning Yiyi's eyes. "Those commoner students really think that just because they were lucky enough to get into Heavenly Song Academy, they can measure up to us clan heirs. How naive. Especially Yan Que, the leader of the commoner students—he really thinks he's somebody. Hmph, let them fight among themselves. I'll arrange it right away."
The Student Council was an organization made up of a small number of outstanding, well-respected students. It managed the daily lives of all the students at Heavenly Song Academy and wielded a certain amount of authority.
Ning Yiyi, Hua Ying, Wei Qie, and Yan Que were all members of the Student Council. Arranging a dormitory for a new student was certainly no trouble.
"What? The student dormitories are double rooms?" When Jin Bihan first heard the news, her heart gave a jolt, and her spirits, which had only just begun to lift, sank again.
She thought of how she was disguised as a man to conceal her identity, and how she would be spending the next two years at the academy. She was actually going to share a room with a male student. For a moment, she felt like dying.
"No, this can't happen. I'll ask the Academy Master for a private room. He's Father's friend; he'll surely help me."
Jin Bihan steeled herself and took a few steps, but then hesitated.
"If I ask the Academy Master for a private room on my very first day, it'll put him in a difficult position. And it'll draw suspicion, too... I came here to study, not to enjoy myself. Father is gravely ill. Should I really make a fuss over something this trivial? Jin Bihan, Jin Bihan, you're no longer a princess waiting to be married. You're a princess of the Dunhuang Kingdom!"
After bolstering herself, Jin Bihan gritted her teeth and, her face pale, made her way with difficulty to the dormitory she'd been assigned.
"H-how could it be you?!" When Jin Bihan entered the room, she saw Chu Yun sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed on the other bed, training with his saber. She froze in place and cried out in shock.
"Oh? So you're my roommate." Chu Yun slowly opened his eyes and gave her a brief glance before raising his brows. "Is this how you treat your savior?"
Before the Lower Gate Tower, Jin Bihan had gained a better impression of Chu Yun. But now she only felt irritated. Looking at the detestable fellow who had stolen her first kiss and kept bringing up how he'd saved her, she couldn't help getting angry.
She opened her mouth to speak, but at that moment, a steady male voice came from outside the door. "I've heard of the Young Tiger's renown. Yan Que humbly seeks your guidance. I hope Young Island Master Chu will not refuse me."
"A challenge?" Jin Bihan was taken aback, then broke into a gleeful smile.
"Yan Que?" Chu Yun, however, took note of the name. A flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes. The talented person he'd wanted to befriend was challenging him at their very first meeting?