Zero was transferring schools.
She was transferring to Shilan High School. Her target was a boy named Lu Mingfei.
Mai Sakatoku leaned against the window, her gaze resting on the bustling street beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass. Her tone, however, was as casual as if she were discussing dinner plans.
"Her Highness the Princess is about to set out," she said. After a pause, she added, "The impression you make at your first meeting is very important. You must dress beautifully."
She turned around and glanced at Zero, who sat on the sofa. The pale blonde girl was holding a half-read copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude and raised her eyes expressionlessly.
Apparently, Lu Mingfei liked literary girls with a slightly melancholic air. She was doing her homework now—studying up on his preferences.
Su Enxi poked her head out from behind a pile of shopping bags, her face filled with the excitement of someone thinking, "At last, it's my time to shine." She tossed aside the bag of potato chips in her hand, brushed off the crumbs, spread her arms, and declared in a tone that was practically theatrical, "This is my specialty! Leave it to me!"
Then she started making calls. One, two, three—by the seventh call, Zero's room was already packed with people.
Makeup artists, fashion designers, hairstylists, image consultants, accessory advisers, color coordinators, and a middle-aged woman calling herself a "temperament therapist," dressed in a white lab coat yet looking every bit like a con artist.
They darted about the cramped room, working, arguing, compromising, like a swarm of disturbed bees buzzing around Zero.
Mai Sakatoku stood at a distance, watching them fuss over Zero like a doll—drawing her brows, lining her eyes, changing her into dress after dress, pushing her before the mirror for another look,