Chapter Nine: Turmoil on Campus

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Ye Qiu City No. 1 High School, once the best school in the city, had always been the laughingstock of the province for its consistently low college entrance exam pass rates. That was until the Black Tide Crisis erupted, which changed everything.

Massive destruction struck many coastal first-tier cities, forcing educational resources from those areas to relocate inland to relatively stable urban districts nearby. Ye Qiu City No. 1 High School became one of the prime recipients of this influx. With a surge of resources, the school transformed.

Today, Ye Qiu City No. 1 High School boasts the finest teaching standards, ranking consistently among the top three in the province for college entrance exam success, earning it the status of a provincial key school. Numerous new courses were added—piano, etiquette, swimming—classes previously inaccessible to ordinary students now filled the timetable.

Yet, despite the enriched resources, the campus atmosphere became complicated, to put it mildly. One could only attribute this to the overwhelming power of capital.

A cool breeze stirred the morning air, and a faint dawn light glimmered in the eastern sky. The rustling of leaves lining the teaching building played the opening melody to the day.

In the first floor, Class 1-A, near the window in the second-to-last row, a dark-eyed, somewhat plump boy gently folded a school uniform. His care was not that of someone handling a mere garment but more like a man tenderly cherishing a bride yet to be wed.

Last night, Liu Guangze was ecstatic upon returning home. It was his first close encounter with a magical girl, and the excitement kept him awake. As the group leader of an online chat, he had proudly shared a photo of a signed autograph by the magical girl, sparking a frenzy of comments and admiration from the Magic Guard team. The mascot-like group leader instantly became a protagonist in their eyes.

But upon arriving at school, his exhilaration cooled.

“Hey, hey, what are you spacing out for?” came a domineering voice, accompanied by repeated shoves that snapped Liu Guangze back to reality.

Bright sunlight illuminated several boys dressed in pale blue uniforms opposite him, their lofty gazes nearly blinding. Liu Guangze sat sullenly near a trash heap, a stark contrast.

Though parallel lines by nature, their paths intersected cruelly now.

“Are you serious about that confession letter to the magical girl? I can’t believe you wrote something so nauseating. Don’t you ever look in the mirror at your own appearance?” The boys gathered around, waving the paper in his face.

They were tall, handsome, and popular among girls—one of the favored groups in class. Liu Guangze couldn’t fathom why they chose to pick on him instead of chatting with the girls.

That letter was a spontaneous creation, a private outpouring tucked inside a notebook, meant only for his own eyes or to be discarded once he grew out of his teenage fantasies. But one day, when the notebook slipped to the floor, these boys happened to see it.

Bored, they decided to make a sport out of tormenting him.

It was like encountering a stray dog on the street, clutching a discarded bun to eat alone, only for a passerby to kick it into a gutter, sneering, “You filthy mutt, how dare you eat human food?”

The leader, Ye Qing, smirked disdainfully at the boy’s dejected posture. His family was wealthy and influential; he was handsome and academically competent, showered with privileges since childhood. Seeing Liu Guangze unable to defend himself only deepened his contempt.

Finding the torment dull, Ye Qing snatched the letter from his peers and began reading aloud softly:

“Unknown magical girl, do you remember the little boy hiding under the bridge, terrified of the disaster beasts? I was in pain, scared, and helpless. You appeared like an angel, bringing warmth and light. When you came, my heart beat and my soul trembled. The silver moon that night was beautiful, and your figure etched deep into my mind...

I know I have no right to say I like you, but I will always support and protect you silently from behind.

Captain of the Magical Girl Protection Squad: Liu Guangze, respectfully.”

With every sentence Ye Qing read, Liu Guangze’s waist sank lower. If not for his sturdy shoes, there would be holes punctured by now.

Ye Qing’s voice was low, but most classmates could hear clearly. Their gazes—curious, surprised, mocking, scornful—fell upon the slumped boy.

Behind Ye Qing, a blond boy covered his mouth, shaking with laughter. “So you have some self-awareness? But does the magical girl need your support? Don’t flatter yourself. People like you are the worst kind of harm to her.”

“Yeah, and look at that pig-like body of yours, disgusting...”

“Gross…”

“Disgusting…”

“Ugh…”

The cruel words stabbed deeply into Liu Guangze’s heart, and in that instant, he felt the world brimmed with malice toward him.

Perhaps last night, when the magical girl spoke to him, she felt the same—her words laced with disdain, wishing he’d disappear quickly.

Indeed, for someone as repulsive as him, disappearing might be for the best.

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In a moment, Liu Guangze’s pupils blurred... until a clear, melodious female voice rang beside him, restoring a flicker of light to his hollow eyes.

“You guys just took someone’s personal belongings and still have the nerve to justify it?”

Golden sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating a girl in the front row who now stood upright, her posture rigid and her cold gaze fixed on the boys beside Liu Guangze.

Though everyone wore the same pale blue uniform, she radiated a unique, heroic aura.

“Heh, this trash was found on the ground, so how is it stealing?” the blond boy retorted immediately.

Ye Qing, hearing someone come to the rescue, grinned—here’s some entertainment.

Turning, he recognized an old acquaintance: Bai Youqing, class president of 1-A.

Last time, she had stopped him from bullying Gu Xiaorou, who had since become her close friend.

“Oh, so Young Master Ye is also thrifty, huh?”

Bai Youqing’s mood was sour after a crushing first mission yesterday, laden with punishments and confiscations. Seeing Ye Qing torment a classmate stirred her sense of justice.

She also knew that after fainting yesterday, it was Liu Guangze who had called the police, enabling them to find her quickly.

As class president, she had a general understanding of all classmates. Liu Guangze might look ordinary and be gloomy, but his nature wasn’t bad—there was no reason for such scum to pick on him.

Hence, the current scene.

“Whoa, whoa, class president is fiery today! You’re really close with this disgusting fat pig, huh? No wonder all the boys like you, but you ignore them. So you have a unique taste after all,” Ye Qing quickly shifted his taunts to Bai Youqing.

Since childhood, Ye Qing had been praised as the model child, growing arrogant and haughty.

But arriving at Ye Qiu City No. 1 High School, his status faltered.

Bai Youqing outshone him in every aspect. Once the perennial top student, Ye Qing had become the eternal runner-up, but more painful was that she never once looked his way.

His pride was deeply wounded.

In terms of hatred, Liu Guangze and Bai Youqing were on different levels—Liu was just a minor annoyance, but Bai Youqing was his ultimate adversary.

“Likewise, I sincerely hope Ye buys a mirror to see what he really is. But self-aware people don’t need mirrors; those who aren’t, won’t benefit,” Bai Youqing countered sharply.

The classroom, previously noisy, fell into complete silence.

An invisible, fierce aura filled the room—a silent battle of wills and pride.

“Cough, class is starting. Everyone, take your seats!” the math teacher called from the door, knocking to remind them of his presence.

He sensed the oppressive atmosphere, nothing new since he took over this key class. Yet as homeroom teacher, he felt powerless.

On one side stood Ye Qing, arrogant and backed by wealth. On the other, humble Bai Youqing from a well-off family, always modest and helpful.

Their standoff today was for some unknown reason.

With a heavy heart, the teacher brought up a stack of noisy test papers.

Ye Qiu City No. 1 High School held weekly exams across subjects, with results posted on Mondays behind the classroom door—one of the main points of academic rivalry.

For seniors, it intensified to daily exams, drowning students in a sea of problems.

“Cough, the results are out,” the teacher said, glancing over the students.

Ye Qing and Bai Youqing returned to their seats, but Liu Guangze at the back kept his head down, acting strangely.

The teacher remembered him—average grades, a bit chubby and gloomy, but of good character, the kind who blends into the crowd unnoticed.

He continued, “These results roughly show the current distribution of our class. Though the last question was tough, I believe you can improve, stretching the gap with other classes. I’ll call names for students to come up and collect their papers.”

“Bai Youqing, 148 points.”

“Zhao Shangguan, 98 points.”

“Lin Shishi, 120 points.”

“...”

“...”

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“Ye Qing, 140 points.”

“...”

“Liu Guangze, 114 points.”

“Although the math was challenging, your scores shouldn’t be this low. I must commend Bai Youqing—she was the only one to solve the last question. Let’s all learn from her. Bai Youqing, please come up and explain your approach! Applause, everyone!”

Seeing the scores, Ye Qing clenched his fists. Every exam, Bai Youqing mysteriously outperformed him, leaving him with a deep sense of helplessness and defeat.

Being overshadowed by a girl was unbearable.

He glared at Bai Youqing but found she had already been called to the stage to explain.

He had expected to beat her this time but was stumped by the final question, barely solving half, while she solved it fully.

Impossible—it had to be luck, he told himself.

But watching her write the solution on the board, he knew better.

“Excellent explanation!” the teacher praised, leading the applause, echoed by the class. “No wonder you’re the sister of Teacher Bai from the key class. Your family’s academic atmosphere must be excellent.”

Hearing her brother’s name, Bai Youqing smiled modestly and returned her paper.

After stepping down, she opened her textbook and gently patted her deskmate Gu Xiaorou’s soft hand. Under Gu’s resigned gaze, Bai Youqing found a spot hidden from the teacher’s view and rested her head, dozing off.

That’s a good academic style?

The more indifferent she appeared, the redder Ye Qing’s handsome face became with fury.

“Did you see Ye Qing’s face? Haha... it’s purple with anger.”

“I’ve disliked him for a while. Always so arrogant, acting like a top student. Now, he’s been slapped down.”

Whispers around the room reached Bai Youqing’s ears.

She paid no mind. Ye Qing’s haughty tone always rubbed classmates the wrong way.

He wasn’t the only wealthy or smart kid in class; there was no need for such arrogance.

After class, Ye Qing and his sycophants went to the rooftop, locking the door behind them, gazing at the clear blue sky.

“How’s the plan from the big boss progressing?”

A tall, black-haired youth in the Qiuyuan No. 1 High School uniform replied respectfully, “Don’t worry, boss. Everything’s set. It’s foolproof.”

“How’s my reputation lately?”

“Arrogant, spoiled rich kid showing off his money.”

The blond pulled out his phone, opening the school forum to the most liked comment.

“What about Bai Youqing?”

“Excellent grades, kind and gentle, a candidate for the future school belle of Qiuyuan No. 1 High.”

Ye Qing stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Don’t you think I’m like the minor villain in a novel? Bai Youqing has the heroine’s script, and that little fatty resembles the oppressed protagonist.”

The blond smiled ingratiatingly. “No, boss, you’re just in the ‘hidden dragon’ phase—like a dragon submerged in water, with ambitions and strength reserved. When the time comes, you’ll soar.”

The tall youth scratched his head, wanting to say something learned but gave up and stayed silent.

“Wan Jie really knows how to speak. If only we had a magical girl detector, we wouldn’t have to search in secret.”

“Boss, does Lord Viper really say we’ll gain power if we find a magical girl?”

“When has Lord Viper ever lied? Look at this mark on my hand.”

Ye Qing rolled up his sleeve, revealing a faint purple pentagram magic seal.

“Boss, magical girls protect us. Isn’t what we’re doing wrong?” the tall one asked hesitantly.

“Gao Wen, you’re overthinking. Lord Viper is also a magical girl. They wouldn’t harm their own. Plus, once we gain power, we can fight the Abyssal Beasts and protect humanity too. It’s not just magical girls who can do that.”

Ye Qing patted the tall man’s shoulder encouragingly.

“Oh, I see,” Gao Wen scratched his head, half understanding.

Ye Qing shook his head slightly, then looked to Wan Jie. “By the way, I heard after the college entrance exam, the senior teachers will be shuffled?”

“Uh, boss, we’re just students. We don’t have access to school administration,” Wan Jie said awkwardly.

Ye Qing approached, patting Wan Jie’s shoulder with a mischievous grin. “Why not threaten Bai Youqing with, ‘You don’t want your brother to lose his job, right?’ Let’s see how she reacts.”

“Boss, I’m really bad at threatening people!” Wan Jie laughed bitterly.

Seeing Ye Qing’s sly smile, his mouth twitched. Did he think he was a character in a novel?

“Alright, just joking. When you go home today, dye your blond hair back. Tomorrow I’ll cover the cost. What kind of high school student dyes their hair like that?”

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