The next morning began quietly.
Inside the elevator of Dominator's Dorm, several students stood shoulder to shoulder, waiting for it to reach the ground floor.
Xiao Ziyan stood at the back corner.
Silent.
Half-awake.
His eyes were slightly drooped, his posture relaxed as the elevator descended floor by floor.
No one spoke.
Only the faint mechanical hum filled the confined space.
Then—
ting… ting…
The elevator stopped.
The metallic doors slid open.
Students immediately began stepping out, some in a hurry, others casually walking forward.
Xiao Ziyan followed behind them.
As he stepped out into the lobby, a yawn escaped his mouth.
His school bag hung loosely over one shoulder as he walked out of the building.
The morning air hit his face, cool and fresh.
His mind was still waking up—
Until his eyes caught a familiar figure.
Standing just outside the entrance—
Su Qing.
She stood there calmly, her posture straight, her expression as cold as ever.
It was clear she was waiting for someone.
Not him.
Xiao Ziyan didn't pause.
He simply walked past her, heading toward the street that led to the school.
Step by step, he moved forward.
Then—
"Classmate Ziyan, wait."
Her voice stopped him.
Cold.
Flat.
Just like always.
Xiao Ziyan halted.
He turned around slowly, his expression returning to that same unreadable calm.
His eyes met hers.
Su Qing looked at him with the same indifferent gaze.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Xiao Ziyan broke the silence.
"What is it?"
Straightforward.
No unnecessary words.
But inwardly, he wondered, How did she know my name? Did she remember it from when I introduced myself?
Su Qing didn't hesitate.
"May I ask why you asked me yesterday to walk back to the dorm together?"
Her tone remained steady.
But inside her mind—
I need to be clear.
I can't let anyone misunderstand things.
I won't let anyone's feelings become a weakness for the class.
Xiao Ziyan looked at her for a second.
Then he answered.
"I just wanted to be friends."
A small pause.
"Since we're going to sit next to each other for three years, it would be awkward if we can't even talk."
His voice was calm.
Natural.
Confident.
Completely different from the hesitant tone he used yesterday.
There was no stutter.
No awkwardness.
Just clarity.
Su Qing's eyes narrowed slightly.
A flicker of surprise crossed her mind.
Yesterday, he sounded unsure.
Now… he's completely different.
Is he acting?
Or was he always like this?
For a brief moment, she couldn't tell.
But she didn't dwell on it.
She quickly suppressed the thought.
Without another word, she stepped forward—
Passing right by him.
"Oh… is that so," she said coldly. "Then I'm sorry for wasting your time."
And just like that—
She walked away.
No hesitation.
No backward glance.
Xiao Ziyan stood there, watching her leave.
His expression didn't change.
But inside—
He understood one thing clearly.
This girl…
Wasn't going to be easy to deal with.
Inside First Year Class-D, the classroom carried a strange contradiction.
At the front, Cie Xin stood beside the whiteboard, calm and composed as ever.
"Today, we begin Chinese History—Chapter One," she said, her tone steady. "I assume everyone has brought their books."
Without waiting for confirmation, she turned and wrote two bold words across the board with a black marker.
Origin of Civilization
The sound of the marker dragging across the surface echoed faintly in the room.
She turned back to face the class.
"History," she began, "is not merely a collection of dates and dead names. It is the memory of a civilization… and China possesses one of the longest continuous histories in the world."
A few students sat upright, actually paying attention.
Their eyes followed her movements, their books open.
But they were the minority.
Across the classroom, a completely different scene unfolded.
Some students leaned toward each other, chatting casually while glancing at their phones.
Others had their heads down—not in study, but focused on handheld consoles and tablets, fingers moving rapidly as they played games.
A few didn't even bother hiding it.
They sat openly, relaxed, confident.
Because the teacher saw everything—
And did nothing.
Near the windows, a group of girls quietly adjusted their appearance, reapplying makeup using compact mirrors.
Lipstick.
Powder.
Careful touches.
Cie Xin continued as if none of it existed.
"The story begins along two great rivers," she said, drawing long flowing lines across the board. "The Yellow River—Huang He—and the Yangtze River—Chang Jiang."
Her marker tapped lightly against the board.
"These rivers were both a blessing… and a curse."
A few students frowned slightly—
—but quickly returned to their games.
"They provided fertile soil, allowing early agriculture to flourish. But the Yellow River, in particular, was unpredictable."
She paused, her gaze sweeping across the room.
"Its floods were so destructive that it earned the name—"
Her voice slowed.
"'China's Sorrow.'"
For a brief moment, the room quieted.
A small murmur spread.
Then her eyes sharpened.
The murmurs died instantly.
"In these river valleys, early settlements began forming around 5000 BCE. People cultivated millet in the north and rice in the south."
She continued writing and speaking without interruption.
"Over time, these small communities grew into organized societies."
Her lesson flowed smoothly.
Clear.
Structured.
Precise.
But most of the class didn't care.
Minutes passed.
Then—
The bell rang.
A sharp sound cutting through the air.
Cie Xin stopped mid-sentence.
"So your first class ends here," she said calmly. "Revise it after going back to your dorms."
No one responded.
No one moved.
Students continued their conversations.
Their games.
Their distractions.
As if she hadn't spoken at all.
Cie Xin didn't react.
Not even slightly.
She simply placed the marker back on the table, picked up her book, and walked toward the door.
Without looking back—
She left the classroom.
The door slid shut behind her.
And just like that, the class dissolved into noise again.
---
Days passed.
One after another.
The routine never changed.
Teachers entered.
Taught their lessons.
Left.
Students talked.
Played games.
Ignored everything.
And the teachers—
Didn't care.
No scolding.
No punishment.
No control.
It was as if the system itself allowed this behavior.
Or worse—
Encouraged it.
Time moved quietly.
Slowly.
Yet relentlessly.
Until—
An entire month passed.
The calendar turned.
And the date finally arrived.
May 1, 2026.
The day every student had been waiting for.
The day their Private Points would be distributed again.
The atmosphere inside First Year Class-D felt different that morning.
Quieter than usual—
—but not calm.
A low wave of tension moved through the room.
Students were talking, but their voices carried unease instead of excitement.
Every conversation circled around the same topic.
Private Points.
At the back of the classroom, Xiao Ziyan sat in his usual seat near the window.
His posture was relaxed, his gaze drifting outside as the wind moved faintly through the open glass.
It's the first of the month.
This is when the points should be distributed.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
But nothing changed.
No notification.
No update.
No increase.
We didn't get anything.
Around him, the whispers grew louder.
"Did you get yours?"
"No…"
"What the hell is going on?"
"They said every month, right?"
Confusion slowly turned into irritation.
Then—
A chair moved.
Hen Jao stood up.
His expression was calm, his usual friendly smile still present as he raised a hand slightly to get attention.
"Guys," he said, his tone steady, "don't worry too much."
The class gradually quieted.
"After Teacher Cie arrives, we can ask her directly."
His words carried a sense of reassurance.
Several students nodded.
It made sense.
There was no point panicking without answers.
Just then, Cao Mei stood up energetically, her cheerful personality unchanged despite the tension.
She clasped her fingers together and smiled.
"Yes! We should just wait for the teacher. She'll explain everything."
Her voice was light, trying to ease the mood.
But not everyone agreed.
From the second row, second desk, a girl suddenly stood up.
Her movement was sharp.
Her expression was irritated.
She turned directly toward Cao Mei.
"Even if we wait," she said, her voice carrying anger, "didn't they clearly say we would receive Private Points on the first day of every month?"
Her yellow hair shifted slightly as she spoke, her matching eyes fixed on Cao Mei.
This was Shen Shu.
The classroom fell silent again.
Cao Mei hesitated.
"I-I just wanted everyone to stay calm…"
Her voice softened slightly under the pressure.
Before the situation could escalate—
Hen Jao stepped in.
"Hey, calm down," he said to Shen Shu, still maintaining his composure. "She's right. Getting worked up won't help."
Shen Shu clicked her tongue softly but didn't argue further.
She sat back down.
The tension eased—slightly.
Hen Jao then turned toward Cao Mei, his expression shifting into something more apologetic.
"I'm sorry about that," he said gently. "My girlfriend is little sensitive… please don't mind her."
Cao Mei blinked for a moment, then smiled brightly again.
"No need to apologize," she said. "We're all friends here. It's fine."
With that, she sat back down.
The situation seemed resolved on the surface.
But the unease in the room didn't disappear.
---
At the very back, in the fifth row, last desk—
Lim Sudo sat slouched in his chair.
His expression was as bad as ever.
Annoyed.
Aggressive.
For the past month, he had caused trouble across the campus.
Fights with upperclassmen.
Arguments with classmates.
Acting like a damn gangster in the cafeteria, intimidating others just for fun.
Because of that—
He had already become one of the most disliked people in Class-D.
Suddenly, the boy sitting in front of him turned around.
From the seventh desk of the fifth row, Kon Jun leaned back, his face filled with frustration.
"Damn it…" he muttered. "Aren't you pissed about this? Our points, bro—remember?"
Sudo didn't even look at him.
"I said shut up," he snapped, his tone rough and irritated.
Before Kon Jun could respond, another voice joined in.
From the sixth desk, Ko Tang turned his head slightly and spoke calmly.
"What's the point of getting worked up?" he said. "It'll all be solved once the teacher arrives."
His tone was casual.
Practical.
But the tension still lingered.
Throughout the classroom, students waited.
Some impatient.
Some nervous.
Some trying to stay calm.
And at the back—
Xiao Ziyan remained silent, his eyes drifting once more toward the window.
Unlike the others—
He wasn't anxious.