SW - 26

When school resumed, preparations for the New Year’s Eve party were already underway.

Though called the “New Year’s Eve Party,” it also included Christmas festivities. However, since the school couldn’t host two separate events, they combined them into one.

Although there was still a month to go—plenty of time in theory—each class traditionally prepared its own Christmas party, so there was no overlap.

As usual, every class was required to contribute at least one performance.

When it came time for Class 14 to decide, the entire classroom erupted into chaos. Everyone argued fiercely about what kind of program to present.

“Just sing a song—it’s the easiest option. Let the karaoke kings take the stage!”

“The neighboring class is doing a play. Why don’t we do something unique? We’ve got beauties and handsome guys in our class—we can outshine them by miles!”

“The past two years have been singing performances. Maybe this year we could try a play, though other classes might think the same.”

The class monitor was exhausted but still hadn’t reached a decision.

The boys in the class were particularly unruly, each insisting on their own ideas. With no other choice, the monitor went to Tang Yin before evening study hall.

“Ask me?” Tang Yin mumbled around her gum, her speech slightly slurred.

The monitor nodded. “You saw today—they all have their own ideas. The voting ended in a tie between two or three options. It’s tough.”

Su Kexi leaned over from the side. “In novels, they always do plays. Why not just go with that? It’s simple and easy to fool the teachers.”

It wasn’t a bad idea, but it was too conventional.

The monitor turned to Tang Yin again. “Tang Yin, what do you think about doing a play?”

For a moment, the entire room fell silent.

Yu Chun already knew how this would end. If they asked Ine-sister, whatever she decided would be the final choice. Still, this was better than endless arguments.

After a pause, Tang Yin narrowed her eyes and glanced at the neighboring class. “Why not collaborate with the neighboring class on a play?”

“The neighboring class?”

Class 14 was sandwiched between the experimental class and Class 13. Did he mean all three classes together?

At this question, the entire class let out a collective “Boo.” Yu Chun popped his head out from the window. “Monitor, are you dumb? Of course, he means the experimental class!”

Tang Yin nodded and blew a bubble.

No one knew how the monitor negotiated with the experimental class monitor, but in the end, they settled on the classic “Sleeping Beauty.”

Yu Chun nearly slammed the table. “How did ‘Sleeping Beauty’ even come up?”

This old fairy tale was predictable from the start. Even if they tried to tweak it, most of the interesting variations had already been done. They couldn’t think of anything new.

This was supposed to be their last high school party—it needed to be unforgettable!

The monitor felt equally frustrated. “Well, someone already did ‘Snow White’ and ‘Cinderella’ in previous years. What else could we do?”

“‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves!’”

A sudden voice rang out from the back of the classroom.

No one knew who said it, but the monitor’s eyes lit up.

That sounded fresh enough. No one had heard of anyone performing it—at least not at Jia Shui Private School. It was definitely better than the tired old “Snow White.”

He quickly ran to the experimental class and discussed it with their monitor. They decisively agreed on “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.”

Of course, the script would need significant revisions. Otherwise, everyone would already know the story, and without innovation, it wouldn’t be worth watching.

The school had recently changed its policies. Afternoon sessions were now self-study, and there were two additional evening self-study periods.

Before evening study hall began, Tang Yin and Su Kexi planned to head to the cafeteria.

Time was growing tighter, and many students ate quickly before rushing back to their classrooms to study. They didn’t need teachers to remind them—they were highly motivated.

Su Kexi grumbled, “I almost fell asleep in class today. Sigh, I need to study hard and improve every day.”

Lu Yu’s grades were still excellent, and she needed to keep up.

“Mm, study hard,” Tang Yin replied absently.

Su Kexi frowned. “Now that you’ve got Lu Chi, you’ve forgotten about me. How ungrateful.”

Before Tang Yin could respond, hurried footsteps echoed outside the window.

“Ine-sister!”

Lü Qiuxiu’s voice suddenly rang out.

Tang Yin turned to see her running over, her face flushed red.

Su Kexi asked, “What’s wrong? You seem panicked.”

Lü Qiuxiu stamped her foot anxiously and whispered, “Right after school, some girls from another class took Wen Yue away. Neither the homeroom teacher nor any other teachers are in the office. I don’t know what to do!”

Tang Yin’s eyes narrowed, and her voice grew stern. “Take me there.”

She took off her school uniform jacket, slipped out of the classroom, and said, “Tell me what happened.”

Lü Qiuxiu nodded immediately, recounting the situation as they walked.

There weren’t many people in the class after school. She had been eating cookies with Wen Yue when suddenly three or four girls from another class showed up looking for Wen Yue.

At first, she thought nothing of it, but when she saw them dragging Wen Yue away, she realized something was wrong. By the time they left the classroom, the girls had pushed Wen Yue into the restroom.

She froze momentarily, unsure of what to do. She wanted to intervene but hesitated when she heard the aggressive voices inside. Ultimately, she decided to find Tang Yin and coincidentally ran into her on the way.

“Is someone daring to mess with Wen Yue?” Su Kexi was baffled.

Almost everyone knew that Wen Yue and Tang Yin were close. Was there really someone who didn’t fear Tang Yin?

Lü Qiuxiu replied, “They don’t seem to be from our grade. They look unfamiliar.”

Though they rarely interacted with other classes, they were all part of the high school division. Faces were usually recognizable, but Lü Qiuxiu felt she had never seen these three girls before.

Hearing this, Tang Yin frowned.

Today was the day students returned to school. It was possible that outsiders had sneaked in. Students from Jia Shui Private School wouldn’t dare act so boldly.

As they spoke, they arrived on the upper floors.

The repeater classes were on the fifth floor, while the five liberal arts classes were on the fourth. Tang Yin rarely ventured upstairs.

The restroom was just ahead.

“You go back,” Tang Yin said to Lü Qiuxiu.

Though hesitant, Lü Qiuxiu obeyed and left, knowing she wouldn’t be of much help here.

The moment Tang Yin pushed open the door, a loud slap echoed through the air.

Accompanying it was an angry shout: “You look like such a hypocrite. No wonder you’re already seducing people at such a young age.”

Wen Yue’s soft sobs were barely audible beneath the commotion.

No one noticed the movement at the door. Tang Yin kicked the nearest girl with full force, sending her sprawling to the ground with a thud.

The sudden change startled the three girls, who turned to see yet another beautiful girl. Their anger flared instantly.

Wen Yue sat slumped on the ground, her hair disheveled.

Fortunately, the school restroom was cleaned meticulously after every class period, so the floor was spotless. Otherwise, the situation would have been even more embarrassing.

Seeing the multiple handprints on Wen Yue’s cheeks—her once fair skin now red and swollen—Tang Yin pursed her lips. Without hesitation, she grabbed the girl who had just struck Wen Yue and began delivering a series of punches.

Each blow landed squarely on the face.

The screams echoed throughout the restroom.

The other two girls snapped out of their shock and rushed toward Tang Yin. With ease, she shoved the girl she had just beaten to the ground and kicked the approaching pair with precision.

In no time, all three girls were sprawled on the floor.

Tang Yin showed no mercy, landing a few more effortless strikes. They were all showy but weak—intimidating in appearance only.

Wen Yue had already scrambled to her feet and was quietly explaining the situation from the sidelines.

The aggressors were indeed from an outside school.

Wen Yue lived near Third High School, where a slick, unruly boy had taken notice of her quiet and studious demeanor. Since she was a day student, he had pursued her openly, drawing attention.

The boy had quite a fanbase. After learning where Wen Yue attended school, his admirers had stormed into Jia Shui Private School without bothering to investigate its reputation.

“Ine-sister, are you alright?”

Yu Chun’s voice called out from outside.

Tang Yin replied, “Come in. Find someone to throw these three girls out of the school.”

“Got it. I’ll go get help.”

Soon, several boys entered the restroom. They were naturally strong, and this time, with outsiders bullying their own, they were determined to put in the effort.

Yu Chun glanced at the battered faces of the three girls, wincing at the sight. It was rare for Ine-sister to target someone’s face unless she was truly enraged. The severity of the injuries spoke volumes about her anger.

And understandably so—who wouldn’t be furious when outsiders trespassed into their school?

“Leave this to me,” Yu Chun said. “Wen Yue’s face... she needs to go to the infirmary.”

Wen Yue remained silent, following Tang Yin out of the restroom.

As the liberal arts and repeater students returned from dinner and climbed the stairs, they happened to see Tang Yin flexing her wrists, accompanied by a frail-looking girl with visible injuries on her face.

The news spread quickly among the upper floors, but unusually, no one mentioned it further.

However, just before evening study hall began, everyone realized that someone had leaked the incident of Tang Yin fighting in the fourth-floor restroom.

Several people had spotted the grade-level discipline director standing grim-faced at the back door of Class 14.

“Tang Yin, come with me.”

Tang Yin, expressionless, followed him to the principal’s office.

From the experimental class, which had a clear view, Luyang was munching on snacks by the back door. Seeing Tang Yin leave with the discipline director, and recalling today’s events, he immediately understood.

He muttered, “Ah, the discipline director will probably send her home for self-reflection again.”

Punishment through demerits was out of the question because of her excellent grades—it could affect her future records. But fighting reflected poorly, so some form of punishment was inevitable.

Besides, Tang Yin had fought before, not just once or twice. It was something everyone had grown accustomed to, let alone her.

Suddenly, Lu Chi spoke up, “Self-reflection?”

“Whoa!” Luyang jumped in surprise.

When had Lu Chi appeared beside him? He hadn’t noticed at all—it was as if he had materialized out of thin air. Thankfully, the classroom lights were on; otherwise, he might’ve been scared senseless.

“When did you get here?” Luyang swallowed his bread in one gulp.

Lu Chi didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on the corridor leading to the principal’s office.

Tang Yin had already entered the office, leaving the corridor empty.

“You probably don’t know yet,” Luyang leaned on his shoulder. “After school today, she got into a fight with some girls from another school on the fourth floor. Normally, nothing would’ve come of it, but someone reported it this time.”

Conflicts with outsiders were usually kept quiet within the school. This time, someone must’ve been foolish enough to snitch.

Upon hearing this, Lu Chi’s brows furrowed slightly.

A sudden wave of irritation washed over him.

He turned to head back into the classroom when Luyang added, “I saw a mark on her wrist earlier. Do you think she got injured?”

Lu Chi froze mid-step, then left without a word.

________________________________________

When Tang Yin returned to Class 14, a crowd immediately surrounded her.

“How did it go? Did Mediterranean give you a hard time?”

“Who could’ve snitched? How dare they? If I find out who it is, I’ll make them regret it!”

“Seriously, Ine-sister, don’t let it bother you.”

“Alright, everyone, move aside,” Tang Yin snapped, visibly annoyed. “Don’t crowd around me if there’s nothing going on.”

Su Kexi shooed the boys away and whispered, “Are they making you go home for self-reflection again?”

Tang Yin nodded. “This time, it’s for a week. Seven days.”

“Seven days?” Su Kexi frowned. “Even last time, when it was more serious, it was only five days. Did someone exaggerate the situation? Who reported it?”

“No idea.”

Tang Yin leaned against the wall, twisting her wrist. She had accidentally used too much force earlier, catching it on one of the girls’ collars and getting scratched by a pin.

But such minor injuries were routine for her—the pain would fade soon enough.

Su Kexi reached out. “Why is it red? Let’s go to the infirmary. It’s your right hand—you can rest while reflecting this week.”

Before Tang Yin could respond, Su Kexi suddenly exclaimed, “Speak of the devil!”

She grabbed a box from the windowsill. “How did I miss this earlier? Little Yin-Yin, your prince charming… Wait, why does this look so familiar? Haven’t I seen it somewhere before?”

She muttered to herself as she opened the box, revealing a stack of cute band-aids.

Tang Yin’s eyes softened, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Of course it looked familiar—it originally belonged to her.

She had given it to Lu Chi last month.