The First Order

When the group of students heard Ren Xiaosu was trying to rob Yang Xiaojin, they turned hostile. They even shouted for the other students to gather. It looked like they were about to turn him in to the law.

More and more students came over to watch the commotion. One of the reasons was that Yang Xiaojin got quite popular after her transfer, and the other reason was that people just loved watching a commotion.

Ren Xiaosu panicked on the spot. “We know each other!”

If he got into trouble for suspected robbery on his first day of school, that would be such an injustice. More importantly, Ren Xiaosu did not expect Yang Xiaojin to be so ruthless that she would bluntly accuse him of attempting to rob her! Besides, how could she say he was trying to rob her? The dagger was his in the first place. He had traded food to her for it! ‘I can let slide you taking back the dagger for yourself, but what’s with your accusation?’

The students had doubtful looks as they glanced at Yang Xiaojin before casting their eyes to Ren Xiaosu. “You two know each other? It doesn’t look like it.”

“We really know each other.” Ren Xiaosu hurriedly said, “Isn’t it just a misunderstanding? I’m also a student of 13th High.”

“Since you say you know her, tell us what her name is,” a male student demanded.

“Yang Xiaojin!” Ren Xiaosu was amused. Yang Xiaojin’s biggest flaw in her plan was that he already knew her name.

However, the male student sneered. “How dare you pretend that you know her? Her name is Ren Xiaosu.”

Ren Xiaosu felt like he’d been struck by lightning and nearly broke down.

He looked at Yang Xiaojin in disbelief. But he realized Yang Xiaojin wasn’t embarrassed at all. It looked like nothing to her as she focused on watching Ren Xiaosu make a fool of himself.

‘But if your name on the student application is Ren Xiaosu, what the fuck should I be called? Are you not ashamed?!’

One student looked at Ren Xiaosu and said, “You say you’re also from 13th High, but why aren’t you wearing a uniform? Which class are you in and what’s your name?”

Ren Xiaosu calmed down a little by this time. He quieted his thoughts before saying, “If I say that my name is also Ren Xiaosu, I doubt you guys will believe me…”

At his side, Yan Liuyuan was almost tearing up with laughter. It was at this moment that he made a careful assessment of Yang Xiaojin. It seemed like his brother had had quite a few run-ins with her.

Yan Liuyuan felt this farce playing out in front of him wasn’t really that big a deal. It was pretty interesting to see Ren Xiaosu getting upstaged like this. There were simply too few people who could get an edge over Ren Xiaosu like that. This cap-wearing girl was definitely not a normal person. Besides, normal people would never need to use a pseudonym either.

While Ren Xiaosu was trying to explain himself to the others, Yan Liuyuan ran before Yang Xiaojin. “Hello, big sis. I’m Ren Xiaosu’s younger brother, and my name is Yan Liuyuan.”

Yang Xiaojin did not even blink when she was sabotaging Ren Xiaosu. But when she saw Yan Liuyuan, she turned pleasant and cheerful. She said in a soft voice, “Mhm, hello. I’m your big brother’s good friend.”

Yan Liuyuan turned around and took a look at Ren Xiaosu, who was caught inside the crowd. Was this really what a good friend would do?

In the end,the large group of people forcefully brought Ren Xiaosu to the Academic Affairs Office. At the office, the teacher flared up when he was told that someone had tried to rob a student. But when he saw Ren Xiaosu’s admission papers, he became polite.

He had received the notification yesterday that there would be a student admitted to the senior high section, and another two students to be admitted to the junior high section. He was informed of this news by the principal himself. Furthermore, he was reminded repeatedly that these three students were extremely important and were closely related to Lu Yuan, the stronghold overseer.

Although the actual controller of the stronghold was the Li Consortium, the daily running of the stronghold was presided over by Lu Yuan as long as it did not affect the consortium’s interests. It could be said that he had power over the life and death of many people.

Perhaps, the consortium had never thought much of Lu Yuan before. But to the everyday man on the streets, Lu Yuan was still the most admirable existence they needed.

But what puzzled the teacher at the Academic Affairs Office was, didn’t someone named Ren Xiaosu already get transferred into the school? When he saw the school application form in front of him, he felt a little confused.

Ren Xiaosu felt that this matter between him and Yang Xiaojin was still not over!

“Teacher, which class am I going to be in?” Ren Xiaosu asked.

The Academic Affairs teacher smiled and said, “Let’s go, we’re going to Class 12-3. Come, let me introduce you to your new classmates.”

He called over another teacher to take Yan Liuyuan and Wang Dalong to the junior high section while he personally led Ren Xiaosu to the senior high section. It was at this moment that Ren Xiaosu remembered something. What was it that those students on the streetcar had said? The new transfer student was in Class 12-2?

How lucky for him to not have been assigned to the same class as Yang Xiaojin. Otherwise, if there were two Ren Xiaosus in a class, the teachers would probably break down, let alone Ren Xiaosu.

When Ren Xiaosu entered the class, the teacher who brought him here said kindly, “There’s an empty seat in the third row from the back. You may sit there for now. In our school, we assign seats to the students based on their results. After the upcoming exams, you may choose where you wish to sit if you do well.”

“OK, thank you, Teacher,” Ren Xiaosu said politely. He had seen Yang Xiaojin on the way here when he passed by Class 12-2 next door, and she was sitting in the very last row all by herself.

The two of them exchanged a fiery look full of belligerence.

That said, Yang Xiaojin seemed like she was truly unafraid that Ren Xiaosu would go and tell on her to the Qing Consortium. No, Ren Xiaosu felt he had better get Yan Liuyuan and the others to leave first. Who knew what kind of tricks Yang Xiaojin might try again?

Ren Xiaosu sat at his desk. On his left was a female student similar in age to him. On his right was the hallway.

“Hello, I’m Cao Yuqi. What’s your name?” The female student greeted Ren Xiaosu.

“I’m Ren Xiaosu.”

Cao Yuqi asked, “Are you a transfer student?”

Ren Xiaosu was silent for a moment. “Uh-huh.”

“Which school did you transfer from?” Cao Yuqi followed up with, “East City?”

Ren Xiaosu hesitated for a moment before saying, “I transferred from 5th High.”

“5th High?” Cao Yuqi was stunned. “But there’s no such school in our stronghold.”

This time, it was Ren Xiaosu’s turn to be stunned. ‘There’s a 13th High, so why wouldn’t there be a 5th High?! How does the numbering in this stronghold work?’

Actually, there used to be a 5th High School in the stronghold, but it merged with 6th High School later as they were too close to each other. In recent years, the population in the stronghold had constantly been growing. As such, a residential building was built on the former site of 5th High School after it got demolished.

But how would Ren Xiaosu know that? He was just making things up!

“You…” Cao Yuqi looked at Ren Xiaosu suspiciously. “So which school did you really transfer from?”

“8th High?” Ren Xiaosu said.

Cao Yuqi would know something was wrong even if she were a moron. She was startled for a bit before asking, “Don’t tell me you’re from outside the stronghold?” As Cao Yuqi said that, she inched further away from Ren Xiaosu. The rumors of refugees carrying diseases had been flying all over the place for the past two days!