The classroom was silent—too silent. The kind of silence that came right before a building collapsed or a storm tore open the sky. Every teacher in the small office stared at the answer sheet in disbelief, their mouths opening but failing to close.
Anna Taylor, who had just minutes ago accused Jade Quinn of plagiarism, looked like someone drained all color from her body. She clutched the corner of her desk with trembling fingers.
"How… how could it be possible?" Anna whispered under her breath, sounding as if she was begging the universe to explain this cruel twist.
A few teachers behind her exchanged looks.
"Did this girl… really get everything right?"
"Was she pretending to be dumb before?"
"If she was acting, then she deserves an award."
Jade Quinn casually dusted her uniform sleeve, completely unbothered. Her face was expressionless, but inside she was enjoying the chaos. She loved watching people taste the consequences of underestimating her.
"If that's the case," Jade said lightly, "then I hope Ms. Taylor can clarify that I didn't plagiarize."
Anna's lips twitched.
Jade leaned forward just enough for only Anna to hear, her voice soft like silk but laced with knives.
"By the way… I have evidence. About you and Dean Lynn's little private conversation next door."
Anna Taylor's expression snapped. She turned pale white, then gray, then full panic.
"J—Jade… my political ideology class—"
Mr. Liu tried to step in too, voice shaken. "Jade, you haven't taken my professional exam yet…"
She waved her hand dismissively, already turning away.
"Don't worry. I'm not second-to-last anymore."
Her tone was playful, but the blow hit harder than a slap. Several teachers felt like they had swallowed rocks. The girl they used to rank at the bottom, the girl they mocked behind her back, had now smashed their expectations and their pride in one swing.
Only Gabriel Flint, her other instructor, was smiling—actually laughing. Holding her full-score test paper like a prized trophy.
"This…" Gabriel chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "This paper is legendary. I'm framing it."
Jade pushed open the office door, ready to head back to class, but as soon as she stepped into the hallway, someone blocked her path.
A tall figure leaned against the classroom doorframe. His shadow stretched across the floor, cutting off her way like he owned the space.
Adrian Fang.
Of course it would be him.
He spoke without even looking at her properly, his tone thick with disdain.
"I heard you plagiarized."
He said it as if it were fact. As if she were the same Jade Quinn from before—the one who used to follow him around like a lost puppy. The one who had been blind, foolish, and pathetically in love.
Jade stared at the shadow on the ground before raising her eyes slowly. She didn't need to see his face to know he was already annoying her.
Don't think of the past, she reminded herself. She had been reborn. This world was now hers to control. These people were ants. She would crush them if she wished.
She let out a breath—not a sigh, but a warning.
"Good dogs don't block the way."
Five simple words, each dipped in frost.
Adrian froze. Almost comically.
He blinked. Once. Twice.
Did he hear wrong?
"What… what did you just say?" he asked again, voice cracking slightly.
Jade lifted her head, eyes cold as winter steel.
"I said… get lost."
Adrian stiffened. Those eyes—black, clear, emotionless—made him feel like he was falling into an icy cellar. A shiver ran down his spine involuntarily.
And then he noticed something else.
This wasn't the same Jade Quinn.
How… how could she look so beautiful?
Her skin was so clear that even the harsh corridor lighting softened around her. Her features were sharper, colder, cleaner. Nothing like the girl who hid behind heavy makeup and insecurity.
This Jade Quinn wasn't just beautiful—
She was dangerous.
Adrian swallowed hard. "A-Are you… really Jade?"
That one question made her want to laugh. She had been blind before—blind to his cowardice, blind to his pettiness, blind to thinking he was worth her time.
One glance from her now, and he was already losing control.
"Yes," Jade murmured, her voice suddenly sweet, softening like melting honey. "I'm Jadie."
That voice.
That tone.
That switch.
Adrian's brain malfunctioned.
She tilted her head, playing a dangerous little game.
He wasn't the only one watching.
Not far behind them, half-hidden in a side corridor, Ethan Ford—CEO of Junye Group, heartless ice-block, and a man whose temper was darker than midnight—stood with his arms crossed.
His jaw tightened the moment he saw her soften.
Jadie.
Using that tone.
For another man.
His eyes burned with silent fury.
Adrian, meanwhile, couldn't tear his eyes away.
"Jadie, how did you become so… beautiful?" he asked, breathless and stupidly hopeful.
"I've always been like this," Jade said casually. "Before, I was just playing around with makeup."
She pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
Adrian nearly choked on his own heartbeat.
Too beautiful.
Too tempting.
Too much.
"Do you like it, Brother Fang?" Jade asked, her voice dripping with charm.
"I—I like it," Adrian stammered. "I like it very much."
He reached out to grab her hand—
She stepped back.
Calm. Cold. Effortless.
"That's not very sincere," she said. Then she glanced around. The corridor was full of students watching, whispering.
Perfect.
"How about…" she smiled sweetly, "Brother Fang kneels down and begs me to be his girlfriend? Jadie likes romance~"
The class crowd erupted.
"Oooohhh!"
"Do it!"
"Kneel, man! Kneel!"
Adrian's brain melted. Without pausing to think, he dropped to one knee, gazing up at her like she was some goddess he hoped would bless him.
"Jadie… be my girlfriend."
The entire hallway exploded.
"Oh my god—"
"Say yes!"
"This is crazy!"
Jade looked down at him with a smile so beautiful and so cruel.
"Are you worthy?"
Adrian froze mid-breath.
She leaned forward, her lips curling like a queen delivering judgment.
"I can agree," she said slowly, "but only if you clean my shoes. If you do well, I'll consider giving you a chance to be my boyfriend for one second."
Gasps exploded everywhere.
Adrian's face burned red, then white, then green. He tried to stand—
Something—someone—hooked his ankle.
He fell back to his knees.
"Oh? Fang," Jade said innocently, "you're so devoted. I'll let you be my boyfriend for one second."
She raised one finger.
"One."
Adrian blinked.
"Time's up.
You've been dumped."
The hallway shook with laughter.
"He's a devoted dog!"
"This is karma!"
"Jadie is amazing!"
Adrian wanted to crawl into a hole. His legs refused to stand, whether from humiliation or because Jade's sheer presence crushed his strength.
Jade stepped closer, her voice sharp enough to slice pride.
"Fang, even if I were blind, I'd never like you. Know your place."
He stared at her with empty shock.
"J-Jadie… is there a misunderstanding? Don't you like me? We— we love each other—"
She almost threw up.
"I was playing with you," she snapped. "Are you rich? Are you powerful? Do you have anything worth liking?"
Silence fell.
The truth stabbed deeper than any insult.
She turned away, ready to leave—
And that was when she felt it.
A cold, powerful gaze drilling into her back.
Ethan Ford.
Watching.
Glowering.
Angry.
Very, very angry.