Leaving the mansion for school, I took a deep breath at the gate, basking in the morning light.

My arrival turned heads.

“School beauty! The beauty from Class 5, Grade 2 is back!”

I pursed my lips, uneasy with the odd title.

In the classroom, amidst surprised stares, I took my seat.
Zeng Xin grinned: “Ye Rich Girl, where’ve you been wandering?”

Seeing her, I perked up.

“Hospital,” I said, pulling out my phone. “I got a phone!”

Zeng Xin’s jaw dropped: “Wow, a 10,000-yuan iPhone!”

Liu Yu chuckled: “That ‘rich girl’ nickname fits.”

I looked at Liu Yu: “Let’s add each other as friends.”

Before this, I had two WeChat contacts: Lin Yinyin with a cartoon cat avatar, whom I added, and the wolf with a wolf avatar, added at Lin Yinyin’s urging during dinner.

His Moments were empty—not a single post.

Lin Yinyin’s Moments were full of our photos.
Her world seemed lonely too, always managing the mansion and caring for me, no personal time.

My current WeChat avatar was a candid shot by Lin Yinyin—me brushing hair from my face while using the phone, a stunning moment.

Gao Yang, somehow informed, rushed over shortly after I arrived: “Little fairy!”

Adding classmates as friends, I paused, waved, and smiled: “Morning, Gao Yang.”

Zeng Xin whispered: “He’s from another class but keeps bugging our teacher for news about you.”

I nodded: “I was hospitalized.”

“That’s what the teacher said, but he didn’t believe it, thought you were in danger.”

Gao Yang scanned me, relieved: “You’re okay, good.”

I raised my phone: “Gao Yang, let’s add each other.”

“Great, great!” He leaned in, grinning.

That silly boy—when I stayed at his place, he never crossed lines and even protected me once.
But I couldn’t drag him into my mess; I needed distance.

Zeng Xin pulled me into our Class 5 group chat.
As I joined, the screen flooded with welcome emojis.

I sent my own—Lin Yinyin had made my photos into emoji packs.

Zeng Xin looked at her phone: “Ye Rich Girl, you’re officially the school beauty.”

I propped my chin: “Someone called me that this morning.”

“Those photos I took of you spread around the class.”

School beauty or not, I didn’t care—it drew attention.
If I were the school heartthrob, I’d be thrilled for days, imagining girls flocking to me.

I rummaged for textbooks, finding a mess of scattered papers in my desk—twenty or thirty sheets.

Liu Yu raised an eyebrow: “While you were gone, people stuffed love letters in your desk daily.”

Zeng Xin huffed: “One day after lunch, I saw a stranger toss everyone else’s letters in the trash, leaving just his. When he left, I threw his out too.”

“Well done,” Liu Yu gave her a thumbs-up.
Zeng Xin fumed: “What kind of people are so shady?”

I skimmed the letters—some asked for my WeChat, others gushed with admiration, though Zeng Xin said they were copied online.

After a few, I stopped.
Zeng Xin said I could toss them all.
I sighed inwardly: Do I like women or men?

Forget it—no one could stop me from studying!

Liu Yu grabbed a letter: “How about posting a photo to Moments? Stir up their insecurities, keep them up at night.”

Zeng Xin rolled her eyes: “That’d just stress Ye Rich Girl out.”

I thought, then posted a photo with text: “Thanks everyone, I just want to study and get into a good university.”

Even if I couldn’t escape, a university would let me leave the mansion openly.

After morning reading, someone leaked my WeChat ID.
A flood of strangers added me—mostly guys, some girls.
Surprisingly, Chen Wei was among them.

I told Zeng Xin, who grimaced: “Don’t accept her.”

“Mm.”

I checked their remarks—accepting only those I knew, like He Zhi and others.

Chen Wei sent a morning emoji: “How’s your health? Your hospitalization spread to Grade 3.”

“I’m fine, thanks for caring, Chen Wei.”

Zeng Xin lifted my collar: “I just noticed, you always wear this choker. It’s heavy.”

I smiled faintly: “It’s a tracker. Keep it secret.”

“Your family’s worried about you—really thoughtful.”

The topic felt heavy.
I changed it: “I found some great manga.”

“Quick, I’m out of books—share!”

I showed Zeng Xin my library.
She blinked: “All action-packed, one guy with many girls, one girl with many guys, pretty normal… but you read girl-girl stuff too?”

I stayed calm: “Just browsing.”

She eyed a scene of two girls embracing, scoffing: “Isn’t this for guys or lesbians?”

Zeng Xin was the ultimate straight girl, fine with guy-guy but not girl-girl.
I was the opposite—guy-guy made me uneasy.

Feeling guilty, I said: “I dabble in everything.”

She didn’t press, sending me her manga—mostly romance, though she’d never dated, not even puppy love, dreaming of her prince.

With minutes before the bell, I buried myself in her manga, ignoring the world.

Chen Ming arrived with a group.
Liu Yu, sensing trouble, pulled a chair to block: “Senior, been a while. Here to show off again?”

Liu Yu stood confidently, facing six alone.

Chen Ming’s vein twitched, then calmed: “Nah, who doesn’t know your brother’s a small fry in the Greedy Wolf Club? I’m not here for you—I want Ye Zhixia.”

Engrossed in manga, I ignored him.
He slapped my desk, startling me, heart pounding, as I looked up innocently.

He roared: “Didn’t you say you had no phone? What’s this?”

Panicked, I stammered: “I-I… just got it.”

He lunged.
I shut my eyes, thinking he’d hit me.
Liu Yu pushed him: “Hitting a girl? Try me!”

Unexpectedly, Chen Ming snatched my phone!

He waved it: “Protecting her? Fine, block her suitors too.”

I stared at the empty desk, lunging to grab it: “Give it back!”

He grinned, yellow teeth flashing, holding it high: “Be my girlfriend first.”

“Give it back!” I jumped, unable to reach.
Zeng Xin snapped: “You’re despicable! Zhixia would never like you.”

Feeling smug, he glanced up: “Oh, a Pro Max? Thousands, huh? Never like me? I’ll keep it.”

“Return my phone!” I shouted, tears falling.
Liu Yu, furious, pulled me back and punched Chen Ming!

The blow landed hard, knocking him down.

Chen Ming touched his cheek, enraged, and hurled my phone at Liu Yu like a weapon!

My heart sank as it flew, missing Liu Yu, smashing into the wall, and hitting the floor, glass shattering.

I collapsed, gasping, clutching the dead phone, crying harder.

The class erupted.
Yu Hao cursed, grabbed a chair, and attacked.

Dazed on the floor, my breathing slowed.
My ears deafened, hearing nothing, my mind flashing through the joy the phone brought—now gone.

I forgot how to cry, eyes empty, the world silent.

“Ye Zhixia! Ye Rich Girl!”

My eyes stayed open, unblinking, face lifeless.

“Ye Rich Girl! Wake up!”

Zeng Xin’s faint calls reached me, slapping my face, pressing my philtrum.

“Hey! Rich Lady!”

I snapped back, eyes sharp.

Zeng Xin flinched: “Ye Rich Girl?”

The scene was chaos—Chen Ming’s group under attack from all sides.
I glanced at my shattered phone, fists clenched.

Heh, this face causes trouble. Good thing I came back, or Baby would’ve shut down.

Shame, I liked the maid’s gift.
In the mansion, only she seemed human.

Standing now, the boys fighting for me would stop, and I’d miss the show—how could I vent?

Better yet, let Chen Ming’s crew get crippled.
Suits me fine.

The broken phone was my prepaid medical bill—I wouldn’t forgive anyone who hurt us.

Ignoring Zeng Xin, I stared blankly ahead, plotting to escalate.

We were dominating; the hardest hitters didn’t need my concern.

I hadn’t asked for their help.

Let’s make it a spectacle.

Recalling five years of a wretched life, tears came fast.
I wailed: “To make friends, I spent a year’s allowance! Just one day… my family will kill me… I can’t be friends with everyone, I’m so sad…”

I cried pathetically, mouth open, drooling, loud enough for the class to hear.
Baby cried too, but not with drool, not so visibly.

As expected, the class—boys and girls—raged.

Silly Baby, tears aren’t for self-harm; used right, they’re a weapon.

Chen Ming’s group tried to flee toward the door.
Someone—likely Yu Hao and Liu Yu’s friend—slammed it shut, trapping them.

Nice! I’ll send you a Baby kiss emoji later.

I watched them fall, thrilled.
Only Chen Ming remained.
Liu Yu kicked his stomach; Yu Hao smashed a chair from behind.
He collapsed.

I kept crying; Zeng Xin comforted me.
Liu Yu yanked Chen Ming up, punching his face: “You, join the Greedy Wolf Club? Show some guts, get up!”

Blood trickled from Chen Ming’s mouth.
He could move but played dead, avoiding Liu Yu’s gaze.

The teacher arrived with others, and Chen Ming’s group’s injuries exceeded my expectations.

Baby’s eyes were on the wolf, but I’m not as kind.
Those who hurt us pay tenfold!

Let’s see who laughs last—me.

Parents would likely be called.
I wrote words on my palm with a pen, leaving the rest to you, Baby.