This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Editor's Note: Two things. One, how did she survive??? Two, Hong Chenyi. Favorite person immediately.
"Uh... I have no idea. Nobody told me where to look for that. Was the professor supposed to tell us?" Hong Chenyi looked at me with a face of pure, blank confusion before glancing at the other two.
"It was in the academy announcement on your phone. Do you just not use your phone?" I asked, sighing with exasperation.
"Wait, I do! I’m on it all the time. How did I miss that?" Hong Chenyi pulled out her phone and started frantically scrolling. Finally, she found something. "Oh! Wait! Look at this! How did I suddenly get added to a group? 'Section 14 Official Group Chat'! Well, that settles it—I'm definitely in Section 14!"
"Wait, what?"
Now it was my turn to be blindsided. Hong Chenyi was in my class? Since when?
I pulled up my phone to check the roster. As I scrolled through, a faint memory finally surfaced.
I had been adding people so fast my thumb went numb, skimming over names without a second thought. And sure enough, there it was: Hong Hong Chenyi.
"A class group chat! Don't tell me you guys don't have one yet?" Hong Chenyi was scrolling through the messages now, her tone taking on a slightly boastful edge. "Let me see... wow, there’s even a 'Section 14 Support Group.' Both of them were set up by the Class President. Talk about efficiency! What about you guys? Anything?"
"I haven't even seen my professor's face yet, let alone heard who the President is," Yiren snapped from the side.
"I don't have one either," Guan Qiuling whispered. "I just got a notification telling me which classroom to go to the day after tomorrow."
"Man, your classes are lagging," Hong Chenyi said, already typing away. "I’m already chatting it up. The President posted all the enrollment rules and a super detailed list of things to watch out for."
I looked down at my phone and watched the messages roll in. There was Hong Chenyi, flooding the chat with an obnoxious, over-the-top self-introduction.
The problem was that she was 'chatting it up' in the wrong place. This was the Official Class 14 Group, and our advisor, Ji Niang, was lurking in there. Did this girl really want to be the "main character" that badly?
I didn't hesitate. I tapped her profile and hit Mute: 1 Minute (Custom).
"Wait! What gives? Why am I muted?" Hong Chenyi stared at her screen, completely baffled.
"Are you losing your mind in the official chat?"
I sat up straighter, a natural air of authority radiating from me. I flipped my phone around and pressed the screen right in front of Hong Chenyi’s face.
"Huh? Sis Yuehan, how... how are you in this group too? Wait... no... YOU! You're the Admin?! WHAT?!" Hong Chenyi had been scratching her head over the mute, but once she focused on my screen, she turned into a statue.
A few seconds later, the gears finally turned.
"Hong Chenyi, I had no idea you were one of my classmates. Let me remind you: this is the official group, and Advisor Ji Niang is watching. What were you thinking, acting like a lunatic in there?"
"Ah! Ahh?! Sis Yuehan, you're the Class President?!"
Hong Chenyi looked like she’d seen a ghost. What were the odds? She had just been bragging to the very person running the show.
"If you want to spam, go do it in the Support Group, you silly!" I reached over and gave her a sharp flick on the forehead. "Do you really want to be known as the class chatterbox before the advisor even meets you? Careful, or she'll make your life a living hell once classes start!"
"Waaaaah! No! Sis Yuehan, save me! I was blind! I didn't recognize greatness! Yuehan... I mean, Madam President!"
She bolted off the couch and dropped into a kneeling position on the floor, clinging to my leg like her life depended on it. If I hadn't noticed the distinct lack of actual tears, I would have thought she was truly heartbroken.
"You made this mess, you fix it," I said, trying to shake her off. But Hong Chenyi was like a koala, hugging my leg so tight I couldn't move.
Meanwhile, Yiren and Ling were staring at me in total shock. Finding out their roommate was a Class President was a massive curveball. Even if it wasn't for their specific class, the title of "President" at the School of Transcendence carried a lot of weight.
"Alright, that’s enough! Advisor Ji Niang doesn’t care about the small talk in the chat; she only uses it to post documents and announcements. From now on, keep your spamming in the Support Group. Now, let go. If you don’t release me right now, I’m putting you on a permanent mute in both groups." I pointed a finger at Hong Chenyi, making my threat as clear as day.
I could see right through her. This girl was a lost cause—she was clearly using the fact that we were all girls now as an excuse to cling to my leg and take advantage of the situation.
Was Hong Chenyi some kind of professional "simp" in her past life? She was way too good at "clinging to the big boss."
"Fine, fine! Whatever you say goes!" Having had her fill of mischief, Hong Chenyi finally let go and stood up, though her mouth didn’t stop for a second. "But listen, Sis Yang Yuehan, I’m the new kid on the block here. If I run into trouble later, you’ve got to look out for me! We’re roommates, after all. A little favoritism wouldn't hurt, right?"
"We'll talk about that when the time comes. Who knows what’ll happen in the future?" I didn't give her a concrete promise. Hong Chenyi was far too unpredictable; I had no idea what kind of mess she might drag me into.
"Anyway, I’ve been dealing with you guys for so long, I haven't even had dinner. You guys carry on; I’m going to eat."
I opened the takeout I’d brought back. It was a bit cold, but still edible. "By the way, have you all eaten?"
"Of course! The three of us went out together. My treat! Oh—wait, Sis Yuehan, I’ll treat you to a big meal next time too!"
"No thanks. Just don't cause me any trouble, and we'll call it even."
After finishing my meal, I prepared to head upstairs to shower and call it a night. I’d promised Ji Niang I’d join her research group tomorrow, and while I still didn't know the full details of the project, I knew I needed to be well-rested.
"Huh? Sis Yuehan, you’re showering and heading to bed this early? The night is just getting started!"
"Not for me. I’m not really a 'nightlife' person. You guys have fun; I have things to do tomorrow." After declining their invitation, I went straight into my bedroom.
While the others in the living room were just beginning their evening, Hong Chenyi was already deep in the Section 14 Support Group, hitting it off with our other classmates.
She had already dropped the bombshell that she was roommates with the Class President. Coupled with the fact that everyone had seen me mute her in the official chat earlier, the class was fully convinced.
Naturally, they started egging her on to take some photos.
Earlier, a few people in the chat had been clamoring for the President to post a "reveal" photo, but I had ignored them. We were all going to meet offline eventually anyway, so what was the point of a selfie?
Hong Chenyi, however, didn't care about my privacy. She had already managed to snap several photos: one while I was lecturing her, one while I was eating, and another of me heading upstairs.
To be fair, she knew where to draw the line. She didn't dare take anything too compromising, knowing she’d be in deep trouble if I caught her.
Still, she figured posting a few candid shots, like my silhouette or me from behind, would be fine. If the worst came to the worst, she could always just apologize.
And when it came to apologizing, she was a seasoned pro.