“Aiya, if it isn’t Xiao Lei!”

Haitang looked down at me with a dazzling smile that somehow sent a chill down my spine.

“I thought you looked familiar! You enrolled into Biyang too?”

Wait—who does she think I am again?

Right, I’m supposed to be Zhao Zhao’s (main body) cousin, Zhao Lei. She probably thinks I’m a new first-year student who just enrolled this semester… except there’s no trace of my name in the school’s student records. What now?

But Haitang didn’t grill me right away. Instead, she struck up a conversation with the ponytailed security officer standing nearby.

“Excuse me, did Xiao Lei do something wrong?”

“Student council?”

The security officer glanced at the red armband on Haitang’s arm and seemed to make a mental note.

“Nothing serious. She just slipped and fell down the rock wall earlier. Luckily, I was nearby and pulled her up in time. I was about to ask her for her class and name, but maybe she thought she was in trouble and tried to bolt.”

“And in the middle of running, she slammed right into Yang Qi, huh?” Haitang raised an eyebrow at me with an amused look, while Yang Qi—the girl I’d collided with—gently helped me up from the ground and even brushed off my uniform.

Her voice was soft, kind. “You fell down the rock wall? That’s dangerous. Do you want to get checked out at the infirmary?”

Yang Qi always had this warm smile, practically glowing with friendliness. Her charm level was maxed out. If my original body were here, I probably would’ve teared up on the spot.

Even now, in my current girl form, I still felt shy and a little flustered. I gave her a bashful shake of my head.

“Thanks, but I’m fine. No injuries, really.”

Honestly, having seen her in a swimsuit back at Aqua World, I remembered she was secretly very well-endowed. No wonder I ended up on the ground when we bumped into each other—she’s got natural shock absorbers.

“I don’t know what class she’s in,” Haitang added, “but her name is Zhao Lei—Lei, as in flower bud. Can you leave the rest to us in the student council?”

Sure, great, you just gave them a name that doesn’t even exist in the system! One quick check and the whole gig is up!

“Oh, no problem. A name’s enough. I’ll just look up her class later.”

The security officer flashed Haitang an OK gesture, then turned back to me and slapped me hard on the shoulder—ow!

“Don’t worry, girl. I’m just making a note, not reporting you or anything. Next time, let’s play basketball together, yeah? You’ve got potential. I’m heading back on patrol!”

And with that, she dashed off without another word.

Back when they were chasing me around, I used to think the security squad were all strict and scary. But this one? Her brash personality actually made her kind of likable.

Then again, if Zhao Zhao were the one standing here instead of me, she’d probably have shown up in full-on demon mode.

…Being a girl has its perks.

I glanced back at Haitang and forced a bitter smile. “Thanks, Sis Haitang. I’ll get going then…”

Crisis avoided—for now. But being here with Haitang herself might be an even bigger crisis.

“Actually, Yang Qi and I were just headed to the student council office. So why don’t you come with your Sis. Ter. here, Xiao. Lei.”

She said each syllable with deliberate sweetness, sending fresh waves of dread crawling up my spine.

“W-wait, isn’t class starting soon? I should get back to my classroom—ow!” I tried to make a run for it, but before I could even pivot, Haitang had already grabbed me by the collar.

Seriously, is there some kind of curse that makes all my escape attempts fail 100% of the time?

“Oh come on, haven’t you figured it out yet? It’s already been a full day of class—afternoon breaks here last thirty whole minutes, you know? That means we only have three classes in the afternoon.”

What?! This school is amazing!

Why do they need such a long break? So they have time to gracefully sip fancy teas and nibble on cookies or something?

Nobody told me this!

I quickly clamped a hand over my mouth and shot Haitang a side glance. I didn’t dare say another word—one more slip and I was done for.

Haitang dragged me into the lavish, European-style school building. The blast of air-conditioning inside hit my exposed thighs like a gust of arctic wind.

Wait—there’s AC in the hallways too?!

I didn’t even see any of those big, ugly outdoor AC units on the red brick exterior… so this whole building must be cooled by central air?
Noticing my gawking, Yang Qi covered her mouth with a light giggle. It was soft, melodic—honestly, kind of mesmerizing.

“We’re here. Come on in~”

At the end of the first-floor hallway, Haitang pushed open a door and gestured for me to enter.

A student council office sign hung outside. Inside, the curtains were drawn tight, making the room feel dark and almost chilly.

The glow of a laptop screen illuminated a girl’s face as she typed silently. The dim light, the serious look—she gave off serious spooky vibes.

I recognized her—she’d come with us to Aqua World too. Super quiet though. If I remembered correctly, her name was Feng Cangyu.

“Can’t you just open the curtains? It’s not like anyone’s gonna trample through the flowerbeds out there to peek inside!”

Haitang strode in and yanked the curtains wide open. The sudden light made my eyes sting after the darkness.

Next, she grabbed the AC remote and jabbed at it repeatedly, cranking the temperature up, then zipped over to Cangyu and gave her a soft karate chop to the head.

Geez. She grabbed my collar like she was wrangling a wild beast, but her chop was gentle as a breeze.

“Seriously, setting the AC this low again? Trying to catch a cold so your precious onii-chan has to nurse you back to health?”

Cangyu nodded sheepishly, just about to speak—until she saw me in the doorway. Then she shrank behind her laptop like a startled cat.

There was also a bucket of fried chicken next to her laptop. Haitang picked it up and waved it at me and Yang Qi.

“Want some?”

I shook my head. Now’s definitely not the time for snacks. Also, why exactly did she drag me here…?

This school was huge, and apparently the student council office was just as oversized—big enough to be two whole classrooms at the boys’ campus.

Massive LCD TV, a grand conference table, individual desks, bookshelves, rolling whiteboards, and stacks of cardboard boxes all over the place.

“Those just arrived yesterday from the middle school campus. We haven’t had time to sort through them yet—sorry for the mess.” Yang Qi smiled apologetically as she pulled a box cutter from her skirt pocket and started slicing one open.

Haitang plopped into a luxurious leather office chair behind her desk, chewing on a chicken wing.

A little nameplate on her desk read: Student Council President.

Wait a second. Something doesn’t add up.

I tilted my head and asked, “So… if you were the student council president at the middle school, does that mean you automatically get the position in high school too?”

“As if it were that easy.” She leaned forward, propping her chin on one hand with a sly grin. “I had to run again and win all over, thank you very much. But say, Xiao Lei—”

She narrowed her eyes at me, voice sweet as syrup and twice as sticky.

“—how exactly did you know I used to be the middle school president?”

“Ah? Oh! That was… uh… Commander told me!” I blurted out, instantly regretting it.

Way to go, mouth. Excellent job self-sabotaging.

“Yoo-hoo~ Everyone’s here~ Brought the guest of honor~”

A short-haired girl with sharp features and sharper energy bounced into the room with a spin, full of chaotic good vibes. It was Bei Qiaojue. Her eyes landed on me—and lit up like she’d just spotted a shiny new gacha drop.

“Ooh! And who’s this adorable lady I’ve never seen before?”

She reached right for my chin like she was about to lift it flirtatiously, smoothly while speaking. I panicked and jerked my head away. Lady, you do realize you’re also a girl, right? Why are you the way you are?!

I mean, sure, we all like cute girls here, but how come she gets to act like this without anyone batting an eye? Where’s the justice in that?!

“If you don’t want to regret it, I’d suggest keeping your hands to yourself,” Haitang said with a breezy smile, though I couldn’t tell if she was actually trying to protect me… or if she knew something.

“Good afternoon, Student Council!”

Trailing behind Bei Qiaojue was a girl with flowing golden hair and sparkles in her eyes. Her whole vibe radiated confidence and high-spec energy.

“I’m Lei Kelian, second year, class B! Recommended by Qiaojue here to join the student council. But you can just call me Lei Meow Meow. I’m a full-time idol—being a student is just my side gig!”

Oh. My. God.