When Emily sprinted back to the woods, panting and out of breath, she found her luggage and bag still perfectly in place!
"Is this your stuff?"
A chubby girl in a pink lace-trimmed dress was sitting on a stone bench, munching on an apple with a carton of milk in hand. She tilted her head, smiling at Emily. "Why'd you take so long? I've been waiting for ages."
Emily stared at her in stunned gratitude.
"You've been watching my things?"
"Yeah," the girl checked her phone, "Class is starting soon. If you didn't show up, I would've had to hand them over to security."
"Oh, thank you, thank you…" Emily was overwhelmed. If she had lost her things, she'd probably want to smash her head against a wall. Wait… what did she just say? Class?
Emily glanced at the time—
It was already 8:40!
"Oh no! I'm going to be late!" she jumped up in panic. Her luggage wasn't even in the dorm yet, and she had no idea where the classroom was! What now?
A gentle breeze blew through the woods.
Morning sunlight trickled through the leaves, and it seemed like a lucky angel softly flapped its wings, smiling down at her.
When she finally sat in her classroom seat, it was exactly 8:50.
Still catching her breath, Emily smiled in gratitude at the chubby girl in the front row, who was snacking on chips.
What a coincidence.
That girl was Daisy, her classmate. Daisy was incredibly kind, helping Emily haul her heavy luggage to the classroom without a second thought. As they ran, Daisy kept chatting: "Two pounds of apples!"
"Okay."
"Two pounds of kiwi."
"...Alright."
"Two bags of tofu snacks."
"...Fine…"
"Two big Dove chocolate bars."
"..."
Emily scratched her head, stars practically swirling in her vision. Poor Emily... she didn't have that kind of money.
Daisy glared at her and stopped. "What? You don't want to buy me food after I waited thirty minutes and hauled your luggage?"
"Of course not!" Emily grinned sheepishly. "I'm just wondering… why do you need two of everything?"
"Because I'm fat." Daisy sniffed. "Fat people need double the food."
Emily blinked, examining her closely: "Fat? You? Where? You're adorable! I was just thinking how lucky I am to meet such a cute girl on my first day."
Daisy looked like she'd been hit by a hammer. "You… You're making fun of me, aren't you?" All her life, people had mocked her weight, and she had given up, eating openly as an act of defiance.
"If I'm teasing you, then I deserve never to become an angel," Emily said, pulling her luggage forward and flashing a bright smile. "I really think you're kind and cute."
Daisy took hold of the luggage handle, silently walking ahead.
"Hey…"
"What?"
"You're the first person to ever call me cute." Daisy's voice was low as she picked up the pace, forcing Emily to jog to keep up. "So, I've decided—you're my friend from now on!"
Sunlight broke through the clouds after the rain, bathing Emily in warmth.
How lucky.
Emily beamed with a big, happy smile.
Even now, she was still giddy. Elm Academy Academy seemed like her lucky place—so many fun things had happened on her very first day.
She couldn't stop smiling.
Her classmates looked at her curiously.
"What's your name?"
"Hey, you really transferred from Lingyun Academy?"
"Why'd you come here?"
…
It wasn't that they were nosy, but Lingyun was incredibly prestigious. Only top-tier students with bright futures got in. While Elm Academy was a top university, it couldn't compare to Lingyun.
Hearing their questions, Emily looked up with a sweet smile: "My name is Emily."
A cold voice drifted in from the corner of the classroom—
"Oh, strange. Lingyun is so amazing, why would you transfer here, Emily?" A long-haired girl with striking features applied lip gloss while throwing a sidelong glance at Emily. "Did something happen? Got kicked out, maybe?"
The classroom fell into an awkward silence.
The students exchanged glances between Katherine, the long-haired girl, and Emily. They were curious too.
Over on the side, Daisy nudged the girl next to her with her elbow, whispering, "Help her out. Emily's my new friend."
The girl, with short hair and single-lidded eyes, exuded a quiet, refined charm. She was deeply engrossed in her textbook but looked up at Daisy's words.
"I'll clean the dorm for the week," Daisy added quickly.
"…Fine."
The single-lidded girl stood, walked up to Emily, and extended her hand.
"Hi, I'm Yuki. Welcome to our class."
She shot a glance around the room, and immediately, all the students erupted into enthusiastic applause, cheering, "Welcome! Welcome!"
It was like magic, the classroom transforming into a star-studded celebration.
Wow, this Yuki girl must have some serious influence.
Emily quickly stood, gratitude flooding her face as she shook Yuki's hand. "Thank you!"
Yuki smiled lightly, then turned toward Katherine with a disdainful look. "Is this how you treat new classmates? Aren't you ashamed? Instead of helping her settle in, you're spewing nonsense."
Katherine snapped her compact mirror shut with a sharp "clap" and coldly replied, "Oh really? So why did she transfer here?"
Emily looked at her in surprise: "Elm Academy is amazing!" She smiled sweetly, "They say it's the most beautiful campus in the world, and it really is. I've never seen a place so breathtaking. Plus, Elm Academy's Business School is one of the top in the country. I'm really happy to be here with you all."
"Wow!"
Her words struck a chord with her classmates, who all beamed with satisfaction.
Katherine scoffed, "Quite the flatterer, aren't you?"
Emily blushed and stuck out her tongue sheepishly: "You caught me. I'm trying to win you over because… I want you all to like me."
Her classmates stared, wide-eyed.
What a refreshingly honest girl—so cute! Suddenly, the distance between them seemed to shrink. They smiled warmly at her.
"Emily! We welcome you!"
This time, Daisy led the charge, and another round of applause erupted, like a storm sweeping through the classroom!
Emily's smile grew even brighter. "Thank you! Thank you, everyone!" Phew! It seemed she had been accepted.
She sat in the last row of the classroom, next to an empty seat. She wanted to move there—it was by the window, where the air was fresh, and she could see birds flying through the trees. But though the seat was empty, two books sat in its desk drawer, covered in a light layer of dust.
Emily scratched her head, hesitating.
Oh well, it was probably a seat for someone who skipped classes often. If he/she continued to be absent, she'd move there later.
Turning her attention back to class, Emily focused on the lecture. Her first class was Human Resources, taught by a Professor Louis, who was in his forties and slightly balding. Though his lectures weren't exactly captivating, they were logical and insightful. Emily found herself gradually drawn in.