Just as the clock on her phone struck the final second of the fifteenth minute, Zhong Yunxin pushed the door open.
As a prestigious academy, Dongzhi Xiang Academy’s student council office was spacious. Apart from the outer room, which contained a desk, sofas, and cabinets, there was also a small lounge inside.
On the sofa in the outer room, Xia Yu and the Feng sisters were sipping tea.
Zhong Yunxin approached nervously and obediently stood before Xia Yu, waiting for a scolding.
Xia Yu placed his teacup down and nodded approvingly at Zhong Yunxin’s neat uniform and fresh face.
He turned to Feng Yujia, who then rose from the sofa, walked to the desk, and retrieved a shoulder badge.
The badge bore Dongzhi Xiang’s emblem and the words “Dongzhi Xiang Student Council” beneath it.
Feng Yujia handed the badge to Xia Yu, who then pinned it onto Zhong Yunxin’s sleeve.
“What is this?” Zhong Yunxin was puzzled. She recognized it as the student council badge, but what did it mean for her?
“Starting today, you’re a member of the student council. Your position is a discipline committee member,” Xia Yu explained.
Zhong Yunxin was taken aback. Her mind raced with thoughts of being dragged into trouble, but something felt off.
“This is the school’s rulebook. Study it carefully. If you find anyone breaking the rules, record it and report it,” Xia Yu patted her shoulder and smiled.
With that, he dismissed her.
Zhong Yunxin spent the entire day pondering Xia Yu’s intentions but couldn’t figure it out.
Still, to appease Xia Yu, she flipped through the rulebook.
The next noon, she was still thinking about it when ten girls who enjoyed bullying her exchanged glances. One of them, holding a teacup, walked past Zhong Yunxin and feigned clumsiness, spilling tea onto Zhong Yunxin’s desk.
Though distracted, Zhong Yunxin had been slightly alert when the girl approached. As the cup fell, she instinctively reached out.
Unfortunately, her attempt only redirected the cup from the desk to herself.
The girl paled at the sight of the soaked Zhong Yunxin—she hadn’t intended for things to go this far.
Frustrated, Zhong Yunxin grabbed the girl’s collar and stood up.
…
When Xia Yu arrived upon hearing the news, he found Zhong Yunxin facing off against eight girls—the other two too frightened to stand.
Already briefed on the situation, Xia Yu didn’t ask further. He turned to two rather inconspicuous female student council members who had followed him and said, “Take the one Zhong Yunxin is holding.”
Without hesitation, the two girls positioned themselves on either side of the tea-pouring girl: “Please come with us.”
Zhong Yunxin released the girl’s collar. She hadn’t dared to strike back—not only were there only eight girls now, but she also remembered Xia Yu’s warning.
“What are you doing!” The tall girl, leader of the ten, stepped forward.
Blocking Xia Yu’s path, she argued, “Rong Rong just accidentally spilled some tea nearby. Haven’t you ever slipped before? Why are you taking her?”
“Ahem, if it was just a slip, then it’s understandable. Just have her apologize,” the homeroom teacher interjected.
Encouraged by the teacher’s support, the tall girl smirked.
“Who said I was taking her for spilling tea?” Xia Yu replied.
The tall girl froze: “If not for spilling tea, why are you taking Rong?”
Xia Yu gestured to Zhong Yunxin, who hurried to his side.
Grabbing the lace hem of the tea-pouring girl’s shirt, Xia Yu asked Zhong Yunxin, “What does Rule 36 say?”
Zhong Yunxin couldn’t recall the exact number, but based on the situation, she figured it out.
She answered, “No luxurious or flashy clothing.”
Xia Yu then tugged at the girl’s short skirt and asked, “And Rule 52?”
“Skirts must not be shorter than two centimeters below the knee,” Zhong Yunxin replied.
“Also, Rule 60 states that unpackaged food shouldn’t be carried around,” Xia Yu turned to the tall girl, “Now do you understand?”
The tall girl turned pale. She hadn’t expected Xia Yu to attack from this angle. Those rules technically existed, but since Feng Yujia took over, no one had enforced them.
She turned to the teacher, who quickly looked away—she wouldn’t dare question the rulebook, which was set by the school board.
The tall girl reluctantly stepped aside.
But Xia Yu stopped her: “Wait, your earrings also violate the dress code. You come too.”
The tall girl turned even paler and pointed at two others: “They’re wearing them too!”
Xia Yu inwardly cheered her on—this self-incriminating attitude was exactly what he liked.
Turning to the two girls, feigning sudden realization, Xia Yu invited them to join the student council as well.
Xia Yu couldn’t impose severe punishment on the four girls, but that was fine. The distinction between light and heavy punishment was physical—spiritually, a light punishment could still be heavy.
He pulled out the rulebook and began lecturing them. While the content itself wasn’t meaningful, the act of lecturing was something superiors did to subordinates, subtly lowering their status in Xia Yu’s presence.
Afterward, Xia Yu tossed the rulebook aside: “Each of you write a 500-word reflection due tomorrow, handwritten.”
The four girls bowed their heads in submission.
“Oh, and since you reported two people, you’re exempt,” Xia Yu added, turning to the tall girl.
The tall girl felt a moment of joy, but upon seeing the angry glares from the two she had reported, she sensed something was off.
Still inexperienced, she couldn’t immediately grasp Xia Yu’s psychological tactics.
After dismissing the four, Xia Yu called Zhong Yunxin, who had already returned to her dorm to change clothes.
Zhong Yunxin looked at Xia Yu with admiration. She felt he had done exactly what she had done before—find a reason to take someone away for discipline. How amazing!
And he did it openly, right in front of the teacher.
“Where’s your badge?” Xia Yu asked, looking at her arm.
“Here.” Zhong Yunxin hurriedly pulled it from her pocket.
Xia Yu reattached the badge to her uniform and patted her shoulder: “You’re now a mature discipline committee member. You shouldn’t need me to personally intervene in such matters.”
Zhong Yunxin pondered for three seconds before her eyes lit up.
She wasn’t foolish. After thoroughly studying the rulebook, she sprang into action.
The ten bullies, now cautious to avoid being caught, were still targeted by Zhong Yunxin, who found new rule violations in the fine print.
The ten eventually gave up and dared not provoke Zhong Yunxin again.
Zhong Yunxin’s homeroom teacher felt some unease and sought out Xia Yu.
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