The pretty little follower gets targeted by the crazy guys at the elite academy

In September, the sky over the capital city is as blue as a piece of silk that has been washed with water.

The gates of St. Lia's College were wide open, and the golden name of the school above the archway shimmered in the sunlight.

The school gate was filled with all kinds of luxury cars.

Maybachs, Rolls-Royces, Bentleys—one after another, like an open-air car show.

The freshmen, dressed in custom-made uniforms, climbed out of the car. Some dragged suitcases, while others were empty-handed, their suitcases being carried by servants.

Parents followed behind, some giving instructions, some taking photos, and some wiping away tears.

A matte black Maybach slowly pulled up in front of the school.

The car door opened, and two bodyguards in black suits got out and stood on either side of the car.

Then came the housekeeper, a man in his fifties with his hair neatly combed and holding a folder in his hand.

Finally, a nude-colored stiletto heel emerged from the car, a few rhinestones on its surface sparkling in the sunlight.

Li Ruo got out of the car.

She wore a cream-colored Peter Pan collar dress with a fitted waist, the hem of which fell just two fingers above her knees, revealing her long, slender, and well-proportioned legs.

Her hair wasn't tied up; her long, smooth black hair cascaded over her shoulders, the ends curling slightly and naturally, as if caressed by a gentle breeze.

She wore no heavy makeup, only a thin layer of primer, her eyebrows were neatly trimmed, and her lips had a natural pinkish hue.

She stood at the school gate, looking up at the gold-plated school badge, her expression calm.

This was her first time here.

Yet, there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity about it.

"Miss, the suitcase has been brought down."

Butler Wang walked up to her and said respectfully.

Li Ruo withdrew her gaze and nodded.

Two bodyguards followed behind her, along with several servants pushing suitcases.

New students and their parents at the school gate all turned to look.

"Who is that? Their entourage is quite extravagant!"

"You don't recognize her? Li Ruo, the young lady from the Beijing elite family, the richest family in the capital."

"That top student whose looks became legendary in just one shot during the college entrance exam! That... the top scorer in the college entrance exam?"

"Yes, her total score was 739, which is 20 points higher than the second place. It is said that she could have been admitted to Peking University without taking the entrance exam, but for some reason she chose St. Lia."

"What's wrong with Saint Lia? Saint Lia is also ranked among the top three in the country, okay?"

There is still a gap between the top three and the first place.

"What do you know? Her family is rich; she can sleep with whomever she wants."

"It's not about the money. I heard that her father, Li Zhengyuan, donated a building to St. Liya, which is how they got her in."

"Donate a building? He got in through an exam! 739 points, try getting one yourself!"

"..."

Li Ruo listened to the whispers without any change in expression.

She's used to it.

From childhood to adulthood, she has always been the center of attention wherever she goes.

Putting aside her face and family background, just by standing there, she exudes an aura that makes it impossible to look away.

The proud snake is aloof, yet possesses a natural air of relaxation.

Like a cat lying in the sun, lazy and carefree, not caring what others think.

She strode toward the school gate.

Bodyguards and servants followed behind, a group of seven or eight people, a large and impressive group, like a small army.

The crowd automatically parted to make way for them; some were curious, some were envious, some were resentful, and some wanted to approach but didn't dare.

A girl in a pink dress was standing by the roadside, licking an ice cream cone. When she saw Li Ruo walking over, she almost dropped the ice cream.

"So beautiful..."

She muttered to herself, her eyes wide open.

The girl next to her nudged her:

"Eat your ice cream, stop looking. People like that are from a different world than you."

"Can't I just take a look?"

"You can look, but don't drool."

"You're the one drooling!"

Li Ruo did not hear these conversations.

She walked along the tree-lined avenue of Saint-Lia, where the lush foliage of the plane trees on both sides intertwined overhead to form a green tunnel.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Her high heels trod through the light and shadow as she walked past the teaching building, the library, and the stadium.

Every place gave her a strange sense of familiarity, as if she had been there in a dream.

But she never came.

She just... seemed to have been waiting for this day for a long time.

"Li Ruo!"

A sweet voice came from behind.

Li Ruo stopped and turned around.

A girl jogged up to me, wearing a white T-shirt, light blue jeans, and white canvas shoes. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, and she had no makeup on. Her skin was fair, her eyes were big and bright, and she had two shallow dimples when she smiled.

She ran to Li Ruo, bent over to catch her breath, then straightened up and held out her hand:

"Hello, my name is Xia Qinghe! I'm also a freshman this year, from the School of Literature."

"I saw your college entrance exam score, 739 points! That's amazing!"

"I also studied humanities and scored 712 points, which is 27 points lower than yours."

"You're the most amazing student I've ever met! I'd like to be your friend, is that okay?"

She rattled off a long string of words in one breath, then laughed, her dimples deepening.

Li Ruo stared at her, somewhat mesmerized.

There was something about this girl that she was very familiar with.

Her greeting to her was so natural, neither ingratiating nor shy, like an old friend she hadn't seen in a long time, who naturally came over to chat.

Li Ruo's lips curled up slightly.

"Hello, Xia Qinghe."

She grasped the outstretched hand: "I... I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

Xia Qinghe paused for a moment, then smiled even more brightly: "Really? Maybe it was in a past life."

Li Ruo's fingers paused for a moment.

past life...

"Maybe," she replied with a smile.

Not far away, a boy stood under the shade of a tree, holding a bottle of mineral water and unscrewing the cap.

His gaze lingered on Xia Qinghe, from her ponytail to her canvas shoes, and from her canvas shoes to the dimples on her face.

The bottle cap was unscrewed, and water overflowed, soaking his hand, but he didn't feel it.

He twisted the bottle cap open and then back in, then unscrewed it again and again, like his heartbeat that had lost its rhythm.

"Lu Li? Lu Li!" The boy next to him patted him on the shoulder.

Lu Li suddenly snapped out of her daze, nearly dropping the mineral water bottle in her hand.

He caught it in a flurry, getting water all over himself.

What are you doing?

His friend looked at him, then followed his gaze and said, "Oh—looking at a pretty girl?"

Lu Li's ears turned red.

He was the kind of person who blushed easily. He was 1.87 meters tall, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. Standing in a crowd, he looked like a tall poplar tree.

But his ears and youthful face betrayed him.

He looked clean and clear, like the mineral water in his hand, without a single impurity.

"Who is that girl?" he asked, his voice a little tense.

Her friend squinted and looked: "Which one? The one in the white dress?"

Lu Li: "The one next to the one in the white dress, the one with the ponytail."

"Don't know you. A freshman, right? What, you've got your eye on someone?"

Lu Li: "..."

He tightened the cap on the mineral water bottle, stuffed it into his trouser pocket, then took it out again, and stuffed it back in.

His gaze followed Xia Qinghe's retreating figure, watching her chatter away beside Li Ruo, laughing heartily.

"Let's go."

His friend pulled him back: "Read it after the report is finished; you can't escape it."

Lu Li was pulled a couple of steps by him, then looked back again.

Xia Qinghe was bending down to pick up a leaf that had fallen from a tree. She held it up to the light, and the sunlight filtering through the leaf cast a pale green hue on her face.

When she smiles, her dimples curve like two crescent moons.

Lu Li's Adam's apple bobbed.

He turned around and followed his friend.

After taking a few steps, he turned back.

This time, Xia Qinghe was no longer there; she and Li Ruo disappeared around the corner of the tree-lined avenue.

Looking at the empty corner, Lu Li suddenly felt a strange sense of loss, as if he had lost something very important.

"Ji Huai'an".

"Um?"

"You have a lot of connections, could you help me look into... that girl, from the School of Humanities, the one with the ponytail?"

His friend glanced at him and laughed, "Still saying you haven't found anyone you like?"

Lu Li's ears turned red again.

This time the redness was even more intense, spreading from the tips of her ears all the way to the base of her ears, like two burning flames.

"I just... felt like I recognized her."

My friend smiled but said nothing.

That's what guys who are pursuing girls say.

He had known Lu Li for so many years, and this was the first time he had seen him so absent-minded.