The investigation into the poisoned well was put on hold by an unavoidable social obligation: University acceptance celebrations. Ye Xia's perfect Gaokao score had made her a minor celebrity, and her homeroom teacher had organized a class dinner at a fancy restaurant.
She went out of a sense of obligation to the few teachers who had been kind to her, and as a final farewell to that chapter of her life. She dressed simply, wanting to be invisible, but her new bearing made that impossible. She moved with a grace that turned heads, her presence filling the room.
The dinner was a awkward affair of forced laughter and nostalgic speeches. Ye Xia was just beginning to think she could slip away when a familiar, chillingly sweet voice cut through the chatter.
"Well, well. If it isn't the academic prodigy."
Evangeline de Winter stood at the entrance to the private room, looking utterly out of place in a couture gown, a condescending smile on her perfect lips. Behind her was Mo, his expression unreadable, and an older couple who radiated the same entitled aura as Evangeline—her parents.
"My apologies for intruding," Evangeline said, not sounding sorry at all. "We were dining next door and heard the celebration. We simply had to offer our congratulations to the top student in the city." Her eyes locked onto Ye Xia. "Mo, darling, isn't this the young woman you've taken such an... interest in?"
The entire class fell silent, staring at the drama unfolding.
Mo's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "Evangeline, this is not the time or place."
"Nonsense!" Evangeline trilled, sweeping into the room. She stopped in front of Ye Xia, looking her up and down with a faux-friendly smile that didn't reach her cold eyes. "So you're the one. I've heard so much. The self-made heiress. It's so... inspiring how some people can climb so high from such... humble beginnings."
The insult was veiled in false praise, a masterclass in social cruelty. Ye Xia felt the eyes of her classmates on her, their curiosity turning to pity and judgment.
Before Ye Xia could respond, Evangeline turned to address the room. "You must all be so proud of your friend! It's a testament to the opportunities in this country. Of course, true excellence often requires generations of refinement. Like fine wine, or thoroughbred horses." She gave a tinkling laugh, looping her arm through Mo's. "Don't you agree, darling?"
Mo extracted his arm with a subtle but firm movement. "Evangeline, we're leaving."
"But we haven't properly congratulated the girl!" Evangeline pouted. She reached into her purse and pulled out a business card, handing it to Ye Xia. It was embossed with the de Winter family crest. "If you ever need a real job, dear, after your little university adventure, do give me a call. We always have openings for... motivated individuals."
It was the final, crushing blow—a public offer of charity, designed to cement Ye Xia's status as an upstart in need of patronage.
Ye Xia took the card. She didn't look at it. She held Evangeline's gaze, and for the first time, she let a fraction of her cultivator's aura leak out. The air around them grew cold. The chattering room fell silent again, this time with a sense of palpable unease.
"Thank you for the offer, Miss de Winter," Ye Xia said, her voice quiet but carrying to every corner of the room. "But I create my own opportunities."
She held the card between her thumb and forefinger. A wisp of Kai, sharp and hot, flowed from her fingertips. The expensive cardstock blackened and crumbled into ash, which she let drift to the floor.
A collective gasp went through the room. Evangeline's smile froze, her eyes widening in shock and fury. Mo watched, a flicker of something like pride in his eyes.
Without another word, Ye Xia turned and walked out of the restaurant, leaving a stunned silence in her wake. The gauntlet had been thrown down. The battle with Evangeline de Winter was now officially begun.