Chapter 29: APPLICATION.
After a vacation that passed in the blink of an eye, Hua Rong was back at school. The familiar hallways, the scent of books mixed with the faint hum of chatter—it was all the same, yet something felt different. Maybe it was because she had submitted her application for the archery competition, and now, all she could do was wait. She didn't know when or if it would be accepted, but that uncertainty wasn't going to stop her.
She had already decided—after class, she would go straight to practice.
As she made her way to the classroom, she noticed a group gathered near the entrance. Zhou Yifen, Zhinchen Liu, and a few others stood in a tight circle, their voices dropping the moment they spotted her. The air around them felt thick with something unspoken.
At her sight, the group instinctively stepped aside, creating a path for her to walk through. Hua Rong didn't say anything. She didn't need to. With a calm expression, she moved past them, entered the classroom, and took her usual seat by the window.
The courtyard outside looked peaceful, bathed in the soft morning light. She rested her chin against her hand, watching the trees sway gently in the breeze. It was quiet now, but in her mind, she was already thinking ahead—to the competition, to the practice she needed to do, and to the countless possibilities that awaited
Hua Rong's gaze drifted back to the group near the entrance. They were deep in conversation, their expressions ranging from frustration to disbelief. Something was clearly going on.
Curious, she lifted a hand and waved, catching Zhou Yifen's attention. "Hey, Yifen!" she called, motioning for him to come over.
With an exaggerated roll of his eyes, Yifen strode up to her desk, crossing his arms. "That damn Headmaster Jian," he muttered, the irritation clear in his voice.
Hua Rong arched a brow. "What did he do this time?"
Yifen huffed before explaining, "The first test paper was the hardest one we've ever had. Turns out, he made it that way on purpose—to make sure most of us fail."
Hua Rong's fingers instinctively curled around the edge of her desk. No wonder she had struggled with the exam. At one point, she had even started questioning her own abilities.