The School Prince is a Girl - Chapter 6

Finally, spurred on by 002’s urging, Bai Xi eventually found the truant Ye Ying on the rooftop corner of the Art Building.

【002: Is the female protagonist going to jump off the building? Oh my heavens, hurry and stop her!】

Bai Xi: “…”

【Bai Xi: Are you out of your mind? Why would she jump when she’s perfectly fine? At most, she’s in a bad mood and taking a walk on the rooftop. Alright, now that the female protagonist is safe, we’re having grilled cat meat tonight. Decide if you want to clean yourself up, or if I should do it personally.】

002: “…” I never realized you were such a cold-blooded and merciless Host.

【Bai Xi: Heh. Then please remember that I will follow the original plot if I want to, and I won’t if I don’t. At worst, we’ll perish together. Furthermore, even if I follow the original plot, my role is still the Villainous Supporting Character. If the female protagonist is sad, I should be viciously mocking her, not acting like a chaperone!】

Bai Xi finished speaking, and 002 remained silent for a long time. Just as Bai Xi wondered if the system had been scolded into introspection, she heard a long sigh from 002 in her mind.

【002: Alas, I had meant to remind you that the female protagonist was approaching, but sadly, your words hurt my feelings too much. I don’t want to talk to you.】

Bai Xi: ???

Snapping out of the conversation with 002, Bai Xi raised her head, which had been fixed on the stairs, and met Ye Ying’s gaze as she stood at the rooftop entrance.

MMP (Mad, Mad, Pity).

This damn system did that on purpose!

“Why are you here? Who permitted you to come over? It is class time now! Get back to class immediately!” Following the principle that whoever has the thickest skin wins, Bai Xi pointed at Ye Ying and sternly rebuked her misconduct, believing that if she wasn’t embarrassed, the whole world would be.

Even 002 was stunned by Bai Xi’s maneuver. Truly formidable. Look at that ability to twist black into white. She was indeed worthy of being the head of the wicked capitalists in her previous life.

Recovering from Bai Xi’s twisted logic, Ye Ying glanced at Bai Xi, who was leaning against the wall. “It is class time, yes, but what about you? Are you this full of vigor right after returning from the hospital? Besides, there’s a principle of first come, first served, isn’t there? I was clearly here first.”

At this moment, Ye Ying’s hazel eyes were dark and profound, utterly devoid of the usual feigned calmness and gentleness. Instead, they exuded a chilling quality—though this chilling quality certainly did not affect Bai Xi.

She was, after all, a seasoned veteran of the corporate world; how could she be easily intimidated by a mere high school student?

Therefore, Bai Xi remained completely unaffected and stepped onto the last stair, standing on the same level as Ye Ying.

Because Madam Bai required her to cross-dress as a male, impersonating her brother, Bai Xi had been aggressively pushed to grow taller. Her height had already shot up to 1.78 meters, fully meeting the average height for males and surpassing the majority of females. Coupled with her well-proportioned, slender figure, she appeared even taller, looking handsome and refined.

Ye Ying, without any of these external factors, relied entirely on natural growth. Her height of 1.68 meters allowed her to stand out among girls, but next to Bai Xi, she was noticeably shorter by ten centimeters. This wasn’t obvious from a distance, but standing this close, the gap was apparent.

The narrow rooftop corridor could barely accommodate three people standing abreast. With Bai Xi standing so dominatingly in the middle of the passage, the distance between Ye Ying, who could only stand against the wall, and Bai Xi was inevitably shortened.

Bai Xi’s white T-shirt carried a faint, subtle perfume scent, mixed with a hint of hospital disinfectant from her visit today. Both scents were very clean and mild, but mixed together, they gave off a feeling of cleanliness and comfort.

Unaccustomed to being this close to someone, Ye Ying turned her head, losing the desire to argue with Bai Xi here. After all, this young master, born with a silver spoon, could be reckless and arrogant, but she could not.

Averting Bai Xi’s gaze, Ye Ying turned to go downstairs and leave. One thing Bai Xi said was correct: it was class time. Having finally secured such a good education, she shouldn’t waste any time.

Sensing Ye Ying’s desire to avoid confrontation, Bai Xi didn’t press the matter further. She quietly watched Ye Ying’s figure disappear around the stairwell corner, then poked 002 in her mind.

【Bai Xi: Can you figure out what’s going on with Ye Ying?】

【002: Please, I’m just a small system. I can only survive by relying on the Host, and I only have the original novel in my possession. I can’t do anything else, alright? I’m not some omnipotent system.】

002 showed no shame about its incompetence, instead adopting the attitude that a salted fish is already salty and doesn’t mind a little extra salt.

It seemed that relying on the unreliable system 002 was out of the question. Bai Xi habitually reached into her pocket for a cigarette and her phone, only to remember that she was no longer the CEO Bai she once was. She was now just Bai Xi.

Frowning irritably, Bai Xi felt that even if this was her life’s “Plus” version, she shouldn’t be manipulated like this. Though she was lazy and didn’t want to return to the life of a worker ant like her previous one, that didn’t mean she could accept a life where she was restricted at every turn.

By the time Bai Xi returned to the classroom, the third class of the afternoon had already ended, and students from all classes were making their way to the cafeteria.

The buildings for the first and second years were separated from the third year, and even the cafeterias were separate. Furthermore, Nanluo was wealthy and extravagant, with both cafeterias comparable to five-star hotels, so there was no need to worry about crowding or poor food quality.

The third-year section had two school buildings, each with four floors. The current batch of third-year students was quite small. Even though International A Class 1 and 2 occupied an entire fourth floor, a small portion of the classrooms remained empty. Coupled with the fact that the stairs were wide and spacious enough, there was no sense of crowding even during dinner time.

Going against the flow of students heading downstairs, Bai Xi looked down toward the second-year competition class area on the first floor. Before her focus could settle, she diverted her gaze and, without looking sideways, walked up to the fourth floor under everyone’s scrutiny.

The empty classroom had few people left, but Bai Xi’s deskmate, who slept like a dead pig, was still faithfully maintaining his post. Looking at the empty classroom, Bai Xi remembered an important detail: wasn’t the male protagonist, Yu Mo, also in this class?

It wasn’t a matter of “wasn’t he.” He was. The male protagonist, Yu Mo, had been in A Class 2 from his first year to his third year and had never changed.

At this thought, Bai Xi realized her focus on the female protagonist was excessive. She had completely forgotten that the male protagonist was right under her nose, even foolishly being coaxed by 002 into skipping class, only to miss the best time to observe him now.

Bai Xi, however, forgot that she had never recalled the male protagonist’s existence in the first place, having slept with her eyes closed for two whole classes. Otherwise, what male protagonist would she fail to observe?

Bai Xi, who never considered finding the reason within herself, glanced at her deskmate still sleeping like a dead pig, then shifted her attention to the computer on the podium.

At the Bai residence, Madam Bai forbade Bai Xi from touching computers and even kept her without a mobile phone. All contact relied entirely on the black mechanical watch on her wrist, taking the principle of strict guarding to the extreme.

Although Bai Xi did not know Madam Bai’s reason for this, it did significantly hinder Bai Xi’s ability to access the outside world, making her easier to control.

But the current Bai Xi was not the former Bai Xi. Now, she not only needed a computer but also needed a sum of money and sufficient self-protection capability after breaking free from Madam Bai’s control.

In her previous life, Bai Xi had endured enough of having her life controlled by others. Given a second life, she was not here to continue being someone else’s puppet and sacrifice.

Nanluo High School had excellent faculty, and its teaching materials were naturally top-notch. Furthermore, because a part of the Bai Group was in the electronics industry, all the electronic equipment at Nanluo High School was sponsored by Bai Xi’s current cheap dad, Old Master Bai. It must be said that these electronic devices, which far exceeded student needs and were designed for commercial operations, were now conveniently available to Bai Xi.

Skillfully opening the computer on the podium, Bai Xi recalled that in her previous life, despite being a company CEO, she had to master a bit of every skill for contingencies, including computer technology.

If Bai Xi wanted to break free from Madam Bai’s control, other matters could wait, but the financial issue had to be addressed first. The economic base determines the superstructure; without financial freedom, everything else was meaningless.

Moreover, Bai Xi remembered that the original host and her brother, the genuine Bai Xi siblings, had never been especially doted upon by Old Master Bai since childhood, but they were never short of material possessions. However, all that money had been privately placed into her brother Bai Xi’s account by Madam Bai.

Now the sister had replaced the brother’s identity but had not acquired everything her brother owned. Even the account was still firmly held in Madam Bai’s hands. At this thought, Bai Xi frowned with displeasure. This Madam Bai truly was quite the meddler.

Her mind was wandering, but the movements of Bai Xi’s fingers were not slow at all. If 002 weren’t such a useless system, Bai Xi would not have bothered to personally use this instructional computer.

Of course, Bai Xi also strongly suspected that 002 was simply lazy and didn’t want to help her. Otherwise, how could such a powerful hyper-dimensional system be unable to break the account security of this world?

As the screen changed, a look of triumph gradually appeared in Bai Xi’s eyes. Finally, with the pleasant sound of gold coins clinking, Bai Xi saw a string of numbers added to the account located in Country M.

Transferring the money Madam Bai had left in the brother Bai Xi’s account was simple because Bai Xi was the current owner of that account. The only complicated part was avoiding Madam Bai’s notice.

Looking at the healthy balance of numbers in her account—though still a world of difference compared to her previous life—it was enough to make Bai Xi happy. After all, this was the first step.

After withdrawing the money, Bai Xi did not intend to leave it in the bank to earn interest that was slower than currency devaluation. Instead, she immediately opened the stock market to familiarize herself with the world’s financial environment.

The fastest and most effortless way to make money was through this. As a third-year student, and with Madam Bai strictly guarding her outside, Bai Xi certainly couldn’t do anything else. But activities like stock trading, which did not require her personal presence, were entirely feasible. Moreover, Bai Xi had a second plan.

She was intently watching the colorful, dizzying lines on the screen.

“If you only want to make a quick profit and leave, I suggest buying Hu Shi. It can easily double in value within a month. However, if you are looking for greater returns, I suggest buying Yi Chen. As a subsidiary of the Bai Group, its potential is limitless. Of course, this isn’t simply because of the Bai Group.”

While Bai Xi was concentrating on the computer screen, a steady, clear voice, unique to a young man, rang out in the silent classroom, startling Bai Xi enough to almost drop the computer in her hands.

Composing herself, Bai Xi turned to the source of the sound.

She saw that her deskmate, who had been sleeping like a dead pig all morning, was now rubbing the corners of his eyes sleepily. Yet, his voice was very clear, without the muddled or hoarse quality typical of someone who had just woken up.

Bai Xi realized she had been short-sighted and underestimated this dead-pig deskmate. Bai Xi hadn’t been familiar with the local stock market before and was projecting her calculations based on recent trends, which made it largely a gamble. Yet, coincidentally, this deskmate’s judgment aligned perfectly with her own. She didn’t know whether to call it chance or a meeting of great minds.

Temporarily setting aside the computer, Bai Xi tapped her fingers lightly on the podium, looking down at her dead-pig deskmate seated in the second row.