A Newborn Calf Fears No Tiger
At Windsor Academy, aside from special admissions, most students automatically progressed from the affiliated school. Thus, new faces each year were few.
When Zuri was brought to Class Six, the students were chatting in groups. As she and Jason entered, all eyes shifted to the delicate, elegant girl behind him.
"Wow, she's gorgeous. How come I've never seen her before? Is she a transfer from abroad?"
"Does anyone know her?"
"Nope."
"There's no mention of any wealthy family's daughter transferring to Oceanic City."
"She might not be from Oceanic City, maybe from another city."
"She's even prettier than Jazmin. Windsor's school belle might have to step down."
"Maybe she's one of the new top students the school specially admitted this semester?" someone speculated.
"Impossible. Special admissions are usually from ordinary families. Look at her clothes, definitely not from an ordinary background," someone countered.
"Hey, maybe the school thinks our grade is too bad and keeps admitting top students to improve the reputation."
"Haha, you're right. Our grade is indeed the worst in years. The school needs more bookworms for a better graduation rate."
Their chatter showed no regard for the teacher, indicating the arrogant attitude of these rich kids.
"Quiet," Jason's raised voice finally brought order to the room. Everyone waited for him to introduce the new student.
"This is your new classmate, who will be studying with you from now on. Zuri, please introduce yourself," Jason said, looking back at the girl.
Zuri stepped forward, her bright eyes carrying a subtle smile as she looked at the familiar yet youthful faces. She picked up a chalk and swiftly wrote "Zuri" on the blackboard, then tossed the chalk back into the box with a stylish, fluid motion, eliciting whistles and cheers from the unruly students.
Seeing her standing silently, Jason asked, "Aren't you going to say something?"
"No need. That's all."
Jason didn't press further, scanning the room before focusing on the seat by the window in the back row, usually reserved for the class troublemaker.
"Would any boy like to swap seats with Zuri?" he asked, seeing how pretty the new girl was.
"No need. That seat is fine," Zuri said, walking off the stage.
All eyes followed her, and when she actually sat down, many gasped, looking at her with a mix of admiration, schadenfreude, and curiosity.
Jason sighed, thinking this girl was brave, but he recalled the director's instructions and said, "If you have any problems, remember to tell me."
"Okay, teacher."
"Alright, everyone, time to focus and start studying," Jason announced, but the students continued with their own activities.
The boy in front of her turned around, whispering, "Do you know who you're sitting next to?"
Zuri remained silent, prompting him to continue eagerly, "Your seatmate is the infamous school bully. His father is a mob boss in Oceanic City. Don't cross him, or you'll be forced to leave."
Seeing her calm reaction, the boy felt disappointed, expecting her to be scared.
"Aren't you afraid?" he asked.
"Does he have three heads and six arms?" Zuri asked calmly.
The boy shook his head, puzzled.
"Does he look terrifying?"
The boy shook his head again.
"Then why should I be afraid?" Zuri countered.
The boy was stunned, speechless, and even found her reasoning logical.
Many around them had been listening and concluded that this new student was quite unique.
After class, a few girls approached Zuri.
"Zuri, what do your parents do?"
Coming from wealthy families, they could tell Zuri's background wasn't ordinary. Knowing her background would determine how to interact with her.
"Aaron Lin, chairman of Lin Group, is my stepfather."
The students were all stunned.
Nyla gasped, "You're Saira's sister?"
Zuri didn't respond.
Sister? She doesn't deserve it.
Before school started, the entire school knew about the Lin family's real and fake daughters, and how Zuri had lived in the slums. They were curious about the true heiress but didn't expect her to be their classmate.
With Aaron's prestigious name, they didn't dare bully Zuri openly but didn't want to associate with her either. After all, her previous living conditions were far from respectable.
Moments ago, the crowd surrounding Zuri dispersed.
"I can't believe Saira's sister is in my class. Such bad luck."
"I heard she used to do dirty business before."
"Don't get too close to her; who knows what diseases she might have."
"Just now, I was so close to her. Now I feel filthy. I want to go home and shower."
Someone glanced at the quiet Zuri and said, "Don't be so harsh. She might not have done those things."
"Don't be naive. A pretty girl like her living in those slums, how could those people not be tempted?"
"Exactly."
…
This was the girls' gossip.
As for the boys, their discussion took a different tone.
"Damn, she's my goddess's sister."
"She stole my goddess's happiness. No matter how pretty she is, I hate her."
"I heard she's easy. Interested?"
"She's gorgeous and a Lin family member. It'd be great to hook up with her for a few days. Saira's hard to get, but her sister will do."
Their voices were loud enough for Zuri to hear, despite her attempts to ignore them.
In her previous life, they had mocked and slandered her just as openly. If she didn't know it was her first meeting with them, she would have thought she had wronged them before to warrant such malice.
Back then, she avoided trouble, didn't want to burden her parents, or seem uncouth, so she endured it.
This time, she wouldn't tolerate it.