After the minor character transforms into a beauty, she steals the heart of a tycoon's son.

Si Lin put down his wine glass, stood up, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

He had his back to her, broad shoulders and a narrow waist, the hem of his black shirt tucked into his trousers, his belt accentuating his lean waistline.

Outside the window is a panoramic view of Shenglan's campus, where several students are running on the playground.

"The student council will have a general meeting tomorrow," he said. "Yan Ling'er will be in charge, and you need to be there."

"I know."

"Someone at the meeting will definitely bring up the resistance group's gathering at the library. When that happens, you should speak and shift the blame onto Lin Xiaokui and Fang Zhaoyang."

"The other injured people were said to have been taken there without their knowledge and were treated leniently."

Ruan Tang was taken aback. "You want to protect Su Nian and the others?"

"It's not that I want to protect him." Si Lin turned around and leaned against the French window, his expression obscured by the backlight.

"You stood up for her on the playground yesterday; everyone saw it."

"You're a member of the deacon council. If you protect her, the deacon council can't touch her anymore, otherwise outsiders will say there's discord within the deacon council."

Ruan Tang looked at him, "Didn't you say you didn't care what people outside said?"

"I usually don't care," Si Lin said.

"But since things have come to this, let's go with the flow, subdue the culprit, and let the others go."

"This will also cause a split within the resistance group. Some people will feel that they have been implicated by Lin Xiaokui, while others will feel that they have escaped by luck."

"If you try to cause trouble again, people won't be united."

After listening, Ruan Tang slowly nodded.

Si Lin is just as ruthless and scheming as Wen Yan.

His every move was interconnected, capable of both striking at the resistance group and splitting it apart, while also doing her a favor in the process.

Let everyone know that it was Ruan Tang who spoke up and saved Su Nian and the others.

Those in the resistance group who lacked resolve would naturally gravitate towards her.

"I understand," she said.

Si Lin walked back and stood in front of her.

He looked down at her and patted her on the head.

The movements were casual and relaxed, like petting an obedient cat.

It carried a condescending intimacy.

He said, "You did well today, keep it up from now on. You're part of the deacon board, don't embarrass me in public."

Ruan Tang looked up at him, her eyes sparkling.

Her disheveled hair clung to her forehead, and the blush from the alcohol still lingered on her fair cheeks, making her look both docile and gentle.

"Will you still choke me in the future?" she asked.

Si Lin looked down at her, gazing at her fair and delicate face.

This girl, she dared to take advantage of his compliment.

But he doesn't dislike it.

Perhaps it was because she was beautiful that he was always more tolerant.

"We'll see," he said.

"What does 'depending on the situation' mean?"

"Let's see if you'll listen to me."

Si Lin leaned back on the sofa armrest, twirling a lighter in his hand, and gestured with his chin towards her, "Let's go."

Ruan Tang left the lounge.

Si Lin stared at her retreating figure, thinking, "Ruan Tang seems to be getting more and more interesting."

-

The next afternoon, there was a general meeting of the student council.

The meeting room was on the third floor of the student union building, and the long table was full of people.

The department heads and deputy heads, the disciplinary inspection staff, and the secretariat clerks totaled more than thirty people.

The boys wore uniforms, and the girls wore skirts, all with student council badges pinned to their chests.

Yan Ling'er sat in the main seat at one end of the long table. Her face was that of a typical lady from a well-to-do family, with gentle features and a warm smile, and she did not appear to be aggressive at all.

But the reason he was able to become the student council president at Sheng Lan was never because of his good looks.

Cheng Jin sat to her left.

Ruan Tang was seated in the middle of the long table, next to He Qian from the Discipline Inspection Department. He nodded to her but didn't say much.

Yan Ling'er tapped the table, and the meeting began.

"There are three things to discuss at today's meeting," she began, her voice gentle and clear, neither fast nor slow. "First, the follow-up to the library gathering incident last week."

"The second thing is the division of labor for next month's school anniversary activities."

"The third item is the reports from each department."

She opened the documents in front of her. "Let's talk about the library first."

The special admissions officers sitting at the end of the long table exchanged glances and lowered their heads.

They were from the secretariat and logistics department, usually responsible for running errands and doing odd jobs, and rarely spoke at these meetings.

"According to the investigation by the Department of Justice, on Wednesday afternoon last week, seventeen members of the resistance group held an illegal assembly in the study room on the fourth floor of the library."

"During the incident, the stair railing broke due to pushing and shoving, resulting in injuries to several students, including members of the student council."

After reading the investigation report, Yan Ling'er looked up and said, "All those involved have been recorded."

He Qian continued, "The disciplinary department's opinion is that the ringleaders, Lin Xiaokui and Fang Zhaoyang, will receive a major demerit. The remaining fifteen will receive a verbal warning, their punishments will be revoked, and the demerits will not be recorded in their student files."

"Too light." The head of the logistics department spoke up. He was a boy with slicked-back hair named Lu Bai.

"The injured student council member is still lying in the school hospital; is a demerit and a verbal warning all that's needed?"

He Qian glanced at them. "The disciplinary action is carried out according to regulations."

"So you mean the student council deserves it?" Lu Bai's voice rose a half octave.

"I didn't say that."

"Alright," Yan Ling'er interrupted them.

She looked around and said, "The whole thing about the resistance group was ultimately orchestrated and instigated by someone behind the scenes. The rest of us were just led by the crowd and went along on a whim."

"Many of these people were specially admitted students with excellent grades and good hearts; they were just deliberately instigated."

Her gaze swept over the special admissions officers at the end of the long table. "Let me make this clear today: special admissions students are not the enemies of the elite, and the student council also recognizes the hard work and dedication of all special admissions students."

"As for the resistance group, we will not pursue the matter for now, as long as they were not involved in core decision-making."

The special admissions officers nodded quickly, and their admiration for Yan Ling'er grew even stronger.

"As for Lin Xiaokui and Fang Zhaoyang, they will receive a major demerit." Yan Ling'er paused.

"The student council will immediately notify the entire school of its final conclusions regarding the library incident."

Ruan Tang sat in the middle section and listened silently to the whole thing.

Yan Ling'er's solution was exactly the same as what Si Lin had told her in the lounge yesterday.

Subdue the culprit, and let the rest go.

She glanced at the people on both sides of the long table.

Cheng Jin was flipping through documents, while He Qian was writing something in his notebook.

The next round of presentations began, with everyone clearly organized and concise in their statements.

This is a small power group.

The student council is the direct ruler, and the deacon is the president.

Ruan Tang recalled the ending of the original novel, in which Lin Xiao Kui changed the power structure of Sheng Lan, married Si Lin, and became the mistress of the Si Group.

That uneasy feeling came back, and she still couldn't figure it out.

How did a girl from the outskirts of the city manage to overcome such a huge class gap and reach that position?

Judging from the current situation, Lin Xiaokui won't even be able to get past Yan Ling'er in the student council.

Moreover, Si Lin, who always follows Yan Ling'er's lead.

Cheng Jin, Yan Ling'er, and the student council members are not just figures of fame; they already wield real power.

No matter how loudly the protest groups outside shouted their slogans, the student council could easily defuse the situation with a single action.

In their eyes, that passion is probably just like children playing house.

They are not on the same level in terms of mindset or social class.

What exactly is it that allows Lin Xiaokui to marry into the Si family and secure a place for herself?