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

The front row was reserved for the four noble families.

Leather sofas replaced standard chairs, and bone china tea sets and afternoon tea snacks were laid out on the coffee table.

The principal and several board members sat on either side, while the four seats in the middle were empty.

When Ruan Tang entered the inner area, most of the students were already seated.

Today she was wearing Saint Lan's school uniform: a dark blue pleated skirt and coat, a white shirt, and a gold ribbon tied at the collar.

This is a special edition for the school anniversary, different from the usual ones, with an extra gold trim on the hem.

The students inside were all wearing special edition school uniforms.

Cheng Jin stood in the side aisle, holding a walkie-talkie, confirming the procedures with the etiquette team.

He is clearly the vice president of the student council, but he didn't have a seat today.

They could only stand on both sides with other student union members to maintain order, guide guests, and handle emergencies.

This is the difference between nobles and commoners.

With the same abilities and qualifications, or even higher positions, some students are relegated to standing in the aisle simply because they are special admissions students.

Ruan Tang glanced around at the seating arrangement inside the venue; the four people in the first row hadn't arrived yet.

They were the true masters of the school, sitting in their seats. Even the principal and board members were on either side of them, waiting for them to enter.

The second row and beyond features uniform aristocratic seats, each bearing a nameplate.

Her seat was in the second row, on the left, next to the heads of various departments of the student council, Yan Ling'er, He Qian, and several other aristocratic students whose names she couldn't recall.

In the entire second row, or rather, in the entire inner area except for the last row, she was the only person of commoner origin.

She knew this was because of the deacon group.

If she weren't the secretary of the deacon, she would have followed a different procedure, just like the other specially admitted students or Cheng Jin.

Further back was the last row inside, where the resistance group's seats were temporary folding chairs.

It was extremely rudimentary; there wasn't even a name sticker on the back of the chair.

Lin Xiaokui sat on the far left, next to Fang Zhaoyang, Yi Ze, Su Nian, and several other core members.

They were wearing ordinary school uniforms, which made them stand out from the surrounding exquisite and expensive anniversary special editions.

But they themselves did not feel out of place.

"We're really in." Fang Zhaoyang lowered his voice.

"Previously, specially admitted students couldn't even get seats in the front rows outside, but now we're sitting inside!"

Yi Ze nodded. "They finally gave in. The deacon group isn't a monolithic entity. As long as we continue to persevere..."

"Don't get too excited yet," Lin Xiaokui said, her voice calm, but the excitement in her eyes betrayed her.

"These are just temporary chairs, not official seats. We are still far from true equality."

Actually, her heart was burning with desire too.

This was the first time that students admitted through special admissions from ordinary backgrounds were allowed to enter the inner area, marking the most significant change since the resistance group was founded.

Lin Xiaokui raised her eyes and looked at the large screens on both sides of the stage, where a list of outstanding alumni from Shenglan over the past century was being played.

The heads of the four major conglomerates throughout history, political figures, and academic giants.

Then the scene cuts to this year's student council deacon group photo.

Si Lin sat in the middle, wearing a black shirt, with a cold and stern face. His height of 193 cm made him stand out in the group photo.

Pei Heng leaned against him, a smug smile on his lips.

Wen Yan stood on the other side, wearing silver-rimmed glasses, his demeanor gentle and refined.

Ji Yan stood at the very edge, his expression indifferent, but his features were clear and clean.

A chorus of screams erupted from the audience.

"Si Lin! Si Lin!"

"Wen Yan! Senior Wen!"

"Pei Heng Pei Heng—Ji Yan Ji Yan—"

The students, all from a privileged background, held up their phones; some stood up, while others waved light sticks in support.

Those light signs, printed with the photos and names of the four members of the Deacon Group, were merchandise officially supported by the school, and they were held up very high by the students.

Lin Xiaokui looked at those people.

The way they held up their light sticks was no different from the fans at the concert outside.

Despite being nobles and from privileged backgrounds, the way they fawned over the deacon group was even more humble than that of commoners.

She wouldn't do that.

What she wanted was not to fawn over them, but to be on equal footing with them.

She is determined to use justice and courage to change the rules of Saint Lan, so that all the special admission students can hold their heads high and the deacon team will have to take her seriously.

If you can get into the inner area today, you can stand next to them and sit in the first row tomorrow.

Lin Xiaokui shifted her gaze from the big screen to the aisle near the second row.

Ruan Tang stood there, looking up slightly at the support signs.

She wore the special edition school uniform for the school anniversary, its gold trim dazzling under the lights.

She was like a sickly young lady carefully protected by money and power, naive to the ways of the world.

Standing among the noble ladies around her, she didn't seem out of place at all.

Lin Xiaokui's fingers slowly clenched the hem of her skirt above her knees.

They were from the same place, so why did Ruan Tang stand out so much? Why did she not suffer at all and stand in the second row?

-

Ruan Tang had no idea what Lin Xiao Kui was thinking.

She was also watching the aristocratic girls waving light sticks, but she was thinking about something else.

Some people may indeed be captivated by the appearance and temperament of the four deacons. Si Lin's face and Wen Yan's demeanor are fatal to naive girls.

But many people holding up light boards are not chasing celebrities, but rather chasing power.

Beneath the screams lay a yearning to climb upwards.

She glanced at the third row again.

Gu Beiheng leaned back in his chair, one hand resting on the armrest, his posture languid.

Jiang Yubai was sitting next to him, looking down at his phone. Further to his right were two other core members of the A-level circle.

The four people sitting there looked more like they were there to socialize than to attend the school anniversary celebration.

Their goal was actually quite simple: to gain favor with the heirs of the four major conglomerates.

In lower social circles, networking is often seen as useless social interaction.

They were exhausted after a long day and had no time to care about the lives of others.

At this level, any information revealed at a party, a drinking session, or a golf course could represent assets that an ordinary person could not earn in several lifetimes.

At the Sheng Lan school anniversary celebration, representatives from the four major conglomerates will be present; such an occasion only happens once a year.

They came to reserve a spot in advance; the light-up sign was just a prop they grabbed to show their sincerity.

Ruan Tang looked away and was about to walk to her seat when she felt a long-standing gaze fixed on her from behind.

She turned around and saw Lin Xiao Kui in the last row.

Their gazes collided across the clamor of the entire auditorium.

The excitement and anticipation in Lin Xiaokui's eyes when she first entered the venue had not completely faded, but the moment her gaze fell on Ruan Tang, that light was overshadowed by another emotion.

A bitter taste, a sense of resentment, and an unconcealable jealousy that she couldn't match.

A young girl's thoughts change so quickly.

He was feeling a little smug and proud just moments before, but as soon as he saw Ruan Tang standing in front of him, that smugness turned into resentment.

People are not enough to swallow elephants.

Ruan Tang calmly withdrew her gaze and walked to her seat.

It's easy to guess that Lin Xiao Kui must have been furious again.

Life is boring enough, but seeing others' disapproval yet their inability to let go of their own feelings is strangely amusing.

Ruan Tang smiled slightly.