NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8: POINTS.
It had been four days since the system started, and the entire school was in utter chaos—especially the dormitories and the grand hall, where students from different sections clashed the most. The constant battles to make each other lose points turned those places into war zones.
Every classroom had a small digital screen that flickered on and off, displaying real-time updates of the students' points. Notifications popped up like relentless reminders of their ranks, fueling rivalries.
The only time Hua Rong ever found peace was between class hours, a brief window where the madness settled, if only for a moment. She wished those moments would last longer.
But honestly, some students were just stupid.
Blindly threw themselves at others, thinking that would guarantee victory, only to end up losing points instead. Unless the opponent fought back, the attacker was the one penalized. Some of them hadn't figured that out yet, which made watching their reckless fights almost entertaining.
Hua Rong had thought she would finally get through one class without disturbance—until an argument broke out in the middle of the break.
"How?! How did you lose so many points?!"
Zhou Yifan's voice rang across the classroom as he pinned Gong Yefeng against the wall, gripping his collar. His frustration was evident, eyes burning with disbelief.
Gong Yefeng scowled. "He was the one who attacked me first!"
"But you lost more points than him!"
Hua Rong sighed. That was the problem with this ridiculous system. Gong Yefeng had fought a student from Section B, Feng Moyan, and although Feng Moyan took more hits, Gong Yefeng was the one penalized the most. If he had just kept his temper in check and walked away, Feng Moyan would have been the only one at a disadvantage. But no—his pride got the better of him, and now their class was at a loss.
"Enough." Lin Zeyan stepped in between them, his usual calm voice cutting through the tension. "Fighting among ourselves will only make us lose more points."
Reluctantly, Zhou Yifan let go, though he still looked annoyed. Another student rushed over to check the digital screen, scanning the rankings of each section.
As the numbers flickered, Hua Rong finally took a proper look.
Feng Xue had mentioned something before about most students here being good-looking, and now that she was paying attention, she realized Xue wasn't wrong. Most of them were ridiculously attractive.
Maybe it was because they all came from wealthy backgrounds—sons of elites, raised with every privilege. But good looks meant nothing if they were still rascals by nature.
Shrugging off the thought, Hua Rong picked up her empty juice box and stood to throw it in the trash.
That's when Zhou Yifan called her name.
"Hua Rong!"
She turned, raising an eyebrow.
"What's your point total?" he asked, eyes narrowed with curiosity.
She blinked, then glanced at her wristwatch. "Ten thousand," she answered, her tone neutral. Without waiting for their reaction, she tossed the empty juice box into the bin and made her way back to her seat.
But as she passed by the screen, she stole a glance at the updated rankings:
Section A – 35,000 pointsSection B – 24,000 pointsSection C – 30,000 points
So, their section had the highest score.
Then why were they still fighting?
A quiet murmur spread through the class.
Gong Yefeng walked over to Hua Rong's bench, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke. "Hua Rong, because of you, we're at the top. So, on behalf of everyone—thanks for your points."
Hua Rong blinked.
Oh. He's right.
Her ten thousand points made up a huge chunk of their total. The remaining forty-three students together had around twenty-five thousand. If she thought back, it made sense—she had always followed the rules, done extra work, and behaved just enough to earn those points without even realizing their importance.
She glanced around. The other students were silent, but their expressions weren't as cold as before.
They wanted to thank her too.
But their pride was probably holding them back.
Hua Rong smirked slightly, leaning back in her seat.
Maybe they weren't as bad as she originally thought
The classroom door slid open, and in an instant, the murmurs died down.
Everyone exchanged glances before silently making their way back to their seats, the tension from earlier fading like it never existed. Gong Yefeng, who had just spoken, straightened up and walked off without another word. Zhou Yifan let out a quiet huff but didn't argue.
Lin Zeyan leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, as if nothing had happened.
Hua Rong rested her chin on her palm, watching as the teacher stepped inside.
Just like that, the chaos was over—at least for now.
.....
Hua Rong was in the library, carefully selecting books to create notes. No matter how chaotic things got in school, she couldn't forget that exams were approaching. Balancing three thick books in her arms, she navigated the shelves, scanning for anything useful.
Just as she reached for another book, a familiar figure appeared, leaning lazily against the shelf beside her.
Xu Lingwei.
His smirk was as infuriating as ever, his posture relaxed as if he had all the time in the world. "What are you doing?" he asked, amusement flickering in his eyes.
Hua Rong barely spared him a glance. "Can't you see?" she replied flatly, adjusting the books in her arms.
Xu Lingwei let out a low chuckle, his gaze sweeping over the books she was holding. "I didn't know you were into studying," he mused. "From what I remember, you were always too short-tempered to focus on anything."
Oh, here we go again.
Hua Rong exhaled sharply, shooting him a glare. "I've changed," she said, turning away. "I'm no longer the girl you remember."
Xu Lingwei tilted his head, a knowing glint in his eyes. "Oh, that I can see," he murmured, placing his back against the shelf. Then, after a beat, he smirked. "But you know… I really miss the old Hua Rong—the one who used to appreciate me every time she saw me."
Hua Rong's steps faltered. What nonsense is he talking about now?.
He sighed dramatically, placing one hand against his chin as if lost in nostalgic longing. "In the past, whenever you saw me, you'd say—" He deepened his voice, mimicking a dreamy tone, ''Oh, Lingwei! You're really pretty! I don't want to look away!''.
Hua Rong froze for a second, her mind blank.
Then her face burned
"Will you shut up?!" she snapped.
Xu Lingwei only chuckled, thoroughly enjoying himself. "What? Are you embarrassed? Even though you used to shamelessly stare at me back then?" he teased, leaning in slightly.
Hua Rong's patience snapped. Without thinking, she grabbed one of the heavy books from her pile and hurled it at him.
It all happened in an instant.
Xu Lingwei dodged with a quick step back, but in doing so, he lost balance and fell against the bookshelf behind him. The entire shelf wobbled dangerously before tipping over with a loud crash, knocking into another shelf beside it. The domino effect sent a series of shelves shaking, books tumbling down in a chaotic mess.
Hua Rong's eyes widened in horror. Oh, crap.
A loud beep flickered on her watch screen.
-3000 POINTS
"What?!" she blurted out. Why?!
Her gaze darted to Xu Lingwei, who was now sitting amidst the scattered books, looking completely unbothered. In fact, he was still smirking.
Realization struck her like a brick.
He did that on purpose.
That smug look on his face confirmed it. He had deliberately exaggerated his fall so the system would penalize her.
"You—!" Hua Rong pointed an accusing finger, her face red with frustration.
Xu Lingwei simply dusted off his uniform and leaned back on his elbows, looking way too pleased with himself.
"Oops," he said, voice dripping with fake innocence. "Looks like you should be more careful with your temper, Hua Rong."
Hua Rong clenched her fists, resisting the overwhelming urge to throw another book at him.
This jerk!.
Hua Rong took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. Don't lose your temper. Not here. Not now.
If she left the fallen bookshelf as it was, the system would count it as indiscipline, meaning more point deductions. She had already lost too many because of Xu Lingwei, and she wasn't about to let it happen again. Gritting her teeth, she placed the books aside and moved to lift the shelf back up.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed Xu Lingwei still lounging on the floor, watching her with his usual smirk. But for the briefest moment—so brief she almost doubted herself—his gaze softened. Was he… surprised?
Shaking off the thought, Hua Rong focused on the task at hand.
She braced herself and gripped the edge of the bookshelf, trying to push it upright. Just as she did, Xu Lingwei moved beside her and placed his hands on the shelf as well.
She shot him a suspicious look. "Why are you helping?"
He grinned. "To earn points, obviously."
Oh. Right.
Helping others increased system points, just like breaking rules deducted them. He wasn't doing this out of kindness—just greed.
Hua Rong frowned. "I can do it. You can leave."
Xu Lingwei leaned slightly toward her. "No, I can't possibly leave a fragile girl alone."
Her grip on the shelf tightened. Oh, I hate him.
"I'm not fragile," she snapped.
He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Fine. Then a man can't leave a woman alone, can he?"
A short laugh escaped Hua Rong before she could stop it. "A man?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow.
And then, without thinking much, she let go of the bookshelf.
For a split second, she expected him to handle it. It wasn't that heavy—it was just one shelf. He could easily balance it, right?
But to her utter shock, Xu Lingwei lost his balance completely. His smirk vanished as he stumbled backward, and before she could react, he crashed to the floor—bookshelf and all.
Hua Rong stood frozen. What…?
How could he not handle such a weak shelf?
Then, as she looked down at him—at the way he lazily blinked up at the ceiling before shifting his gaze back to her with that same infuriating smirk—it hit her.
He did that on purpose.
Before she could fully process her frustration, her watch flickered.
-2500 POINTS
Her breath caught. "What?!"
She clenched her fists. Why?! He was the one who fell! Why was she getting penalized for it?!
Meanwhile, Xu Lingwei remained sprawled on the floor, not looking the least bit bothered. In fact, he seemed highly entertained.
Hua Rong exhaled sharply. If I stay with him any longer, I'll be completely point-less.
Spinning on her heel, she turned to leave, but before she could take a step, a low voice murmured near her ear.
"Seems like you're really losing a lot of points."
She whirled around to find Xu Lingwei much closer than before, his hazel brown eyes gleaming with amusement.
Hua Rong forced a smile. "Thanks to someone."
He chuckled, tilting his head slightly. "But I really love seeing you lose your temper." His voice was quieter now, his gaze fixed on her.
Not that it flustered her.
Without hesitation, Hua Rong kicked his leg—hard.
"Go to hell!" she snapped, turning away.
A flicker on her watch.
-500 POINTS
Hua Rong froze.
Her hands clenched at her sides as she stared at the glowing red numbers on her screen.
She was done.