Chapter 19 — New Clothes, Old Eyes
Bai Xia woke at dawn, the roosters still muffled across the village. It was barely five in the morning. By the time she had smoothed her hair and tied the loose ribbon, her younger siblings were already finished with their chores and standing at the gate with their school satchels. Their uniforms were patched in places; the shirts hung a little loose, sleeves frayed at the cuffs. The sight never failed to tug at her chest.
Bai Xia's school uniform was worn-out and hung on her body like a flag in a windy afternoon. Bai Yang and Bai Xin weren't any better; they left the courtyard together, shoulders hunched against the morning chill. Bai Xia followed them for a short while, more from habit than necessity.
"Jiejie, why are you following us?" Bai Xin asked, blinking with sleepy puzzlement.
Bai Xia smiled at them and made a small shooing gesture with one hand. "Go on. Study hard," she said, and watched their small figures blend into the path toward the village school.
The village school itself was a humble place: low ceilings, wooden desks scarred by generations of elbows, a bell mounted on a post outside that still required someone to pull a rope. Students sat in rows, maps pinned to faded corkboards, the air inside always smelling faintly of chalk and steaming porridge from the cookhouse. It was not fancy, but it was where the village's children learned the basics that might one day carry them farther than this dirt road.
Bai Xia walked to the gate and waved her siblings goodbye. Only when they rounded the bend did she slip inside the principal's office without hesitation.
The principal glanced up and frowned. She knew the Bai family's situation well — everyone in the village did. For a brief moment the principal thought Bai Xia had come to beg for a fee waiver or a scholarship plea. But the girl's posture told a different story: she carried herself with a quiet confidence that did not match someone there to plead.
Bai Xia sat down, folded her hands on the desk, and met the principal's wary eyes. "Good morning, Principal," she began, voice steady. "I'm the elder sister of Bai Yang and Bai Xin. My parents are busy, so they couldn't come. I'd like to purchase new uniforms and study materials for my siblings — could you tell me the total for the school year?"
The principal blinked. Then she smiled cautiously, flattering as she always did when she wanted goodwill. "Yes—Bai Xin and Bai Yang are good children. Always obedient and respectful." She reached for her ledger and began to calculate, careful, her pen clicking across the page.
After a moment of tallying, her voice dropped a little as she said, "After all calculations for both of them, you're required to pay a total of forty-five yen."
Before she could add anything — perhaps to offer a reduction out of pity — Bai Xia reached into her small pouch and set down a neat bundle of bills. The principal's eyes widened, then she parted her lips as Bai Xia laid a few extra coins on top.
"Please consider the rest as compensation for your hard work in protecting my siblings all this while and in the future," Bai Xia said quietly.
The principal, shrewd and practical, understood exactly what the girl meant. Special treatment, a comfortable classroom, priority for any extra tutoring — things that could ease the children's path. Her tone softened. "Rest assured, Miss Bai. I'll make sure they're well educated."
The principal changed the school records with practiced care and personally escorted Bai Xia to the gate, smiling and waving farewell as the girl left with the principal's blessing tucked like armor around her shoulders.
Next, Bai Xia took a motorbike the short distance to her own school. At the entrance, she paused. The town school was nothing like the village one: tall stone pillars, a gated arch carved with the school's emblem, manicured hedges and a broad driveway where the fortunate few arrived in cars. Banners boasting academic achievements fluttered near the gate. Sophistication and money marked every corner — and yet, to Bai Xia, it felt like familiar ground. This was the place where she had once excelled before life had sharpened her edges.
She paid the motorbike rider, tucked the remaining coins into her pocket, and entered the campus. The gate was alive: students clustered in groups, laughter mingling with the squeak of bicycle tires; some kids arrived by car in small convoys, while others rode bicycles or walked briskly, books held to their chests. Few wore the careful polish of wealth, but many clearly belonged to families who would never have to patch a uniform.
Bai Xia walked to the administration office with quiet intent. No one paid her much attention; she moved as a shadow among the morning bustle. She registered for the new uniform and new textbooks, each clerk noting the payment and stamping receipts with indifferent efficiency.
Carrying the heavy bag, she slipped into the nearest public toilet to change. When she came out, she wore a new uniform that transformed her entirely: a white blouse with dainty tea-cup sleeves and a doll collar, paired with a dark-red plaid skirt, high-waisted and neat — its hem stopped three inches above her knee, the fabric falling loose and dancing with every step. A small bow sat at the collar under a sweater vest that warmed the outfit with understated elegance.
She stepped into her space for a moment, summoned a pair of black school shoes and long socks, and dressed fully. The socks reached five inches below her knees, each tipped with a tiny red bow. She pinned her hair with cute little accessories, letting her long locks fall loose behind her shoulders. When she finished, she looked like a carefully assembled picture of innocence — a cute girl with fashion sense and a quiet, arresting presence.
Bai Xia had always had an eye for fashion — she'd once built an empire and started in fashion business in her past life. That instinct showed now in the way every line of the uniform suited her.
By the time she walked toward her classroom, the bell had already rung and students were filing inside. Her class was Class A — the elite set: excellent grades, influential families, and polished manners. Class A students were used to being looked at, not being interrupted by an unknown face.
When Bai Xia entered the classroom, the room fell silent as if the walls themselves held their breath. Her pale skin against the dark red skirt made her appear almost porcelain, and her oval face, sharp eyes, and flawless skin gave her a youthful beauty that kept others at bay rather than inviting approach. She walked to her seat near the window, set her bag down, opened a new textbook, and began reading as if she had been there from the start.
Curiosity buzzed like static. The girls, especially, turned green with quiet jealousy. Bai Xia's bag was surprisingly pretty; the hair pins caught more than a few covetous glances. Rich young ladies mentally planned which stores they could ask their parents to visit.
Bai Gin, sitting only a few rows away, recognized her cousin immediately — even if Bai Xia looked different now. Jealousy flared in her chest as she glanced at her own patched uniform. She rose, face cold as stone.
"Bai Xia, Just wait and see how I embarrass you now. All your clothes and things will be mine."
Bai Xia looked up from her book, expression unreadable. She closed the cover gently, eyes meeting Bai Gin's with calm certainty. The game had only just begun.