The Scholarship Girl Tried to Play the Savior

A new Little Miss Innocent transferred into our elite private academy.

She practically had the words The 'I Can Fix Him' Heroine glowing in neon letters above her head. Every single day, she hovered around my fianc, showering him with excessive concern and handing him cheap lollipops.

Whenever I got close to my fianc, she would shield him behind her back and scream at me:

"II know you're rich and powerful, but I won't allow you to bully him!"

With tears welling in her eyes, she looked like she had suffered the ultimate injustice.

Me, having literally done nothing: "Are you psycho?"

Mia Collins was delivering candy again, while I was spinning my pen in sheer boredom.

The classroom was a chaotic mess of chattering voices.

My desk mate, Zoey, who was busy checking her makeup in a compact mirror, suddenly nudged me with her elbow.

She tilted her chin to the left, her eyes full of blatant disgust. "Chloe, that transfer student is giving Liam candy again."

Her again.

Mia Collins, the scholarship student who always acted like she was the designated savior heroine of a tragic romance novel.

I stopped spinning my pen and looked over at her.

She was wearing a brand-new pristine uniform. In one hand, she clutched her usual cheap lollipop. In the other, she held a slightly warped plastic thermos filled with some kind of hot white liquid.

Looking straight ahead, she marched past the first row, then the second, heading straight for the back of the class. Finally, under the increasingly gossipy gazes of everyone around us, she shyly took a seat at Liams desk.

A few students in the back huddled together, whispering excitedly.

Mia remained completely unfazed.

She gently placed the lollipop in front of Liams pencil case, then decisively unscrewed the cap of a high-end insulated tumbler sitting on the corner of his desk.

Zoey pointed at Mia in shock. "Chloe! Isn't that the tumbler filled with the imported vitamins your family got for Liam?"

"Looks like it," I replied casually.

Resting my chin on my hand, my eyes followed Mia as she marched over to the trash can, poured out every last drop of the expensive supplements, and scurried back to Liams desk to mess with her plastic thermos.

A girl nearby caught my eye and leaned in toward Mia, pretending to be curious. "Hey, transfer student. Did you ask Liam for permission before messing with his stuff?"

Mia put on an incredibly shy expression and whispered, "This is warm almond milk. I just wanted to prepare something for him myself..."

As she spoke, she began pouring the almond milk into the expensive tumbler.

Zoey let out a mocking scoff. "Do you honestly not know what Chloe Sterling and Liam Vance are to each other?"

Mias hands froze. She cast a fleeting, pitiful glance in my direction before quickly lowering her head, her voice trembling with manufactured grievance. "I know. I just... I just wanted to be nice to him. I wanted to warm his stomach."

Honestly, whatever she wanted to do with Liam had very little to do with me.

But watching this entire performance unfold, I was getting a serious whiff of manipulative "pick-me" energy.

Her constant, victimized glances in my direction were starting to annoy me.

I clicked my tongue and casually reminded her, "Transfer student, Liam has a sensitive stomach. He can't drink almond milk."

Zoey chimed in, "And the supplements you just poured down the drain cost a small fortune, by the way."

Mia flinched. The hands holding the tumbler and the plastic bottle went completely stiff.

The hot almond milk missed the rim and spilled over her fingers. Scalded, she let go.

With a loud BANG, the heavy tumbler crashed onto the floor. The scalding hot almond milk splattered everywhere in a messy puddle.

The classroom instantly went dead silent. Countless eyes zeroed in on the scene.

A sudden, burning pain flared across my left calf and foot. Even the back of my hand, resting on my desk, hadn't escaped the splash zone.

I had been pampered my entire life. No one had ever treated me like this.

I looked down at the reddening skin on my leg, and then at the custom $7,000 leather loafers that had just been delivered yesterday. I let out a dry, irritated laugh. "Talk about rotten luck today."

Mias eyes filled with tears. She didn't utter a single word of apology.

I stood up, intending to head to the locker room to change my shoes. As I walked past Mia, I paused.

"Mia."

My voice sounded sharp in the unnaturally quiet classroom.

I wiped my hand with a tissue, looking down at her coldly. "That tumbler? I gave it to Liam. It's worth about 0-0,500. I won't even count the imported vitamins you poured out. But these shoes cost me seven grand. My lawyers will contact you after school."

The kids in our social circle never shied away from drama. They immediately started jeering:

"The Sterling family's legal team is known as the undefeated sharks of Wall Street."

"Transfer student, you're screwed!"

Hearing this, Mia cried even harder. She sat at Liams desk, sobbing and hiccuping. "You... you rich kids are all bullies. You're so mean!"

That was exactly when Liam walked in.

He stopped just to the right of me and Mia. He was tall and lean, wearing a pair of silver half-rimmed glasses resting on his straight nose.

His indifferent gaze swept past Mia, who was weeping a river at his desk, and locked onto me without a trace of emotion.

"Chloe Sterling, what did you do this time?"

Liam and I locked eyes in the tense silence.

Three seconds later, I suddenly stepped into his personal space.

"Liam, my darling fianc. How come you only saw the little innocent flower crying, but you completely missed the burn on my leg?"

Only then did Liam lower his gaze to my legs.

He looked down and saw the angry red patch on my pale calf, still dotted with droplets of almond milk.

I casually took a seat at an empty desk nearby, crossing my left leg and swinging it slightly so he could get a good look.

Before Liam could say a word, Mia suddenly lunged forward, throwing herself between us. She screamed at me:

"II know you're rich and powerful, but I won't allow you to bully him!"

With tears streaming down her face, she looked like a martyr suffering for love.

I hadn't even done anything yet, and here she was, screaming at me like a lunatic.

My temper flared. "Are you psycho?"

Mia didn't answer. She just looked at Liam with big, pitiful, tear-filled eyes.

Oh, two can play that game.

I kept my mouth shut, crossed my arms over my chest, and stared at Liam.

Liam let out a nearly inaudible sigh.

He grabbed a tissue, crouched down, and wrapped one hand around my ankle. His grip was firm.

The rest of the class, completely used to this dynamic, went back to whatever they were doing.

With lowered eyes, his long lashes casting faint shadows on his cheeks, Liam meticulously and gently wiped the sticky residue off my leg.

After several passes, a faint stinging sensation returned.

My skin was incredibly sensitive. If he kept rubbing, he was going to peel a layer off.

"Stop," I frowned, annoyed. "Liam, that hurts."

I tugged my leg twice, but I couldn't break free. Instead, his grip tightened.

Liam looked up. His eyes were like a dark abyss, practically swallowing me whole.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

His intense stare made me uncomfortable, and my first instinct was to escape.

Without thinking, I kicked out lightly, leaving a distinct half-footprint right on his crisp, pristine white uniform shirt.

Liam had severe OCD and was a massive neat freak.

Looking at the glaring smudge on his shirt, I felt a twinge of guilt. "I just wanted you to let go."

Even though I felt bad, I kept my chin high, maintaining my arrogant facade. I glared at him fiercely. "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah," Liam's voice was slightly hoarse. "I'll let go."

He stood up, completely ignoring the dirt on his shirt, and looked down at the dented tumbler that had rolled next to my desk.

Mia seized the opportunity.

She scrambled to pick up the tumbler, cradling it in her hands. She looked up at Liam and stammered, "I brought you warm almond milk this morning. I wanted to put it in your cup, but"

She shot a rapid, meaningful glance at me, acting as if she had been forced into silence. "Anyway, it fell on the floor and got dented."

Liam looked at her blankly. "Got it."

His voice was flat and slow.

But Mia was overjoyed just to get a response. She held the cup out to him with both hands.

Liam took the tumbler. In the very next second, he brushed past her, walked straight to the trash can, and tossed the expensive tumbler inside.

Leaving Mia staring in absolute shock, he walked out the back door of the classroom.

A few minutes later, Liam returned carrying a pair of delicate, black designer flatsmy backup shoes from my private locker.

He crouched down, meeting my dazed eyes. "Change your shoes."

Mia's face turned beet red with rage. She rudely pointed a finger at me, then screamed at the crouching Liam, "Liam! Are you her dog?!"

Liam kept his head down, completely deaf to her words.

Looking at Mia practically stomping her feet in frustration, I raised an eyebrow. "Liam, I think she feels sorry for you."

"Yeah. And?" Liam looked up, his gaze locking onto mine. "What do you think?"

He was as cold and indifferent as ever.

I blinked, flashing a wicked little smile. "I have no idea."

Liam and I had been engaged since we were kids.

Logically speaking, no one should have been able to tolerate my spoiled, princess-like temper.

Some of our friends even had secret bets going on about when Liam would finally snap and break off the engagement.

To their shock, the golden boy, Liam Vance, had always catered to my every whim, taking care of me down to the smallest detail.

In our social circle, everyone called us the golden couple, a match made in heaven.

After high school, the Sterling and Vance families used their wealth and connections to enroll us in the elite Crestwood Academy.

Unlike normal universities, Crestwood assigned classes based on asset evaluations and offered incredibly flexible schedules.

The tragedy happened during our freshman year. Liam's mother died in a horrific car crash.

His social-climbing father immediately moved his mistress and illegitimate son into the family estate, seizing the assets and inheritance that rightfully belonged to Liam.

Overnight, the wealthy, untouchable young heir lost everything, plummeting from the clouds into the dirt.

After that, Liam moved out of the mansion and into a modest, run-down apartment near the school with his grandmother.

I don't know exactly when, but he learned how to smoke. He became incredibly frugal.

The boy who never had to worry about money began aggressively entering every single academic competition that offered a cash prize.

He became quieter, harder, and almost unapproachable.

But he still took care of me exactly like he used to.

It was as if no one else in the world could trigger his emotionsexcept me.

Until...

Mia arrived.

From her very first day as a transfer student, she locked her sights directly on Liam.

And whenever she looked at me, underneath the blatant jealousy, there was always a strange trace of pity.

At first, Liam ignored her completely.

But then, out of nowhere, he started paying attention to her. He even initiated contact.

I wasn't some brain-dead, clueless villainess from a YA romance novel.

I knew there was something weird about Mia.

And I also knew that if you wanted to win the war, the worst thing you could do was act impulsively and lose the long game.

After the almond milk incident, Mia finally kept a low profile for a few days.

It was raining today, the sky a gloomy, muted gray.

Liam was off-campus representing the school in a physics decathlon, which meant Mia had no one to perform for.

During the afternoon study hall, the girls in our class gathered around my desk, chatting about the latest designer drops.

"Chloe, that dress you posted on Instagram last weekcan I borrow it for my birthday party?" Zoeys cheeks were round and pink, and she was incredibly cute when she begged.

I laughed, unable to resist pinching her cheek. "You've got a good eye. Do you even know how much that vintage haute couture piece is worth?"

"Like, sixteen hundred dollars, right?" Zoey grabbed my hand. "Please, Chloe? My favorite princess, just let me wear it once!"

"Pfftsixteen hundred dollars?" Mia, sitting across the aisle, laughed out loud. "You need to borrow a sixteen-hundred-dollar dress?"

The girls exchanged looks and laughed even louder than Mia.

"Hahahaha!"

"Is she telling a bad joke?"

Zoey rolled her eyes directly at Mia and scoffed, "It's two point five million dollars, transfer student."

Mia froze, a flash of deep embarrassment crossing her face.

But she quickly recovered, turning to me with a self-righteous glare.

"Two and a half million dollars for a single dress? Don't you think that's a massive waste? Wouldn't it be better if you donated that money to children in poverty?"

Her expression was the picture of moral superiority, her eyes full of judgment.

I stared at the invisible words floating above her head for a long moment, staying completely silent.

I finally got it.

This "Savior Heroine" wasn't just delusional; her moral compass was completely twisted.

Mia squirmed under my intense stare. "A-Am I wrong?"

"No, I think you're absolutely right," I smiled, my eyes curving into crescents.

Mia let out a breath of relief.

"So" I rested my chin on my hand. "How about I just give the money directly to you, transfer student?"

Mia's eyes widened in shock. Her heart clearly skipped a beat. "T-Two and a half million? You'd just give it to me?"

"Yep." I tilted my head, putting on a perfectly innocent expression. "I'll wire it right to your account."

Mia, trapped by her own moral grandstanding moments ago, struggled to maintain her pride. She stammered, "Well, if... if you're offering it to me"

"Ah," I cut her off mercilessly.

I inspected my fresh manicure, speaking slowly and deliberately. "But of course, our noble, selfless transfer student would never accept a handout like that, right?"

Mia finally snapped, her face burning with humiliation. "I was just giving you a suggestion! You don't have to humiliate me like this!"

"Oh," I replied lazily. "I was just stating facts. No need to overreact."

Zoey muttered loudly beside me, "She clearly doesn't read the news. She has no idea how many millions the Sterling family donates to charity every year."

Though Zoey kept her voice low, she made sure Mia heard every word.

Mias face turned an ugly shade of pale. She turned away and refused to speak to us.

A little while later, she began checking the clock above the chalkboard obsessively.

Just past five o'clock, Mia pulled a clean, dry towel and a pack of severe cold medicine out of her backpack.

She slapped a sticky note with illegible handwriting onto the medicine, placed it gently on Liam's desk, and sat there clutching the towel, staring expectantly at the front door.

In the next second, the invisible "Savior Heroine" halo above her head glowed even brighter.

"Transfer student, are you preparing for a rainy day, or are you just praying for Liam to catch a fever?" Zoey asked, clearly fed up with Mia's existence.

Preparing for a rainy day...

I rested my left hand on the desk, tapping my index finger rhythmically against the wood.

Was she preparing for a rainy day, or did she already know the future?

My eyes suddenly lit up. I grabbed Zoeys round face and planted a loud kiss on her cheek. "The dress is yours!"

I stood up, ready to walk out of the classroom.

Zoey, dizzy from the sudden kiss, asked, "Chloe, where are you going?"

"Me?" I flashed a brilliant smile. "I'm going to do something worth way more than two and a half million dollars!"