Breaking the Facade, Becoming the School's Sweetheart

As a low-income student who's specifically recruited by the elite college this year, I can still feel my hands trembling as I clutch the letter that tells me I get to study for free.

Not only are my tuition and miscellaneous fees waived, but I also get to receive 30 thousand dollars' worth of student grant per year. I even get to have free access to the leather seats inside the library, the equipment inside the gym, as well as the aerial garden on the roof.

The best surprise for me has to be the cafeteria. All low-income students get a 50% discount on their meals, but the quality of their food doesn't decrease at all. Best beef is used in the steak dinners offered by the cafeteria, whereas a seafood platter showcases the entire huge lobster. Even the most basic mac and cheese meal has different types of freshly grated cheese baked into it.

As I sit in the brightly lit classroom and look at the rich students around me, who wear custom-made uniforms and have branded watches latched around their wrists, all I have is one thought.

I must be on good terms with them.

But my seatmate, who's also a low-income student, isn't as thrilled as me. In fact, she just looks at the people around her with disdain in her eyes.

After the first lesson, a rich student arrives at our table. He might not sound polite at all, but at least he's not putting on airs.

"Do any of you have time to head over to the cafeteria and buy me breakfast?"

I'm about to respond to him when a shrill voice booms out next to me.

"You're so annoying! What, you think you rule the campus since you're rich? Had I known that this classroom is filled with useless scions like you who just waste their lives away on nothing, I wouldn't have enrolled in this college in the first place!"

The classroom went dead silent. One could almost hear a pen drop.

The lazy look on Steven Bart's face vanished at once. His expression darkened. I jumped to my feet and tugged on Cecily Young's sleeve, then turned to him with an awkward smile.

"She's just… I'll go instead, Mr. Bart!"

The gloom on Steven's face eased a little. He pulled out his phone and exchanged numbers. "I'll text you the list."

I clenched my phone and was about to leave when Cecily suddenly grabbed my arm, her nails nearly digging into my skin. "Are you crazy? Why would you want to run errands for a spoiled rich brat like him?"

"Excuse me?" I frowned and shook her hand off, countering, "You don't want to do it? Fine. But don't stop me."

Her face flushed red before quickly turning pale. She raised her chin and snorted coldly. "I'm not spineless like you. I came here to learn, not to serve a bunch of parasites!"

Those words finally set Steven off. He took a