I Marked My Arch-Nemesis Omega - Chapter 9
Actually, Song Qing didn’t want to see Sheng Yu, but when the person downstairs reported to her, she still agreed.
Sheng Yu took the elevator to the third floor. Half of the floor was the student council president’s office, while the other half was the conference room. So, under normal circumstances, Song Qing was the only one on the third floor.
It was very quiet. Sheng Yu knocked on the door and then pushed it open directly, walking inside.
The office was spacious. Song Qing was sitting on the sofa with a book open on her lap. When she saw Sheng Yu enter, she closed it and set it aside.
“What do you want?” Song Qing asked.
“It’s like this,” Sheng Yu said as she sat down on the sofa. “I was wondering if our school allows betting pools?”
Song Qing frowned slightly and gave Sheng Yu a look, as if she were staring at an idiot.
“What do you think?” Song Qing leaned back against the sofa. “What are you trying to do?”
“Not me.” Sheng Yu smiled, her expression sincere and utterly innocent. “Someone as timid as me wouldn’t dare start a betting pool at school.”
“It’s other people,” Sheng Yu said. “The bet is whether I’ll turn in a self-criticism essay by Monday. I heard the stakes are pretty high.”
Song Qing’s expression darkened.
“Who exactly started this betting pool?”
“I don’t know that.” Sheng Yu sighed, her expression despondent. “I don’t have any influential background, so this matter will probably have to be handled by you.”
Song Qing propped her chin on her hand and studied Sheng Yu.
“President, you won’t rat me out, right?” Sheng Yu looked at Song Qing. “I don’t dare offend them, but I have a strong sense of justice in my heart.”
Song Qing: “……”
“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything, and no one will know you came to my office,” Song Qing said.
“President, should we add each other as friends on the neural comm?” Sheng Yu pulled out her device. “That way, next time I have something to say, I can just message you directly instead of coming over.”
“Fine.” Song Qing didn’t refuse.
After leaving Song Qing’s office, Sheng Yu walked with a light step, even humming a little tune under her breath. She submitted a request to leave school and went home.
That evening, Liao Keke sent her a string of messages.
Liao Keke: Unbelievable. No idea how Song Qing found out about that betting pool, but she hauled away the main organizers.
Liao Keke: Now they’re furious because everyone got assigned a 10,000-word self-criticism essay.
Liao Keke: Who do you think snitched?
Sheng Yu: Did they fight?
Liao Keke: It was almost a fight, which is why it’s 10,000 words. Originally, it was 8,000.
Sheng Yu swung her legs, feeling slightly disappointed. They only almost fought? Not an actual fight?
Liao Keke: But now it’s fine. The betting pool’s gone, so no matter what you do on Monday, nothing will happen.
Liao Keke: Still, I’m curious about who snitched. They must have some guts. Though Song Qing doesn’t seem to have many friends at school.
Sheng Yu: Why does it matter? She’s the student council president. If she didn’t have some tricks up her sleeve, how else would she manage?
Liao Keke: True.
Sheng Yu closed her chat with Liao Keke and noticed a message from Song Qing pop up—just one concise line.
Song Qing: The betting pool is gone.
Sheng Yu: Impressive.
Sheng Yu: If everyone has to read their self-criticism essays on Monday, does that mean with 10,000 words each, we won’t have to attend classes all morning?
Song Qing: “You read it first, then we’ll talk after you’re done.”
Sheng Yu: “…”
Sheng Yu didn’t return to school until Monday. Along the way, she drew countless stares, but she smiled as if oblivious to it all. When she sat down in her classroom, Zhang Yunsu quickly took the seat in front of her.
“What a shame you left on Friday—Song Qing and Jiang Di got into a fight,” Zhang Yunsu whispered.
Sheng Yu froze. “Wasn’t it just ‘almost’ a fight?”
“I’d say it counts. Jiang Di threw a chair at Song Qing, and Song Qing kicked it over,” Zhang Yunsu said. “Too bad I didn’t see it myself. No one in Class 1 dared to record it, but apparently half the classroom was wrecked.”
Sheng Yu propped her chin on her hand. “Wish I hadn’t left so quickly.”
It sounded like quite the spectacle.
“Does the student council president really get away with starting a fight?”
Zhang Yunsu could tell from Sheng Yu’s words that she still hadn’t given up on opposing Song Qing. “It wasn’t exactly starting a fight—more like self-defense. It’s not like she could just stand there and take it.”
“Oh.” Sheng Yu nodded.
“How’s your self-criticism essay coming along?”
“Haven’t written it.”
Zhang Yunsu: !!!
“You’re really going to slap Song Qing in the face at a time like this?”
“There’s only half an hour left before the morning assembly,” Sheng Yu said, still resting her chin on her hand. “No way I can finish it now.”
Zhang Yunsu rubbed her temples and lowered her voice. “You’re not the only one who has to write one. If you don’t submit yours while everyone else does, you’ll also be slapping their faces… and honestly, those people aren’t exactly reasonable.”
Sheng Yu grinned. “No big deal.”
The official morning assembly wasn’t long. This year’s student council president was a woman of few words, delivering no lengthy speeches—just a brief report on the school’s affairs since the semester began.
The rest of the time belonged to Sheng Yu.
She stepped onto the stage and adjusted the microphone. “Hello everyone, I’m Sheng Yu from Class 8, Senior Year. Last week, the student council president ordered me to deliver a 10,000-word self-criticism, but she didn’t specify the format.”
“So now, President Song Qing, please keep count—and remember to include punctuation marks.”
The entire auditorium erupted in murmurs.
The calmest person was Song Qing herself. She stared expressionlessly at Sheng Yu, having long guessed that this girl wouldn’t obediently submit a 10,000-word essay. Sheng Yu had already started rambling nonsense on stage, even pulling out a bottle of water from who-knows-where and setting it beside her.
Song Qing: “…”
“Let me reintroduce myself…”
Sheng Yu’s speech was full of nonsense—literally. She spoke whatever came to mind, her words rapid and monotonous, almost like chanting scripture.
Everyone in the audience was wondering the same thing: Why are we sitting here listening to Sheng Yu’s drivel?
At first, it seemed amusing, even impressive. But by the end, all they wanted was to leave.
Only Song Qing remained perfectly composed, sitting upright no matter what nonsense Sheng Yu spouted.
“Finally, let me praise our wise and mighty student council president, Song Qing. Despite having no evidence, she still managed to force me to admit guilt through other means.” Sheng Yu put on a pitiful expression. “I deeply apologize for wasting so much of the president’s time.”
Song Qing: “…”
She had come to realize that this girl was even more shameless than she had imagined. The drowsy crowd instantly woke up at Sheng Yu’s words, and the murmurs grew louder.
Discontent toward Song Qing had already been brewing in the school, and now, with such a public statement, it was like dropping a bomb among the student body.
“Alright, my self-criticism is over—exactly ten thousand words,” Sheng Yu said, her lips curling slightly. “President, do you have any further guidance?”
Sheng Yu looked at Song Qing. Though they were separated by a considerable distance, Song Qing could still see the undisguised provocation in her eyes.
Song Qing waved her hand dismissively. Even as the morning assembly ended, everyone continued buzzing about the incident.
“Sheng Yu, you’ve got some nerve,” Liao Keke found Sheng Yu later, her eyes filled with disapproval.
Sheng Yu gave a faint smirk, noticing the onlookers nearby, then lowered her eyelids. “What choice did I have?”
Liao Keke stared at her, truly baffled by Sheng Yu’s intentions. “Sheng Yu—”
“Class is about to start,” Sheng Yu interrupted, waving her off. “I’m heading back.”
“Alright,” Liao Keke nodded.
Sheng Yu flashed her a smile and headed upstairs. Truthfully, she had no grand scheme—she just enjoyed watching these people tear into each other. How entertaining.
Her final remarks had been purely self-preservation. Though the betting pool was gone, the collective mindset remained, and everyone still had expectations of her behavior. Even if she hadn’t written a self-criticism, she had still delivered a ten-thousand-word speech.
To some, this might as well have been submitting a self-criticism—though her real motive had simply been to mess with Song Qing. By adding that last line, she could paint herself as pitiful and helpless, aligning herself with those who opposed Song Qing.
And by making the earlier part of her speech deliberately dull, she ensured that the final line would stand out even more. With any luck, it would successfully redirect everyone’s attention straight onto Song Qing.