Gu Ning had barely stepped into the classroom when she noticed something was off.
The chatter wasn't just idle gossip—it had direction. Focus. Her name was no longer invisible.
Someone whispered as she passed.
"She's the one BlackViper recruited, right?"
"Are you sure?" another asked.
"I heard Lin Yuhan say it. He sits with her during lunch, doesn't he?"
Gu Ning kept walking.
It was already starting.
Fame came fast. So did scrutiny.
She slid into her seat, pulled out her notebook, and ignored the dozen eyes glancing her way. Lin Yuhan leaned over as soon as the teacher began writing on the board.
"They posted your designs on the forums," he murmured. "Under the 'Rising Stars' list. BlackViper's name is attached as 'strategic partner.'"
Gu Ning's grip tightened on her pen.
"That wasn't part of the deal."
"I think they're trying to raise both your profiles ahead of the inter-school expo. Position you as their exclusive creator."
Gu Ning closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them slowly.
"They want free hype. But they're overplaying."
---
Lunch Break – Rooftop Strategy
Gu Ning stood at the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the school field. Students scattered like ants—some practicing for the cultural dance, others in booths setting up their class products.
She hated chaos. But she understood how to use it.
Lin Yuhan joined her, holding two drinks. He handed her one. "You're going to the Expo, right?"
Gu Ning took a sip. "I'll be doing more than going. I'll be setting the terms."
He nodded. "Okay. Then we need to beat the Expo rules."
She turned. "Explain."
He opened a digital brochure on his tablet. "Each participating school gets ten vendor slots. One per class, plus two floating wildcard entries. But those wildcards are only granted if the proposal clears the 'innovation' benchmark."
Gu Ning's eyes narrowed. "Which means…?"
"Which means you have to do something no one's done before. Not just jewelry, not just designs. A system. A story. A world."
She smiled slowly.
---
That Evening – Apartment Workshop
Gu Ning's small room was scattered with prototype chains, color samples, and alloy threads. Her laptop showed sketches, while her phone rang endlessly from interested class reps.
She ignored most calls. But answered one.
"Miss Gu," the voice said politely. "I'm Zhou Fen. President of the Expo Committee at Westside Academy. I've reviewed your feature on the Rising Stars board."
She kept her voice even. "What do you want?"
"I'm curious what you're planning to showcase."
"I haven't finalized the format yet."
"A word of advice, then—don't play it safe. This year's wildcard entries are being scouted by private investors. If you impress the right observer, your brand won't just be school-famous. It'll have backing."
Gu Ning smirked. "Then I guess I'll need a stage."
Zhou Fen chuckled. "We'll see if you're ready for the real market, Miss Gu."
The call ended. Gu Ning immediately opened her encrypted chat with Lin.
> [GN]: We launch a tiered drop. Three designs. Limited stock. Timed release. Only one set available each day of the Expo.
[LYH]: Adds scarcity, drives demand. And we livestream the release?
[GN]: Yes. But anonymously. Let the mystery build value.
She stared at her prototype again.
A necklace formed of crimson alloy, black thread interwoven into a double helix—the Blood Loop.
> [GN]: This one will be Day One.
[LYH]: It looks like it was forged in a rebellion.
[GN]: Good. That's the theme. Identity born from fire.
---
One Week Later – Day of the Expo
The Expo was held in a sprawling converted hall, normally used for inter-school competitions. Students from ten top academies crowded the booths, each styled like pop-up boutiques or flash art spaces.
Gu Ning's booth had no sign.
Just a silver mask resting on a velvet podium. A countdown timer blinked beside it.
> "Launch in: 00:06:43"
Crowds gathered, drawn by the Rising Stars feature and BlackViper's whispers. No one knew what the product would be. But mystery sold better than truth.
Lin Yuhan adjusted the booth's live feed camera.
"You're sure about the no-name launch?"
Gu Ning stood behind the partition, dressed in black again, voice-modulated through a speaker.
"They want a name," she said, "but I'll give them a movement."
At exactly 12:00, the timer hit zero.
A low chime rang.
The velvet curtain lifted to reveal the first piece.
The Blood Loop Necklace.
A murmur went through the crowd. Phones lifted. The feed jumped to 2,000 viewers in five seconds.
Then ten thousand.
On screen, the product description appeared:
> "Forged from reclaimed alloy. Bound by threads of rebellion. Limited to ten pieces. Only one order per ID."
People scrambled. Fingers tapped screens.
The first ten sold in forty-eight seconds.
The feed hit thirty thousand.
By the end of the first hour, the booth had been added to the Expo Trending tag.
---
Elsewhere – In a Shadowed Room
BlackViper sat watching the stream in silence.
The voice-modulation, the faceless design, the strategic tiered drop—she had gone far beyond their expectations.
"She's not just a creator," he said quietly to his team. "She's building a myth."
Someone behind him asked, "Do we reel her in tighter?"
BlackViper shook his head.
"No. We let her fly higher. The higher she climbs, the more dependent she becomes on the framework we gave her."
He turned to his assistant.
"Arrange a private channel with Zhou Fen. She'll want to bid."
---
Back at the Expo – Day's End
Gu Ning and Lin packed the booth in silence.
"I don't get it," Lin said finally. "You're selling art. Why make it sound like revolution?"
Gu Ning zipped up her case. "Because every student here is trapped in a system. I'm not selling jewelry—I'm selling freedom."
He paused. "Is that how you see it?"
She smiled faintly. "It's how I plan to win."
As they stepped out into the dimming light, another message came in. Not from BlackViper. Not from the committee.
From an unknown ID.
> [ID: Observer.0]
"Impressive launch, Miss Gu. Let's talk about Phase Two."
She stared at it for a moment, then locked her phone.
Lin noticed. "Who?"
She didn't answer.
But in her notebook later that night, she wrote a new heading:
> "Phase Two: Subvert expectations. Start the real game."