章 24: New semester, Same friends Part 1

Athena Hexie Wu woke up earlier than usual. After her morning rituals she slid unto I.C.E. University's iconic purple plaid skirt, grey vest on top of the white longsleeved shirt, and a purple n' gold ribbon gold with green crystals Rod of Asclepius brooch signifying she's an undergraduate student from the Medicine Department.

Hexie looked at her reflection and giggled as she twirled. Even after a year, she still couldn't get over the fact that she was wearing an iconic ensemble from the drama. Now all that's left is to wear the legendary purple blazer with a snowflake pin on the lapel and chest pocket. The only downside of wearing this uniform is that the weather is still summer-ish, so Hexie was sweating profusely.

The school didn't have strict rules regarding what socks nor shoes to wear, so Hexie just wore a white knee high socks and a comfy sneakers.

The university's glittery gold crest is stitched at the left side of the blazer. She put her school I.D. in the blazer's chest pocket before she forgets about it or else she won't get through the gates.

Once out of the house, she called her chauffeur to drive her to school as usual. Although Choi Kazuki was home and was capable to drop her off at school, she was still embarrassed with what transpired yesterday. And she didn't want to be associated with him when they're at school or she'll ruin Choi Kazuki's reputation and he would probably kill her.

Riding the bus was out of the question as she was still traumatized with her death. The taxi was a scam, she paid a pricy fare just to get to school one time, so she settled with her own chauffeur provided by her parents.

It wasn't a long journey but the city ambience fade when she was near the school premises. It was like she was stepping into a different realm.

After thanking her chauffeur, Mr. Han, (who is, by the way, Nanny Lin's oldest son) she walked towards the enormous school gates. She held up her school identification card to a screen while her red backpack was being processed in the mini buggage x-ray scanner, and was granted access.

"Good morning Mr. Bo!"

"Good morning Third Young Lady Wu!" She made it a habit to greet the guards simple 'good morning' everytime she enter the gates.

It was much more easier to establish friendship with the school utilities than the students. Her fellow schoolmates were afraid of her.

Although she did her best in her freshman year to be friendly with everyone, it was very hard to erase the stigma of being part of the Elites. In her case, she was very known to be the Ice Queen since her junior high school days and specially she was a Wu, one of the esteemed noble families in the country.

In the novel, the students of I.C.E. University is divided into two factions; The Scholars and The Elites.

The Scholars are those students who entered the university through the entrance exam which will determine what course they would be taking, and passing will guarantee a scholarship, free tuition and school other school fees. But they have to maintain a specific grade for them to stay in their course.

The Elites, however, are students who were carefully selected by the University President and University Alumni Council hailing from different noble families around the country.

Just like the scholars, the Elites would also undergo an exam. But unlike the Scholars, the Elites have the freedom to choose their own field of study so their exam is just to determine their privilege level.

Despite her status in school, she was trying her best to not make an enemy. For now she had two close friends in her block, and her classmates were slowly warming up to her.

"Good morning Hexie-sama! Glad you're early today!" Said a girl with cat-like eyes.

Haruno Chieko, the daughter of two famous and sought-after surgeons in the country. Feisty, studious, and time conscious.

"G'morning dear Hexie-sama!" And said another girl who likes to speak in English.

Kang Arisu. The heir of the Pharmaceutical company that is business partners with the Wu Pharmaceuticals. Prefers to be called in her English name; Alice. Cheerful, talkative, and loves gossip. She's basically friends with all Elites and some female Scholars.

These two were also feared in her class due to them being fellow Elites. Wu Hexie paused and smiled at the memory.

They once had to have a groups of four, everyone else had group members, and those who were left were to be grouped. And unfortunately for Hexie Wu, she was one of them. And so were Alice Kang and Chieko Haruno.

And ever since, these three noble ladies were always left to be groupmates in group activities. Their classmates subtly distanced themselves with the three Elites. There goes Hexie Wu's chance to be friends with their classmates.

In her past life, she was friendly by nature. She was friends with all her patients. And she was shocked and hurt to hear that she was unwanted by her classmates.

"Hey. I really can't stand that English speaking Elite. It's as if she's looking down on us!"

"I know right! She's probably cursing us in English!"

"Haruno Chieko is the noble girl who topped the scholarship exam for pre-med, right? Damn these Elites robbing us of our opportunity to get scholarships!"

"Yeah she's smart but she doesn't have to rub it infront of us..."

"And then there's Wu Hexie. The Ice Queen of the Wu Corps! Why is she here instead of majoring in Business just like the other Elites?"

"Yeah, I get why the other two are here, but the Ice Queen was surprising!"

"She should shift to the Business Department just like the other Elites who enrolled in our course!"

"I heard she was scary back in highschool. My cousin was a schoolmate of hers and she said to be careful with Wu Hexie. Damn I'm getting chills!"

The three girls were the only Elites in their class. Most Elites prefer to study in the Accountancy and Business Department, as well as in the Fine Arts Department.

At first she was reluctant to be associated with the two girls. Hexie thought they were her mother's planted people on school since their parents were affiliated with the Wu Corps. Plus these two really looked like mean girls.

But in reality, they were just girls who dreamed to be doctors and genuinely want to help people. And Hexie realized she was also being biased just like her classmates.

To her surprise, the two girls were behind her and also heard the mean words of their classmates. Unlike her who was still in shock, the two marched up to their classmates and defended their side.