Ashley’s sharp retort left the crowd speechless. The murmurs instantly died down. Go say it in front of Mr. Devon? Yeah, right! They’d rather take a beating than complain about this to him. Mr. Devon was known for his explosive temper and zero tolerance for nonsense. Who in their right mind would dare challenge him? Implying that he was biased? That was a death wish. Not a single person in Skyward Academy would have the guts. Seeing the crowd finally fall silent, Ashley let out a small sigh of relief. She wouldn’t have minded putting them in their place a little more, but she had a class to get to. Wasting time here wasn’t worth it. Lindsay, however, wasn’t ready to let it go. Her finger jabbed in Ashley’s direction, voice sharp. "We never meant to insult Mr. Devon. But it’s a fact—there are students with better scores and more achievements than you. So why you? Why are you his student?" Mr. Devon had always been extremely selective. Across all four years of students, there were barely a handful who had caught his eye. In their entire incoming class, not a single one had been chosen. Yet somehow, Ashley was accepted as his personal student. For those who had always considered themselves elite, this was incomprehensible. The murmuring started again. This was exactly what had been bothering them from the start. Every student here had worked hard to get in. None of them had it easy. So how could she—someone who got in through connections—be the one to get ahead? It was a hard pill to swallow. Watching the tide shift in her favor again, Lindsay’s eyes glowed with satisfaction. She had no intention of letting Ashley off easy today.Ashley’s gaze swept over the crowd, then landed on Lindsay, who stood there with her usual arrogant smirk. Oh, so this is your plan? Using public opinion to pressure me? Fine. If Lindsay wanted to use the crowd against her, Ashley would use the crowd against her. Ashley met Lindsay’s gaze head-on, refusing to back down. "You’re only saying all this because you’re jealous," she said bluntly. "Mr. Devon has his own standards for choosing students. He never said he only picks the ‘best’ students by your definition. That’s just your assumption, isn’t it?" Lindsay stiffened. Ashley didn’t let up. "Let’s get one thing straight—are you blocking my way because you’re jealous of me becoming Mr. Devon’s student? Or is it because you just want to remind everyone how important you think you are?" Her voice was clear and cutting. "I was walking to class, and you stopped me, just because I didn’t say hello to you. What, does every student at Skyward have to greet you before they’re allowed to pass? If they don’t, do they deserve to be publicly humiliated? Is that what you’re saying?" The crowd shifted. Eyes that had been full of disdain for Ashley now turned toward Lindsay. Especially the upperclassmen. Every student at Skyward was expected to greet her? A freshman thought she was that important? Most of them had gathered because of the commotion, curious to see what was going on. But now, after hearing the full story, they were starting to see things differently. Ashley caught the change in their expressions and sneered internally. People love to judge when it has nothing to do with them. But the moment their own interests are threatened, everything changes. Lindsay had always carried herself as if she was above everyone else.Especially when it came to students from less privileged backgrounds—she had never hidden her contempt. But thinking it was one thing. Being called out in front of everyone was another. As she felt the glares of the crowd, Lindsay started to panic. "Ashley! What nonsense are you talking about? When did I ever say that!" she snapped. Ashley cut her off. "Then why?" she pressed. "I was walking to class. You blocked my way and accused me of not greeting you. Why?" Ashley turned to the onlookers, her lips curling into a mocking smile. Then, in a loud, clear voice, she declared, "If she can do this to me today, what’s stopping her from doing it to any of you tomorrow?" She pointed to the crowd, her tone sharp. "From now on, whenever you see Lindsay, you’d better remember to greet her. Otherwise, she might just block your way and find an excuse to humiliate you, too!" The crowd fell silent. And then— Every single pair of eyes in the courtyard turned on Lindsay.