Chapter 21
Xie Rin never came back to the dorm. Fu Xia felt like it had been a long time since she’d seen the young master.
…Of course, considering his mental state and what he wanted to do, she didn’t exactly miss him.
And after the bizarre group fight that night, Pei Wang hadn’t shown up either.
Yan Zhu had his own work to do, but he would prepare breakfast and dinner for her every day, which she could eat in the dorm. Sometimes he cooked it himself, and other times it was a nutritionally balanced meal from outside. It was worth mentioning that the meals were incredibly well-balanced. After a few days, Fu Xia was surprised to find she had more energy. The food at Lorenz wasn’t cheap, and to save money, she had often skipped dinner.
…If she ignored the messages from Zhu Ye, her school life had almost returned to normal.
Chen Wang, on the other hand, was extremely pleased with her.
She had gotten the invitation, and she was practically glowing. “You did a good job. After I successfully take over the company, I can arrange a position for you after graduation.”
Chen Wang’s family company was a perennial member of the Fortune 500. Although it was still uncertain whether she would inherit it, her words were a clear offer of help. At the very least, no one in this classroom would target her for bullying anymore.
Fu Xia had never expected that Chen Wang would turn out to be the most reliable one. Thinking of the hundred-thousand-plus in her bank account and looking at the girl before her, Fu Xia actually started to find her quite agreeable.
“But,” Fu Xia couldn’t help but ask, “can you sign an agreement for me first?” A verbal promise was never secure. What if she changed her mind?
Chen Wang crossed her arms and stared at her. After a few seconds of eye contact, Fu Xia’s shoulders slumped.
—Alright, so that was a no.
Fu Xia flopped back onto her desk. Chen Wang pulled out the chair in front of her and sat down, casually asking, “Seriously, how did you manage to lead that guy Pei Wang by the nose?”
The question stumped her.
She had no idea. Pei Wang’s approach was baffling in itself, and his willingness to let her do that to him was even stranger.
…It was as if he were approaching her on purpose.
Fu Xia couldn’t think of any reason why he would do that. Was she some long-lost, true heiress of a rich family? She quickly dismissed the thought.
“Maybe he never participated in a club like that back in the Night Division, and this just unlocked a special kink for him.”
Chen Wang didn’t seem convinced. She said she was an excellent judge of character, and a guy as high and mighty as Pei Wang would never let someone step on him.
Fu Xia threw the question back at her. “Then do you think it’s because he likes me?”
Chen Wang was about to say “impossible” when she suddenly remembered the look in Pei Wang’s eyes that night. She shivered.
…Maybe it was better to be nice to Fu Xia.
Chen Wang shifted her position, propping her chin on her hand. “You can keep coming to the club. Twice a week is fine.”
“Oh, and remember to use the staff entrance. The salary I give you is after-tax, so don’t worry about that.”
“Also, are you going to the welcome party on Sunday? If you want to, I can contact the person in charge at the student council for you.”
Fu Xia immediately said yes. Her sprained ankle wasn’t that serious anyway. Every bit of money she could earn was a win. At this rate, if Pei Wang didn’t come back to demand his money, she might be able to save up for a down payment while at Lorenz.
Chen Wang tapped her phone a few times, and Fu Xia received a message from the student council with the party’s staff roster.
“Fill it out and send it to me,” she said, patting Fu Xia’s shoulder, beaming. “Keep up the good work. I believe in you.”
Fu Xia watched her walk back to her seat with a spring in her step. The gazes of the other students in the classroom naturally fell on her. She pretended not to see them.
Her dinner with Zhu Ye was scheduled for Saturday night.
When Fu Xia woke up, her lower back was a little sore. She didn’t pay it much mind and went to study as usual. The campus was a bit deserted on a Saturday. As she passed the academic building, she happened to walk by the scene of the fight. …Strangely, no one at the school had reported on the noise that night. The impact marks on the wall had been explained away as a nighttime construction error and had been quickly repaired.
The whole incident felt like a hallucination.
Could Pei Wang actually be dead?
She stood there for a moment, then continued on to the study hall. She hadn’t had much time to study recently, and her grades were slipping.
After skipping lunch and plowing through three sets of practice tests for each of her main subjects, Fu Xia finally packed her bag and headed back to the dorm.
The moment she entered, a message from Zhu Ye arrived.
Zhu Ye: [Dog Wagging Tail Emoji]
Zhu Ye: Senior! I’m ready. Please don’t forget our date tonight.
She replied with an “okay,” and he immediately sent several more messages. Things like, “Is your ankle feeling better, senior?” and “Should I come pick you up, senior?”
Fu Xia: “…”
How does he type so fast?
Fu Xia: …No need to go to all that trouble. I can walk there myself.
Zhu Ye: Okay, senior! I’ll be waiting for you here [Location]
Fu Xia didn’t dislike people like him. Latching onto a rich person’s leg could certainly pull her out of the vortex of poverty, and if she was lucky, her benefactor might even take care of her abusive father. But she had seen too many scholarship students get played for fools. She was very clear about their respective positions and never harbored any delusional fantasies.
After this meal, it would be better to keep her distance from this nice first-year. She only had two years until graduation; it was better to focus on herself.
—Who knew when they might suddenly turn on her?
With the location, she quickly found him. As a young master, he obviously didn’t have to drive himself. She pulled her mask up a little higher before getting in the car. Fortunately, there were many luxury cars at the school, so no one paid any attention to a scholarship student like her.
When she got in, she saw that the partition between the front and back seats was already raised; the driver wouldn’t be able to hear their conversation.
Zhu Ye’s outfit today was more subdued. He wore a silver-gray, layered-look shirt with a matching tie, the cuffs folded back. The hem of the shirt was tucked into slim-fitting black trousers. His posture was exceptionally elegant. When he looked at her, his golden eyes were full of mirth, as if he had a tail wagging furiously behind him.
Fu Xia looked at him, then down at her own t-shirt, which cost less than a hundred yuan.
She asked quietly, “…We’re not going somewhere too high-end, are we?”
Zhu Ye laughed. “No, it’s just a private kitchen. You don’t have to worry, senior.”
He said it with such conviction that it made you feel you could trust him completely. Fu Xia met his brilliant golden eyes for a few seconds before quickly looking away.
It was unfair for someone to be that handsome.
The car moved smoothly down the road.
“Can I ask you about what happened that night, senior?” Zhu Ye asked.
She had left in such a hurry that night that she had completely forgotten to explain what had happened. He hadn’t asked about it over text either, cleverly saving the topic for today.
“…I guess so,” Fu Xia said. “Do you know Pei Wang?”
Zhu Ye seemed to think for a moment. “I’ve heard of him, but he’s from the Night Division, right?”
“He transferred to the Day Division a few days ago,” Fu Xia said. Her hands were on her knees, unconsciously clasped together. “The commotion that night had to do with him. I ran away as soon as I saw what was happening, so I don’t really know the details.”
Zhu Ye blinked. “Are you on good terms with him, senior?”
“…How should I put it? We’re deskmates, I guess.” She couldn’t very well talk about their stranger relationship, especially since she didn’t know him that well.
The young man ran a hand through his blond hair, a look of conflict flashing across his handsome face. Then, he braced the hand closest to her on the center of the seat and leaned in her direction. He was much bigger than her, and as he leaned over, she instinctively held her breath. She didn’t know where to look and found her gaze drawn to his earlobe, where she noticed he had swapped his usual earrings for silver ones. They sparkled.
“Senior,” he whispered, “playing with that senior can be dangerous. You should be careful.”
Perhaps to keep his voice down, he leaned in a little too close. Fu Xia instinctively pressed herself against the car door but couldn’t create much distance.
“Pei Wang is notorious in our circles for his bad temper. He does whatever he wants, without any regard for anyone else’s life.”
“Is he the young master of some underground organization?”
Zhu Ye froze for a second. His lips curled upward, but as if thinking the expression was too abrupt, he covered his mouth with his hand, a hint of amusement still in his voice. “You could say that…”
“If he’s threatening you, senior,” Zhu Ye said, lowering his hand and making a throat-slitting gesture, “you can come to me for help.”
“…Okay, thank you.”
He’s so enthusiastic! It’s so weird!
Fu Xia nodded repeatedly, and he sat back in his seat. He didn’t mention much more about the affairs of the rich and powerful. For the rest of the ride, he was in a noticeably good mood, humming softly as he looked out the window.
The place he had chosen wasn’t far from the school, and the car soon arrived. When they got out, he gently steadied her with a hand.
“Did you bump into something just now?” he asked with concern.
Fu Xia felt the ache in her lower back was worse than it had been in the morning. She pressed a hand to the sore spot and waved him off. “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. Let’s go inside.”
…I think my period is about to start.