Li Yanlang furrowed his brow upon hearing his brother’s words. “…I’m also very unhappy.”
If Yan Juexia had fallen for Wuyou, he wouldn’t have minded much.
But if Yan Juexia liked Li Zhiyin, it inexplicably stirred a sense of anger, as if their own prized cabbage was about to be trampled by a pig.
There was even a faint undercurrent of helplessness.
Because the situation was beyond their control.
And so were the people involved.
Moreover…
Li Xinghao muttered gloomily, “Li Zhiyin treats Yan Juexia quite well, but she acts like we’re her enemies. I don’t know what we did to offend her.”
Li Yanlang’s expression darkened. “She’s been biased against our whole family from the start, as if we’ve wronged her.”
Li Xinghao agreed, “Exactly. We didn’t even know she was suffering in another family. It’s not our fault. If anyone’s to blame, it’s… Wuyou’s biological mother, right?”
He seemed to realize something, his tone gradually softening. “If it weren’t for Wuyou’s biological mother swapping the two of them, who knows what our relationship would be like now.”
Li Yanlang shot a cold glance at his brother. “Thinking like that—do you feel Wuyou isn’t as good as her?”
Li Xinghao immediately denied it. “Of course not!”
He lowered his head irritably. “I just wish everything could stay on its proper track. That way, Mom and Dad wouldn’t have argued last night, and Mom wouldn’t have moved out.”
Last night, their mother had been furious and tried to drive Li Wuyou out.
Li Wuyou knelt and begged her, but their mother ignored her, coldly telling her to get out and accusing her of faking everything.
Their father got angry and had a huge fight with their mother.
In the end, their mother just left.
No matter how much their father tried to reason with her, she wouldn’t listen.
She said Li Wuyou was an ungrateful wretch, and all her kindness was just an act.
Wuyou cried herself into a faint from the injustice, and they were left scrambling to take care of her.
Their mother walked away without looking back.
That’s why, since last night, he had been harboring resentment toward Li Zhiyin.
He kept thinking that if Li Zhiyin hadn’t appeared, their family would still be happy.
He knew Li Zhiyin wasn’t at fault.
The blame lay with the woman who swapped the babies.
But he couldn’t help blaming her anyway, seeing her as nothing but trouble, someone who came to destroy their family.
Yet, seeing how she treated Yan Juexia…
Li Xinghao grew more despondent the more he thought about it. “So it turns out Li Zhiyin isn’t incapable of smiling—she just won’t smile for us.”
Li Yanlang lowered his gaze, offering no reply. His phone vibrated.
He swiped to answer, listened to what the other person said, and hung up. “They found the same model of that pencil case.”
Li Xinghao’s face lit up with joy. “Really?!”
A faint smile tugged at Li Yanlang’s bruised lips, the dark clouds on his face clearing somewhat. “Let’s go pick it up.”
Li Xinghao: “Okay!”
In the infirmary, Li Zhiyin crossed her legs irritably, tapping her fingers on the sofa.
Yan Juexia’s current attitude wasn’t aligning with her plan.
She had been so nice to him—by now, they should have been surface-level friends.
How did it backfire and make him even more resistant to her?
Annoyed, she leaned back against the sofa, her gaze fixed on the ceiling.
A warm hand grasped her slender arm.
She shot an irritated glance over.
Xiao Cheng adjusted his black-framed glasses, his gloomy yet secretly excited eyes locking onto her. “It’s just the two of us now.”
His long fingers first hooked around her arm, then cradled it in his palm.Xiao Cheng’s eyes gleamed with an intense light, holding her hand as if cradling a rare treasure.
“I need to give you a thorough check-up, so a pampered young lady like you doesn’t end up with scars and dock my pay.”
His tone rose and then fell, as if restraining something: “Please don’t move, I won’t hurt you.”
Li Zhiyin didn’t react, closing her eyes and letting him examine her.
But then the door was knocked.
Chi Ye stood outside the glass, his sharp gaze fixed on the two of them: “Li Zhiyin.”
Li Zhiyin looked toward the door.
Chi Ye didn’t look at her; instead, his burning eyes were locked on Xiao Cheng: “I have something to say to you. Could you come out for a moment?”
Xiao Cheng: “…”
The gleam in his eyes instantly darkened.
Chi Ye stared back at him without hesitation.
As their gazes met, sparks seemed to fly between them.
Li Zhiyin walked out the door, inadvertently blocking their line of sight: “What’s wrong?”
Chi Ye snapped back to attention, pulling her away from the medical room.
Li Zhiyin followed closely behind him, stopping only when they reached a corner.
Chi Ye looked displeased: “Stay away from that Xiao Cheng from now on.”
Li Zhiyin was confused: “Why?”
Chi Ye: “Because he’s—”
As if wary of something, he frowned, cutting off his words abruptly.
Li Zhiyin tilted her head, waiting for him to continue.
Instead, he changed the subject: “Yan Juexia just rushed into the private lounge like a madman, and he won’t come out no matter how much we knock. What did you say to him?”
Li Zhiyin was even more bewildered: “He asked me why I wasn’t sitting with him, so I asked if he wanted to sit with me. He said no and told me to stay away from him, then ran off.”
Chi Ye paused, suddenly understanding: “So that’s what happened.”
Li Zhiyin narrowed her eyes warily: “What happened? Did he develop a mental illness?”
In a society of cybernetic augmentation, too many bodily modifications could easily lead to mental illness.
She thought Yan Juexia’s mental state seemed quite precarious.
Chi Ye didn’t answer, instead looking into Li Zhiyin’s curious eyes.
Her gaze held little emotion, cold and detached, yet somehow it felt innocent.
He turned away: “No, he’s fine.”
Li Zhiyin relaxed and turned to leave: “Alright, I’m going then.”
Chi Ye’s voice sounded from behind her: “But I have a question.”
She paused: “What question?”
Chi Ye spoke unhurriedly: “You’re approaching Yan Juexia not because you like him, but because you want his family’s business, right?”
Li Zhiyin was surprised and turned to look at him.
Chi Ye, dressed in a well-tailored academy uniform with his hands in his pockets, said calmly: “You must have investigated all of us and know that the security for our seven families is handled by others. You want to win us over as clients, so why did you choose Yan Juexia first?”
He seemed casual but was actually somewhat displeased: “Why wasn’t I your first target?”
Li Zhiyin replied expressionlessly: “Because among all of them, you’re the most cunning. Approaching you rashly would make you wary, so I saved you for last. Letting you observe how I interact with others serves as a natural advertisement, maximizing my benefits.”
Chi Ye raised an eyebrow, intrigued: “You’re quite honest. Aren’t you afraid saying that would make me angry?”Li Zhiyin nodded earnestly. “Of course. Since I want your big order, you are my potential platinum client. Honesty is one of my selling points. As long as you choose our company, I will treat you with sincerity.”
Chi Ye sneered. “But the way you schemed against us didn’t seem sincere.”
Li Zhiyin looked puzzled. “To put it simply, our family runs a security company. As clients, you can bring me a lot of money. To earn that money, I will do my utmost to treat you well, even risking half my life to protect you. How can that not be sincere?”
She extended her hand toward him. “How about giving me a big order? I’ll show you right now what it means to spend money where it counts.”
Chi Ye: “?”
“Not giving it?” Li Zhiyin lowered her hand, unsurprised, and looked at him with confidence. “I know my strengths haven’t fully shown yet, and it would be presumptuous for you to spend several million hiring someone from our company on a whim. But rest assured, you have my trial card. I will definitely show you my value.”
Chi Ye: “…”
Trial card?
He laughed, finding it quite amusing. “Can I try it now?”
Li Zhiyin: “No. I have my own pace. If you want to expedite it, you’ll have to pay extra.”
Chi Ye: “?”
Li Zhiyin walked up to him and flicked the student council president badge pinned to his chest with her finger.
A crisp “clink” rang out.
Seeing her bold move, Chi Ye’s eyes narrowed, his gaze growing deeper.
She confidently lifted her chin. “President Chi, your turn will come sooner or later. Just wait patiently in line.”
Chi Ye’s interest grew stronger. “I’d like to see how you plan to win me over.”
Li Zhiyin beamed, her icy expression melting away in that instant.
He was taken aback, a flicker of admiration surfacing in his deep eyes.
Li Zhiyin’s smile was sweet. “Perhaps the next time I appear by your side, your trial card will arrive. Please look forward to my appearance at any time.”
Chi Ye’s heart stirred, and he narrowed his eyes warily. “Trying to keep me in suspense?”
Li Zhiyin’s smile deepened. Without another word, she turned and walked away.
Chi Ye called after her, “You won’t succeed unless I want to work with you.”
Li Zhiyin stopped and glanced sideways at him from the corner of her eye. “If I hadn’t succeeded, you would have simply ignored me, not taken me seriously, instead of actively seeking me out and secretly watching me.”
Chi Ye: “?”
Li Zhiyin looked back at him with a smile. “You’ve been secretly watching me all along. Did you think I didn’t know?”
Chi Ye’s composure shattered instantly, and he lowered his eyes in panic.
Her smile deepened, as if watching a trapped beast, and she teased, “What’s going on, President Chi? You’re so smart. How could you not realize you’re already hooked?”
Chi Ye: “!”