In his previous life, not long after he started working at the factory, a girl named Jiang Mian joined. He heard from coworkers that she was the factory owner’s daughter.
Though she looked obedient on the surface, she was extremely rebellious when it came to studying. To make her realize the importance of academics, her parents had sent her to the factory to supervise workers, calling it “reforming through labor.”
Jiang Mian often neglected her duties and constantly encouraged him to slack off and skip work with her. He didn’t dare refuse, but since everyone knew she was the boss’s daughter, they turned a blind eye and didn’t dock his wages.
Cheng Ye thought for a moment. In his previous life, at this time, he hadn’t come back to Grandma’s place. Based on the timeline, Jiang Mian didn’t know him yet.
With that in mind, he walked over and said politely, “Hello, my grandma went out for a house call and hasn’t returned yet. Are you here to see her for treatment?”
Jiang Mian looked at his handsome face, and her heart suddenly became chaotic. She quickly averted her gaze unnaturally and asked, “My grandfather has severe lower back pain from sitting too long. When will your grandma be free? I’d like to invite her to my home to treat him with traditional medicine.”
“I’m not sure when she’ll be free,” Cheng Ye replied. “Based on her usual schedule, her house calls tend to take quite a while.”
He lowered his eyes, glanced at his watch, then looked directly into her bright almond-shaped eyes. “You might need to wait around two hours. It’s up to you. If you’re not in a hurry, you can wait. If you have things to do, you can leave your contact details. I’ll let Grandma know later and have her contact you.”
Under his steady gaze, Jiang Mian’s heart pounded wildly. It was just a normal look… so why was she so nervous?
Love at first sight? Or just being attracted to his looks?
Tch, how shallow.
Even as she mocked herself internally, she maintained her well-behaved exterior. “My name is Jiang Mian. Let’s add each other on WeChat.”
Cheng Ye had no objections. He scanned her QR code, added her, and sent his name.
Jiang Mian didn’t know what to say next, so after a brief exchange, she reluctantly left the small clinic.
Once inside the alley, she picked up her phone. “Five minutes. I want all of Cheng Ye’s information.”
“Damn, my little princess, that CEO tone of yours makes even me, your actual CEO brother, feel inferior. Take it easy, don’t scare him off. With your strength…” Jiang Shiyan’s voice came through the phone, half teasing, half helpless.
“Brother, stop talking nonsense. Hurry up.” Jiang Mian puffed her fair cheeks, clearly annoyed.
“Alright, alright.” Jiang Shiyan received the photo of the clinic storefront she sent via WeChat and immediately had his assistant investigate. Within three minutes, he had all of Cheng Ye’s information—from birth to present—neatly compiled in detail.
Jiang Mian opened the document and skimmed through it rapidly.
“Hey, little girl, all alone here?” A greasy middle-aged man spotted her slender figure and pretty face. Lust flashed in his eyes as he approached, rubbing his hands excitedly.
Hearing the man’s voice through the phone, Jiang Shiyan instantly knew he was finished. With concern, he said, “Mianmian, just don’t beat him to death. Also, when are you going back abroad to study? Mom and Dad mentioned it this morning. If you don’t start focusing, they’ll get mad again… and I’ll be the one getting scolded.”
At that, Jiang Mian’s eyes lit up. “Brother, you won’t get scolded anymore. Tomorrow, I’m transferring into Cheng Ye’s class.”
Jiang Shiyan: “…”
Jiang Mian hung up. The middle-aged man blocked her path, his filthy hand reaching toward her. “Little girl, uncle will take you out for some fun.”
Crack—
The sound of bone snapping echoed.
The man stared in horror at his arm, which Jiang Mian had grabbed.
With a terrifying amount of force, she had broken his arm.
“Ahhhh!!” He let out a pig-like scream. What kind of monster was this girl?! How could she have such strength?!
Jiang Mian withdrew her hand. Just then, she heard movement behind her and turned around.
Cheng Ye had arrived.
In the next moment, Jiang Mian suddenly collapsed to the ground. Tears streamed down her face as she trembled and begged, “Uncle, I’ll give you money. Please let me go, okay?”
The middle-aged man: “…???”
Before he could even process what was happening, he was kicked hard by the boy who had just appeared.
Clutching his stomach, he rolled on the ground in pain, wailing.
Cheng Ye helped Jiang Mian up.
The girl seemed utterly terrified. She buried her face in his firm chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, her voice trembling and soft. “Cheng Ye, thank you for saving me.”
Cheng Ye frowned slightly. He wanted to say that men and women should keep their distance, but the girl was sobbing in his arms, clearly shaken by the incident.
He could only comfort her, “You’re safe now. I came because you dropped your earphones by the clinic door.”
As he spoke, he took out a pair of white Bluetooth earphones from his pocket.
Jiang Mian rubbed her face lightly against his clothes, then quickly stepped back to maintain proper distance. She took the earphones she had deliberately left behind. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have hugged you like that. Thank you for coming all this way to return them.”
“It’s fine,” Cheng Ye said. “How do you want to deal with that creep?”
Jiang Mian still looked frightened and hid behind him. “Cheng Ye, I’ll listen to you.”
“Let’s call the police.” Cheng Ye made the call, and soon officers arrived and took the middle-aged man away.
The girl still clutched the hem of his clothes tightly, her fingers trembling.
Cheng Ye’s gaze fell on Jiang Mian.
She had a sweet, delicate appearance. Her skin was flawless, glowing pale and smooth.
Her clear, beautiful eyes were pure and untainted, stirring an instinctive urge to protect her.
She looked small and fragile, barely reaching his shoulder, appearing innocent and harmless… the kind of person easily bullied by others.
“I’ll walk you out of the alley,” Cheng Ye said, not at ease. There were hardly any pedestrians in this area. “Next time you come to the clinic, don’t take this route. Use the alley next door. It’s a bit longer, but there are more vendors and people around, so it’s safer.”
“Okay, got it.” Jiang Mian nodded obediently and followed him.
After seeing her off, Cheng Ye returned to the clinic.
Grandma had come back early. She had brought a big bag of snacks for him to take home.
Cheng Ye accepted the snacks and told her about Jiang Mian. After confirming she would be free the day after tomorrow, he sent Jiang Mian a message. She replied that she would come again then.
…
The next day.
Yahua High School, Senior Year Class 1.
As soon as Cheng Ye stepped into the classroom, waves of laughter echoed.
“Hahaha, Cheng Ye got kicked out of his rich family?”
“The version I heard is that he left the Cheng family on his own.”
“No way! Young Master Fenghao said it himself—Cheng Ye was thrown out because he was disobedient.”
Seeing Cheng Ye take his seat, the students couldn’t help but sigh mockingly. So what if he was the real young master? With his terrible academic performance, there was no way he could get into college! Without the backing of a wealthy family, his future would be worse than theirs.
“Hey, Cheng Ye, Class Monitor Chu isn’t someone you can even dream of. Yesterday, Young Master Fenghao gave her a love letter, and she accepted it.” A buzz-cut boy laughed, his tone full of ridicule.
“Cheng Ye, I suggest you ask the homeroom teacher to withdraw from the physics competition. Otherwise, when the results come out, it’ll be way too embarrassing.”