It was Monday. After washing up, Jing Nian’an changed into the St. Silan Academy uniform.
The well-tailored dark green blazer accentuated her slender waist, while her legs beneath the pleated skirt were straight and fair.
Jing Lüyan gathered her long hair and secured it with a pearl hairpin, revealing the girl’s delicate and vulnerable neck.
“Brother, it’s almost ten o’clock. Can’t I skip school…”
Jing Nian’an mumbled at the mirror, her almond-shaped eyes glistening with unshed tears.
She really didn’t want to go to school—the female lead, supporting female characters, and male supporting characters were all there.
The male lead might be there too, but she just didn’t know who he was…
Yet when she saw the sharp gaze of the man leaning over her in the mirror, her whining complaints abruptly stopped.
No matter how arrogant and domineering the young Miss Jing was outside, she could never bring herself to act that way in front of Jing Lüyan.
Perhaps it was because she had been raised single-handedly by Jing Lüyan since childhood—the seven-year age gap meant he played both the roles of older brother and guardian.
For as long as Jing Nian’an could remember, aside from the rotating nannies who took care of her, only Jing Lüyan had been by her side.
Wen Zhuo had moved in much later.
As a child, Jing Nian’an had once tugged at Jing Lüyan’s pant leg and innocently asked where their parents were.
But as time went on, she gradually stopped asking—because Jing Lüyan had perfectly fulfilled every role.
From Jing Nian’an’s exceptionally spoiled personality today, it was clear that Jing Lüyan had raised her extremely well.
~
A short while later, the two went downstairs and had a simple breakfast.
During this time, Wen Zhuo was nowhere to be seen, likely having gone to the laboratory.
St. Silan Academy was a school for the children of top chaebols—a standard elite institution—but it also admitted a very small number of exceptionally talented scholarship students.
Of course, there was a clear divide between scholarship students and the children of the elite.
From the school badge on the uniform to the segregated dining areas, invisible class divisions were everywhere.
Jing Nian’an was accustomed to such rules, even finding them entirely natural.
The car stopped in front of St. Silan’s gilded gates. Jing Nian’an lazily said, “Bye, brother,” before hopping out of the car.
“I’ll pick you up at five.”
Jing Lüyan rolled down the window, his profile stern in the sunlight. “Don’t let me catch you skipping class again.”
The girl waved dismissively and ran off, her pleated skirt billowing like waves in the morning breeze.
Unaware that in the rearview mirror, the man’s gaze lingered on her retreating figure, deep and unreadable.
~
Jing Nian’an walked into the school building with her backpack, only to be blocked at a corridor corner.
A young man leaned lazily against the wall, his dark green uniform jacket casually open to reveal the white shirt beneath.
His tie hung loosely, giving off an air of carefree defiance.
His slightly curly blond hair was tousled, his eye sockets deep, and his pupils a hazy blue, reminiscent of a wild, untamed wolf.
Yet his face was strikingly handsome, with eyes that tilted slightly upward at the corners, exuding a roguish charm.
Sheng Ran, the only son of the Sheng family.
A Chinese-Russian mixed-race heir, the sole successor of the Sheng family, known for his unrestrained personality and notorious as a troublemaker.
The two had been at odds since childhood, always clashing whenever they met.
However, thanks to the backing of her two older brothers, Jing Nian’an had often come out on top when they were younger.
But as they grew older, Sheng Ran not only didn’t tone it down but instead became even more antagonistic toward her.
Now, the young man stood with one hand in his pocket, leaning against the wall to block her path. He leaned in slightly, a roguish smile playing on his lips.
“Move!”The boy was very tall, forcing Jing Nian’an to look up to glare at him.
Her porcelain-like face flushed a faint pink from anger, her almond-shaped eyes wide open like a bristling kitten.
—Damn, she’s really pretty.
Sheng Ran cursed inwardly, but on the surface, he still wore a malicious smile, deliberately leaning closer to her:
“What, it’s been so long since we last met, aren’t you happy to see me?”
Jing Nian’an hadn’t expected to run into the male supporting character so soon, her delicate brows instantly furrowing.
That’s right, her nemesis was actually the male supporting character from the novel!
And not just any male supporting character—the kind who was blindly devoted to the female lead, only to later end up with the female supporting character who had a crush on him!
As for the female supporting character, Qiu Qing’er, she was the true close friend of the female lead, Lin Jinhuan, and currently the daughter of the Sheng family’s housekeeper.
The thought that this mad dog in front of her was the male supporting character, while she was just a cannon fodder, made Jing Nian’an feel as if a cat had clawed at her heart—utterly unbalanced!
The next second, the girl glared at him fiercely before trying to step around him and walk toward the back.
Seemingly caught off guard by her reaction, Sheng Ran’s eyes darkened as he quickly grabbed her wrist.
Slender, soft, as if it would shatter with the slightest squeeze.
The delicate sensation sent a shiver down his spine, yet he deliberately masked his agitation with venomous words:
“How exactly did Jing Lüyan raise you? How is the young lady of the Jing family still so ill-mannered?”
Usually, by this point, the ill-tempered young lady would have lunged into his arms, ready to claw at him.
The sensation of the girl’s skin still lingered in his palm, and Sheng Ran unconsciously rubbed his fingers, waiting for her next move.
But today, the girl was acting out of character.
Jing Nian’an glanced at the classroom not far behind him, then looked up and assessed Sheng Ran.
Her beautiful eyes instantly sparkled like stars, and the next second, she turned and walked away.
Perfect—she wouldn’t have to attend this lousy school anymore. She couldn’t understand a thing anyway; it would be better to go home and walk the dog.
When her brother asked about it later, she’d have a reason ready: she could say she’d encountered bullying at school.
She could even shed a few tears, and then she wouldn’t have to come for the next two days!
Yes!
The more Jing Nian’an thought about it, the happier she became, her steps growing lighter as she walked back.
Sheng Ran had been mentally predicting whether she would slap his left cheek or his right…
But the next second, the girl actually turned and walked away…
Walked away?!
Sheng Ran’s pupils constricted in disbelief as he watched the girl’s retreating figure moving faster and faster.
“Jing Nian’an!”
The boy hurriedly took two large strides forward, grabbing her firmly.
Jing Nian’an was yanked so forcefully that she spun around, still in a daze.
Then she heard the boy’s furious roar from above:
“You’re ignoring me? You won’t even spare me a glance now?!”
The boy practically gritted his teeth to force out these words, his voice carrying an unconscious mix of grievance and rage.
This inexplicably resentful question snapped the girl back to her senses.
The next second, a crisp slap echoed through the hallway.
“Sheng Ran, are you out of your mind?!”
Sheng Ran tilted his head, his tongue pressing against his tingling back teeth, carefully savoring the burning pain on his left cheek.
Yet, a strange sense of satisfaction welled up inside him.
For now, Sheng Ran attributed it to the reassuring feeling of the slap landing on his face.
After all, he hadn’t been spared such treatment in the past…
Sheng Ran inwardly cursed himself for being messed up, then took a step closer, closing the distance.
Up close, Jing Nian’an could smell the citrusy cologne mixed with his scent.
The girl instinctively stepped back, only for her back to press against the cold wall.Sheng Ran’s smile deepened at the sight, and he deliberately leaned in closer, reducing the distance between them to just a fist’s width.
Just as Sheng Ran was about to say something, the girl in front of him suddenly crouched down.
She slipped right under his arm and dashed toward the school gate without looking back.
Watching her fleeing figure, Sheng Ran touched his flushed cheek and chuckled.
The girl had hit him and run off, without even bothering to scold him a few more times…
It was a bit unexpected.
His sidekick, Chen Yang, quietly approached from behind and slowly asked, “Ran, do you like the young miss?”
At these words, Sheng Ran whipped his head around.
With half his face still flushed, he narrowed his eyes dangerously, his upper and lower lashes nearly meeting, and retorted:
“Me, like her? Are you joking? Do I look like I have some kind of masochistic tendency?”
Seeing Chen Yang slowly nod, Sheng Ran laughed in exasperation and added:
“Which of your dog eyes saw me liking her?”
Chen Yang ignored his earlier childish provocations and simply said slowly:
“The young miss just hit you, and you didn’t even get angry. Plus, you looked…”
Before Chen Yang could finish, Sheng Ran cut him off:
“You don’t understand shit! I was the one who pulled her first, twice! She only hit me once, so I still came out ahead!”
Chen Yang scratched his head in confusion. “Ran, is that how you calculate it?”
“Of course! Did you really think I liked her? She’s so fussy and spoiled. Only someone like Jing Lüyan would treat her like a treasure.”
But as he finished speaking, a wave of irritation surged within him.
“I like girls who are gentle and quiet, got it?!”
With that, he turned and walked in the opposite direction.
Yet his mind was filled with the vivid image of the girl glaring at him—
Spoiled yet impossibly beautiful, infuriating enough to make his teeth itch, yet… leaving him restless and yearning.