By the time Wen Chu finally emerged from the CET-4 examination hall, it was already noon. She felt a bit dazed listening to the heated discussions about the questions from the people around her.
This was the best she had ever felt after an English exam—both before and after transmigrating. She couldn’t help but feel a surge of smugness.
A mere Level 4 exam? Consider it conquered.
Maintaining her excellent mood, Wen Chu finished lunch and returned to her dorm. It was quiet; her roommates were all out, likely doing a final sprint before their CET-6 in the afternoon. The moment she got her phone back, she couldn’t wait to message Xi Liye.
Chu Chu Hide-and-Seek: Teacher Xi! Teacher Xi!
Chu Chu Hide-and-Seek: Guess how I did? [Peeking_Emoji.jpg]
She gripped her phone, eyes glued to the screen, unable to suppress the curve of her lips. But perhaps he was busy; the message sat there, and the “Typing…” prompt didn’t appear at the top of the chat.
Wen Chu waited for about five minutes. The screen remained silent. She frowned slightly and sent another.
Chu Chu Hide-and-Seek: I’m finished! It felt amazing! [Spinning_Emoji]
Still no reply.
Is he still busy? Or in the lab without his phone?
Wen Chu calmed down a bit. Thinking he might just be occupied, she exited WeChat and tried to scroll through other apps to steady her excitement. But her fingers wouldn’t listen; they kept reflexively sliding back to WeChat to check that specific chat box.
Ten minutes passed. Twenty minutes…
Xi Liye still hadn’t replied.
The spark of joy and pride in Wen Chu’s heart began to deflate like a punctured balloon, replaced by a trace of subtle disappointment. He clearly said there would be a reward once I finished.
Even if he didn’t give her the reward immediately, he should at least… reply to the message, right?
For the first time since transmigrating, Wen Chu felt genuinely annoyed with Xi Liye—an emotion she never thought she’d feel toward the “villainous” male lead. She put her phone down, lay on her bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Fine. I won’t wait.
Maybe he really is busy, she told herself, closing her eyes to catch up on sleep.
By the time she woke up, it was already 3:00 PM. Seeing that Xi Liye still hadn’t replied, her anger intensified, laced with a hint of grievance. He had never gone this long without replying.
Wen Chu was unhappy. She remembered her long-dormant “Breakup Plan”—she hadn’t acted like a brat in ages because of CET-4 prep.
Perfect. I’ll use this opportunity to go full ‘brat mode’! I’ll show him the consequences of ignoring his girlfriend!
She took a deep breath, forced down her tiny insecurities, put on a facade of being completely unreasonable, and unleashed a barrage of messages. Once finished, she tossed the phone aside, determined not to look at it and ruin her mood further.
Xi Liye’s failure to reply wasn’t intentional. On the contrary, he was currently at the Xi family’s ancestral estate.
As his car rolled through the heavy iron gates—symbols of power and alienation—the usual calm indifference on his face froze into ice. This luxurious yet cold mansion held the majority of his dark childhood memories and the annoying entanglements of his adult life.
His childhood hadn’t been spent in the warmth of his parents’ company. Busy with their careers, they had entrusted him to a nanny. However, that nanny suffered from severe mental illness and had subjected him to long-term intimidation and abuse in private.
The truth only came out by chance when he was seven. After the shock, guilt, and rage came the belated attempts at compensation. But fate loved its jokes; a few years ago, his mother passed away in an accident. Amidst his grief and the pressure of his business, his father, Xi Zhenbang, quickly remarried Mo Wanyu.
Entering the brightly lit but stifling living room, Xi Liye walked into the dining room. His father, his stepmother Mo Wanyu, and Xi Yunchuan were already gathered around the table. They were laughing and chatting as if they were the “real” family.
Xi Liye didn’t care. As he took his seat, Xi Zhenbang spoke: “How many times do I have to call before you come home for a meal? No matter how busy school is, you should come back once in a while.”
Xi Liye picked up his water glass and took a slow sip. “Traffic.”
The excuse was so simple it was insulting. Xi Zhenbang choked on the attitude, his face darkening. Mo Wanyu quickly smoothed things over, smiling as she served Xi Zhenbang. “Zhenbang, let’s eat first before the food gets cold. Liye must be hungry.”
She turned to Xi Liye. “Liye, try this soup. The kitchen simmered it for a long time.”
It was a medicinal herbal soup with a pungent aroma. When Xi Liye was a child being “fed” by that unstable nanny, that specific smell became entwined with his darkest memories. He despised it to this day.
Without even looking at the bowl, he said flatly, “No, thank you.”
Looking at his eldest son—who refused to integrate into the family atmosphere—Xi Zhenbang felt his anger rise. He remembered how this son had never made things easy for him, especially regarding his education and career path.
Suppressing his rage, he brought up an old thorn that had pricked him for years, his voice thick with disappointment:
“If you ask me, you should have listened to me and studied Finance!” Xi Zhenbang’s voice rose. “What’s the big future in Medicine? Working yourself to death? Can that compare to inheriting the Xi Group?”
Xi Liye was the only son of Xi Zhenbang and his first wife. Despite his remarriage, and despite Xi Yunchuan not being his biological son, Xi Zhenbang had no intention of having more children. In the depths of his heart, the future power and assets of the Xi family were destined for Xi Liye.
This was his obsession, and the root of his inability to understand Xi Liye’s “rebellious” path.
Beside them, Mo Wanyu and Xi Yunchuan looked uncomfortable. Though they knew Xi Zhenbang’s thoughts and knew Xi Yunchuan wasn’t being raised as an heir, having it laid out so bluntly on the table was like a needle pricking their pride and ambition.
Mo Wanyu’s gentle smile stiffened for a second. She lightly pulled on Xi Zhenbang’s arm. “Zhenbang, calm down. Liye is still young; his mind might change. Let’s talk slowly; don’t let it ruin your health.”
Every time Xi Liye came back for dinner, this conversation occurred. He was used to it and continued eating without reaction. Xi Yunchuan didn’t dare speak either; after all, he had just returned from being sent abroad by Xi Zhenbang a year ago due to Xi Liye’s scheming. He was much more subdued now.
The family dinner finally ended in an eerie silence.
As Xi Liye set down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth, Xi Zhenbang spoke in a heavy, commanding tone: “Liye, come to the study after you’re done.”
It was an order that brooked no refusal. Without pausing his movements, Xi Liye replied calmly, “Mhm.”
He stood up, ignoring Mo Wanyu’s hesitant expression and Xi Yunchuan’s thoughtful gaze, and followed Xi Zhenbang out of the room. The heavy doors of the study closed behind them, sealing off the rest of the world.