In a luxury suite at Xilin Hotel.
Gong Yuze was woken up by the ringing of his phone. By the time he reached for it, the call had already disconnected. Seeing the name on the caller ID, he shot up from the bed, his groggy mind instantly clearing.
The messy king-sized bed, his naked body, and the scratch marks on his chest made it clear that everything that happened last night was real. But he was the only one in bed. He walked around the room naked but couldn’t find anyone; the woman had actually run off early.
He picked up his phone and immediately called his assistant.
"Mr. Gong."
"Get me a copy of all the security footage from Xilin Hotel from last night."
"Right away, Mr. Gong."
Hanging up, Gong Yuze took out a cigarette and lit it. He never expected to run into that girl he had only met once before here last night. Even less did he expect some reckless woman to drug him at the banquet just to get close to him. He had almost been taken advantage of. Fortunately, when he returned to his room, he saw that girl. And then... then he was saved, and the one being taken advantage of became that girl with a smile as radiant as a blooming flower.
RING RING RING. The ringing of his phone forcefully pulled Gong Yuze back from his thoughts. The caller ID simply read: Qingqing.
The smile on Gong Yuze’s lips faded. He answered the call. "Qingqing, I was in the restroom just now. I was just about to call you back."
Yan Qingqing let out a sigh of relief. "Brother Gong, I missed you."
Thinking about what happened last night, Gong Yuze felt somewhat guilty. "I’ll pick you up later, and we can have lunch together. I missed you too, Qingqing."
Yan Qingqing was instantly thrilled. "Okay, I’ll wait for you at school. Drive safely, Brother Gong."
Hanging up, Gong Yuze went straight to the bathroom to wash up. Afterward, he dressed sharply and drove to First High School.
For the next class, Yan Qingqing was completely distracted. The moment lunchtime arrived, she sprinted to the school gates as if running a 100-meter dash.
Seeing her come out, Gong Yuze stepped out of the car, opened the passenger door, and ushered her inside.
Once the door closed, blocking out everyone’s view, Gong Yuze kissed her on the lips. Yan Qingqing shyly lowered her head, completely missing the fleeting darkness that flashed in Gong Yuze’s eyes. It lasted only a second before he returned to normal.
"Your lunch break is short, so I went ahead and booked a table at that Japanese restaurant you love. Is that okay?"
Yan Qingqing’s small face flushed red. "Of course. As long as I’m with you, Brother Gong, I can eat anything."
Gong Yuze let out a low chuckle as he looked at her blushing face. The blue sports car roared as it sped forward.
Meanwhile, Ning Yue also saw the photos Wen Xiaorong had sent. After looking at them, she said nothing and simply transferred her another sum of money.
That afternoon, Ning Yue was called to the teacher’s office.
The homeroom teacher of Class 13 was Ms. Qian. When Ning Yue first transferred in, Ms. Qian had astutely allowed her to study independently. She was a good teacher who knew how to tailor her approach to each student’s aptitude. Calling Ning Yue in now was merely to advise her to keep a level head and not put too much pressure on herself. If she maintained her current performance, getting into a top-tier university was guaranteed, and she could even compete for the title of Beijing City’s top scorer in the college entrance examination.
Ning Yue sat obediently to the side and listened. Yes, she sat. In the eyes of Class 13’s homeroom teacher—no, even in the eyes of the director and the principal—she was a VIP to be protected at all costs. They were terrified that trivial matters would affect her and cause her to underperform in the exam.
"If there’s anything you don’t understand in your studies, feel free to ask. All of us teachers are available to help you anytime, and our phones are on twenty-four hours a day. If you have any difficulties at home, you can bring those up too. Also, don’t pay attention to the rumors and gossip around school. We can’t choose our parents, but we can choose our future. You understand these big principles better than I do, so I won’t say more.
"Just hold on for another month until the college entrance examination. All your hard work these past days will pay off. You must persevere."
As for Yan Qingqing in Class 1, she had taken the entrance exam when she transferred in, scoring 687 points—a score that easily placed her in the top thirty of the entire school. But in such a short time, she had already fallen out of the top one hundred.
The Yan family was wealthy. Even if Yan Qingqing didn’t go to school, she would never lack a job or money. Because of this, the homeroom teacher of Class 1 had given up on the idea of calling her parents.
Time flew by, and soon it was June. Both Ning Yue and Yan Qingqing’s birthdays were on June 2nd. On June 1st, Yan Qingqing deliberately came to Class 13, inviting Ning Yue in an incredibly boastful tone. "The family is planning to throw an eighteenth birthday party for me tomorrow. It won’t be a big event, just our own family members. You should come too, Sister Ning. You haven’t been home for months, and Mom really misses you..."
"So, she’s basically saying I’m heartless and ungrateful!" Ning Yue thought.
"I won’t be going. Happy birthday," Ning Yue replied. "Last year, President Yan and Mrs. Yan said they would give me some company shares when I turned eighteen. I’m sure you’ll be receiving that gift tomorrow.
"I don’t have a likable personality, so Mrs. Yan and President Yan never really favored me. Since they dote on you so much, I’m sure the shares they give you definitely won’t be a small amount."
Yan Qingqing’s eyes glazed over for a moment, clearly caught in a mental whirlwind.
Her mother had indeed mentioned giving her some shares, but she had assumed they would be given as a dowry when she got married. Shares at eighteen? Thank goodness she had met Gong Yuze and reunited with her biological parents early. Otherwise, wouldn’t those shares have fallen into the lap of a fake like Ning Yue? Moreover, Ning Yue wasn’t liked by any Yan Family member, but she was different. Her parents and brothers absolutely adored her. Surely she would get at least ten percent of the shares, right?
She knew her eldest brother held ten percent of the shares, likely given to him by their parents when he came of age. Even though she was a daughter, her parents owed her seventeen years of her life. Plus, they had personally told her how much they loved her. They couldn’t possibly give her less than what her eldest brother received, could they?
At the thought of acquiring ten percent of the Yan Group’s shares, Yan Qingqing suddenly lost all interest in showing off to Ning Yue. After all, she hadn’t genuinely intended to invite her to the birthday party anyway. She turned and walked away.
Ning Yue watched her retreating figure. Qingqing had changed to a new diamond hairpin, and her shoes were a limited edition. However, Ning Yue had also caught a glimpse of her neck—Yan Qingqing was wearing a diamond necklace. Although it was probably worth seven or eight hundred thousand yuan, it wasn’t the Heart of Paris.
Ning Yue revealed a meaningful smile. It seemed that as long as she didn’t follow the original host’s predetermined path, many things would change.
For the rest of the afternoon, Yan Qingqing was once again in no mood for classes. She didn’t even want to attend the evening self-study session. However, recalling Mrs. Yan’s dissatisfaction with her recent grades, she forcefully suppressed the urge to skip.