After steadily carrying Ye Xixi into the car with impressive boyfriend power, Lu Peishen asked: “What time are your classes over this afternoon? Should I pick you up to get our marriage certificate?”
As he inquired, his elegant and well-defined hands unconsciously braced against either side of her, completely enveloping the petite Ye Xixi within his broad, masculine presence.
Lu Peishen naturally carried that faint sandalwood scent.
It was lethally captivating.
The delicate fragrance mingled with the fresh, warm breath from his thin lips as it washed over her, making Ye Xixi blush so intensely she nearly went weak in the knees.
Clutching the sides of her skirt tightly with both hands, she replied in a nervous, breathy voice: “My last class ends at two this afternoon.”
If she remembered correctly, this week’s schedule was similar to last month’s timetable.
She should be free around two o’clock.
Lu Peishen noted this, his gaze observing the blushing, soft-spoken girl he had intentionally encircled. The corners of his lips curled into a doting smile: “Alright.”
Then he withdrew his hands and instructed Shao Bai to drive.
Soon, the luxurious Maybach departed from the extravagant villa and sped toward Ye Xixi’s university.
About half an hour later.
When they reached the university gates, Lu Peishen worried that his presence might cause a commotion and inconvenience Xixi, so he remained in the car. Just as Ye Xixi was about to exit, he gently reminded her: “Xixi, if anything happens at school, be sure to call or text me immediately.”
Ye Xixi secretly caught her breath and nodded: “Okay, Uncle Lu.”
This was really troublesome—being in such close quarters with Uncle Lu in the car.
It made her feel weak all over.
“Uncle Lu, I’m heading to class now. Please drive safely.”
Lu Peishen nodded, reaching out as if to hold the girl’s hand, but ultimately restrained himself, afraid of startling her.
He really… wanted to hold her sooner rather than later.
“Then we’ll meet this afternoon,” Lu Peishen said gently before closing the car door and instructing Shao Bai to drive to the corporate headquarters.
Ye Xixi stood by the rear of the car, her gaze lingering as she watched Lu Peishen’s vehicle disappear around the distant intersection. Only when it was completely out of sight did she dare take a deep breath, rubbing her flushed earlobes before turning to enter the university gates.
This was her first day back at school after being absent for over a month. As she looked at the familiar tree-lined avenues and breathed in the academic atmosphere of the campus,
Ye Xixi couldn’t help but inhale deeply through her small nose.
She had finally returned to her studies.
She must not disappoint Uncle Lu—she would study hard, strive for early internship opportunities, and earn money for him.
Ye Xixi stood for a long while under the lush phoenix trees before striding purposefully toward her classroom.
However, she was pregnant now.
She couldn’t skip and run back like she used to.
She walked carefully, step by step.
When she finally reached her classroom door and entered, her classmates—who hadn’t seen Ye Xixi for over a month— were utterly stunned.
Particularly Zhao Ziqi, the class beauty who disliked Ye Xixi. Seeing Ye Xixi dressed in a beautiful white dress, looking clean and radiant, left her completely dumbfounded.
Zhao Ziqi was close friends with Ye Xixi’s cousin Fang Huihui.
The two were like skunks, always bullying Ye Xixi.
This was because Fang Congyang, the heartthrob of their communications university, had a crush on Ye Xixi—while Zhao Ziqi was infatuated with Fang Congyang.
Fang Congyang’s scar fetish and obsession with Ye Xixi fueled Zhao Ziqi’s bitter hatred toward her, a resentment that ran deep.
Originally, Fang Huihui had told her that Ye Xixi had gone missing.
She might have died out there.
Zhao Ziqi had been overjoyed, but now…?
How could she suddenly be back?
Zhao Ziqi thought she was hallucinating. She immediately stood up from her seat, her eyes wide as saucers, staring intently at Ye Xixi’s face.
“Ye Xixi! Aren’t you supposed to be dead?” After glaring for a while, Zhao Ziqi couldn’t help but confront her directly.
As soon as the words were spoken, Ye Xixi frowned and retorted sharply, “Who’s dead? You’re the one who’s dead.”
Now that she had Uncle Lu backing her up, she didn’t want to be bullied by them anymore.
“You… how dare you talk back?” Zhao Ziqi was taken aback. The usually silent Ye Xixi had suddenly changed, daring to talk back to her???
After a moment of shock, Zhao Ziqi slammed the table and yelled, “Ye Xixi, don’t forget, you’re just an orphan living under someone else’s roof. You’d better watch your step.”
Ye Xixi ignored her and headed to her own seat.
But as soon as she sat down, Zhao Ziqi’s close friend Zhang Fanxin noticed the label on Ye Xixi’s dress.
Wasn’t that a Chanel dress?
It cost 280,000 yuan at the boutique.
She was an orphan with no parents, living at her aunt’s house.
How could she afford a new Chanel dress???
“Holy crap, Ziqi, Ziqi, look! That poor wretch Ye Xixi is actually wearing this season’s new Chanel dress. This dress costs 280,000! How could she afford it?” Zhang Fanxin was a brand enthusiast.
She knew all the latest luxury fashion releases.
So she recognized Ye Xixi’s dress at a glance.
This was insane. How could a bankrupt pauper dress so well???
Zhao Ziqi hadn’t paid attention to Ye Xixi’s dress earlier; she was too annoyed that Ye Xixi had suddenly reappeared instead of staying missing.
But Zhang Fanxin’s reminder caught her attention.
She hurried over to look and, sure enough, it was a genuine Chanel dress.
Zhao Ziqi immediately turned to the surrounding classmates and laughed mockingly, “Everyone, come look! The famously ugly orphan in our class, Ye Xixi, is actually wearing a 280,000-yuan Chanel dress.”
“No wonder she went missing. Did she find some rich, old, fat sugar daddy to keep her?”
“That sugar daddy must be blind—into ugly girls, liking someone with a ruined face.”
After saying this, Zhao Ziqi burst into scornful laughter.
However, she forgot that the school heartthrob she liked was also “into ugly girls”—he had a crush on Ye Xixi.
Meanwhile, the surrounding classmates cast disdainful glances.
Ye Xixi saw this and clenched her fists in anger. She hadn’t been kept by any rich, old man.
But she wouldn’t expose Uncle Lu.
Uncle Lu was a man of status.
He couldn’t become gossip material for them.
Just as Ye Xixi was thinking about how to explain the origin of the dress, her best friend Sheng Qiao walked in. The moment she entered, she heard Zhao Ziqi leading the charge in bullying Ye Xixi.
Naturally, she wasn’t having it.
Striding over, she protectively said, “Zhao Ziqi, are you some kind of gossip? Why can’t Ye Xixi wear Chanel?”
“Let me tell you, if any of you dare spread rumors about her being kept, I’ll have my family’s lawyer sue you.”
“Besides, I’m the one who gave her this dress. Do you want to see the receipt?”Sheng Qiao domineeringly pulled the Chanel dress receipt from her bag and threw it right in Zhao Ziqi’s twisted, spiteful face.”
“Miss Zhao, take a closer look. This is something I gave to Ye Xixi. Who’s the poor one here? I think it’s you!” No one among the classmates would doubt that Miss Sheng came from money.
Zhao Ziqi refused to believe it. Frowning angrily, she picked up the receipt to examine it.
It really was for a 280,000 yuan Chanel dress.
Could Sheng Qiao really have given it to her???
“What great friends you two are.” Unable to find any flaws, Zhao Ziqi could only toss out this sour remark in frustration. After throwing the receipt back to Sheng Qiao, she returned to her seat first.
Seeing that it was indeed from Sheng Qiao, the other classmates felt too embarrassed to mock Ye Xixi anymore.
They each took out their textbooks and started reading.
Sheng Qiao sat down beside Ye Xixi, still fuming. Ye Xixi quickly grabbed her arm and whispered, “How… how do you have the receipt for this dress?”
Sheng Qiao rubbed her still-throbbing temples, pausing for a moment to calm her anger before replying, “What a coincidence.”
“I bought one too—my dad got it for me just this morning.”
“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to help you.”
Ah, so that’s how it was.
She really had to thank her good friend.
“Qiaoqiao, thank you.” Knowing how wonderful she was, Ye Xixi immediately leaned in gratefully and whispered her thanks: “Otherwise, I would have been accused of being a kept woman.”
Sheng Qiao patted her shoulder: “Don’t mention it. What are best friends for?”
“But you said last night you met a benefactor? Did he buy this dress?”
Ye Xixi nodded. She didn’t want to hide it from her, blushing as she whispered: “Well, to be precise… I got married. To my benefactor. Please keep it a secret for me!”
Holy crap! Sheng Qiao had thought it was… just some ordinary helpful benefactor.
So her dear Xixi had disappeared for a month to get married?!
How absolutely mind-blowing!