Jiang Xianzhuo was bewildered.
His mind kept replaying that inexplicable message Shen Zhili had sent him last night.
“Husband, where are you?”
Husband…
These two words kept poking at Jiang Xianzhuo’s brain.
No matter how he looked at it, this absurd form of address didn’t seem like something Shen Zhili would send him, yet… she never explained it, not even by saying she’d sent it to the wrong person.
Then there was today’s sudden intervention.
And finally, this card.
A series of abnormal behaviors swirled into chaos in his mind, with no reasonable explanation to be found.
Could it be… she remembered who he was?
No.
If she remembered, she wouldn’t be speaking to him like this.
It must be a new way to humiliate him.
First, embarrass him in front of everyone, then hypocritically extend an olive branch, just to watch him grovel.
Or perhaps… this was just the young lady’s whim, casually tossing a scrap to a beggar she happened to find pleasing.
“Hah.”
A faint, self-mocking laugh escaped Jiang Xianzhuo’s throat.
How could he ever think that Shen Zhili would suddenly find him pleasing?
She was a cloud in the sky.
The most dazzling jewel in a display window.
And he was a rat in the gutter, an illegitimate child who couldn’t bear the light.
Expressionlessly, Jiang Xianzhuo stuffed the card into his pocket, then turned and walked in the opposite direction from Shen Zhili.
His back remained slender and frail, as if the ruthless youth who had just kicked someone to their knees had never existed.
…
On the other side.
As Shen Zhili walked, she was frantically reflecting in her mind.
Damn it, what had she just done?
Walking over stiffly and handing Jiang Xianzhuo a card?
What was the fundamental difference between this action and when she had accepted those five thousand yuan before throwing the coat into the trash?
Both were acts of charity, both condescending.
And both came with a pitying gaze.
Shen Zhili’s mood suddenly sank, and the sound of her high heels hitting the ground grew increasingly irritable.
She simply didn’t know how to please people.
Having been a wealthy socialite for so many years, pampered and flattered, her daily life consisted of shopping, beauty treatments, afternoon tea with friends, and waiting for her unnaturally energetic husband to come home.
She had long forgotten how to read someone’s thoughts.
Especially a young man in a period of extreme insecurity and sensitivity.
At this moment, Shen Zhiyu, who had been walking beside her in silence, finally couldn’t hold back and spoke up again. “First me, then him. You’re acting very strange today.”
Why had the wicked stepmother from the fairy tale suddenly become so much gentler toward both illegitimate children?
Was that right?
Could she be planning to pack them both off together?
Shen Zhili stopped walking and glanced at him.
“If you keep being so clueless and yapping when I’m in a bad mood, I’ll put Truck on the dining table.”
Shen Zhiyu: “…”
He immediately behaved.
Seeing his instantly cowed and obedient look, Shen Zhili’s irritable mood inexplicably improved a little.
Forget it, she shouldn’t speak so harshly to a child. She needed to guide him patiently.
Better say something to placate him.
“Get back to your high school building. I’m going to class.”
…
Shen Zhili entered the classroom and took her seat.
Propping her chin on one hand, she began to ponder thoughtfully.
The surrounding classmates were whispering, their gazes filled with curiosity and scrutiny as they looked her way.
“Hey, did you hear? Shen Zhili helped that illegitimate child out in the square today.”
“Really? I thought she hated illegitimate children the most.”
“Absolutely true. I even saw her give that Jiang Xianzhuo a card to buy a new school uniform.”
“Wow, what’s going on? Did she change her nature?”
“Maybe it’s… you know…”
“Could be, after all, who wouldn’t be a little dazzled by Jiang Xianzhuo’s face?”
“Can’t be, right? Isn’t Xie Yuchi pursuing Shen Zhili?”
“Well, did you see Xie Yuchi come to school with her today?”
“…”
The murmurs were neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to reach Shen Zhili’s ears word for word.
But she couldn’t be bothered to pay them any mind.
Because her brain was rapidly formulating a brand-new battle plan.
She had forgotten earlier that Jiang Xianzhuo was actually a wolf in sheep’s clothing, deeply vengeful at his core… Trying to win him over with appearances alone wouldn’t work. She had to take the initiative and wear down his resentment first.
Just as Shen Zhili was pondering this, she heard footsteps approaching from behind.
Immediately afterward, an overwhelmingly strong perfume scent wafted toward her.
“Lili, you look so beautiful today!”
The voice was sweet and cloying, enough to give anyone goosebumps.
Shen Zhili looked up and saw a girl with an ordinary appearance but dressed meticulously, standing in front of her desk with a beaming smile.
Qiao Yi.
Memories instantly flooded back.
This girl’s family owned several medium-sized supermarkets in the city. In a place like Qinzhou Academy, where the wealthy were everywhere, her family was considered the lowest tier.
But she had one advantage: she was exceptionally good at ingratiating herself.
Whenever there was even the slightest stir around Shen Zhili, she would be the first to catch wind of it and eagerly rush over to curry favor.
“Lili, is this jacket a new release? I saw it in a magazine.”
Qiao Yi’s eyes sparkled, her gaze glued to Shen Zhili’s clothes, filled with envy.
“And this bag, oh my, is this the autumn haute couture edition? I heard you have to wait in line for a year to get it…”
Shen Zhili withdrew her hand from propping up her chin and looked up, studying her carefully.
In the past, she would have pretentiously accepted the praise and, if in a good mood, casually given her some benefits.
But now…
Qiao Yi clearly had a more useful purpose.
“Qiao Yi.”
Shen Zhili called her name calmly.
Qiao Yi was taken aback, clearly not expecting her to call her name proactively. Usually, Shen Zhili would just smile casually or directly toss her something.
“Lili, what is it?”
Qiao Yi quickly leaned in closer, her tone even more sycophantic.
“Jiang Xianzhuo…”
Shen Zhili paused for a moment, casually making up a reason.
“He got into a fight with a student from the neighboring class in the square today. I forgot the guy’s name, but he had gray-dyed hair. I heard he was hospitalized?”
Hospitalization was impossible—she was completely fabricating it.
But she remembered that Qiao Yi’s greatest skill was being well-informed, constantly mingling in various circles to gather gossip. It shouldn’t be difficult to extract some information about Jiang Xianzhuo from her.
Sure enough, Qiao Yi’s expression instantly turned excited.
“Yes, yes, I heard about it!”
She quickly pulled up a chair and sat down next to Shen Zhili, lowering her voice as she began to chatter away.
“That guy with the gray hair is Li Junye. His family is in real estate, and he likes to bully people because his dad has some connections in the construction industry… But he didn’t end up in the hospital—he just brushed it off and went back to class.”
“As for Jiang Xianzhuo, he usually just ignores their taunts and walks away. But today, for some reason, he was unusually tough—it was terrifying.”
Shen Zhili listened to this pointless chatter, growing impatient.
“Get to the point.”
“Right, right.”
Qiao Yi quickly changed the subject.
“The point is, Jiang Xianzhuo doesn’t have any friends. He spends every day alone.”
“He lives in a small apartment his dad arranged for him, which is pretty far from the school—it takes half an hour by bus. And every night, he works at a convenience store nearby… With no one to help him deal with Li Junye, he’s probably in trouble.”