Faced with Shen Yu charging at her like he was about to hit someone, Gu Nianqing showed no fear at all.
Instead, she calmly pointed to the large map hanging on the back wall of the classroom.
“Look—Beijing is here.” She circled a spot in the air, then drew an imaginary line down toward a coastal city in the south. “And this is where I used to live… just this far away.”
She gestured with her fingers, indicating a small distance.
“…And over there? No one’s even heard of the Shen family. So what’s so impressive about it?”
Teacher Yang blinked.
Wait—what?
Was that… how geography worked?!
Shen Yu froze mid-step and turned back in disbelief.
Without any real sense of scale, that tiny distance she’d “measured” completely threw him off.
“That’s impossible! You’re lying!” His pride had always come from his family background, and now it was being trampled flat. “The Shen family is a hundred times—no, a thousand times more impressive than your Xu family!”
“But people there do know the Xu family,” Gu Nianqing said with a shrug. “If you don’t believe me, go ask around.”
She wasn’t lying. The scandal involving Gu Sheng and Xu Mingzhen had been widely talked about, especially since it involved a medical clinic. The Xu name had spread—whether for good or bad, fame was still fame.
Shen Yu panicked and grabbed Xu Yingjia. “Tell me! She’s lying, right?!”
“W-what—?” Xu Yingjia flinched. “A-Yu, why are you mad?”
He shook her shoulders frantically. “No one in the south knows the Shen family?!”
“I—I don’t know…”
“But they know the Xu family?!”
“I… think so…?”
Shen Yu collapsed onto the ground.
“N-No way… I don’t believe it!”
Gu Nianqing clicked her tongue. “See? That’s what I’m saying—what’s so special about it? Not just in the south. Even here in Beijing, if you grab a random person, they might not know your Shen family either.”
That did it.
“Shut up! You’re talking nonsense!”
He didn’t even realize the topic had completely shifted—from attacking her background to defending his family’s reputation.
Right now, all he wanted was to prove how famous the Shen family was.
Shen Yu stormed onto the platform and grabbed Gu Nianqing’s wrist. “Come with me! We’ll go ask people right now!”
She slapped his hand away in disgust. “No thanks. I have class. If I skip, I’ll get punished with a self-criticism.”
“I’d like to see who dares punish you!”
Teacher Yang: …
Honestly, just witnessing the Shen family’s young master being led around like this was already worth it. No way was he going to punish her after such entertainment.
In the end, Shen Yu still dragged Gu Nianqing out, with a swarm of kids following behind.
Only a few scattered students remained in the classroom.
Xu Yingjia stared blankly at the door. “W-where did they go…?”
Teacher Yang sighed. “…Yingjia, maybe you should call home?”
“Oh… okay.”
For kids like them, school was more of a formality. Leaving early was common, so family drivers were always stationed outside, ready to pick them up.
Shen Yu shoved Gu Nianqing into his car and glared at her. “Just wait. Once you see how important the Shen family is, you’ll be begging me for forgiveness!”
Gu Nianqing tilted her head, curious. “Is it really that important?”
“Of course!” Shen Yu snorted. “I won’t let you insult my family like that!”
“Ohhh…” she nodded thoughtfully. “So you’re angry because your family got insulted.”
He frowned. “Isn’t that obvious? Who wouldn’t get mad if their family was looked down on—”
He suddenly froze, recalling how he had just called the Xu family trash in the classroom.
Realization hit.
“You’re getting back at me!”
He expected her to look flustered at being exposed.
Instead, she blinked in confusion. “Getting back at you? For what?”
Now he wasn’t so sure anymore.
“I said the Xu family was trash. Aren’t you mad?”
Before Gu Nianqing could answer, the driver in front nearly gasped out loud.
What on earth was the young master doing now?!
Gu Nianqing looked even more puzzled. “I don’t even have the Xu surname. Why don’t you ask Miss Xu that instead?”
Shen Yu scoffed. “That idiot Xu Yingjia wouldn’t understand something like this.”
As soon as he said it, he noticed Gu Nianqing frown.
Thinking he’d hit a nerve, he smirked. “What? Don’t like me calling her stupid? You’re just an illegitimate daughter, but you’re pretty loyal, huh?”
Gu Nianqing thought for a moment, then said, “Isn’t it usually smart people who call others stupid?”
She gave him a quick once-over and shook her head.
Shen Yu exploded again. “You’re saying I’m not smart?!”
His shouting made her ears hurt, so she simply went along with him. “Alright then, smart Young Master Shen—what are you planning to do now?”
He huffed and waved at the driver. “Take us to the busiest place right now!”
The driver hesitated, unsure.
Shen Yu grew impatient and kicked the seat. “Drive! Are you deaf?!”
“Um… Young Master, what exactly are you trying to do?”
Gu Nianqing helpfully explained, “Young Master Shen wants to prove his family is famous, so he’s going to ask people if they’ve heard of them.”
Driver: …
What kind of nonsense is this?
After saying that, Gu Nianqing curled her lips in mild disdain.
“Beijing is such a small place. Of course locals know the Shen family. Even if you ask around here, it doesn’t prove anything.”
Shen Yu’s eyes lit up immediately. He sneered,
“Country bumpkin, you really don’t get it, do you? Tons of tourists come to Beijing every day. I’ll ask them!”
The driver broke into a cold sweat.
“Young Master, maybe we should just forget it… The Shen family’s reputation doesn’t need proving, right?”
Shen Yu puffed up his chest stubbornly.
“I have to show this ignorant bumpkin what the real world looks like!”
Gu Nianqing tilted her head and looked at the driver.
“Uncle, are you worried Young Master Shen might get embarrassed?”
The driver: ???
Where did this little instigator come from?!
But it was too late. Shen Yu was already pounding on the window.
“Embarrassed my foot! Drive!”
Beijing is home to one of the largest public squares in the world, where crowds gather daily to watch the flag-raising ceremony. Naturally, Shen Yu chose that spot.
The driver dragged his feet, trying to contact the Shen family while driving. But Shen Yu, unusually alert, noticed immediately and snatched the phone away.
The driver: ……
This feels like a disaster waiting to happen.
From the rearview mirror, he saw a whole line of cars following them. His anxiety skyrocketed.
That frail-looking little girl in the back—how did she stir things up like a raging fire the moment she opened her mouth?!
No matter how much he delayed, the car eventually stopped at the square.
Shen Yu dragged Gu Nianqing out under the blazing sun and rushed toward a nearby tour group. The other kids piled out of the cars behind them, forming a small “army.”
Shen Yu shoved her forward.
“Go on—ask them!”
Gu Nianqing stumbled a little but didn’t get upset. She turned back and asked,
“What exactly should I say?”
“Just say—just say…” Shen Yu suddenly got stuck.
He turned to his followers.
“You guys tell her!”
The kids exchanged awkward looks. After a long pause—and a glare from Shen Yu—they began offering scattered, unhelpful suggestions.
Gu Nianqing grew dizzy listening to the chaos. She stomped her foot.
“Ugh, you’re all useless. Forget it—let’s just go ask together!”
Shen Yu, already annoyed, immediately agreed.
“Fine! We’ll all ask!”
Some of the older kids hesitated, sensing trouble, but Shen Yu’s glare shut them up.
Charging ahead, Shen Yu grabbed a random tourist.
“Hey, you—”
Startled, the man looked down.
“Where did this kid come from…?”
Then he noticed the whole group behind him and froze.
Before he could process anything, Shen Yu demanded loudly,
“Do you know the Shen family?”
“Uh…?”
That single confused sound was answer enough.
Shen Yu’s face flushed red instantly.
Beside him, Gu Nianqing let out a drawn-out, mocking,
“Ehh—”
“That doesn’t count! He’s ignorant!” Shen Yu snapped, shoving the man aside and grabbing another passerby.
“Do you know the Shen family?!”
The tourist frowned, annoyed.
“Whose kid is this? No manners at all.”
Shen Yu exploded.
“Who do you think you are?! How dare you insult the Shen family!”
The tourist: ???
Is this some kind of prank show?
Even stranger, the group of kids behind Shen Yu all glared at him in unison, as if he’d committed a grave offense.
More people began noticing the commotion.
Under the growing crowd of curious onlookers, Gu Nianqing suddenly spoke up:
“Sir, he’s from the Shen family in Beijing. That, um…”
She turned back to the others. “What’s his title again?”
The kids chimed in eagerly:
“The Crown Prince of Beijing’s elite circle!”
“Oh, right!” Gu Nianqing nodded seriously.
“Sir, he just wants to know if the Shen family is really that famous. Do you know them?”
The tourist stared at them, then burst out laughing.
“What era are we in? ‘Crown Prince’?”
He called out to his companions,
“Come listen to this! These Beijing kids are talking nonsense—‘Crown Prince’! Hahaha…”
Then he pointed toward the slogans beside the portrait on the city gate.
“Kids, you’re promoting class hierarchy here? Who taught you that? Who are your parents?”
Things escalated—fast.
By the time the families found out what had happened in the square, it was already out of control.
The incident had serious repercussions, even drawing the attention of government authorities.
Parents from each family were summoned one by one, required to “have tea” (a euphemism for being questioned), and ordered to correct their attitudes.
None of the kids escaped punishment either—each one went home to a harsh beating.
Even though the families quickly issued statements and tried to fix the situation, footage of Shen Yu’s behavior at the square had already been recorded and spread.
And just like that—
The Shen family became famous far beyond Beijing.
Back then, the internet wasn’t as dominant, and once newspapers and magazines published something, retracting it required enormous effort.
Criticism flooded in. Articles condemning the arrogance of Beijing’s elite families sparked widespread public outrage.
For a time, the entire upper-class circle in Beijing shrank into silence, like ostriches burying their heads in the sand.
After learning the full story from their children, the adults were furious. The kids got another round of punishment.
But for the first time—
They truly took notice of Gu Nianqing.
No… not quite.
She wasn’t just an illegitimate daughter.
She was a mad dog—
One that could bite, drag down power, and bring lightning crashing from the sky.