15 – Master, Don’t You Want to Let the Young Lady Leave?
When it came to schooling, Chu Ruan had never actually attended school.
Back in the mountain village, there were simply no conditions for education.
To get to school, one had to trek two hours through mountain paths to reach a small school nestled between two mountains, staffed by only one volunteer teacher.
Chu Ruan had been frail since childhood—those two-hour mountain walks could have been the death of her. Unwilling to burden her friends by having them carry her, she only learned a few basic characters during her time in the mountains.
After arriving at the Chu family and once Chu Lanyan had recovered her health, Chu Honghai and Meng Yanfei did hire a tutor for her for a while. However, they weren’t particularly invested, and the tutor only came for the money.
As Chu Ruan was lost in thought, she suddenly heard the man’s low chuckle. “Has Ruan Ruan ever been to school?”
Chu Ruan stiffened, her watery eyes glaring at Fu Chenxuan.
In her previous life, she had often envied Chu Lanyan’s opportunity to attend school and had even begged Meng Yanfei for the same chance.
But Chu Lanyan went to an elite school, an academy for the gifted, with exorbitant tuition fees. On top of that, her expenses for daily life and social networking within the school cost a fortune.
Although the Chu family was wealthy, Chu Honghai and Meng Yanfei were stingy and unwilling to spend more money on a daughter they had picked up halfway.
They preferred her to remain a dutiful, well-behaved vase—a mere ornament.
Fu Chenxuan’s heart fluttered at his darling’s reproachful glance, and the curve of his lips widened even further.
After the meal, Fu Chenxuan led her to unpack gifts while he sent a message to Yexiao on the side.
“Find out which school Chu Lanyan attends.”
Yexiao usually handled miscellaneous tasks, while Nan Qing would now be solely responsible for matters related to Chu Ruan.
Yexiao’s reply came quickly: “She’s at Huo Lin Academy.”
Fu Chenxuan narrowed his eyes. Huo Lin? The Chu family was really willing to splurge on Chu Lanyan.
Fine. Since Ruan Ruan wanted to go, then she would.
Lowering his gaze, Fu Chenxuan instructed Yexiao, “Enroll the young mistress. She starts next Monday.”
On the other end of the phone, Yexiao spat out his cola in shock, frantically wiping his screen before replying, “Boss?! Are you serious?! You’re letting the young mistress go to school?!”
“Didn’t you not want her to leave the house?”
Even through the screen, Fu Chenxuan felt the urge to throttle Yexiao. “Stop the nonsense. Just do it!”
Yexiao hurriedly complied. “Yes.”
Good grief! Huo Lin Academy was the most prestigious school in Yu Province and one of the nation’s top institutions, directly linked to military districts, government departments, and business associations.
They only admitted students after they reached adulthood, and those who excelled were directly funneled into positions of power.
They were born standing where others could never hope to reach in a lifetime!
None of that mattered, though. What shocked Yexiao the most was that Huo Lin Academy was Chen Gui’s territory.
Chen Gui—the very guy who had turned against the boss!
Wasn’t he afraid Chen Gui would find out the young mistress’s identity and have her killed?
What was the boss thinking?!
Yexiao scratched his head, finished the rest of his cola, and sprang up to get to work.
No matter what, the boss would surely keep the young mistress safe.
Chu Ruan wasn’t the least bit worried about her schooling.
Because she knew she was clever.
There was one thing from her previous life that she still remembered clearly.
It happened within a year after Fu Chenxuan had taken her away. She had used a hunger strike to bargain for a single day’s visit back home.She knelt before Chu Honghai and Meng Yanfei, begging them to take her back—even sending her back to their rural hometown in the mountains would be fine, she just didn’t want to stay with Fu Chenxuan.
But how could Chu Honghai possibly pass up this chance to build ties with the Fu family? With a few dismissive words, he brushed her off.
Meng Yanfei and Chu Lanyan coaxed her with sweet talk and made countless promises.
In the end, Chu Lanyan used the threat she most often wielded against her:
“Sister, you nearly got me killed back then and brought constant misfortune to our family. Can’t you do this as compensation for Mom and Dad?”
Filled with bitterness and pain, Chu Ruan agreed once again.