Xie Yun: ?
Because Feilode Academy tacitly allows private tutoring but strictly forbids nepotism (and the surveillance cameras hear everything clearly), she didn’t state it explicitly.
In the household of Madam Lu Yuan of the Xie family, there was a rule: the firstborn must take the mother’s surname. Thus, her elder sister was surnamed Yu.
After finishing the registration form, Xie Yun handed it to her and walked out of the office. Only then did he remember he needed to mention the matter regarding Lu Yibing.
Forget it.
He walked back to the classroom.
The weather in May was like a child’s face—changing in an instant. The dark clouds that had been gathering rain just moments ago had transformed into wine-colored drifting clouds.
The lingering sunset painted a swath of the sky crimson.
When Xie Yun stepped through the door, he found the classroom completely empty.
Did they go back early?
He tapped his phone screen, only to find a message from Butler Gu.
[Gu: Young Master Xie, I am waiting for you at the South Gate.]
[x: Okay.]
His fingertips typed out a single word in response.
After packing his things, Xie Yun headed downstairs carrying a bag filled with textbooks.
Branches heavy with locust leaves grew wildly along the terrace. When a gust of wind blew, rain shook off the leaves and splattered the ground.
He gently pulled out a spray and some paper, wiping away the mud spots on his leather shoes.
The academy’s decor was very European, with various oil paintings hanging along the corridors.
The frames were gilded in gold, the staircases were made of simple white granite, and the handrails were pure silver.
Jewel-encrusted chandeliers hung precariously from the ceiling. True to the style, the windows were arched, and every corner of the surroundings exuded an air of luxury.
He had been in too much of a hurry going up and down the stairs earlier to look closely at the stairwell.
Now, Xie Yun could practically smell the scent of burning money.
It was like walking through an art gallery.
Feeling bad about making the butler wait, Xie Yun didn’t admire the oil paintings for long before scurrying down the stairs.
The post-rain weather was slightly cool, carried by a chilly wind. The wet floor and the rain-soaked tree shadows shimmered with reflected light.
Even after afternoon classes were dismissed at Feilode, some students remained. To get to the South Gate, one had to pass through a dense grove of trees.
That spot was a frequent “spawn point” for dating couples.
Xie Yun slung his bag over his shoulder and walked past, intending to ignore them.
“So you’re the one who deliberately stayed in the same room as the transfer student, huh? Don’t think just because he’s your brother you can be this audacious. To put it bluntly, you’ll always be an illegitimate son who can’t be shown in public!”
There was a rustling sound behind the trees. Leaf shadows danced against the white wall as a group of three or four people pushed and shoved each other, crowding someone against the wall.
Xie Yun still wanted to walk past as if he hadn’t seen a thing.
[System Notification…]
…Damn it.
[System Notification: A new mission has been detected ahead. Host, please accept.]
[Is it a mandatory mission?]
[Attention! The host has triggered the original book’s plot: Stop the aristocratic F2 from bullying the protagonist-receiver.]
[Host, please accept the mission immediately and save the protagonist-receiver, Lu Yibing!]
The system talked to itself.
Again.
His brows furrowed with impatience. Just as he was about to walk past, he doubled back and walked over.
“Why are you just glaring at me without saying a word? You—!”
Just as a fist was about to land on Lu Yibing, who was pinned against the wall, a sensation of warmth enveloped the attacker.
A cold fragrance suddenly drew near. That warmth wrapped around the wrist of the F2, Zou Shichen, just as he was about to strike. Startled, Zou Shichen looked to the side only to see a face as cold as frost.
Ink-black bangs were swept down by the wind, brushing against his lowered long lashes. The youth’s thin lips were slightly pursed, and his eyes were as cold as snowmelt. “What are you doing?”
His voice was crisp, as if condensed from cold ice; once he spoke, it seemed to shatter and chime across the ground.
…I have to recite the original owner’s brainless lines before every plot point again, Xie Yun thought, his heart filled with frantic annoyance.
On skin as pale as snow, the corners of the other’s narrow eyes flushed with a thin layer of red. At such close proximity, his long lashes were like curtains, and his amber pupils were moistened by the rain, appearing misty.
Indifferent, cold, and without a ripple of emotion.
He looked like a deity hanging high above, yet deep in his eyes, there was a tiny flicker of compassion for all living beings.
He even carried a pleasant scent.
A gulp of saliva rolled down Zou Shichen’s throat; staring at him, he suddenly felt his mouth and tongue go dry.
Clearly, it was his wrist being gripped, yet why did he feel like he didn’t want to pull away?
Is this the “deterrence power” of XY mentioned on the forums…
The two remained at a standstill for a few seconds. When Zou Shichen snapped back to his senses, he suddenly shot a look at a blonde follower. The blonde lackey understood instantly and stomped hard on Lu Yibing’s shoe!
“Hiss—”
The crushing pain made Lu Yibing instinctively frown and bend over. Xie Yun’s attention was clearly drawn away.
Taking advantage of the moment he turned his head, Zou Shichen used his other hand to grab Xie Yun’s wrist, yanking him toward himself.
With a thud, both moved to the side at the same time, and Xie Yun’s back slammed against the wall.
A warm breath drew close. The face that had been near just a moment ago was now right in front of him.
The boy had black wolf-tail hair that reached past his neck with a few streaks of red highlights. His slanted middle-part brushed past his narrow black eyes. He had fair skin, a straight nose, and thin lips—he looked decent enough.
Before Xie Yun could look for long, the other person let go and slammed his hand against the wall behind Xie Yun’s back.
Subjected to a suspected “kabedon” (wall-slam), Xie Yun stared directly at him: “…”
Is he insane?
He only came to save the protagonist-receiver; why did he end up replacing him?
The air turned subtle and silent for a moment before Zou Shichen spoke with a hint of nervousness: “You… are you that transfer student they’re talking about on the forums?”
What forums?
[A chat area created by the student organization at Feilode. When this plot point ends, I’ll show the host the way~]
[Forget it, no need. Not interested.]
After answering the system coldly, he stared into Zou Shichen’s eyes and coldly spat out two words: “I’m not.”
The system never said he couldn’t lie.
With everyone’s abnormal behavior, there was no telling how the forums were describing him.
Xie Yun didn’t dare admit it.
The knuckles of the hand braced against the wall curled slightly. Zou Shichen frowned. “Stop trying to fool me! Your name is Xie Yun, right? You’re that transfer student!”
As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Xie Yun’s thin, red lips.
Xie Yun looked at the other’s ear-tips, which were turning so red they looked ready to bleed, and couldn’t help but mentally project a slow question mark over his head.
What is he doing?
The scene didn’t look like an interrogation or bullying.
The wall-slam looked like flirting.
He had seen many clichéd novels play out like this, except usually, it was the person being slammed against the wall who was blushing.
Seeing the boy’s serious expression, Xie Yun frowned slightly with some difficulty and then sighed. “Classmate, my name really isn’t Xie Yun. You’ve got the wrong person.”
Seeing this, a lackey with a buzz cut glanced at him and hurriedly pointed at his nose, shouting, “Brother Zou! It’s him! Yesterday he locked me and Brother Qi in the library! If we hadn’t found out later that there was a side door to get out, we would’ve been stuck until late!”
These noisy words successfully caught Xie Yun’s attention. He cast a lukewarm glance at the speaker.
Oh, so it’s the two idiot Alphas from yesterday.
Their eyes met, and the buzz-cut Alpha turned red in the face again and stopped talking.
The blonde guy next to them quietly handed Zou Shichen a crumpled piece of paper…
Ignoring them, Zou Shichen smoothed out the crumpled paper and compared it back and forth before holding it directly in front of the “not Xie Yun” Xie Yun. “You’re saying the person in this portrait isn’t you?”
On the white paper, a black-and-white photo of a handsome youth in a black suit met Xie Yun’s eyes.
The paper was wrinkled beyond recognition, but it still couldn’t hide the beauty in the image.
Just like the person himself, he had exquisite features, a fair face, and deep, moving eyes. He was beautifully striking.
Xie Yun remembered; this was an ID photo he had taken before enrolling.
…Even F2 managed to get his hands on this.
Xie Yun’s brow twitched slightly.
“Yeah. What do you want with me?”
Dropping the act entirely, Xie Yun looked past the paper and stared at him, calmly uttering those words.
He couldn’t be bothered to play along anymore; he just wanted to get through the plot quickly.
Zou Shichen, whose confrontation had been interrupted: ?
“I’m asking Lu Yibing questions here. Weren’t you the one who meddled and interrupted me first?”
Does this beauty even know who I am?
He was the famous F2 of the noble academy, a member of a top financial clique. His family owned four independent villas, and his family even held a 25% stake in the entire academy.
…Though they couldn’t compare to the Xie family for the time being.
But surely this young master should know who he was!
Zou Shichen said this with full confidence, though the redness spread from his ear-tips down to the base of his neck.
“Blocking someone in a corner after school—is this your ‘attitude’ for asking questions?”
Xie Yun lifted his eyelids and added indifferently, “Besides, I’m his brother. Do I not have the right to care?”
As those words fell, as calm as a pool of stagnant water, the beauty’s expressionless face clearly darkened a shade.
Upon hearing this, Zou Shichen laughed. “I didn’t expect you to be so protective. Everyone knows Lu Yibing is a bastard your mother brought back after fooling around with some wild man. He’s going to compete with you for the inheritance in the future. It’s a good thing you came back in time; otherwise, weren’t you afraid…”
Slap!
A crisp slap landed on the speaker’s face.
Zou Shichen was right; there was indeed a look of compassion in Xie Yun’s eyes, and it manifested at this very moment.
The compassion of looking at trash.
Xie Yun took back his earlier assessment that the guy looked “decent.” He was nothing but a dog in human clothing.
The burning, fragrant slap quickly spread across Zou Shichen’s face, leaving an immediate red mark.
This Xie Yun actually dared to hit him?
As an only child, he had never suffered such a grievance in his life!
His fierce gaze burned into the face of the person before him. He pushed his cheek with his tongue, staring at Xie Yun’s now completely darkened face, but he was too intimidated to speak his anger.
Everyone knew the Xie family was a financial tycoon famous throughout the entire State of Florence.
Zou Shichen only dared to talk big in private like this.
Seriously.
What are you acting so arrogant for?
He glared at the beauty who had slapped him.
Once his family gained enough power, Zou Shichen would surely lock this beautiful Beta up like a canary. He would plow into him forcefully every night, watching his pupils lose focus as tears streaked down that creamy face while he begged for him to stop.
Anyway, he couldn’t get pregnant, so he wouldn’t have to take responsibility.
Thinking about how this beauty would have watery eyes and parted lips, pushing him away while crying for him to stop… for some reason, a flush even deeper than the slap mark flooded Zou Shichen’s entire face.
Xie Yun: “…”
Does this person have a split personality?
Why was his face turning dark one moment and red the next?
Continuing this standoff was exhausting. The butler must still be waiting obediently at the South Gate. Taking advantage of the other’s daze, Xie Yun quietly took out his phone and sent a message.
[x: Sorry, something came up at school. Please wait a little longer.]
He was caught red-handed by Zou Shichen. “You—!”
How can this guy disregard me so much!
His anger flared, and he tried to snatch the phone Xie Yun had secretly pulled out. However, Xie Yun noticed, tucked the phone away, bent his leg, and struck directly at Zou Shichen’s vital spot!
The same method, the same force.
Xie Yun sidestepped and slipped away, leaving Zou Shichen clutching his groin and howling.
“You! Ah… Don’t let them go! What are you all standing there for? Stop them, hurry up!”
He pointed a finger at their retreating backs and shouted. The lackeys, who were stunned by seeing Zou Shichen get hit, hurriedly gave chase.
This guy was more troublesome than the F1, Cui Yiyang. Perhaps because it was after school and there were no cameras outside the classroom, they were being more reckless.
It seemed a fight was inevitable.
Xie Yun stopped, feeling somewhat irritated. He shielded Lu Yibing behind him and threw a punch at the first person to reach them!