5 – Jiang Yuxing: “Wife!!!”
The scene fell into an awkward silence.
Jiang Yuxing’s eyelids twitched, and her mind went completely blank.
Damn, damn, damn!!!
What kind of massive social disaster was this!?
Why didn’t she have Doraemon’s magical pocket!?
If she did, she could have pulled out an invisibility tool and vanished on the spot.
But this Little Fox had always been carefree and thick-skinned. After only a moment of embarrassment, she quickly regained her composure.
She stared at him with keen interest, her eyes sparkling.
She hadn’t gotten a good look at him outside earlier, but now that she could see him clearly, she realized that her Little Study God, though slender, was actually quite impressive.
His crisp, well-fitted white shirt was neatly tucked into his trousers, the thin fabric clinging to his firm waist and abdomen.
It outlined his smooth, solid contours, hinting at a hidden strength.
Jiang Yuxing’s gaze was bold, her lips curling slightly.
Tsk.
As expected of the man she had her eyes on.
With that, the Little Fox set her worries aside, boldly raising her charming brows and giving him a sweet wink.
Jiang Yubai’s eyes darkened.
He looked at her expressionlessly, his gaze settling on the jacket wrapped around her.
She had been wearing it for so long—it must have already absorbed her alluring scent.
His fingers, holding the homework assignments, tightened unconsciously.
It was his jacket, one he had personally helped her into.
But now, he felt a sickening surge of intense jealousy toward it.
He wanted to take its place…
Mad, uncontrollable thoughts, like tangled vines, clamored to break free from the restraints of his rationality.
Jiang Yubai snapped back to reality, almost flustered as he quickly averted his gaze.
His thin lips pressed together, a trace of frustration creeping into his expression.
He was truly going insane…
Struggling to suppress the turmoil inside, he strode back to his seat with his long legs.
“Class Representative.”
A girl who had been rebuked by Jiang Yuxing earlier seized the opportunity to tattle while handing in her homework, “Did you see that male jacket Jiang Yuxing was wearing? Who knows who she charmed into lending it to her.”
She let out a scornful laugh, “Someone as… impure as her—you should really keep your distance…”
Before she could finish, Jiang Yubai cut her off coldly, “That jacket she’s wearing is mine.”
Huh?
She froze, completely taken aback.
She never expected things to unfold this way.
She let out an awkward, dry laugh, “Then… then you must have been forced, right? I mean, Jiang Yuxing is so wild—only she would do something so shameless.”
“I did it willingly.”
Jiang Yubai glanced at her pale face, his dark, profound eyes colder and more detached than usual, his voice dropping several degrees, “She didn’t force me.”
“And don’t speak ill of her in front of me,” he added, his handsome face icy and unfeeling as he withdrew his gaze. “I don’t like it.”
The girl, thoroughly snubbed, could only walk away in embarrassment.
Jiang. Yu. Xing.
The moment her name left someone else’s lips, it echoed in his ears like a haunting spell.
Jiang Yubai’s jaw tightened slightly.
Unbidden, the image of her—bright-eyed, raising her brows and winking at him—flashed through his mind.
The long-suppressed emotions he could never show surged forth again, triggered as if by a switch.
He lowered his long lashes, his gaze shadowed.
When had these feelings even begun?It was like being implanted with a lifelong poison that could never be removed—he found himself utterly powerless against her.
Jiang Yubai matured unusually early as a child.
While most children around six or seven years old were still acting spoiled in their mothers’ arms or begging their fathers for favorite toys, Jiang Yubai had none of these privileges. Even when other children acted willfully or caused trouble, they could always hide behind their parents and enjoy complete protection.
But Jiang Yubai had nothing.
When he was very young, his father—once a renowned chief physician at the municipal hospital—was fired due to a surgical error. Stressed, his father turned to gambling and squandered all the family’s savings. With massive debts piling up, their door would be pounded loudly every day, accompanied by streams of foul insults.
Little Jiang Yubai would be held in his grandmother’s arms, his ears covered, not even daring to cry.
Unable to repay the debts, his father eventually chose to run away. His mother, long weary of such a life, quietly packed her bags one night and left home, never to return.
Overnight, the entire family seemed swallowed by darkness, without a single glimmer of light.
To pay off the debts, his grandmother sold their house and moved with Jiang Yubai into the slums. The elderly woman worked from dawn till dusk, hardly getting a full night’s sleep, until one day her body finally gave out from exhaustion.
Lying in bed, his grandmother wept with heartache and self-reproach. “A Yu, I’m sorry. Grandma is useless. I couldn’t give you a good life.”
Jiang Yubai shook his head.
Despite their poverty, his grandmother had done her utmost. Even if it meant going without food or drink herself, she ensured he had enough to eat and warm clothes to wear, striving to give him the best she could.
Jiang Yubai reached out and wiped the tears from his grandmother’s face, his youthful features displaying a maturity beyond his years. “Grandma, don’t worry. It’s my turn to take care of you now.”
But he was only seven years old. No one was willing to hire him.
Left with no choice, he took on odd jobs like handing out flyers, running errands, and collecting scrap to sell for meager earnings.
Over time, a few local thugs took notice of him.
They blocked Jiang Yubai’s path home, extorting him. “Hey, looks like you’ve got quite a bit today. Hand it over nicely, consider it protection money.”
Jiang Yubai remained expressionless, not even granting them a glance.
Damn! So he thinks he’s too good for us, huh?
Infuriated by his disregard, the thugs shoved him to the ground without a second thought and snatched the loose change from his hand.
“Give it back!”
Like a cornered animal losing control, Jiang Yubai grabbed the thug’s hand and bit down hard.
“Shit, that hurts!”
The bitten man kicked him in fury. “You damn brat! How dare you bite me? I’ll kill you!”
Blows rained down on him like a storm.
Jiang Yubai hugged his head and curled into a ball, his movements practiced and instinctive.
He closed his eyes in despair and exhaustion, letting the darkness envelop him.
So tired…
He was so tired…
Would this endless, hopeless life only end with death?
But if he were gone too, what would happen to Grandma?
Yet, who could save him? Who could save him…
“Hey!”
A young, clear voice suddenly rang out. “A bunch of grown-ups bullying a kid—aren’t you ashamed?”Jiang Yubai’s body jolted.
He opened his eyes.
A delicately carved little girl with two small pigtails and a bright red dress.
Riding a children’s tank that didn’t match her gender, she appeared in his sight like a little heroine descending from the sky, dazzling and flamboyant.
He stared at her blankly, never imagining that this one glance would brew a heart demon.
Suddenly, a voice rang out. The thugs froze for a moment, and when they saw it was just a six-year-old girl who hadn’t even grown all her hair yet, they burst into laughter.
“Shit! I thought it was someone else. Turns out it’s just another brat.”
One of them grinned lewdly, staring at her, “Little girl, didn’t your parents teach you not to go to dangerous places alone?”
“They did.”
Jiang Yuxing tilted her little head, “But who told you I came alone?”
With that, she suddenly raised her hand and blew a whistle into her mouth.
“Awooooo!!!”
“Woof woof woof!!!”
Two loud barks immediately sounded from not far away.
The thugs: ?
Before they could react, they saw two golden-furred big dogs charging toward them on their fluffy legs.
“Ahhhh don’t bite me!!!”
“It hurts, it hurts so much!!!”
The two dogs, like skyrocketing cannons, scared the thugs out of their wits.
They didn’t even want the money anymore, cowardly turning and running away.
“Awoof woof woof~”
The two golden retrievers, having successfully chased off the bad guys, wagged their fluffy tails and rubbed against the little girl as if seeking praise.
“Hehehe, as expected of my Gou Dan and Tie Dan.” Jiang Yuxing walked over, smiling as she took turns rubbing their heads.
She turned around, reaching out a hand toward Jiang Yubai on the ground, about to help him up, “Are you okay?”
“Don’t touch me.” Jiang Yubai was startled, instinctively swatting her hand away.
He didn’t hold back his strength, and with that swipe, he left a faint red mark on the girl’s delicate skin.
Jiang Yubai pressed his thin lips together, staring at her like an uneasy and wary little hedgehog.
Although it was their first meeting, the noble air of a girl raised in luxury couldn’t be hidden.
He had been so rough with her. A little princess from a wealthy family like her would surely look down on him with disdain or disgust.
Then heartlessly throw down a phrase like “How disgusting” to humiliate him and vent her anger.
“Your face is dirty, let me wipe it for you.”
But the little girl before him only took out a clean little handkerchief from her pocket, directly crouching down toward him without any hint of disgust, gently wiping the dirt from his face.
Jiang Yubai’s eyelashes trembled, the words of refusal stuck in his throat.
So warm…
“Wow (?ω?)!”
As if lost in a beautiful dream and not yet snapped out of it, he suddenly heard her exclaim.
The little girl held his face, as if she had discovered some treasure, her beautiful peach blossom eyes lighting up, her voice crisp and clear, “Wife!!!”
Jiang Yubai: ?