This was also why he had continuously endured the bullying without voluntarily dropping out of the academy.
However, his hopes had come to an abrupt end when he was pushed off the cliff.
Yet, after reviewing the original host’s memories of falling off the cliff, Xu Wen was surprised to find that Jin Liteng was not the murderer who had pushed the original host.
At the time, the only person by the cliff edge with the original host had been a close friend who had gone out on an outing with him.
“So it’s you, Jin Mung Bean… oh no, Jin Liteng.” Retrieving those memories had taken Xu Wen only a fleeting moment, and upon realizing that this was someone who used to bully the original host, a surge of brutal malice rose within his heart.
Yet he masked it very well. In Jin Liteng’s eyes, he was still that frail, defenseless, impoverished wretch.
Therefore, his casual remark instantly made Jin Liteng boil with anger. “You just wait, you little punk!”
That’s right, although Jin Liteng was the mastermind behind the abuse, he never dirtied his hands with the actual beatings, always ordering his servants to do the dirty work while he maintained an arrogant, unstained facade.
Xu Wen raised his brows slightly, growing intrigued. “What, are you going to pick a date to beat me up?”
“That’s right! Consider yourself smart for knowing your place,” Jin Liteng swallowed hard, answering defiantly. In truth, he hadn’t brought any servants with him on this outing because he was sneaking out to see a courtesan.
Though lacking in academics, he wasn’t a complete fool. No matter what, the poor kid in front of him was taller than him, and even though he looked as thin and paper-light as anything, there was no guarantee a physical fight wouldn’t end up injuring his own immensely precious self.
Just now, passing by the clothing store and catching sight of a familiar figure, he had momentarily forgotten his lack of backup before tossing out those taunting words.
Now that he had regained his wits and wanted to avoid driving the person before him to desperate measures like a cornered dog, he decided to wait until next time to order his servants to drag the fellow over and force him to kneel and beg for mercy!
Meanwhile, Xu Wen curled the corner of his lips and rebuked, “Are you brain-damaged?”
” Brat, did you just curse me?” Jin Liteng had never heard this phrase before, but his gut told him it wasn’t anything nice.
“I didn’t curse you, I was praising you. Growing up immersed in all those rich soups of ginseng and ganoderma, I’m praising your brain must be exceptionally brilliant to actually think of bullying people another day.”
Xu Wen maintained a straight face, his fabricated explanation sounding far more genuine than pearls.
Seeing his deadpan, earnest expression, Jin Liteng gave him a suspicious glare. Yet the corners of his own mouth uncontrollably twitched upward before quickly pulling down again as a mocking, schadenfreude-filled expression took over, seemingly reminded of something.
“Even if you praise me, it changes nothing; you still can’t escape your fate of getting beaten up. I heard the rankings are posted today, but you haven’t gone to check them yet. Could it be you’re too scared? Did you bomb the exams, hahahaha? Oh right, come to think of it, on the day of the exam, I seem to have had my servant slip some croton powder into your water bottle. I imagine you didn’t do very well. You poor, dimwitted little scholar dreaming of changing your destiny through books pah! Truly naive!”
Xu Wen… wore a very peculiar expression.
After all, having traveled far and wide for many years, he had witnessed arrogant big bosses and hobnobbed with wild, hard-partying scions of wealthy families. Yet no matter what, people in high society were deceitful and cunning, sharp as monkeys.
This was his first time encountering this kind of… wealthy person who was both stupid and malicious.
Confessing without being pressed? Eagerly inviting Xu Wen to keep him in mind for future payback?
Xu Wen… would naturally grant his wish, of course.
Yet before he could make a move, someone else unafraid of trouble had already stepped forward to champion his cause.
“This young master, you are going too far! Clearly, you caused someone to fall ill and ruined his exam state, yet why do you act utterly without remorse, and even use this matter to attack someone you’ve harmed!” A female customer inside the clothing store could no longer stand it and indignantly voiced her protest.
“Who the hell are you?” Challenged, Jin Liteng immediately glared with displeasure, though his gaze lingered for a split second on her fine features.
The female customer’s friend hastily tugged at her sleeve, whispering a reminder that this was the magistrate’s sole son.
Yet the female customer showed not a shred of fear, pushing aside her frightened friend, taking a step forward, and meeting his gaze unflinchingly: “So what if you’re the magistrate’s son? As the son of an official, you abuse your power to bully others. Scum like you will be recorded in books for future generations to mock endlessly!”
“Who, who, who are you? Give me your name, I’ll definitely drag you back to be my seventeenth concubine!” Jin Liteng was seething with rage, itching to haul her back to his manor right then and there to break her spirit thoroughly.
“Fine, I’m not afraid of you! As if you could brazenly carry out a forced abduction in broad daylight!”
The female customer had a bold temperament and agreed on the spot. Just as she was about to speak her name, she was stunned wide-eyed by the sequence of events that followed.
It turned out Xu Wen had somehow walked right up beside Jin Liteng, delivered a crisp and decisive kick to the back of his knee, and as the other let out a cry of pain and collapsed forward, he reached out, clamped a hand around the back of his neck, and slammed him flat against the smooth checkout counter.
Applying force with his hand in a ruthless grip, he kept a smile on his face.
“Brother Jin, following your words about meeting another day, it certainly doesn’t mean I’ll let you bully me at will. Did you misunderstand something?”
Jin Liteng’s right cheek was pressed against the cold countertop, his hand frantically clawing at the hand around his neck as breathing grew increasingly difficult. “Let… go.”
His only answer was the tightening grip around his throat.
The air felt suffocatingly thin, and Jin Liteng finally felt genuine, visceral terror—he was a lunatic, this guy was a lunatic! He was really going to choke him to death!
Tears instantly burst from his eyes, mixing with snot and face powder. His pig-like face was turning slightly blue and purple, looking filthy and grotesque.
Xu Wen calmly and thoroughly appreciated the man’s suffocating, disheveled state before mercifully releasing his grip. Then, with a reverse-handed grasp on the collar, he gave him a shove toward the doorway.
“Get lost.”
“You!”
Because of the oxygen deprivation, Jin Liteng’s limbs felt weak as a wave of lingering fear washed over him.
Soon, however, terror gave way to fury. Recalling how pathetic and humiliating he had just looked, he turned back to glare viciously at the composed Xu Wen, hurling a menacing threat:
“You just wait, all of you! I’ll make the lot of you kneel and beg for mercy sooner or later!”
Jin Liteng scrambled away in a panic, presumably off to rally his men.
Xu Wen remained unfazed; long before doing any of this, he had already mapped out his escape route.
It would be fine if that magistrate father didn’t get involved; but if he truly intended to sacrifice his official career for his son, then he couldn’t blame him for dragging the man right down from his post as magistrate!
“Who is here to sell embroidered handkerchiefs?” The shopkeeper stepped out from the back courtyard.
Xu Wen stepped forward, picked up the bundle he had casually set aside earlier, and greeted the shopkeeper, “It’s me.”
“Then bring the goods and come with me.” The shopkeeper gave him an up-and-down assessment, a flash of astonishment crossing the depths of his eyes before he quickly regained his composure.
Xu Wen lifted his feet to follow, but a soft, hesitant voice suddenly floated from behind: “Young master, please stay your step…”
“This maiden’s surname is Chen. Might I ask where the young master’s honorable home is, and whether you are betrothed?”