As the new semester began, Pei Jiangchen enrolled as a freshman in the Law Department of the Capital Naval and Land Military Academy.
Having left the sanctuary of the Pei family estate, he became a target for the malice that had long been waiting to strike. Yet, compared to Pei Jiangchen—who was constantly surrounded by bodyguards—Wen Shuyu, his ever-present sidekick, naturally became the perfect scapegoat.
Sporting a sharp, short haircut and dressed in Ralph Lauren, Wen Shuyu stood in the bicycle shed. A look of playful disdain curled the corners of his mouth—an expression he would never reveal in front of Pei Jiangchen.
He glanced at his wristwatch—a Breguet Marine 5839. It was a piece Pei Jiangchen had casually tossed to him from a drawer full of watches, with the offhand remark: “My people can’t look shabby.”
It was getting late.
Pei Jiangchen was now a star forward on the school soccer team, undergoing rigorous daily training. Between that intense physical exertion and his notoriously picky palate, keeping Pei Jiangchen well-fed consumed a vast amount of Wen Shuyu’s time and energy.
With three classes scheduled that afternoon, Wen Shuyu had little time left to prepare dinner.
The bicycle was clearly beyond repair. Leaving the shed, Wen Shuyu took a shortcut through the woods, walking briskly toward the school’s southeast gate.
Pei Jiangchen had a comfortable dorm room within the fraternity building, surrounded by neighbors from other elite, powerful families. Yet, the Pei family had also secured a spacious, comfortable four-bedroom apartment for him just off-campus.
Pei Jiangchen couldn’t stand the school cafeteria food. Every afternoon after classes, Wen Shuyu would return to that apartment to cook dinner for him.
“So, he really took the easy way out?”
In a classroom left empty after the day’s lessons, Tao Wei exhaled a cloud of smoke and chuckled. “Is everyone in position?”
“They’re all lying in wait, just as you ordered,” the henchman said. “Four are stationed in the woods, one is keeping watch at the intersection, and another is guarding the school gate—we’ve got that kid locked down tight. Unless he sprouts wings, there’s absolutely no way he’s getting away this time!”
“William, is it really necessary to make such a big fuss?” Tao Wei’s new girlfriend leaned coquettishly against his shoulder. “Didn’t they say that sidekick of Pei Jiangchen’s wasn’t up to much?”
“That kid knows how to run.” Tao Wei stubbed his cigarette out viciously against the windowsill. “We’ve tried to corner him three or four times since the semester started, but he’s slipped through our fingers every single time. He can’t win a fight, but he sure is fast on his feet.”
The girl gave a soft, wry laugh.
For lackeys serving young masters like them, being quick on one’s feet was indeed a useful asset.
When titans clash, mortals suffer. Tao Wei had lost face at the Pei family estate; since it wasn’t convenient to go after Pei Jiangchen himself to settle the score, he had to take his anger out on those in Pei Jiangchen’s inner circle.
If the kid didn’t run, he’d just end up riddled with holes—or worse.
“Let me see that thing again.” Tao Wei held out his hand to his henchman.
The henchman carefully handed over a long, narrow box.
Tao Wei took a small syringe out of the box—a 2-milliliter model—already partially filled with a golden-hued liquid.
It was a new drug on the market; it took only 0.5 milliliters to get hooked, yet the withdrawal symptoms were as severe as those of crystal meth.
Users would enter a state of euphoric frenzy—like being at a summer rock concert—which had earned the drug its melodious name: “Golden Rhapsody.”
At the mere sight of the syringe, the girl couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
“William… isn’t this going a bit too far?”
She felt a sense of dread, a visceral empathy for the victim.
“What do you know?” Tao Wei shoved his girlfriend aside. “That son of a bitch Pei Jiangchen dared to snatch my girl right in front of everyone—why shouldn’t I ruin one of his people? If I don’t teach him a lesson, he’ll actually think the Tao family is afraid of the Peis.”
The thought of personally injecting that liquid into the kid’s veins—and then watching him go mad right in front of Pei Jiangchen—made Tao Wei tremble with excitement.
When that moment came, the look on Pei Jiangchen’s face would be absolutely priceless.