On the way home after school.
"Brother Jiang!"
"Young Master Jiang..."
Wang Zheng and Liu Tie ran up to Jiang Che with fawning expressions.
Jiang Che stopped and glanced at the two of them.
The tall and skinny one was Liu Tie, while the short and chubby one was Wang Zheng.
As lackeys of the richest heir, they were naturally rich second-generation kids themselves.
Wang Zheng's family was in the restaurant business, but that was just their legitimate front. Behind the scenes, they were involved in some grey-market operations like underground gambling dens and illegal fighting rings...
Liu Tie's father was in the fashion industry, with family assets worth several billion. These two were meant to serve as early experience points for the protagonist Lin Yu.
Fortunately... even after being beaten so badly by Lin Yu, they didn't hold a grudge.
Actually... to be more precise, they were just stupid!
"Young Master Jiang, it felt so good watching you deal with that Lin Yu today!"
"If he hadn't sucker-punched me, he would've been the one lying on the ground~ Coming to deceive and ambush us!"
Jiang Che was speechless.
It seemed the protagonist Lin Yu's intelligence-dampening aura hadn't affected these two, because their IQ couldn't possibly go any lower.
"From now on, don't fight with Lin Yu when you see him. Just make his life miserable. He definitely won't dare to start fights at school anymore."
Jiang Che's words hit them like an enlightening revelation.
"I get it, Young Master Jiang! I won't fight him, I'll just kick the hell out of him when I see him!"
"You idiot, didn't you hear what Brother Jiang said? No fighting... we need to make his life miserable, get it? Like peeing in his water bottle."
Wang Zheng and Liu Tie's smiles grew increasingly sleazy.
Jiang Che: "......"
If they weren't still useful to him, he would have kicked them both away long ago.
"Get lost! Don't bother me unless it's important."
Though they got the cold shoulder, the two just grinned sheepishly.
Different social classes, even though they were all rich kids.
But there was naturally a world of difference between those born in the center of Rome and those born on its outskirts.
......
Evening, at the Ye family home in Hangcheng.
"Yaoyao, have you had something on your mind lately?"
At the dinner table, Ye Mengyao's mother Lin Xue noticed something was off with her daughter.
"No way! I don't have anything on my mind!"
Ye Mengyao stabbed at the meat in her bowl with her chopsticks, her emotions written all over her face.
Lin Xue sighed softly, "I heard... you and Xiao Che had a fight?"
At the mention of Jiang Che, Ye Mengyao felt an inexplicable anger rise in her heart.
This guy was pursuing her before, so why did he stop now?
He seemed to be getting rather intimate with Wan'er, even asking her to be his tutor?
Just thinking about it made her uncomfortable.
"Mom, we didn't fight!"
But how could Lin Xue not understand her own daughter?
"Heh... it's written all over your face!"
Lin Xue tucked her hair behind her ear and took Ye Mengyao's hand.
"Yaoyao, I don't know what conflict arose between you and Xiao Che, but I've watched him grow up since he was little. His personality and looks are quite decent... I've heard about what's going on between you two. You can't keep stringing him along!"
Ye Mengyao bit her lip gently and said bashfully, "Mom, have you forgotten? I don't like having any contact with boys."
Lin Xue felt a headache coming on and spoke earnestly, "Won't you get used to it if you interact more? It's just a matter of habit... you just need to work on it gradually."
Ye Mengyao lowered her head in silence.
"Mom doesn't oppose puppy love. Look at me... I was pregnant with you when I was 18!"
"Ahem..." Ye's Father's face darkened beside them.
"What? I can't talk about your wild days?"
"No, what I mean is... don't corrupt Yaoyao. Dating is fine, but no early pregnancy!"
I can ride my motorcycle to steal someone else's daughter, but others can't steal my daughter! Such a clear double standard!
......
Lin Yu still ended up in detention, even though Ye Changkong had planned to get him out.
But after learning that Lin Yu had offended Jiang Che, he backed off.
After all, one was a super-powerful entity worth hundreds of billions, while the other was just a bodyguard he had hired, and it was this bodyguard who had started the trouble.
Even an idiot would know who to choose.
Now Lin Yu sat on the hard bed in the detention center... lost in thought.
"This isn't right. How is this different from what I imagined?"
How could he possibly end up in jail?
He was a master of hidden strength!
And he possessed godly medical skills that could bring the dead back to life and heal broken bones. Before he could even show his abilities... he got detained?
Something must be wrong.
At this moment, several other young men in the detention cell slowly got up from their beds.
The leader had dyed yellow hair, tilted his head, and had a sleeve tattoo. "Hey bro, what are you in for?"
Lin Yu didn't respond.
"My big brother's talking to you!"
The other followers rushed forward.
Lin Yu's lips curled into a slight smile.
He was finally going to show off!
"Lin Yu, you got into another fight? And caused serious injury? Young Master Jiang was right... you should be put in solitary confinement!"
"If you fight again, it won't just be a civil dispute! You'll go straight to prison!"
Lin Yu: "......"
His detention was extended by another week.
This made him question his life choices.
When he left the mountain, his assassin master had told him:
"Go forth boldly, and carve out your own path with these fists."
But in reality, using his fists only carved a path straight to the police station.
......
In the following days, Jiang Che could clearly feel that Ye Mengyao had changed.
She often found excuses to chat with him.
Like right now.
"Jiang Che, you did pretty well on this test. Congratulations."
Jiang Che replied flatly, "How could I compare to a top student like you?"
Faced with Jiang Che's sarcasm, Ye Mengyao just felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Jiang Che, didn't you say you wanted to find a tutor the other day? As class monitor... it's my duty to help you."
Ye Mengyao had mustered up all her courage to approach Jiang Che.
"Heh... did you come to brag about how well you did on the test?"
Jiang Che's words left Ye Mengyao speechless, biting her lip.
The proud young lady had always only cared about herself. Expecting her to consider others' feelings?
Almost impossible!
You can't spoil this kind of proud young lady!
In his previous life, Jiang Che worked as a driver for a senior official and was often looked down upon by the official's wife and proud daughter.
But in the end?
Both the official's wife and daughter came to see him differently.
"Alright, alright, I know you're in the school's top ten, okay? I'm just barely passing, I can't even get into a decent school. How could I compare to you?"
Jiang Che's words made Ye Mengyao feel even more blocked up inside.
She felt an inexplicable emptiness.