Take You All Home Openly and Honorably

"I can do whatever I want?"

Chen Zhi repeated the phrase, looking at the beautiful, delicate face so close to his own.

Pei Ningxue blinked her expressive peach-blossom eyes, her white teeth gently biting her red lip, looking entirely at his mercy.

Under the desk, her lower leg, clad in a black over-the-knee sock, was teasingly rubbing against Chen Zhi's trouser leg.

Who could resist this?

If it were someone with less self-control, they probably would have lost their mind by now and dragged her off to the woods.

But who was Chen Zhi?

He was a man who had lived two lives, a man determined to give every beautiful girl a home.

The corners of his mouth curled up into a meaningful smile.

"Since you're being such a good girl, I won't hold back."

Pei Ningxue's heart skipped a beat.

Is it happening?

Is this bad guy finally going to make a move on me right here in the classroom?

Even though she spoke boldly, she was actually panicking inside.

This was a lecture hall with hundreds of people, and an old professor was spitting everywhere as he lectured at the front.

If Chen Zhi really tried anything crazy...

Pei Ningxue felt her cheeks start to burn.

She closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly as she waited for the invasion of his large hands.

However.

The expected touch never came.

Instead, there was a soft smack.

A political theory textbook was tossed in front of her.

Pei Ningxue opened her eyes in bewilderment.

She saw Chen Zhi pull a red pen from his pocket and stuff it into her hand.

"Since you said I can do whatever I want," Chen Zhi pointed at the textbook and said with a serious face.

"Then I'll have to trouble you to highlight all the key points for this class for me."

The air seemed to freeze for three seconds.

Pei Ningxue's smile froze on her face. A look of sheer disbelief appeared in her previously affectionate eyes.

"What did you say?"

She suspected there was something wrong with her ears.

"What, you can't do it?"

Chen Zhi raised an eyebrow.

"This is a required course, and there's a final exam. I'm a dignified provincial top scholar. If I fail this class, where would I put my face? Don't I have a reputation to uphold?"

Pei Ningxue took a deep breath.

Her full chest heaved violently; she was clearly furious.

At this moment, she wanted to shove the pen right up Chen Zhi's nostril.

She glared fiercely at Chen Zhi.

"Fine! I'll highlight it for you!"

Pei Ningxue snatched the textbook through gritted teeth and uncapped the pen.

"I'll highlight you to death! Go get your perfect score! Go be the top scholar!"

She muttered under her breath while keeping her head down, forcefully drawing circles in the book.

Her long black hair fell down, hiding her angry profile and the blush on her cheeks.

Chen Zhi looked at her angry yet obedient appearance and felt a secret thrill of satisfaction.

You little brat.

Trying to flirt with me?

You're still too green.

On the podium, the old professor's rhythmic voice had an excellent hypnotic effect.

Below the podium, the originally proud and glamorous goddess of the school was now acting like a wronged little wife, taking notes for the man beside her.

Chen Zhi rested his chin on one hand, admiring Pei Ningxue's serious profile for a moment.

He had to admit, when this girl quieted down, her beauty was truly breathtaking.

No, her beauty was breathtaking all the time.

Chen Zhi shifted his gaze downward.

It landed under the desk.

Her long legs, wrapped in black over-the-knee socks, were pressed together and slightly slanted.

The black socks tightly hugged her well-proportioned calves.

The top of the socks gripped the middle of her thighs, creating a striking visual contrast with her fair skin.

Chen Zhi's Adam's apple bobbed.

He discreetly reached his hand under the desk.

Under the cover of the desk, his large hand silently covered the section of her thigh wrapped in black hosiery.

Pei Ningxue's writing hand paused.

Her body tensed.

The warm touch, transmitted through the thin over-the-knee socks, made her feel as if an electric current had shot through her body.

"You..."

Pei Ningxue turned her head, just about to speak.

"Shh."

Chen Zhi raised his index finger to his lips, looking at the blackboard with a perfectly serious expression.

"Pay attention to the lecture and highlight the key points properly. For every exam point you miss, I'll punish you."

As he spoke, his fingers gently caressed the side of her leg.

Pei Ningxue bit her lower lip.

A mix of shame and excitement intertwined, making her mind go blank.

Chen Zhi's fingers were very nimble.

They slid up little by little, following the delicate texture of the stockings.

The pads of his fingers brushed past the back of her knee, bringing a tingling, itchy sensation.

Pei Ningxue's knuckles turned white as she gripped the pen, and her handwriting became crooked.

She wanted to push him away, but she couldn't bear to.

In fact...

Her body was instinctively leaning into the touch.

Feeling the smooth and firm sensation beneath his palm, Chen Zhi couldn't help but feel his mind wander.

I could play with these legs for a year.

No, a lifetime wouldn't be enough.

Pei Ningxue kept her head down, her ears completely flushed red.

After a while.

Pei Ningxue seemed to get used to the touch. She tilted her head slightly, her hair brushing against Chen Zhi's shoulder.

"Brother... there are too many people here, we can't do much."

Her eyes were seductive, her breath smelling like orchids.

"Tonight, by the Weiming Lake. There are plenty of trees and thick woods there, and hardly any lights."

"When the time comes, you can touch me however you want~"

Chen Zhi's fingers stopped.

He withdrew his hand and rubbed his nose somewhat awkwardly.

"Ahem... I'm not that kind of person."

Pei Ningxue laughed out of sheer frustration.

Who was the one groping so enthusiastically just a moment ago?

Now he's pretending to be a gentleman?

Without a word, she grabbed Chen Zhi's hand resting on the desk and pressed it right back onto her thigh.

And this time, she deliberately guided his hand higher, crossing the top of the sock to touch that patch of smooth, warm skin.

"It seems my heart condition is acting up again."

Pei Ningxue bit her lip, looking at him with hazy eyes.

"My heart is beating so fast, I feel like I can't breathe... I'll need to take some medicine tonight."

"Dr. Chen, you wouldn't just leave me to die, would you?"

Feeling the sensation transmitted to his palm, Chen Zhi silently cursed her for being a little succubus.

But he still sighed and didn't play along with her intentions.

"Well, did you make an appointment?"

"An appointment?"

Pei Ningxue was stunned, her brain struggling to process this.

Making out requires an appointment now?

What kind of new scumbag catchphrase is this?

"Dr. Chen is very busy."

Chen Zhi compliantly caressed her twice to satisfy his craving, then spoke with a look of regret.

"Tonight I have to keep Wanwan company. I haven't seen her in a long time, and I need to go give her some warmth."

"If you don't make an appointment, it makes things very difficult for me."

Pei Ningxue's face instantly darkened.

She never imagined that even after offering herself up like this, she would still have to wait in line.

Pei Ningxue slapped his hand away, glared at him fiercely, and cursed under her breath, "Get lost! You scumbag!"

Chen Zhi withdrew his hand with some regret, savoring the feel of her skin.

"Can't be helped, first come, first served."

He spoke without a shred of guilt. "Besides, Wanwan is the main girlfriend, and you are... well, you're my good little sister. How can a little sister steal time away from her sister-in-law?"

Pei Ningxue was so mad she wanted to bite someone.

But she also knew that reasoning with a thick-skinned guy like Chen Zhi was completely useless.

She took a few deep breaths, forcing down the jealousy welling up inside her.

With enough persistence, any man could be stolen away.

She refused to believe that with her figure and charm, she couldn't win over this bastard.

"Then what about this afternoon?"

Pei Ningxue asked, unwilling to give up. "You don't have classes this afternoon, right? Surely you don't need an appointment for that?"

"This afternoon won't work either."

Chen Zhi shook his head, pulled his phone out of his backpack, and checked the time.

"I have to make a trip to Deep Space Technology this afternoon."

Mentioning business, Chen Zhi's expression grew slightly more serious.

"We've hired a lot of people recently, and there are many administrative and management matters that need my final say. Also, that batch of graphics cards is arriving soon, so I need to oversee the warehousing."

Pei Ningxue fell silent.

She looked at the focused expression on Chen Zhi's side profile, feeling a bit conflicted.

He was obviously just a college freshman, yet he was incredibly busy all day long.

Furthermore, the things he was doing felt somewhat unbelievable even to her, the eldest daughter of the Pei Group.

Artificial intelligence, computing clusters.

These things that sounded both money-burning and mind-boggling, he was playing with them effortlessly and successfully.

Where did this guy get so much money?

Pei Ningxue gritted her teeth.

She grabbed Chen Zhi's hand again and, ignoring his resistance, forcefully pressed it against her thigh.

This time, she didn't say any more flirtatious words; she just held it there tightly.

"Then... these next few afternoons, don't you have any time to keep your lonely little sister company?"

Her voice softened, carrying a hint of grievance.

Chen Zhi's heart softened.

He turned his hand over to grasp that soft, boneless little hand, squeezing it in his palm.

"No, no."

"Once I'm done being busy for this stretch, I'll take you out for some good food."

Pei Ningxue lowered her head, looking at their clasped hands.

Suddenly, she looked up, her eyes turning exceptionally serious.

"Chen Zhi."

"Hmm?"

"How about... you stop your startup."

Pei Ningxue's voice was very light, but it carried a desperate, do-or-die courage.

"Marry me."

"As long as you marry me, both I and the Pei Group will be yours."

"My dad only has me as his daughter. In the future, won't the tens of billions in assets of the Pei family all be ours? Why do you need to work so hard on that Deep Space Technology thing?"

"As long as you nod, we'll go get our marriage certificate right after graduation. From then on, you'll be the chairman of the Pei Group, and you can do whatever you want."

For any man, this was a shortcut straight to the heavens.

Save fifty years of struggling?

No, it would save five hundred years of struggling.

With just a nod, luxury cars, yachts, and private jets would be right at his fingertips.

Chen Zhi looked at Pei Ningxue's eyes, which were full of expectation.

He knew she was serious.

This proud young lady was even willing to hand over her entire family's wealth on a silver platter just for him.

But Chen Zhi merely smiled.

His hand didn't leave her thigh; instead, it brazenly slid an inch higher.

"That won't work."

Chen Zhi shook his head. His tone was frivolous, but his eyes were exceptionally clear-headed.

"Living off a woman might be sweet, but it means eating on your knees."

"If I'm under your dad's control, how am I supposed to sleep with multiple women in the future?"

"If that old geezer found out I was using his money to keep other women, wouldn't he chase me down ten blocks with a meat cleaver?"

Pei Ningxue froze for a moment.

She hadn't expected Chen Zhi's reason for refusal to be this.

"It's fine..."

Pei Ningxue bit her lip, as if making a decision that betrayed her ancestors.

"After we get our certificate, we'll figure out how to make those three ultrasound scans real."

"For the sake of his grandchild, the old man definitely won't mind."

Saying this, Pei Ningxue's face turned so red it looked like it might bleed, and her voice became as quiet as a mosquito.

"Even if... even if you have someone else on the outside, he'll turn a blind eye."

The movement of Chen Zhi's hand stopped.

He turned his head and looked into Pei Ningxue's beautiful eyes.

This girl, in order to keep him, was even willing to accept such an absurd condition.

Willing to use a child to emotionally blackmail her own father, willing to endure the philandering of a scumbag like him.

"You don't mind either?"

Chen Zhi asked softly.

Pei Ningxue looked into Chen Zhi's eyes; those irises currently reflected her slightly flustered face.

Did she mind?

Of course she minded.

What girl wouldn't want to monopolize her lover? What girl would be willing to share with someone else?

But...

If she didn't do this, it felt like she was going to lose him.

Lin Wanwan was his childhood sweetheart, and Li Zhiyi had deep affection for him.

What did she, Pei Ningxue, have?

"I..."

Pei Ningxue took a deep breath, a layer of mist forming in her eyes.

Gritting her teeth, she spoke word by word.

"I don't mind either."

As long as you are by my side.

As long as you have me in your heart.

As for the rest... I can pretend I don't know.

Chen Zhi stopped talking.

He withdrew his wandering hand from under the desk and instead gently patted her head.

Pei Ningxue didn't act up anymore either.

She lowered her head, picked up her pen again, and silently highlighted key points in her textbook.

Just like that.

Pei Ningxue quietly highlighted key points for two periods.

Chen Zhi quietly caressed her leg for two periods.

Until the class dismissal bell rang.

The surrounding classmates began packing their bags, the noise breaking the silence between the two.

"Chen Zhi."

Pei Ningxue closed her book and pushed the heavily highlighted textbook toward Chen Zhi.

She looked up, her gaze persistent.

"Will you really not consider it?"

"I really don't mind."

Chen Zhi took the book and casually stuffed it into his bag.

He looked at Pei Ningxue and suddenly reached out to pull her left hand over.

Under Pei Ningxue's surprised gaze, he lowered his head and planted a gentle kiss on the back of her pale hand.

"Don't rush."

Chen Zhi raised his head. Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating his young and arrogant face.

"Wait until I become the richest man in the world, then I'll bring all of you home openly and honorably."

"When that time comes, no one will be able to stop us."

With that said, he let go of her hand, turned around, and strode out of the classroom.

Leaving Pei Ningxue standing there alone, watching his receding back and touching the phantom kiss on the back of her hand.

"Scumbag..."

She cursed under her breath.