When school let out, a luxury car pulled up at the entrance. Lin Xue smiled as she bid farewell to her classmates, basking in their envious gazes as she reached for the car door. But then, Fang Zhiyi, who had followed closely behind, stepped in ahead of her and took the seat.
The scene stunned everyone nearby.
Soon, one of Lin Xue’s admirers shouted, "Fang Zhiyi, get out! Don’t dirty someone else’s car!"
Fang Zhiyi glanced at the short boy, thinking he was just as pitiful as the original owner of this body.
"It’s my family’s car. Can’t I sit in it?"
Lin Xue’s expression shifted rapidly. She hadn’t expected Fang Zhiyi to choose to get in the car right at the school gate today—wasn’t he always waiting on the street behind the school?
Fang Zhiyi muttered something about "cursed plotlines," and Lin Xue bit her lip. "Fang Zhiyi, scoot over a bit."
A classmate who couldn’t stand it anymore stepped forward. "Fang Zhiyi, have you no shame? How is this your family’s car? Isn’t it Lin Xue’s?"
Fang Zhiyi smirked, teasingly looking at Lin Xue. "Oh?"
Lin Xue’s face instantly darkened.
Hateful rich kid—just because he had a bit of money! She wanted to slam the door and walk away, but with more and more classmates gathering behind her, how would they see her if she didn’t get in now?
Lin Xue forced a smile. "It’s fine," she said to the classmate before turning back to Fang Zhiyi. "Could you move over, please?"
Fang Zhiyi felt a bit better seeing her discomfort, but he still shook his head. "No."
"Don’t push it!" Another boy stepped up, unable to bear seeing his goddess humiliated.
Fang Zhiyi didn’t even look at him, turning instead to the driver. "Uncle Zhong, let’s go." He moved to close the door, but Lin Xue still held onto the handle.
"Ugh... What do you even want?" Fang Zhiyi raised his voice. "I let you ride in my family’s car for convenience, and now I’m the one getting scolded for sitting in it? What kind of nonsense is this?"
The crowd buzzed with murmurs at his words.
"You’re lying!" Fang Zhiyi looked at the boy, thinking how lucky the female lead was—always having people jump to her defense.
"Lying?" Fang Zhiyi arched a brow. "Uncle Zhong, I’m hungry. Let’s go home."
The driver immediately stepped out of the car. Though he thought Lin Xue was a polite girl, he knew whose paycheck he was on.
"Miss Lin, please let go."
Lin Xue looked at him helplessly. Uncle Zhong glanced at Fang Zhiyi for guidance. "Young Master, Miss Lin..."
"Let her figure out her own way home. I didn’t even make her split the gas money, and now she’s pulling this stunt? Let’s go."
As the door closed, the car slowly drove off. Lin Xue didn’t dare turn around—she felt like a complete joke.
But just then, one of her devoted admirers spat, "Ugh, just because he’s rich, he thinks he’s so great!"
"Yeah, exactly!"
"Lin Xue, I’ll walk you home."
Lin Xue managed a weak smile. Meanwhile, Fang Zhiyi spotted Liu Shishi peeking from the crowd and rolled down the window, waving cheerfully. "Liu Shishi! Come on, I’ll give you a ride!"
Liu Shishi looked surprised. She had noticed how devoted Fang Zhiyi had been to Lin Xue before today. Hesitantly, she glanced at Lin Xue, then shook her head. "No, thanks. My home is really far. I appreciate it, though."
Fang Zhiyi watched Liu Shishi wave goodbye and grinned, waving back. "Let’s go."
Lin Xue’s resentment toward Fang Zhiyi deepened.
The rumors about Lin Xue being a rich kid were shattered, but most people didn’t blame her—after all, she’d never explicitly claimed the car was hers. Fang Zhiyi, on the other hand, seemed unnecessarily harsh.
As Liu Shishi walked home with her friends, listening to them gossip about the incident, she murmured, "Then why do you think she never clarified? If someone borrowed money from you but never mentioned paying it back, do you think they intended to?"
Her friends gasped in realization.
One of them teased, "Shishi, Young Master Fang seems really into you. Did all your effort finally pay off?"
"Ugh, stop it! If someone hears and tells Lin Xue, I’ll be the villain. Fang Zhiyi probably just had a fight with her and used me as a shield."
Her friends nodded knowingly—what a master-level schemer!
Liu Shishi smiled faintly, thinking to herself, So Fang Zhiyi’s actually a rich kid? Not that it mattered—securing him was what counted. She couldn’t stand Lin Xue’s haughty attitude, acting like everyone was beneath her.
Jiang Ran attended a different school, so Fang Zhiyi wouldn’t run into her yet. But he wasn’t in a hurry—success took time. The first thing he did upon returning home was have Aunt Lin’s wages settled and dismissed, even generously offering severance pay.
As for the reason? None. She could ask her precious daughter for details.
Aunt Lin, suddenly jobless, was at a loss. Hearing it was related to her daughter, she wondered if Lin Xue had done something wrong. But Lin Xue wasn’t home yet, and her phone was off, leaving Aunt Lin increasingly anxious.
Fang Zhiyi hadn’t expected fate in this world to be so persistent. On her way to take the bus home, Lin Xue ran into Gu Shaoting again. He sat in the back row, reading a book, while Lin Xue timidly took the seat beside him, stealing glances at his profile, her heart fluttering. She didn’t even realize they’d reached the last stop until Gu Shaoting finally noticed her.
"You are...?" Gu Shaoting asked, pretending not to recognize her.
Lin Xue blushed. "I’m Lin Xue. We met at school earlier."
"Do you live around here?"
Lin Xue glanced at the desolate surroundings, her face betraying disdain. After living in a luxury villa, her standards had risen.
Gu Shaoting caught her expression, his eyes darkening briefly.
"My home isn’t far from here," Lin Xue said, lowering her head.
"Okay." Gu Shaoting was curt. He needed to change and get to his part-time job—no time for small talk.
As he turned to leave, Lin Xue hurried after him. "Um... Where are you going?"
Gu Shaoting was about to snap when he noticed the pendant on Lin Xue’s bag. He’d seen it before at the restaurant where he worked—a guest had mentioned it was a custom gift from an upscale private kitchen. In reality, Fang Zhiyi had brought it home, given it to Aunt Lin when she admired it, and she’d passed it to Lin Xue.
Hesitating, Gu Shaoting said, "I’m going to change for work."
Lin Xue looked surprised but quickly replied, "Then I’ll go with you!"