"Wuwuwu, Miss, that jerk bullied me, wuwuwu..." The little secretary looked pitifully at her young mistress.
Dongfang Zhixia frowned slightly.
If she hadn’t misseen, wasn’t it the little secretary who had bitten that scoundrel and then run back?
Why did it sound like Ye Cheng had bitten the little secretary instead?
"You idiot, why are you so useless!" Dongfang Zhixia glared at the sniveling little secretary, who looked like she was about to shed tears.
The little secretary flinched at her mistress’s sudden scolding.
Pouting, she swallowed her tears and didn’t dare say another word.
Dongfang Zhixia sighed.
Though the situation was clearly not as the little secretary had described—with all sorts of absurd accusations being piled onto Ye Cheng’s head—
Her smooth, seamless string of lies made it seem like Ye Cheng had sunk the Titanic and burned down the Old Summer Palace. It left Dongfang Zhixia speechless.
The little secretary was obviously spouting nonsense, but… some of it wasn’t entirely wrong. Dongfang Zhixia had seen it with her own eyes.
For instance, the way he had leered at the little secretary’s "useless fat" with those "pervy eyes," or the smug smirk he’d worn—those details were accurate.
No matter how incompetent the little secretary was, she was still Dongfang Zhixia’s person.
And no one got to bully her people without consequences.
Hurting the little secretary was, in a way, a slap to Dongfang Zhixia’s own face.
Narrowing her eyes, Dongfang Zhixia fixed her gaze on Ye Cheng—just as he happened to peek out from behind Shen Qinghan, looking guilty as sin.
Their eyes met, and sparks flew—but not the romantic kind seen in dramas.
These were murderous sparks.
Ye Cheng sucked in a sharp breath and clung tighter to Shen Qinghan’s leg. "Miss, save me!"
Shen Qinghan: "..."
She followed Ye Cheng’s line of sight and noticed Dongfang Zhixia staring their way.
The silent exchange quickly shifted from Ye Cheng to Shen Qinghan.
After a brief, tense moment, Dongfang Zhixia averted her gaze, refocusing on Ye Cheng as she stood and strode toward him.
"Miss, she’s coming over! Help!" Ye Cheng tightened his grip around Shen Qinghan’s slender waist.
Shen Qinghan’s face flushed slightly, her delicate hands balling into fists as if she wanted to punch him.
But for some reason, she held back.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she calmly watched Dongfang Zhixia approach.
Dongfang Zhixia marched over with an intimidating aura, the little secretary trailing behind her.
Their movement drew the attention of nearly everyone on the third floor.
As if by unspoken agreement, the entire floor fell silent—even the clinking of cutlery stopped—as people strained to catch every word of the impending drama.
A few bold souls even pulled out their phones to "capture the moment."
Dongfang Zhixia ignored Shen Qinghan entirely, her sharp gaze locked onto Ye Cheng.
"Your audacity knows no bounds, huh? Daring to steal what’s ours?"
Before Ye Cheng could respond, Shen Qinghan’s cool voice cut in.
"I don’t recall anything here belonging to you, Miss Dongfang."
Well said, Miss!
Ye Cheng cowered behind Shen Qinghan, embodying the phrase "a dog barks louder when backed by its master."
"I may read often, but my eyesight is fine. I saw exactly what happened by the window earlier," Shen Qinghan stated evenly.
"He was the one who picked it up first. How is it suddenly 'yours'?"
Her composed gaze shifted to the little secretary behind Dongfang Zhixia, who paled and trembled under the scrutiny.
"You can eat whatever you like, but words? Be careful with those. Loose tongues invite trouble."
Shen Qinghan’s tone was icy, carrying an undeniable authority—a stark contrast to Dongfang Zhixia’s overt intimidation.
While Dongfang Zhixia’s dominance was loud and unmistakable, Shen Qinghan’s was precise, targeting only the guilty party.
Under such pressure, the little secretary’s resolve crumbled.
She couldn’t even cry—just as Ye Cheng had once joked, "Crying? Crying counts as time too!"
Trembling, she stepped out from behind her mistress.
"I-I’m sorry, I was wrong earlier—"
Dongfang Zhixia waved her off, cutting the apology short.
"Since when does Miss Shen resort to intimidation? I thought you despised such tactics."
Her voice was light, but her narrowed eyes were anything but friendly.
"How I handle things is none of your concern," Shen Qinghan replied coolly.
The tension thickened, and Ye Cheng sensed disaster looming.
After all, he had once saved Dongfang Zhixia—surely she wouldn’t completely disregard that, right?
"Uh—"
Before he could speak, another voice interrupted.
"I’m sorry, Miss Shen. I was in the wrong. I lied earlier. He was the one who picked it up first..."
For the first time, the little secretary defied her mistress, mustering the courage to admit her mistake.
"Idiot! Who told you to speak?!" Dongfang Zhixia snapped.
The little secretary shrank back, silent.
Shen Qinghan gave her a final dismissive glance before returning to her meal, ignoring the scene entirely.
Both the little secretary and Ye Cheng exhaled in relief.
Thank goodness—a full-blown clash had been avoided.
"Miss, I’m sorry," the little secretary whispered.
"Useless! You’ll be the death of me!"
Dongfang Zhixia stomped her foot in frustration—forgetting her injury hadn’t fully healed.
The sudden pain made her gasp, her balance wavering dangerously.
Biting back the agony, she redirected all her fury toward Ye Cheng.
"You. Come here." Her chest heaved as she glared at him from behind Shen Qinghan.
Do I look stupid to you?
Ye Cheng was speechless. These noble young ladies really had a warped sense of logic. Did she expect him to obey just because she said so?
Where’s my dignity in this?
Dongfang Zhixia smirked. "So you’re refusing? Fine. Then I’ll just have to bring up what you did to me last time—"
"Hahaha! President Dongfang, you flatter me! I was just tying my shoelaces earlier—couldn’t stand up right away! But now? I’m more than ready to receive your wise guidance!"
Ye Cheng sprang up instantly, blinking innocently like a wide-eyed fool.
I just wonder if laughing this "innocently" too much might make one's lungs itch...
Dongfang Zhixia: "..."
Dignity?
What dignity? His dignity was nothing more than the young lady's shoe insole.
Ye Cheng admitted that what he had done to Dongfang Zhixia before was just a "tiny bit" excessive—things like "taking a huge bite of her ice cream," reselling her "worn" items, and...
Honestly, the list of offenses was endless.
Any one of those crimes would be enough to have Ye Cheng chopped into mincemeat multiple times over.
How could he dare to actually provoke Dongfang Zhixia? He wasn’t tired of living yet.
"Hmph."
Seeing Ye Cheng back down, Dongfang Zhixia let out a light snort, the corners of her lips curling slightly.
It was the smile of a victor.
Just as Dongfang Zhixia was about to take Ye Cheng away, Shen Qinghan frowned and grabbed hold of him.
“Huh? What's wrong, Miss?” Ye Cheng blinked, looking at Shen Qinghan with slight confusion.
"Is she threatening you?"
Shen Qinghan's voice remained as emotionless as ever.
But those nearby could faintly detect that she was stepping in to back Ye Cheng up. The onlookers grew even more excited.
Even among the students of this elite academy, status still varied.
Though they were all dining on the third floor, none of the others could compare to the two powerhouses before them.
Next to these two young ladies, their own family backgrounds were practically insignificant—little more than "ordinary commoners."
And as everyone knew, nothing thrilled ordinary people more than juicy gossip, especially when it involved those far above them. And here it was, playing out right before their eyes.
If not for fear of repercussions, tomorrow’s campus forum would likely feature a trending headline:
Shocking! Miss Dongfang and the Shen Family Heir Brawl Over a Male Concubine!
Dongfang Zhixia laughed at the remark.
"Miss Shen, not everyone enjoys throwing their weight around like you do. I could never stoop to something so tasteless."
"Oh, right—Miss Shen doesn’t check her phone much, does she? So you probably haven’t heard yet."
"This guy is into me. He confessed in front of the whole school, and I didn’t reject him..."
Dongfang Zhixia deliberately laced her words with ambiguity, hoping to lead Shen Qinghan’s thoughts in the direction she wanted.
Ideally, she’d even get her flustered and red-faced.
That would be absolutely adorable.
But alas...
Dongfang Zhixia’s plan fell flat.
Even after her words hung in the air, Shen Qinghan remained expressionless, completely ignoring her. She simply stared calmly at Ye Cheng, as if still waiting for his earlier answer.
Dongfang Zhixia: "..."
The rumors were true after all—Shen Qinghan had some kind of social dysfunction, unable to interact normally with others.
Ye Cheng... seemed to be the sole exception so far?
Dongfang Zhixia grew even more curious. Why was it that what others couldn’t achieve, Ye Cheng managed so effortlessly?
Ye Cheng gently patted Shen Qinghan’s hand, which was still gripping him.
“It’s fine, Miss. The president and I go way back. She wouldn’t give me trouble. If she’s calling me over now, she probably just wants to treat me to a meal. Nothing to worry about.”
Probably...?
Even Ye Cheng wasn’t entirely sure.
"Mm. Okay." Shen Qinghan nodded, releasing his arm. She lowered her head and resumed eating, paying no further attention to the others.
Dongfang Zhixia’s brows arched.
That was it?
This wasn’t how she’d imagined it going.
Suddenly, a thought struck her, and her eyes widened in disbelief. She glanced between Ye Cheng and Shen Qinghan, recalling the list she’d seen the night before.
"Stayed out overnight: one male, one female."
Ye Cheng. Shen Qinghan.
It all matched up.
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
