chapter 3

From that day on, Zhao Ming would not leave me alone.

My admission to the student council as a scholarship student had already made me controversial. Now the gossip grew vicious.

They called me a seductress who preyed on men. They said I had undergone plastic surgery because I wanted to marry into money.

Unable to bear the constant harassment, I hid in the library whenever I had time. The librarian was exceptionally strict, so Zhao Ming did not dare cause trouble there. At least it gave me a little peace.

One day, I reached for The Master and Margarita on the highest shelf, only for a pale, slender hand to take it first.

I looked up into Ji Yanli’s deep-set eyes.

“You like this book too?”

“I do.” I smiled. “I love Margarita’s fierce devotion and kindness. The way she and the Master save each other is deeply moving.”

The novel was obscure enough that few people had read it, much less discussed it.

Amusement warmed his gaze. “So do I.”

We spent the rest of the day sharing our thoughts about the book. We agreed on so many points that a sense of kinship quietly formed between us.

By the time the sky darkened, the library was about to close.

Ji Yanli lowered his voice. “Zhao Ming is Ruo’s younger brother, but he’s nothing like her. His private life is a mess. You should stay away from him.”

“I don’t like him. I like good, principled men. Someone like…”

Mischief entered my eyes. “Someone like you, President, would be quite nice.”

He froze, then realized I was teasing him and laughed helplessly before saying goodbye.

I watched his back in silence until he disappeared, then turned in the opposite direction.

A cold voice sounded behind me.

“I’m warning you. Don’t get ideas about him. He’s beyond your reach.”

It was Zhao Ruo.

There was no trace of her usual sweetness on her pretty face. Her eyes were glacial. She brushed past me as soon as she finished speaking.

I watched her go, the faintest smile curling my lips.

So she had overheard us.

Then surely she would do something about it.

The rumors were even worse the next day. Zhao Ming publicly declared that I was his woman and warned everyone else to stay away.

Even among Milu University’s rich and powerful students, the Zhao family stood near the top. No one saw any reason to offend them over a scholarship girl.

The entire school shunned me.

I became quieter, often staring blankly into space and making small, harmless mistakes.

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine.” Ji Yanli waved it off. “Wise people don’t believe rumors. Don’t take them to heart.”

He was comforting me.

I looked at him and forced a tiny smile.

After leaving the student council office, I asked my adviser for time off and left campus.

The next time I saw Ji Yanli was half a month later, at an orphanage.

“Shen Man?”

I was soothing a crying child when his low voice came from behind me.

I turned. Ji Yanli walked toward me out of the sunlight, surprise in his eyes. “What are you doing here?”

I smiled faintly. “This is where I grew up. I came back to visit.”

I patted the child’s head and sent him off to play.

“You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met,” Ji Yanli said with some emotion.

I arched a brow. “Should an orphan spend her life wallowing in self-pity—timid and oversensitive?”

He blinked. “That isn’t what I meant.”

I waved away the concern. “The director is a good man, and I had a happy childhood here. It’s only strange that I haven’t seen him today.”

“They said the director went abroad. He may not be coming back.”

“Really?”

Something flickered through my eyes. My tone was regretful. “What a shame.”

Ji Yanli sensed that something was off, but before he could place it, a group of children crowded around me.

“Man, play with me!”

“I want Man to play with me too!”

They caught my hands and pulled me off the lawn.

At the corner, I glanced back. Ji Yanli was still standing there, watching me.

My lips curved softly.

Just then, someone caught my wrist.

“Manman, the director is awake.”