Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“Chi Xing… that’s her, right?”

“It’s her, it’s her. She won the lottery, yet she’s letting her father go hungry. Her dad has already caused a scene in the principal’s office.”

“Did you know? She used to be with Young Master Ji, and she never gave any of the money she collected to her family…”

“I saw her walking with Cheng Chao a few days ago, but Cheng Chao is poor too. Where would he get money to spend on her?”

I gripped the breakfast I had bought, trying my best to ignore the idle gossip.

I could ignore the malicious speculation of others, but…

I had only told my mother about winning the lottery so she could focus on her treatment in peace. I had repeatedly told her not to tell my father, yet she had said it anyway.

“Fuck.”

I heard a clear curse, one that sounded very familiar.

Ji Lanchi sat down directly next to me. He crossed his arms and glanced at me. “So you won the lottery. Think your wings are strong enough to fly now?”

I frowned. “Aren’t you supposed to be skipping school?”

“Mm. I was afraid you’d have an affair with my brother,” he said, his voice neither too loud nor too soft.

Many students in the classroom were already glancing this way, intentionally or otherwise. As soon as he said that, everyone around us wore expressions of shock.

I scratched my head in frustration. “Can you please stay away from me?”

I was already annoyed knowing my father was in the principal’s office, and seeing Ji Lanchi made me even more irritated.

I felt like his fiancée, that… Pei Zhiying, would be coming to cause trouble for me any second now.

Ji Lanchi’s tone wasn’t great either. “Why do you hate me?”

I looked at him, speechless.

“You believed what Cheng Chao said?” The young master paused for a moment.

“I… I’ve only ever been with you.” For the first time, Young Master Ji’s tone wasn’t so composed.

He pressed his finger against his temple and poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue. “Was your experience… not good?”

Oh my god.

What on earth was he talking about?

I covered my face in a breakdown, whispering urgently, “Stop talking. Just get away from me right now. You have a fiancée; can’t you keep yourself clean?”

I couldn’t win against Pei Zhiying! Crushing me would be like crushing an ant to her.

A chorus of gasps erupted in the classroom. I peeked out through the gaps between my fingers.

Two people had entered through the door of the lecture hall.

Both were related to Ji Lanchi.

One was his brother.

Cheng Chao was still wearing a distressed T-shirt. He walked in with his backpack over his shoulder, his long legs eating up the distance. He was full of youthful energy, completely different from the vibe of his brother, who looked like he’d been through a thousand flower beds and came out covered in petals.

The other was his fiancée.

I immediately stood up, clutching my books, and bolted to a seat as far away from Ji Lanchi as possible.

Pei Zhiying tilted her head and gave a cool, curling smile.

Carrying the latest Chanel bag, she walked over with elegance and an immense aura-and sat right next to me.

My heart raced.

I could already hear the students behind us whispering:

“She’s here to settle the score with Chi Xing.”

“I heard this heiress isn’t someone to be trifled with…”

“There’s going to be a good show.”

A faint scent of perfume drifted over. I decided to strike first. “You don’t go to this school, do you?”

The implication was: how did you get in?

Pei Zhiying crossed her legs. “I’m studying abroad. Is this school hard to get into? You just have to slip the security guard some money.”

Me: “…”

I suddenly felt a bit curious. “How much did you give him?”

She said casually, “A few tens of thousands, I guess.”

Me: “…”

I really was from a different world than this rich young lady.

I tried to explain the scene from just now. “It was Ji Lanchi who insisted on sitting next to me. I didn’t want him to.”

“I trust you wouldn’t dare,” Pei Zhiying said leisurely, examining her manicure.

She didn’t seem to intend to make things difficult for me, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Turning my head, I realized Cheng Chao had sat down on my other side.

I took a deep breath. “You aren’t in this major either.”

Cheng Chao’s thick, long lashes cast a shadow over his eyelids. His well-defined hand pulled out a pen and abruptly wrote a sentence on a piece of paper.

[It’s fine even without money.]

Did he mean what I thought he meant?

My heart skipped a beat.

This time, I was truly moved.

“Is… is that okay?” I asked.

Cheng Chao: “Mm.”