With no man in her heart, her sword strikes with divine precision.
The first page of the sword manual: slay the one you love first!
To salvage her image of fleeing in panic before Xie Qian, Wen Ying was still mentally preparing herself a second before entering the classroom. When her eyes met Xie Qian’s, she felt her gaze brimming with murderous intent!
Wen Ying hoped Xie Qian would be sensible, forget everything he said yesterday, pretend nothing happened, and continue being good friends.
That was her wishful thinking.
Xie Qian didn’t sense her killing intent at all.
As their eyes locked, he only thought her hamster-like eyes were round and large, her feigned ferocity utterly… adorable.
Wen Ying tensed, about to sit, when Xie Qian leaned back, blocking her way.
“What do you want?” she asked warily.
Xie Qian stifled a laugh, spreading his hands. “Let me see your maths test from yesterday’s class. Did you solve the last big question?”
Boom—
Wen Ying’s murderous aura turned to embarrassment.
The maths test?
Given yesterday’s situation, sleeping was hard enough. How could she think about fixing wrong answers?
“I didn’t do it…” Wen Ying paused, her next words gritted through clenched teeth. “If you hadn’t said all that nonsense yesterday, maybe I’d have had time to solve it.”
Xie Qian grudgingly accepted her excuse.
But that didn’t mean he’d tolerate unsolved problems.
“Do it now. If you can’t, I’ll explain it. Also, every word I said yesterday was serious, not nonsense. I just said what I wanted you to know. I don’t need a response from you, and if that pressured you, I’m sorry.”
—Every word was serious.
—Just wanted you to know.
—No need for a response.
Wen Ying quickly latched onto these key points.
She studied Xie Qian’s expression, realising he wasn’t joking. He truly meant it!
Her tense body relaxed instantly.
So she didn’t have to respond to him right away?
“We’ll keep things as they were before?”
“Of course,” Xie Qian assured. “Unless you want to change something…”
“No, I don’t. Things are fine as they are!”
Fine? Wen Ying could practically cheer.
With the weight lifted from her heart, her mind cleared, and her pen flew across the paper, solving problems effortlessly. Xie Qian couldn’t help but smile.
Glancing up, he saw the college entrance exam countdown in the top right corner of the blackboard.
Days until the exam: 189.
Just half a year. Maintaining the status quo was best for both him and the hamster.
Half a year would pass in a blink!
Neither mentioned yesterday again.
Even so, subtle changes crept into Wen Ying and Xie Qian’s interactions. Their CP fan, Li Mengjiao, secretly observed, noticing faint pink bubbles between them, unsure if they’d reconciled.
It felt like the summer after the high school entrance exam, when friends sold crayfish together—hard work, but joyful, their sweat for studies salty yet sweet.
—This was good enough.
Li Mengjiao’s mood lightened too.
…
Teenagers’ lives brimmed with positivity, while the adult world was filled with schemes and calculations.
Chen Ru had the idea of sending Wen Ying to study abroad. She wasn’t one to abandon her plans at the first setback. Despite Wen Ying’s refusal and Xie Qian’s refusal to persuade her, Chen Ru didn’t waver.
Once the idea took root, she began paying attention to related information.
Before, she’d only occasionally heard of someone’s child studying abroad. Now, focusing on it, she found the proportion higher than expected, including her boss’s son.
Last year, her boss sent his son to study in the UK. When Chen Ru inquired about studying abroad, he eagerly recommended an agency: “Leave professional matters to professionals. What do we know? We’d just flounder like headless flies. For studying abroad, they handle documents, school applications, and visas—a full package, saving you so much trouble!”
Chen Ru excelled at work, with big clients seeking her out without her needing to chase them. Colleagues once whispered she had a powerful background. Later, learning Wen Ying was her daughter, they envied Chen Ru immensely!
Chen Ru wasn’t as boastful as Wen Dongrong, but she wouldn’t deny Wen Ying’s existence when it came up.
Background or not, with a daughter who was a bestselling author, money for studying abroad wasn’t an issue.
Chen Ru found her boss’s advice sensible.
Discussing with Wen Dongrong at home, he exclaimed, “Huh? Some colleagues at my workplace recommended study-abroad agencies too…”
Chen Ru was delighted. “It’s like being handed a pillow when you’re sleepy. Let’s not decide yet, but compare and see which agency has the best reputation.”
Chen Ru wanted to prepare thoroughly.
She lacked study-abroad experience, but professionals didn’t.
If her vision of studying abroad wasn’t compelling enough, she’d let experts pitch it to Wen Ying!
If even the tedious application process was made effortless for Wen Ying, the odds of convincing her to go abroad would surely rise!
Chen Ru planned this “surprise” carefully, warning Wen Dongrong not to spill the beans.
Wen Dongrong agreed verbally but frowned secretly.
Chen Ru had asked proactively, so her boss recommending an agency was normal. But at his workplace, where he hadn’t mentioned it, colleagues still suggested agencies. The coincidence felt off!
He couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong, but years of caution made him wary. He’d never guess someone cared more about his daughter’s study-abroad plans than her own father!
If Wen Dongrong knew, he’d curse them as lunatics.
Zhao Dong was a lunatic, and in Yuan Fenghui’s eyes, Bao Lixin was too.
Yuan Fenghui gave Bao Lixin three days to compile sales data for *Teen Idol* and *Starry River with You* for a quarter. Excluding Saturday and Sunday, she extended the deadline to three working days, storming to Rongcheng Literature Press on Wednesday.
Fearing Bao Lixin’s lack of tact, Yuan Fenghui called to confirm before leaving, only to learn upon arrival that Bao Lixin had suddenly left on urgent business.
“When will Editor-in-Chief Bao return?”
“He didn’t say.”
Oh, my.
Yuan Fenghui tutted. “You’d think Editor-in-Chief Bao was an engineer, leaving on a whim. The press must be swamped!”
The messenger’s face flushed with embarrassment.
The new editor-in-chief was such a disgrace!
Things were going fine with Xiaoyu, so why stir trouble?
The veteran staff couldn’t fathom it. Delaying Wen Ying’s royalties pricked their conscience. One secretly shared with Yuan Fenghui, “A couple of days ago, someone contacted us, wanting sales data for Xiaoyu’s *Teen Idol* for some China Writers’ Rich List. Editor-in-Chief Bao ignored them.”
Yuan Fenghui’s eyes lit up. “Do you have their contact info?”
The staff hesitated.
Yuan Fenghui smiled. “Don’t worry. Wen Ying and I have signed a publishing agency contract. Anything related to her book publishing is my responsibility. I won’t harm her.”
The staff copied a phone number for Yuan Fenghui, who whistled softly: some old abalone doesn’t know a good thing when he sees it, but the world never lacks Bole who recognises a fine steed!
