There are still several days until school starts, and Ji Ran is very quiet because Jiang Yi has been hiding in her room and hasn’t shown up much. It wasn’t until the day before school started that she came downstairs to get a yogurt and heard the sound of Jiang Yi crying in her room as she went upstairs.

“There are so many schools; why does she have to go to the same one as me? I don’t want it; I don’t want it.”

Jiang Yi’s aggrieved voice came through the slightly open door.

Jiang Liqi, hearing her cry like this, immediately scolded her, “Enough; this is your Uncle Ji’s decision.”

Jiang Yi attended No. 4 Middle School in City B, which is not only a prestigious school but also highly competitive, with limited enrollment slots every year. Many parents wrack their brains to get their children admitted to this school.

The reason Jiang Yi could attend this school was due to Ji Qingli’s connections. When she took the high school entrance exam, Jiang Liqi was already with Ji Qingli, although their relationship was not officially recognized at the time.

So, to make it up to Jiang Liqi, Ji Qingli managed to get Jiang Yi admitted to No. 4 Middle School, even though her test scores were lower.

Now that Ji Ran had come to City B to study, attending No. 4 Middle School was the natural choice.

“If she goes to our school, I won’t go to school,” Jiang Yi said firmly.

Jiang Liqi finally stopped indulging her and sternly reprimanded her, “Shut up. What are you making a fuss about? She’s your uncle Ji’s biological daughter. Do you really think that just calling him ‘Dad’ makes you equal to Ji Ran?”

Jiang Liqi’s words were too harsh, and they completely shocked Jiang Yi.

She whimpered in a resigned manner. The reason she had been hiding in her room for the past few days was that everyone in the family saw her moving out of Ji Ran’s room with her tail between her legs.

The legitimate Miss Ji had returned, and she, the impostor, was immediately put back in her place.

Jiang Yi’s heart was filled with resentment.

Seeing Jiang Yi crying and feeling sorry for her, Jiang Liqi reached out and gently patted her head. She spoke softly, “Mom knows that having to move rooms upsets you, but for now, we need to endure it. Get along well with Ji Ran, so that your Uncle Ji will like you.”

“Xiaoyi, listen to Mom. Right now, we must be patient to have a good life in the Ji family.”

Jiang Liqi looked down at her own abdomen. Although both she and Ji Qingli were in their forties, they might still have a child together.

When she gave birth to a child with the Ji surname, let’s see how arrogant Ji Ran would be then.

Ji Ran didn’t eavesdrop on the conversation between the mother and daughter. She only heard Jiang Yi’s first sentence, which was something about not wanting to attend the same school. As for the rest, she didn’t need to listen to know what they were saying.

But as Ji Ran lay in bed, drinking her yogurt and turning off the lights to sleep, she unexpectedly began to look forward to her new school life the next day.

Early the next morning, before the alarm clock had a chance to ring, Ji Ran had already woken up. She stared at the ceiling light for a while, then finally lifted the covers to get up.

Even after all this time, it was still a bit unfamiliar to readjust to her seventeen-year-old life.

Downstairs, the housekeeper quickly brought the prepared breakfast to the table when she saw Ji Ran coming down. Ji Ran sat down to eat breakfast. By the time she was almost done, Jiang Yi hurriedly came down from upstairs.

Jiang Liqi, carrying her backpack, followed behind and complained, “I told you to wake up early, but you had to be a bed potato…”

When she saw Ji Ran, her words stopped. She was so focused on waking Jiang Yi up that she completely forgot that Ji Ran also had to go to school today.

Jiang Liqi immediately changed her expression and smiled at Ji Ran, saying, “Ran Ran, it’s your first day of school, and the driver will take you there. Don’t be nervous. If you have any questions, you can ask Jiang Yi.”

“Jiang Yi, you must take good care of Ran Ran.”

Jiang Yi sat at the dining table, holding a slice of bread that she nearly crumbled. She had never looked forward to the start of school as much as this summer. Everything in her life has changed since Jiang Liqi married Ji Qingli.

Before, she used to take the bus to school, but now the family not only had a car but also a dedicated driver.

She had planned it in advance: on the first day of school, she would go to school in the family’s Bentley and even get off at the school gate.

If Ji Ran were to ride in the same car with her, how could she show off in front of her group of friends…

Today was the first day of school and a Monday, and the traffic was particularly congested. There were not only students heading to school but also people going to work. Even the Bentley could only move at a snail’s pace.

Ji Ran, when she saw the walls of No. 4 Middle School, couldn’t help it and, taking advantage of the complete traffic jam, got out of the car and walked the rest of the way. She didn’t really want others to see her getting out of a car with Jiang Yi.

On the other hand, Jiang Yi sat there, unmoving.

It wasn’t until a few minutes later that Ji Ran reached the entrance of No. 4 Middle School, surrounded by students wearing school uniforms. Banners welcoming the new freshmen were hung at the school’s entrance.

No. 4 Middle School in City B had been established for over a century and was one of the top key schools in the city.

However, the school’s campus was new, with modern infrastructure and facilities. Even from Ji Ran’s perspective ten years later, the initial impression of No. 4 Middle School did look impressive.

Especially the grand entrance of the school, the aura of a prestigious institution was palpable.

Behind the entrance was a large semicircular square, and opposite the campus was a red and white building, which didn’t seem to be a classroom block but more likely a comprehensive building.

Ji Ran asked someone for directions and, after finding the sophomore teaching building, went straight to the office of the headteacher.

At this moment, not many people had arrived from their classrooms, and many seats were still vacant. The class rosters were posted by each classroom door, and the destinies of the school’s prominent figures had long been determined, so there was no need to hear about them.

Especially Shen Zhi.

There’s always that kind of person in school who may not know everyone, but everyone must know them.

Shen Zhi was such a legendary figure, widely known at No. 4 Middle School.

He had gained notoriety from the beginning of his time at the school, and this reputation came from his junior high school days.

During his time in junior high, he was mugged by a gang of delinquents, but he single-handedly fought off five of them, sending them all to the police station, and he became famous throughout No. 9 Middle School.

As the middle school classmates entered various high schools, Shen Zhi’s reputation was among the top in the high schools of City B.

Suddenly, a group of people appeared not far from the stairs. Xia Jiangming hadn’t arrived yet, but his voice preceded him: “Damn, why does Class 8 get the third floor? I’m dying from climbing.”

Soon, several people showed up in the hallway.

Shen Zhi, who was walking at the back, peered out the classroom window. The noisy classroom suddenly fell quiet, as if someone had hit the pause button. Everyone quickly took their seats and buried their heads in their books.

Xia Jiangming was taken aback by this scene. When he entered the classroom, he muttered, “Damn, why is it so quiet?”

Xu Yihang, who was beside him, kicked him and laughed, “Don’t try to be coy after gaining an advantage.”

Shen Zhi went directly to the back row by the window, as he was tall and always preferred the back row. After sitting down, he continued to focus on his phone, paying no attention to why the classroom suddenly became quiet.

At this moment, quite a few girls in the front row sneakily looked back.

With a face like his, it was impossible not to attract the attention of girls. But not many dared to openly gaze because there had been rumors that Shen Zhi was ruthless, especially towards girls.

There was a girl who once waited for him by the basketball court and intentionally spilled water on him, and he responded by pouring an entire bottle of water over her head.

His cruelty was notorious and off the charts.

Shen Zhi kept his head down and continued sliding his finger on the phone screen. However, when he accidentally pressed the wrong number, he frowned in irritation for a moment. The glances of those who had been sneaking a peek quickly retreated.

They didn’t want to incur his wrath.

After Ji Ran successfully found the grade coordinator, the coordinator introduced her to a rather young male teacher with a smile, saying, “Xiao Qiao, this is a transfer student assigned to your class.”

Initially, Ji Ran had already put on a sweet, quiet expression, intending to make a good impression on the new teacher. However, when the coordinator called the teacher “Xiao Qiao,” Ji Ran instinctively looked across at him and saw a somewhat helpless expression on his face.

Luckily, after the coordinator left, the male teacher smiled and said, “You don’t have to call me Xiao Qiao in front of the coordinator. You can call me Mr. Qiao or just Qiao.”

Ji Ran’s experiences in this life were entirely different from her previous life because she chose to follow Ji Qingli. In her previous life, she had attended a prestigious high school arranged by Pei Yuan, and her class teacher was a stern and traditional teacher known for having the highest college admission rate. In contrast, this young and somewhat witty “Xiao Qiao” teacher was quite different.

Qiao Yuzhao, nicknamed Xiao Qiao, was taking charge of a class for the first time. He had graduated just two years ago, and normally, it would not be his turn to be a class teacher. Schools generally assigned class teachers who were experienced and had been teaching for a while.

But this time, there were special circumstances that led to Xiao Qiao being thrust into this position.

Xiao Qiao and Ji Ran were on their way to the classroom when they were stopped by another teacher who called Xiao Qiao away. He had no choice but to instruct Ji Ran, “Ji Ran, please go to the classroom and find a seat for yourself. I’ll be back to hold a class meeting with you all shortly.”

Ji Ran nodded.

As she entered the classroom, she was surprised to find that the atmosphere in Class 8 was better than in other classes she had passed. In other classes, you could hear noise and laughter even from the hallway, but Class 8 was oddly quiet.

Not entirely silent, but everyone was speaking in hushed tones.

When Ji Ran entered the classroom with her new books and stood at the classroom door, a sudden and loud voice rang out, “Sister-in-law!”

Ji Ran froze and turned to follow the voice.

Then she saw Shen Zhi sitting at the back.

After Xia Jiangming shouted, Shen Zhi lifted his head. He saw the girl standing at the door, her hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a white shirt, a dark blue skirt, and white sneakers on her feet. The edge of her socks just reached her ankles.

He looked down briefly, and under the skirt, her legs were slender and long.

She was genuinely beautiful.

Xia Jiangming was thrilled. He had never expected to see his sister-in-law here. Even when Shen Zhi had left with his sister-in-law, abandoning him, he hadn’t been angry.

But when he asked about Ji Ran, Shen Zhi hadn’t said a word. Honestly, he was a little angry.

He hadn’t expected his brother, Shen Zhi, to give him such a big surprise.

Ignoring the astonishment of others, Xia Jiangming immediately waved, “Sister-in-law, come sit here.”

Ji Ran stood still but surveyed the entire classroom. She noticed that the only available seat in the entire class was right next to Shen Zhi.

Meanwhile, Shen Zhi stared at her face for a while, and his previously nonchalant expression turned indifferent as she hesitated.

She obviously didn’t want to sit beside him.

So, he looked at Ji Ran with a sly smile and said, “Afraid to come over, scared I’ll eat you?”

Damn!

The whole class had a feeling of being ignited. When had the big boss ever said such things to a girl? Even if he was really going to get killed this time, many people’s eyes were still shifting between the two of them.

Shen Zhi lifted his foot and directly kicked the chair next to him with the tip of his shoe.

His voice, which had originally been quite bland, was now tinged with danger as he said, “Come over and sit.”