All the classmates watched the new student standing at the door, feeling nervous for her. On her first day at the new school, she had offended the school’s big shot and was now being threatened publicly by the big shot. It was quite a miserable start.

Xia Jiangming was also confused by Shen Zhi’s words. He turned to look at Shen Zhi, who seemed full of confusion. Just the other day, Zhi-ge had disregarded everything, even his own brothers, for the sake of his little sister-in-law. Why was he speaking so coldly today?

Did the two of them have a quarrel?

Xia Jiangming’s imagination ran wild, creating a heartbreaking but beautiful story in his mind where they were tragically separated by their parents, teachers, and this heartless society, forced to look at each other with indifference in their early love story.

Zhi-ge couldn’t possibly mean what he was saying. He must be suffering.

Xia Jiangming decided he had to step in to help Zhi-ge. So, he suddenly stood up from his desk, almost toppling it over because of his haste.

The desk of Xu Yihang, who was sitting next to him, was also knocked askew, and he angrily exclaimed, “Are you crazy?”

Xia Jiangming remained silent. He wasn’t crazy; he was just fiercely loyal!

With determined steps, Xia Jiangming walked up to Ji Ran, took the book from her hand, and whispered, “Little sister-in-law, don’t be angry with Zhi-ge. He has his reasons. You two…”

Had to get along well.

Of course, Xia Jiangming didn’t say those last few words out loud. He felt that everything was understood without needing to be said.

Xia Jiangming’s tone was too ambiguous, causing Ji Ran to unconsciously glance in Shen Zhi’s direction once again.

The young man sitting by the window caught her eye once more.

He leaned lightly against the window, adopting a relaxed and lazy posture. His features were rare for someone his age, with deep, sharp facial features. His eyes were a strikingly deep ink black, with a visible hint of cold, aloof determination.

Dressed in a black T-shirt, it accentuated his pale complexion, which remained cool even in the sunlight.

At this moment, he raised the corner of his eye in a cold, indifferent manner, gazing at Ji Ran.

Xia Jiangming had already placed her book on the table next to Shen Zhi. When he carried the book over, his face lit up with a radiant smile, and he whispered a few words to Shen Zhi as he put the book down.

Other classmates looked at this scene and couldn’t help but feel inexplicably moved. It looked like a henchman forcibly taking a girl and offering her to a domineering young master.

However, the people involved didn’t have quite the same thoughts.

Ji Ran thought for a moment and realized there was only one seat left in the classroom. With no further hesitation, she slowly walked towards it. As she approached Shen Zhi’s face, she felt herself growing closer to him. Suddenly, she realized that, in this life, she had indeed grown up.

After all, in the past, nobody dared to let Ji Ran and Shen Zhi sit at the same table, even though they worked at the same investment bank.

Ji Ran had always seen Shen Zhi as her greatest rival, as she rarely tasted defeat. However, every time she aimed for a project, Shen Zhi would always beat her to it.

Therefore, Ji Ran harbored great animosity toward him. Two tigers couldn’t share one mountain.

When Ji Ran sat down at her desk, even though she wasn’t looking at the young man beside her, his presence was still very strong. Ji Ran placed some of her books on the desk, and as she lowered her head, she happened to see the young man’s long legs encased in black trousers, crossed so casually.

Shen Zhi was quite tall, and in her previous life, Ji Ran disliked this about him. Whenever she confronted Shen Zhi, she had to look up at him. Little did she know that Shen Zhi had been this tall even in his sophomore year. He must have grown up on fertilizer.

But as soon as she sat down, the young man next to her turned to her and sneered, “Afraid to sit with me?”

Originally, Ji Ran didn’t intend to respond, but she shook her head, considering his unpredictable temperament.

Shen Zhi looked down at her, and this time, being so close, he could see more clearly. Her skin was exceptionally smooth, and even up close, there were no flaws to be seen.

Due to the angle, he could only see her long eyelashes, which were thick and slightly fluffy. The sunlight on her nose created a shimmering effect, making her skin appear almost translucent and fair.

Compared to most girls during their teenage years, her beauty was overly delicate, almost fragile.

It made people instinctively want to protect her.

Shen Zhi suddenly raised his hand near her temple, where there was a wisp of stray hair. When the wind blew, it fluttered against her cheek, soft and inviting, tempting one to reach out and touch it.

After Ji Ran caught sight of his actions from the corner of her eye, she couldn’t help but shift away slightly.

He watched her instinctive movement and laughed, “Little trickster. You said you weren’t afraid to sit with me, but you’re acting like this without me even touching you.”

As there was no teacher in the classroom for the entire class, it was a self-study period. During the twenty-minute break between classes, Shen Zhi was pulled away by Xia Jiangming and others to play basketball. After they left, there was a noticeable sense of relief in the classroom.

Laughter soon filled the room.

Ji Ran was in the process of opening her newly issued textbooks, preparing to write her name on them.

However, the girl sitting in front of her turned around quietly and stared at Ji Ran for quite some time before greeting her, “Hello, new student, you’re really amazing.”

Ji Ran looked at the girl’s endearing round face and, after a brief moment, remembered her name from the self-introduction she had given earlier: Wen Qianxia.

She smiled and asked, “Amazing? How so?”

Wen Qianxia replied in a hushed tone, “You’re so calm sitting at the same table as the big shot. You’re truly amazing.”

Ji Ran hadn’t expected her to say that, and was amused. Her clear, bright eyes took on a warm glow, leaving Wen Qianxia slightly dazed. Earlier, when Ji Ran had been standing at the door, Wen Qianxia had been secretly discussing with her deskmate how exceptionally beautiful this new girl was.

It was the kind of beauty that captivated anyone who laid eyes on her.

Back when they were in their first year of high school, there were ongoing discussions among their peers about who the school flower was among the beautiful girls in their grade. However, there were various opinions, and they never reached a conclusion.

Wen Qianxia now felt that none of those girls could compare to Ji Ran.

Her features were truly naturally vivid and picturesque.

“Do you want to go to the supermarket together?” she asked.

Ji Ran remained silent for a few seconds and then nodded quietly.

During their school days, if a girl invited you to go somewhere, it meant she was extending a hand of friendship to you.

After leaving the classroom, Wen Qianxia let out a long breath. “Have you noticed that the atmosphere in our class is quite heavy?”

Ji Ran could guess the reason but still asked, “Why is that?”

“Of course, it’s because of Shen Zhi and his group,” Wen Qianxia whispered. “I heard that a few days before the school started, Shen Zhi got into a fight with the vocational school students. I don’t know if it’s true, but those vocational school students are known for being rowdy.”

Ji Ran fell silent for a moment but didn’t need to hear it from others; she knew it was true because she had been there.

The school supermarket was located across from the main teaching building, and they had to pass by the basketball court to get there. Since it was during the long break, students were playing basketball on the court. Wen Qianxia led the conversation, and most of it was about Shen Zhi and his group.

After all, in a prestigious school like 4th middle school, Shen Zhi’s group was considered unconventional—skipping classes, getting into fights—anything they wanted to do, they did without fear.

As they passed by the basketball court, they happened to see Shen Zhi and his group playing on the court’s western side.

Wen Qianxia had just pointed and said, “That’s Shen Zhi and his group.”

Ji Ran immediately pulled Wen Qianxia away.

On the other hand, Xu Yihang looked in their direction and said with a smile, “It’s the new student, and it seems she’s not too fond of us.”

Ji Ran’s hasty departure was quite noticeable.

Shen Zhi turned to look, his expression growing even colder as he watched Ji Ran’s hurried departure.

He wasn’t playing basketball; he was sitting under the basketball hoop, observing the game.

After a while, he reached into his black T-shirt and touched a pendant hanging from a chain.

Xu Yihang noticed and poked Xia Jiangming gently. He chuckled and asked, “I wonder what’s in Shen Zhi’s pendant.”

“I don’t know,” Xia Jiangming said nonchalantly.

Xu Yihang asked, “Aren’t you curious?”

Shen Zhi had a pendant hanging around his neck that they had never seen him take off. The pendant underneath the necklace was a small box that could be opened, likely containing a photo or something similar. However, no one had ever seen what was inside, even though they had a good relationship with Shen Zhi.

Despite their curiosity, nobody dared to forcibly take a look at it, as Shen Zhi had lost his temper over the pendant in the past.

After a while, Ji Ran and Wen Qianxia returned from the supermarket. Wen Qianxia had bought snacks, and Ji Ran didn’t have much to buy, so she picked up a bottle of mineral water.

As they passed by the basketball court again, Ji Ran couldn’t help but hurry through, not even glancing in the direction of Shen Zhi and his group’s basketball court.

Suddenly, she heard a shout from someone nearby: “Be careful!”

When she turned around, a tall figure had already stood in front of her. He deflected a basketball that was about to hit her, sending it in another direction.

Xia Jiangming, who was standing nearby, couldn’t help but say, “That was close; it almost hit the little sister-in-law.”

Shen Zhi turned to look at her and asked, “Why are you running?”

As she had hurriedly passed through the basketball court, pulling Wen Qianxia along with her, her desire to disappear was evident and was observed by Shen Zhi.

Ji Ran sighed, unsure of what she had done to provoke this big shot.

So she whispered, “I didn’t run.”

Shen Zhi’s eyes fell on her white palm. She was holding a bottle of mineral water in her hand. It didn’t look like it had been opened yet, but she squeezed the bottle tightly.

Shen Zhi stretched out his hand and said, “Give it to me.”

Ji Ran was stunned, not realizing what he said.

It wasn’t until she lowered her head along his fingers that she realized he wanted the water in her hand.

She didn’t move for a while, and Shen Zhi said a little impatiently, “I’m thirsty.”

It had nothing to do with her; Ji Ran felt a little annoyed.

She felt she should try to get along with Shen Zhi peacefully; even if they didn’t have a friendly relationship, they could at least be regular classmates.

Xia Jiangming and the others looked at each other in surprise, as no one had expected Shen Zhi to suddenly stand up and come over just to intercept the new student and ask her for mineral water.

When they were playing basketball, many girls secretly brought water and waited for Shen Zhi to look up so they could immediately offer it to him. However, Shen Zhi had never drunk water from those girls.

What was happening today?

Ji Ran thought for a moment, but in the end, she reluctantly handed the water bottle over, holding it halfway in the air, waiting for Shen Zhi to take it.

The young man across from her watched her expression and reached out to take the water bottle. When his fingertips lightly brushed against the back of her hand, a slightly soft touch was gone in an instant, as if it were an illusion from the depths of his heart.

Was she as soft to the touch…

Shen Zhi suddenly grabbed her water bottle and walked away.

When Wen Qianxia reached the classroom, she kept talking about the incident, feeling that Shen Zhi and his group were bullying people. Ji Ran, on the other hand, stayed quiet, listening attentively.

The classmates around them discussed the matter.

“Ji Ran, don’t worry too much. Shen Zhi is actually quite low-key at school,” a girl reassured her.

“Low-key? Have you forgotten about him beating up a senior last semester?”

“Nonsense.” Someone didn’t believe it.

The boy who first mentioned it said, “I swear, if I’m lying, you can kick me in the head. He really did it. They were blocking the way in front of the Zhicheng Building, and many people saw it. After that, I heard the senior withdrew from school.”

“Why didn’t the school punish him?” a curious boy asked.

But as soon as he asked that, everyone looked at him as if he were a new exhibit at the zoo.

“Do you even know who he is?”

“I don’t care who he is. If he beats someone at school, he should be punished.”

“You should just shut up. If it weren’t for your dad’s good fortune, you wouldn’t even have an air conditioner right now.”

During the summer break, both the teaching building and the dormitories at 4th middle school had been renovated, especially the dorms, which were all equipped with air conditioning. This level of accommodation was almost like university dorms, and it was said that all the air conditioners were sponsored by the Hengchi Group.

As for the Hengchi Group, a well-known national company, it happened to belong to Shen Zhi’s family.

“I thought the big shot was just tough with his fists, but I never expected his background to be even stronger.”

After hearing all this, Wen Qianxia, who had been chattering, sighed and looked at Ji Ran. “Ji Ran, if you’re scared, it’s okay.”

Ji Ran certainly wouldn’t be intimidated by a few words. She chuckled and said, “Scared of what?”

“Scared he’ll bully me or try to extort protection money from me?”

After saying that, she lowered her head and wrote her name on the open book, Ji Ran.

However, after finishing writing her name, she suddenly noticed that the surroundings had become unusually quiet. It wasn’t until a hand was placed on her desk, with fingers evenly spaced, clean, and elegantly long.

A very beautiful hand.

When Ji Ran slowly lifted her head, Shen Zhi was slightly bent over, and his narrow, jet-black eyes were closely scrutinizing her face.

He looked down at her, his expression cold and unyielding. “Little student, it seems like you don’t like being taught, do you?”