He Han lowered his head to look at the book on the ground, his mind in a daze. Who in 4th Middle School wouldn’t recognize Shen Zhi?

Although He Han was also one of those with a wealthy family and a bit of influence, he only pursued girls and dated in school. Let alone getting into fights, he would quickly back down even when encountering the vocational school students.

And especially Shen Zhi, who treated the vocational school students like his subordinates.

He just wanted to flirt with a new classmate; why did he offend this big shot?

Shen Zhi looked at him coldly and indifferently extended the tip of his foot to kick the English book on the ground. “Do you want me to open it for you?”

Actually, Shen Zhi’s temper wasn’t usually so volatile.

There were indeed many rumors about him in school, both true and false and exaggerated and misinterpreted, but he couldn’t be bothered by them. In fact, he kept a low profile in school. Apart from having actually beaten up a fool before, he never laid a hand on anyone in the school.

But today, he was genuinely angered.

After finishing a basketball game and returning from the playground, ready to leave school, he happened to see these few people standing at the corner, sneakily glancing upstairs.

Xia Jiangming saw He Han at a glance and disdainfully said, “This kid is definitely waiting for a girl.”

He had good popularity in school, the type who could strike up a conversation with anyone, but he didn’t like people like He Han. From what he knew, He Han had already dated five or six girlfriends, even at such a young age. He was a bad influence.

However, as soon as he finished his contemptuous words, he saw a girl slowly descending the stairs. With bright eyes and rosy lips and her skin as fair as snow, the soft evening sunlight danced around her, creating an excessively beautiful scene that left everyone almost speechless.

Ji Ran wore the most ordinary school uniform, blue and white, loose-fitting, and oversized, seemingly even uglier than others.

But she managed to exude the kind of first-love feeling only seen in movies.

He Han’s group blocked Ji Ran’s way.

“Gosh, He Han, this idiot is actually hitting on my little sister,” Xia Jiangming almost jumped up.

He looked at Shen Zhi and said, “Zhi Ge, this idiot has no bottom line. I heard he got a girl pregnant before. If it weren’t for his family’s money, the school would have expelled him a long time ago. I think he’s an insult to my little sister when he talks to her.”

Shen Zhi had just finished playing basketball, and he thought he had vented the bit of frustration in his heart on the basketball court.

However, when he saw this scene, an uncontrollable anger surged within him.

So, without paying attention to Xia Jiangming’s chattering, he walked straight over and kicked He Han’s leg. He fell to the ground. Initially, He Han wanted to turn around and curse, but when he saw Shen Zhi, all his anger turned into fear.

When Shen Zhi kicked the English book on the ground again, both the people beside him, like Xia Jiangming, Xu Yihang, and He Han’s companions, were shocked.

The Big Shot’s method of punishment was truly unique and inventive.

Unique until they carefully considered it, they felt they would rather be beaten up than endure this kind of torment. After all, for academic underachievers like them, the English book was like a cryptic text.

He Han didn’t dare delay and immediately picked up the book from the ground. However, as he flipped through the book, he kept looking at Ji Ran as if he were waiting for her to speak. Because, according to the normal script, this girl with a sweet appearance and a soft demeanor would surely try to defuse the situation.

No one wanted this to escalate further.

So, while He Han began to haltingly read the first article, he stared desperately at Ji Ran.

Little did he know, the girl in front of him raised her eyes and looked at him. Her eyelashes were long and thick, quivering lightly when she raised them. Her bright, black eyes were genuinely pure and captivating—a different kind of allurement.

He Han nearly gaped in awe; she was truly beautiful.

But the next moment, the girl casually glanced at the English book in He Han’s hand and said in a calm and gentle tone, “This is such a rare opportunity to study. Cherish it and don’t waste it.”

The girl’s voice was so soft, sweet, and tender that it should have sent shivers down anyone’s spine. However, what she said shocked everyone present.

After Ji Ran said these words, she regretted them a little.

She had somewhat ruined her image; she was supposed to be a beautiful and sweet girl-next-door type. She shouldn’t be so severe.

Originally, Xia Jiangming, who had been watching He Han’s expressions on the side, was afraid Ji Ran might spare this guy. After all, she was a young girl and could be worried about causing trouble. But when Ji Ran said that, he gaped in surprise.

This little sister was not what he had imagined.

He instinctively glanced at Shen Zhi, and Shen Zhi’s gaze was on Ji Ran.

At this moment, a faint smile appeared in Shen Zhi’s eyes, along with a touch of pride.

This little girl was indeed different.

Ji Ran didn’t want to listen to this guy’s fake English anymore. She slung her bag and prepared to leave directly. However, as she passed by Shen Zhi, she paused for a few seconds.

If someone had told Ji Ran in a previous life that she would one day accept help from Shen Zhi and thank him, she would have definitely told them to get lost.

But now, Shen Zhi has truly helped her let off steam. Although she didn’t understand why he helped, as it didn’t seem like some camaraderie between classmates, she thought for a moment and spoke softly, “Thank you.”

After saying this, Ji Ran quickly walked away.

As a result, when she left, Xia Jiangming shouted, “Oh my god, little sister, are you just going to leave like that? Our brother Zhi did this for you…”

He hadn’t finished his sentence when Shen Zhi suddenly took large strides and followed her.

Ji Ran didn’t expect the person behind her to chase after her. She looked at the young man standing in front of her. Under the evening sun, he was bathed in golden light, and even the corners of his eyes and eyebrows had a faint golden halo.

The young man’s features were so well-defined that they seemed to possess a distinctly masculine aura in the shadows.

Shen Zhi lowered his gaze and calmly asked, “Aren’t you going to ask me why I helped you?”

Ji Ran didn’t expect him to chase after her for such a mundane question. She took a deep breath and asked, still with a good-natured tone, “Why?”

“You paid protection money, didn’t you?” The young man was slightly bent down. His face emerged from the shadows, and he let out a low laugh, saying, “So, protecting you this time is only fair.”

That strikingly handsome face drew closer to hers.

Close enough for Shen Zhi to catch a whiff of the sweet, faint fragrance carried by the cool breeze on her.

In a voice that was intimately close, he said, “Student Ji, you should take good care of yourself and not let anyone bully you again.”

He paused for a few seconds, and time seemed to stretch infinitely.

Until Ji Ran heard his soft whisper, “Because next time, my protection won’t be so simple.”

Ji Ran was surprised that she could remain so calm in this situation. She looked up at Shen Zhi and asked, “What do you want?”

This time, Shen Zhi didn’t speak, but his gaze was fixed on her, revealing emotions that Ji Ran couldn’t quite decipher.

You.

Next time, I want you.

When Ji Ran returned home, she didn’t even eat dinner; she went straight to her room. However, as she stared at the ceiling, her mind continued to replay the events at school, especially Shen Zhi’s gaze.

In fact, this gaze was not entirely unfamiliar to her. In her previous life, she had also seen such a look in Shen Zhi’s eyes.

It was at the annual investment bank gala. As per usual, everyone dressed up for the event. Male colleagues were relatively easy, wearing variations of three-piece suits at most. The real competition was among the female colleagues, who were trying to outshine each other.

That day, Ji Ran wore a deep V-neck gold sequined camisole dress that revealed just enough skin, and the most remarkable thing was that despite her slim figure, she looked far from emaciated. Everything was in the right place.

Especially the diamond necklace she wore that night, adorned with a pear-shaped yellow diamond that perfectly nestled on her chest, complementing her obvious décolletage.

Juxtaposed with her cleavage

Ji Ran was already stunning by nature, and that day she dressed extravagantly, turning every head in the room as soon as she entered the venue.

Countless men couldn’t help but sneak glances at her.

In reality, Ji Ran wasn’t the type to seek the spotlight, but she found out that Shen Zhi had surpassed her to become the Greater China Region’s Annual Best Employee, and the CEO of the headquarters was going to announce his promotion at the annual gala.

So, she deliberately dressed this way to steal everyone’s attention and overshadow Shen Zhi.

Ji Ran had a family inheritance from the mining industry. For her, working at an investment bank was just a means to bolster her resume. However, she couldn’t stand losing, especially to Shen Zhi.

As a result, when she clinked glasses with someone, she inexplicably turned her head and locked eyes with Shen Zhi.

That day, he looked at her much like he did today, with deep and unfathomable black eyes, concealing a suppressed emotion.

At the time, Ji Ran thought he was dissatisfied that she had stolen his thunder.

She felt particularly triumphant.

But today, in the eyes of the younger Shen Zhi, she saw that same suppressed emotion.

Ji Ran kicked off her slippers, lay down on her soft, large bed, and continued to daydream, but her thoughts were still dwelling on the events of her previous life.

Speaking of her last life in the investment banking circle, there were many rumors about Shen Zhi.

His influential background was practically public knowledge, an open secret.

There was also a widely circulated rumor that Shen Zhi had a long-lost love, a “white moonlight,” who had passed away. Nobody really knew much about this “white moonlight,” but they understood that this person held a special place in his heart.

(T/N: A popular phrase or trope in Chinese novels that refers to someone’s first love or true love.
Often, a character will have a love from when they were younger that was unrequited or that they got separated from, causing the character to become cold or preventing them from moving on and finding a new lover.)

This was because Shen Zhi was relentlessly dedicated to his work, to the point of being obsessed, and he had no women in his life.

Some even said that Shen Zhi’s unwavering attachment to the deceased white moonlight left him uninterested in other women. They claimed that this white moonlight was Shen Zhi’s youthful love and that she had died too early…

As a result, for all these years, Shen Zhi remained celibate.

When Ji Ran first heard this rumor, she almost laughed so hard that her contact lenses were about to fall out, forgetting that she wasn’t that much better than Shen Zhi.

Now, Ji Ran couldn’t help but think about it. Is that white moonlight of Shen Zhi’s is dead?

And what about the way he looked at her…

Suddenly, Ji Ran sat up from her bed, realizing a significant possibility.

Could it be that she bears a striking resemblance to Shen Zhi’s “white moonlight”?