Chapter 26

Chi Yi did not speak.

With a surge of effort and the support of his companion, he managed to sit up, leaning against the sofa while clutching his chest, a look of agony on his face.

Gu Qiang watched him with a cold, contemptuous huff.

"Weren't you always boasting about how great you are at fighting?"

That was all just empty talk.

Chi Yi had been raised in luxury. While his behavior leaned a bit rebellious, he never had to get his hands dirty himself.

Usually, he would just hire a few capable thugs to subdue the opponent before stepping in himself.

The blows he landed were indeed heavy, but compared to someone who actually trained, it was nothing more than a tickle.

Straightening his posture only made the pain worse.

He gasped, his chest aching faintly with every word, forcing him to abandon any attempt at reasoning with Gu Qiang and opt for a much simpler retort: "Why don't you try it?"

Gu Qiang glanced at him, entirely devoid of any foolish notion to put it into practice.

"Can you still walk?"

Enduring the pain, Chi Yi asked, "Are you going to walk me back?"

"Get lost!" Gu Qiang snapped furiously, though she quickly added an excuse, "I have classes tomorrow, I don't have all that much time to waste."

Chi Yi countered, "You're still going to a bar even with classes."

Unwilling to entertain him any longer, Gu Qiang turned back to rejoin her circle of followers.

The companions watched the two interact from the sidelines, too intimidated to speak.

They didn't know Gu Qiang very well, but they had heard Young Master Chi mention that she hailed from the capital.

Their own families merely held some ground in Jin City, but the capital was leagues beyond comparison.

After Gu Qiang left, Chi Yi shifted slightly, only to be wracked with such sharp pain that he dared not move again.

Just now, forcing himself up with someone's help had been entirely for the sake of his pride.

"Damn that Ling Qiao, hitting someone this hard!"

Chi Yi never expected that being thrown around just twice could hurt this much!

Clearly, Ling Qiao could not be treated as an ordinary person.

...

The next day.

Ye Chunxi completed her morning classes with complete apathy.

The doctor said she had amnesia, though her original skills remained intact, she could remember nothing of how she acquired them.

She had hoped attending class today might jog her memory and help her recall what she had previously studied.

Yet after listening for barely two minutes, she could already predict the professor's next words on stage.

Ye Chunxi was beginning to doubt whether she was actually a college freshman.

When she arrived at the campus cafeteria for lunch, Butler Kong's message arrived right on schedule.

[Miss Ye, have you eaten yet?]

[What are you having?]

[Are you eating at the campus cafeteria?]

Ye Chunxi massaged her temples and replied one by one.

The image of the fretful old grandfather was deeply etched into her mind.

It made her wonder if her older brother received a dozen such caring inquiries every single day as well.

In reality, no.

Jin Yuchuan was busy with work, yet exceptionally disciplined in his daily life, paying strict attention to nutritional intake.

Even when pressed for time, he would resort to high-value nutritional meal replacements.

In contrast, Ye Chunxi was young, rather willful, and governed entirely by her own preferences, which was why Butler Kong worried so much.

Learning that she was eating at the cafeteria today, Butler Kong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

[Miss Ye, your frame is too delicate, you must eat more.]

Ye Chunxi glanced down at her slender, straight legs, then placed a hand on her graceful waist, where her ab lines could be clearly felt.

To the eyes of elders, such a fine figure indeed appeared frail.

Ye Chunxi dutifully acknowledged the message and went to line up for food.

She had poor relationships with most of her roommates; although Fang Li was relatively polite to her, out of deference to Ren Lingwei's family background, she dared not displease her.

While Fang Li's attitude toward Ye Chunxi was mild, she strictly avoided being seen with her whenever possible.

Thus, on her very first day of school after losing her memory, Ye Chunxi found herself ostracized by her entire dorm.

She paid it little mind, choosing to sit alone at the dining table.

A few male students attempted to strike up a conversation midway, only to be firmly rebuffed by Ye Chunxi's chilling indifference.

A shadow fell over her, followed by a heavy clatter as a food tray dropped onto the table.

"We want this table. Find somewhere else."

Ye Chunxi raised her gaze to find three or four young women standing before her, radiating an aggressive aura as if determined not to leave until she vacated the seat.

Being disturbed while eating deeply irritated her.

"Are there no other seats?"

The leading woman stared at Ye Chunxi, her eyes glinting with a flicker of jealousy.

Dressed in a Chanel suit, with a Tiffany watch gleaming brilliantly in the light, she exuded an aura of extravagant perfume—undoubtedly a wealthy young heiress.

Unfortunately, her arrogant and petty expression dragged down the value of her designer labels.

Shi Miaoqing narrowed her eyes.

Noticing that Ye Chunxi's attire lacked any visible designer logos, her gaze turned disdainful.

She had to admit, upon seeing this girl's face, a surge of deep jealousy had pierced her heart.

So what if she was pretty?

No matter how gorgeous, she was still just an ordinary person who could never break into high society, no matter how hard she struggled for a lifetime.

A sense of superiority welled up, and Shi Miaoqing's expression softened slightly.

She suppressed the strange feeling in her heart. "Every other place is taken, and yours is the only empty table."

Ye Chunxi, who had been ostracized by her roommates and rejected by anyone wanting to dine with her: "..."

Was loneliness a crime now, too?

The women behind her wore similarly lavish outfits, yet clearly took Shi Miaoqing as their absolute leader.

Seeing Ye Chunxi remain unresponsive, one of them stepped forward to urge sharply, "Our Miaoqing told you to move, are you deaf?"

Ye Chunxi set down her chopsticks, crossed her arms, and met their gazes directly.

"Must you have this specific table?"

They were all children of affluent families, accustomed since birth to outperforming most of their peers, making them inevitably obsessed with saving face.

Among them, Shi Miaoqing, whose family background was the most prominent, felt this way the most intensely.

Pointing at the seat, she declared every single word with resounding emphasis: "I've taken a liking to it, so it's my seat."

Many people nearby had noticed the commotion, and upon recognizing Shi Miaoqing, low whispers began to ripple through the crowd.

"Isn't that Shi Miaoqing? Didn't she go abroad for a piano competition?"

"Yeah, why is she back so soon?"

"Looks like she's picking a fight with that girl. Honestly, that girl is drop-dead gorgeous!"

"What good is looking pretty? Shi Miaoqing is the young miss of one of the four major wealthy families in Haicheng; crossing her is no picnic."

Ever since returning to school, Ye Chunxi had encountered unprovoked hostility from many, though the reasons eluded her.

Having so much trouble just trying to eat left her deeply annoyed.

"Qing'er."

Just as Ye Chunxi was contemplating how to resolve the situation, a young man walked over.

The intimate moniker made Shi Miaoqing instinctively turn her head, her previously arrogant posture melting away into a semblance of gentleness.

"Brother~"

The lingering, sugary inflection made Ye Chunxi shudder with goosebumps.

She stared in disbelief as Shi Miaoqing—who moments ago had acted like an absolute queen—suddenly resorted to childish coquetry.

Shi Yuxing had walked over after noticing his younger sister and her entourage surrounding the spot from afar, assuming she was acting up with her spoiled heiress antics again, and intended to intervene.

As he approached, Shi Yuxing's gaze inadvertently collided with Ye Chunxi's, causing him to freeze for two full seconds, captivated by her stunning appearance.

Dressed simply without any deliberate embellishments, she possessed a breathtaking, heart-stopping beauty.

Her skin was as delicate and fair as congealed mutton fat, contrasting sharply with her full, rose-tinted lips.

A pair of wide, doe-like eyes gazed upward slightly, the irises shrouded in a misty haze that shimmered with ripples of limpid light.

It was enough to make anyone stop in their tracks.