During the break between classes, Zhao Yumo, who'd gotten word of the situation that had taken place that morning, brought a bunch of snacks and ran to Class 3 to find Yun Xi.
Zhao Yumo's name had preceded Yun Xi as the second place incumbent in Jing High School.
Before Yun Xi had squeezed her out of second place, she and Zhou Chengzhe were Jing High School's academic star pair.
Every time she ran to Class 3 to find Yun Xi, the other classmates couldn't help being curious and paying attention to them.
Zhao Yumo glanced at the resentful Li Sinuo and Liang Xinyi and deliberately raised her voice and shouted.
"Little Yun Xi, I'm here to repay my gratitude too. The cough medicine you gave me for my grandpa was really effective. My grandpa used it a few days ago, and he doesn't cough much anymore when he wakes up in the morning. He asked me to invite you to my house for dinner some day to thank you."
"You don't need to treat me to a meal. I'll just accept these snacks as a thank you instead."
With a big bag of snacks on the table, Yun Xi summoned her classmates to come and eat some with them.
While Zhao Yumo was there, the vibe was lively, because the classmates had long wanted to meet this academic star. So, when Yun Xi summoned them, they came over.
"Yun Xi, did you study medicine in the countryside? Do you really have such impressive medical skills that even gangsters come to repay you? How amazing!"
"Who could be so vicious as to make people repaying their gratitude seem like you were having inappropriate relations with gangsters?"
"They were probably jealous, envious, and resentful."
"You both transferred from the countryside, so how could there be such a big difference between you?"
"That's right! Some people are just better than others."
"..."
Listening to the discussions going on between the classmates, Li Sinuo grew so angry that she was boiling with rage, and she slammed the textbook in her hand down on the table.
"You're all so noisy! Don't you all want to study anymore? Shut up please."
Seeing that they were deliberately throwing her under the bus to put Yun Xi on a pedestal, Li Sinuo, who had always been proud, could no longer suppress her envy and resentment.
After Yun Xi had transferred to her school, everything that had once belonged to her had been taken away.
Her role as the teacher's pet, the admiration of her classmates, and first place in the class.
Everything that had once belonged to her had vanished.
She couldn't let this go.
After Li Sinuo yelled, the noisy classroom went suddenly silent.
Almost everyone looked at her with contempt and disdain, then they smirked mockingly and continued to discuss the topic they had just been discussing without paying her any attention at all.
Two of the outstanding academic scholars of the entire grade were here. They were worried about the lack of opportunity to exchange learning experiences, so who had time to worry about her feelings?
After being ignored by the whole class, Li Sinuo's expression turned gloomy.
She, the class leader, was less admired than the new transfer student.
Through the crowd, Yun Xi silently watched the gloomy expression in Li Sinuo's eyes, and her slender fingers started tapping on the table.
Although she didn't know how Han Wanling was planning to scheme against her, it didn't mean that she should send her ammunition.
Since she couldn't guess what was coming, she would dig a hole for them first and wait for them to jump down in it.
With so many teammates, there would undoubtedly be a pigheaded teammate who would ruin her plans.
After school ended that afternoon, Yun Xi went to Class 2 to find Zhao Yumo for help on solving a math problem. The two academic stars together were especially eye-catching.
Their classmates pestered Zhao Yumo to solve this math problem on the blackboard. Yun Xi sat in her seat and listened. After all that, it was quite late when they left.
Zhao Yumo's family's driver came to pick her up, and they gave Yun Xi a ride home.
While waiting for a red light at an intersection, she unexpectedly saw a familiar figure at the entrance to the Jingdu Golden Leaf Club.
"Yumo, can you see if that person looks like Liang Xinyi?"
Zhao Yumo leaned over, lowered the car window, and glanced at the figure walking toward the entrance of the club. Then she snorted lightly.
"It is indeed Liang Xinyi. It's not the first time I've seen her there. I've noticed her there several times. I was actually curious about how someone of her status managed to get in. It turns out someone took her here."
The Golden Leaf Club was a high-end club in Jingdu, and ordinary people couldn't enter.
"Who?" Yun Xi couldn't help being a little curious.
Liang Xinyi had been walking behind the person who'd brought her there. Zhao Yumo hadn't been able to see who it was.
The cost of getting into these kind of clubs wasn't low, and Liang Xinyi had few wealthy friends in Jingdu. As someone of no status, she shouldn't have been able to get in at all, and she had no money to spend either.
"Let's go in and take a look!"
Zhao Yumo asked the driver to pull over and dragged Yun Xi into the club.
"They have a membership system. You can't get in without a card, right?"
Yun Xi wasn't fond of clubs like these. Bad memories from her last life kept running through her mind.
"Don't worry, they wouldn't dare to stop me!"
Zhao Yumo gave her a confident look and led her to the entrance of the club.
She had just gotten to the door when the manager, who was just seeing some guests out, saw her. Seeming surprised, she quickly came up to greet her.
"Mistress, why are you here?"
Upon hearing the manager call her mistress, Yun Xi immediately understood that the Golden Leaf Club was the property of the Zhao family.
"Auntie Jun, my classmate and I were just passing by. We thought we saw someone we knew, so we wanted to come in and take a look. You won't tell my dad, will you?"
Cheng Jun had watched this girl grow up. Yumo had lost her mother when she was young, and Jun had treated her like her own daughter.
A place like this club was full of people who gossiped, so Auntie Jun didn't really want Zhao Yumo to go in at her young age.
"Have you had dinner yet? I'll take you girls out to eat something."
"Auntie Jun, just let us go in and see. I promise not to cause trouble, and we will leave as soon as we find her. If you're worried, we can just stay by your side."
Upon seeing her hesitate, Zhao Yumo pulled at Cheng Jun's arm and shook it. "Auntie Jun..."
"All right, I really don't know what to do with you. Little troublemaker, don't do anything wrong or I will have to deal with your dad. Then you can't blame me for not helping you."
"I know. Auntie Jun, you're the best."
Getting what she wanted, Zhao Yumo smiled slyly and followed Cheng Jun into the club.
Zhao Yumo was familiar with everyone who worked in the club so she quickly learned Liang Xinyi's whereabouts.
Yun Xi quietly followed behind, giving Yumo a thumbs-up.
On the first floor of the club was a bar, on the second floor was the karaoke room, while on the third floor was the VIP box.
Yun Xi had been here several times in her previous life, and she vaguely remembered the layout.
Liang Xinyi had gone up to the deck on the second floor, and Zhao Yumo took Yun Xi upstairs on the other side, and the two hid behind the seats in the corner.
There was a golden crystal curtain partition between the areas, and coupled with colorful flashing neon lights, there was enough privacy.
Cheng Jun asked a waiter to bring them dinner and a fruit plate and insisted that Zhao Yumo go home only after she'd finished eating.
The manager of the club was even more concerned about her well-being than a mother would have been. Yun Xi felt a little envious. Her own mother was worse than a wicked stepmother.
Seeing the envy in her eyes, Zhao Yumo pushed the food toward Yun Xi.
"My mother died early. My dad is always busy and unwilling to remarry. He was afraid that a stepmother would bully me. Auntie Jun watched me grow up. She took care of me most of the time when I was a child and then she became the club manager."
"I think she is kind toward you and almost acts like your mother."
Yumo nodded. "Compared to your outrageous mother, she's much better. I just don't understand. You were in her stomach for nine months during her pregnancy. How can your biological mother treat someone else better than you? Goodness, it's impossible to understand."
"When I was young, a fortune-teller told her that I would become a scourge and I would jinx six relatives to death. Being from the countryside, my mother was deeply superstitious, and her way of thinking can't be changed even after decades. Plus, I originally had a younger brother, who was in my mother's stomach for five to six months. For some reason she had a miscarriage. She thought it was me who killed her son. I have two younger sisters, but she will never bear a son, so you know how it is."
"Fortune-tellers are pure nonsense. People determine the course of their own lives, and only incompetent people use fortune-tellers as excuses to comfort themselves for their failings."
Yun Xi smiled. "However, now that I'm here, I will take back the things that belong to me, one by one."
"Of course! If you need any help, you can ask me at any time."
Yun Xi nodded, then cocked her head, paying attention to the figure who was sitting on the opposite side of the floor.
From the manager, she had found out what Liang Xinyi had been up to during this time.
As she'd expected, Liang Xinyi was another chess piece that Han Wanling had placed near her.
But Yun Xi didn't know how Han Wanling was going to use this chess piece.
However, when she saw the man sitting next to Liang Xinyi, she understood immediately.
Yun Xi, who was sitting across from Yumo, gestured with her chin and pointed to the area across from where they were sitting. "Yumo, are you familiar with that man with glasses?"
Zhao Yumo turned her head to look, and, upon seeing the man's hand touch Liang Xinyi's thigh, her eyes got wide.
Liang Xinyi shrank back in her seat with a disgusted expression, but she was obviously afraid to speak up.
Her eyes stared at the woman who was sitting facing her pleadingly. She seemed to be asking for help.
Yumo covered her mouth for fear of gasping out loud, then turned around and took a sip of juice to recover from the shock.
"D*mn! What is Liang Xinyi doing? She's not mature enough for that kind of behavior."
Yun Xi took a bite of the grilled eel in a sweet and salty sauce that tasted very good.
"Didn't you tell me just now that she came here with someone else? Do you really think she would sit there and willingly endure humiliation? You think she would let herself suffer? The person who brought her in is the mastermind behind the scenes, the shadowy person who is scheming against me."
"Huh? Who is it? Who's trying to scheme against you? I'll help you deal with them!"
Yun Xi smiled but didn't divulge anything. "A good show has begun, so you can watch the farce."
"Don't leave me hanging here! I'm waiting for the details."
Yun Xi smiled and changed the topic. "Don't you know that man?"
"Of course, doesn't everyone in the school know him? He's Sun Ming, the principal's nephew, the P.E. teacher for juniors, and the most sleazy teacher in the school."
Upon thinking of the hand that had molested Liang Xinyi's thigh just now, Yumo shuddered and got goosebumps.
"Yuck! And he's a teacher. Didn't you see how he lay his hands on Liang Xinyi?"
"Don't worry! Liang Xinyi still has a year to go before she becomes an adult. Sun Ming wouldn't dare do anything to her, no matter how shameless he is."
"You're right, but what exactly does Liang Xinyi think she's going to get out of it? How can she bear sitting next to him. D*mn it! It's disgusting to even think about. No wonder Auntie Jun doesn't want to let me come here to have fun."
"She's doing it in order to deal with me. If I'm driven back to the countryside, with my mother supporting her, she will be able to do whatever she wants in the Yun family."
"D*mn! So what are you waiting for? Go get her!"
Liang Xinyi had just gotten in trouble at school and here she was, digging her own grave again.
Yun Xi really admired this two-faced b*tch's unwavering determination. She was like a cockroach that simply couldn't be killed.
Yun Xi held Zhao Yumo's hand and shook her head at her.
"Yumo, they know how to use others against me so as not to dirty their own hands. I need to figure out how to use their own tricks against them."
"What do you mean? What are you going to do? Do you need my help?"
"There's no need for the time being. I won't hide it from you this time. I'm going to lure them into the game."
Yun Xi forked a cherry, a piece of apple, and a slice of watermelon from the fruit plate, then put them all on a white plate. She pointed to the cherry as she said, "This is Liang Xinyi."
Then she pointed the fork at the slice of watermelon and the piece of apple and she said, "This is Li Sinuo, and this is the woman across from Liang Xinyi."
As she said this, she poured the eel sauce on the fruit. "This is the punk at the school gates this morning."
"That punk? He was sent by them too?"
Yun Xi smiled and nodded, then pushed the plate away from in front of her. "Do you still want to eat such a plate of fruit?"
"No! I don't have such heavy tastes."
Realizing what Yun Xi was trying to illustrate with that plate of fruit, Zhao Yumo narrowed her eyes and asked, "Are you planning to deal with them all in one fell swoop?"
"I'm just trying to choose the most convenient way."
"Convenient...I'm speechless!"
As soon as Yun Xi got home, she saw two large boxes full of imported snacks in the living room. The boxes had been opened.
Liang Xinyi and Yun Ziling were sitting on the sofa eating snacks while watching TV. The sofa and coffee table were full of snack bags.
Upon seeing Yun Xi come home, the housekeeper winked at her.
"The eldest lady is back. Someone brought over these two boxes of things today and said they were for you."
The housekeeper glanced at the opened boxes and deliberately raised the volume of her voice.
Yun Xi glanced at the boxes, then looked at the two people in the living room who were eating her snacks without asking her if it was okay, and sneered mockingly.
"Did the deliveryman say who had sent the boxes?"
"The eldest son of the Chen family asked their butler to send them over."
"Since they were given to me, wasn't it disrespectful to tear them open without asking for my permission?"
"Miss, I didn't open them. It was the second lady...I couldn't stop her..."
Yun Xi didn't want to embarrass the housekeeper, yet who knew that the housekeeper would be so honest and throw Yun Ziling under the bus at the first word from Yun Xi.
Before Yun Ziling could say anything, Liang Xiuqin came out of the kitchen carrying fruit, and she immediately began to defend her.
"What are you fussing about? Everyone can enjoy the things that are delivered to the house. Why do you have to draw such a clear line? Ziling is your sister, so what if she eats some of the snacks? Do you need to cause such a fuss? Besides, with those two huge boxes, could you even finish them all on your own?"
"That's right, sister, you can't finish eating so many delicious snacks alone, and these are all imported snacks. You've been living in the countryside for so many years, you're probably not even used to eating them. I will eat them for you."
After saying that, Yun Ziling glanced at Liang Xiuqin. "Mom, tell the housekeeper to move the boxes to my room."
With Liang Xiuqin backing her, Yun Ziling had always been arrogant and defiant.
She'd tried her best to take advantage of Yun Xi, because why should the eldest son be so nice toward that scourge?
These imported foods weren't cheap, and she was reluctant to buy them.
Unexpectedly, the eldest son had brought two big boxes at once, and they were all snacks she liked to eat.
Since she was already deep into eating them, she couldn't even think about giving them back to Yun Xi.
"Yun Ziling, the eldest son gave me these. Why do you think you can move them to your room? Have you asked my permission?"
"You're not used to eating these kinds of snacks anyway. Instead of wasting them, I'd better eat them for you. Besides, why do you have to cause such a fuss about me eating your snacks? I'm your younger sister, so as my older sister shouldn't you be more mature? Aren't you crossing the line by scolding me like that? Since you're so upset, I'll stop eating, all right?"
Yun Ziling looked at Liang Xiuqin with an aggrieved look and deliberately threw a large bag of shrimp chips onto the coffee table.
The shrimp chips spilled all over the leftover snack bags on the coffee table, making a mess.
Liang Xiuqin stepped forward and pulled at Yun Xi. Yun Xi staggered and kicked out at one of the boxes.
"All she did was eat some of your snacks, but look at you! Who did you learn to be so selfish from? You've been living in the countryside for so many years, and eating such expensive imported snacks will only give you a stomachache."
"Mom, since you're being so self-righteous, the next time the Jiang's second young master sends something to Yun Ziling, does that mean I can snatch it from her right in front of her too? Or if I see a beautiful dress he gave her, I can wear it myself? If she doesn't even understand the most basic etiquette on respecting other people's property, do you really think she'll be able to marry into such a distinguished family like the Jiang family? Don't you know how high Madame Jiang's standards are?"
Liang Xiuqin was furious upon hearing her precious daughter being mocked so contemptuously.
"You've just come back from the countryside, so what would you know about standards. I am the master of this house, so I have the right to do whatever I want to with whatever gets sent to this house. I gave permission to tear open the box, so you can vent your anger on me. Ziling has always been obedient and understanding, so even if you're jealous that the Jiang family's second young master looks down on you, don't take your frustrations out on Ziling."
Yun Xi sneered. She knew she couldn't count on reasoning with her mother any time in this life.
Yun Xi didn't bother quarreling with her mother. She just bent down and looked in the box.
She flipped through the snacks inside. They were all high-calorie, high-fat snacks.
These snacks were different from those that had been sent by Mu Feichi.
Although they were all imported snacks, Mu Feichi gave her high-protein snacks that were beneficial to her growth.
She didn't eat these sorts of snacks.
Even if Chen Yichen had wanted to give her a gift, she was sure that he knew that as a medical student she wouldn't touch these sorts of things that weren't nutritious and would make her gain weight.
Perhaps the eldest son had ulterior motives for sending these snacks.
Perhaps he knew that these things probably wouldn't ever reach her hands, so he simply sent many snacks that would make Yun Ziling gain weight...
Uh...his intentions really were nefarious.
Since Yun Ziling was so undisciplined that she couldn't control what she ate, it served her right.
After rummaging through the box, Yun Xi finally found the mock exam paper at the bottom of the box.
She clapped her hands and stood up. "Since Yun Ziling likes to eat these snacks so much, let her have them all. Auntie, please move both boxes to Yun Ziling's room and let her indulge in them."
"Ah? Missy, you really want me to move them?" Obviously feeling aggrieved for her, the housekeeper looked at her sympathetically.
Yun Xi turned her head and winked at the housekeeper. "Carry them up! Or else they will keep scorning me for being selfish."
"Okay."
Although the housekeeper didn't understand why Yun Xi had given in so suddenly, the housekeeper nonetheless carried the boxes upstairs as she was ordered.
Liang Xiuqin smiled triumphantly, then gave the washed fruits to Yun Ziling. "Go to bed early after eating these. You still have class tomorrow."
"I know. Mom, you are the best."
Yun Xi went upstairs holding the mock test paper. Wanting to say something, the housekeeper followed behind her, but she refrained from speaking.
Yun Xi paused, then turned her head to look at the housekeeper. "No need to feel pity for me. Those snacks are high in calories and have no nutrition. If Yun Ziling eats them all, she will gain at least ten pounds, so she can knock herself out."
The housekeeper suddenly understood what was going on. She couldn't help but giggle as she walked to Yun Ziling's room with the boxes in her arms.
Yun Ziling had heart disease and couldn't do vigorous exercises, so it was especially difficult for her to lose weight.
Losing one or two pounds was already tortuous, not to mention ten pounds.
Tsk, tsk, the eldest son had really made an extremely nefarious move.
As soon as Yun Xi opened the door of her room, she smelled a scorching scent, and, turning her head abruptly, she saw the figure sitting on the carpet next to the bed with a welded safe.
Yun Xi froze for a moment, then closed the door and walked over.
"Young Marshal Mu, what are you..."
Mu Feichi looked up at her and placed the safe back where it had been. "Did your mother touch your safe?"
"Yes. But she couldn't open the lock and was probably electrified."
"If the password is entered incorrectly three times, the safe will automatically start the safety program, and there is a discharge device inside the box that will automatically discharge. Although the electricity won't electrocute, it's still quite scary."
"I didn't expect that you were guarding it from my mother."
"Why would I have given you the safe otherwise?"
Standing up, he patted the dust off his body, then sat down on her little bed, and reached out to drag her to the chair beside him.
"What, what?"
Being caught off guard, she was pressed down into the chair.
The man in front of her was domineering, and she was pressed against the chair, but she dared not move for fear of aggravating him.
After all, this man's temper was really unpredictable.
"Young Marshal Mu, can we speak in another way?"
Every time she got too close, no matter how alert she was, she really found him touching her from time to time unbearable.
"What did Chen Yichen give you?"
Mu Feichi cocked his head slightly, then pressed her closer to sniff her body scent.
It was already autumn, and she was wearing a fluffy long-sleeved cardigan jacket that made her look warm like a flower blooming in early spring.