Chapter 23

Chapter 23

My cousin?

Isn't that Jian Yi?

Shen Ju's eyes lit up, and he immediately moved closer to Qin Suxi, unable to contain his curiosity as he asked, "Did Brother say he wants to transfer here?"

Qin Suxi hesitated; it had been Xu Ru who called her.

But since Xu Ru had already brought it up, Jian Yi should know about it too, right?

He should know.

It's unlikely a mother would keep something like this from her child.

Besides, from what Xu Ru said, she hoped they could transfer Jian Yi as early as tomorrow.

This would definitely require her to be personally involved.

After all, Jian Yi often tops the rankings at Yude, so the school might not be willing to let him go.

No wonder she had asked Qin Suxi for a favor.

Qin Suxi had no objection. Though she'd only met Jian Yi a few times, she had taken a liking to him and felt fond of him.

A mother wanting her child to attend a better school and enjoy better conditions was understandable. She was willing to help if she could. And from the look on Shen Ju's face, he probably wanted Jian Yi to continue attending school with him too. After all, they'd known each other for over a decade—not relatives but closer than relatives. Qin Suxi was happy for Shen Ju to have more companionship.

These thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant, and Qin Suxi nodded. "Of course. I plan to go to Yude tomorrow to take care of the transfer paperwork for your cousin. He'll be able to join you at Qichen very soon."

Great!

Shen Ju couldn't help but cheer inwardly.

Then he leaned even closer to Qin Suxi. "Can I take the day off and go with you tomorrow, Mom?"

The way he said "Mom" was like a little kitten mewing.

Was it her imagination? Qin Suxi felt like Shen Ju had become a bit more outgoing.

It was as if this was his true nature, hidden deep down—the youthful energy and happiness a teenager should have.

How could Qin Suxi say no? Especially since Shen Ju mentioned that Jian Yi might need a hand moving his stuff, and he could help. So she nodded in agreement.

............

Meanwhile,

Jian Yi had bought a secondhand phone. After confirming the camera worked properly, he returned home with the power bank he’d picked up along the way.

When he got back, Xu Ru said nothing about it.

Jian Yi also acted as though nothing had happened earlier. After dinner, he returned to his room and waited until after midnight before quietly slipping out again.

The power bank had limited battery, so he had to time things carefully.

Jian Yi went under the cover of darkness to the spot where he’d been cornered the previous morning.

This alley leading to Yude was seldom used for two reasons: first, many students were dropped off and picked up; second, the alley was filthy and messy, with trash littered about that was only collected every few days. When the weather was hot, the smell was particularly overwhelming, so few people willingly took this route.

The trash in the alley, piled up around the bin, hadn't been collected yet. It was hard to tell whether the bin itself was full or not.

The filth actually worked to Jian Yi’s advantage.

He plugged the phone into the power bank, found a good angle, and propped it up on the garbage bin. It didn't take much effort to hide it; he quickly concealed the phone.

After figuring out the timing, he sneaked back home.

He didn’t sleep all night but remained unusually alert.

It wasn’t long before it was time to leave for school.

Jian Yi set out as usual.

Completely unaware that Xu Ru was hesitating to speak.

Xu Ru had asked Qin Suxi not to approach Jian Yi beforehand, saying that Jian Yi wanted to study for as long as he could before transferring. They could have him pack later, once it was all settled.

So when Qin Suxi arrived at Yude, she went straight to the principal’s office.

But she had Shen Ju with her.

Shen Ju said he wanted to go to the classroom first to find Jian Yi. Usually, Jian Yi arrived at school very early, and Shen Ju wanted to help him pack.

But when he reached the classroom, Shen Ju found that Jian Yi hadn’t arrived yet.

Where was he?

Shen Ju circled the room and checked the time, feeling puzzled.

Jian Yi should have been at school by now.

"He was late yesterday too."

Someone with a hesitant expression stepped forward to speak to Shen Ju.

It hadn’t been long since Shen Ju transferred from Yude to Qichen, so seeing him back in the classroom, the other students still found it novel.

A student who had arrived early said, "And I saw Jian Yi had injuries on his face."

"What?!"

Shen Ju grew anxious. "He had injuries on his face? What happened?"

Why hadn’t his brother told him about it yesterday?!

The student who spoke looked embarrassed.

No one had asked Jian Yi about it yesterday. Of course, Jian Yi usually kept to himself, so even if people were curious, no one actually stepped up to ask. As a result, no one knew what had happened.

Not getting an answer, Shen Ju’s mind went to dark possibilities, and his expression grew increasingly troubled.

He looked around again and noticed Ma Rui hadn’t arrived either...

Without wasting another moment, Shen Ju sent a message to Qin Suxi and then rushed out of the school.

He knew Jian Yi only took one route to school.

And at that very moment, Jian Yi was once again cornered in the alley by Ma Rui and the others.

The same scene, the same location.

After what happened yesterday, Ma Rui figured Jian Yi should've known better. Jian Yi had made clear promises yesterday, yet today, when they confronted him again, Jian Yi unexpectedly "changed his tune" once more.

It was as if he had forgotten what he promised yesterday, or as if he had changed his mind, making them threaten him harshly all over again before dragging his feet as he took out his phone. The moment he opened the transfer page, his fingers hovered over the screen, showing clear hesitation. But when Ma Rui and the others saw the balance displayed on the screen—over 5,000—their eyes went wide with greed.

"Hurry up! Transfer the money!"

"Every last cent, now!"

"Damn it, do we have to beat your crippled ass before you cooperate?!"

Jian Yi clutched his phone white-knuckled with one hand, still putting up a "last-ditch struggle."

"If I give you this money now, you won't come bothering me for more after this, right?"

Ma Rui sneered, "You bet we will! Why wouldn’t we? Looks like you've still got plenty. Yeah I'm threatening you - what about it? If you don’t want to get beaten, transfer the money now!"

As Jian Yi lowered his gaze, his eyes swept to the side.

Extorting more than 3,000 yuan is enough to file a case, especially when the victim is disabled—the circumstances are even more severe.

There were no surveillance cameras in this alley, but that didn’t mean one couldn’t be "created."

From the moment Ma Rui cornered him yesterday, Jian Yi had no intention of letting him off.

Moreover, Ma Rui dared to use Shen Ju to threaten him.

Jian Yi’s eyes hardened.

When dealing with someone like Ma Rui, he had to be made thoroughly broken and terrified, so he wouldn’t dare try anything again.

He needed to push things further.

Thinking this, Jian Yi itched to provoke Ma Rui even more.

But the next second—

A voice cut through the tension—

"Brother!!"