Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Shen Gali sat in Nan Liujing's room, head bowed, listening to the sound of water splashing in the bathroom.

Nan Liujing was taking a shower.

What came after the shower?

Although the perverted villain had been lying low for a while with no major moves, the essence of his perversion lay in striking by surprise.

The villain was truly elegant and exceptional—he had to bathe and change clothes before doing anything bad.

After waiting half an hour, Shen Gali thought: Goodnight, Makka Pakka.

He propped his cheek on one hand and slowly closed his eyes.

"Having a good sleep?" After who knows how long, a demon's whisper sounded in his ear.

Shen Gali opened his eyes. Nan Liujing sat right next to him. Although he had no idea how the man had managed to shower and change clothes alone on his disabled legs, he didn't care.

Damp black hair silently dripped water droplets, falling onto his neck, tracing the contours of his muscles in a rising and falling rhythm.

The room was dim, with orange light wrapping around them languidly, and the air was filled with the bitter fragrance of grass and wood.

Even though the atmosphere was pleasant, Shen Gali told the truth: "Not really. So, would you leave for the sake of my good sleep?"

Nan Liujing let out a cold snort: "Trying to change the subject?"

Shen Gali: ?

What subject? Now not only was the guy a pervert, but his thinking had gotten weird too.

Nan Liujing pulled open a drawer and took out a box the size of a laptop. He weighed it in his hand and said in a low voice, "Who said you could give away your crappy work as a birthday present?"

Shen Gali was speechless.

Oh. So that was what he meant. He wouldn't have even remembered why he was sitting in this room if Nan Liujing hadn't brought it up.

What else was he supposed to do? Give away his own worn socks as a gift?

"Do you think your work is so great?" Nan Liujing pressed on, his fingers tightening imperceptibly around the box.

Shen Gali looked up: "You like it? Can't bear to give it away?"

Nan Liujing laughed at him for flattering himself and said, "Even if I don't like it, everything within my line of sight belongs to me."

After a long pause, he added, "You too."

Shen Gali: ...

What a bossy line. Is this what they call CEO romance?

He didn't want to play along anymore. He nudged the trash can out with his foot and telepathically told Nan Liujing: Keep it in your bed and treasure it—it's all yours. I'm leaving.

"Sit down," Nan Liujing said coldly.

Shen Gali ignored him and kept walking toward the door.

Uncle Li coughed at the doorway. Shen Gali went back and sat down.

His fear of Uncle Li was carved into his bones. The man embodied everything he hated. Now, just hearing Uncle Li's name made his body automatically obey.

Nan Liujing opened the box and casually rummaged through it with one hand.

"Helping yourself to my things and giving them away. How should I punish you?"

Shen Gali: "Whatever."

Anything was fine. He was tired. Hurry up with the punishment so he could go back and lie down.

Nan Liujing looked up with a sinister glint.

Still stubborn, huh.

He pulled a highly resilient leather whip out of the box, tossed the box aside on the table, held the handle in one hand, and gently ran the other hand over the whip's body. He skillfully wrapped it around his palm once, then pulled it tight with both hands.

Veins stood out on the back of his hand, causing the partially visible chest muscles beneath his bathrobe to tense and swell.

Shen Gali stared at those two big mounds for a while, then looked away.

He hated any kind of showing off, whether obvious or subtle.

But in Nan Liujing's eyes, his gesture was contempt, a mockery.

Rage surged, and Nan Liujing raised the whip high.

Shen Gali slowly closed his eyes, secretly delighted: Bring it on. Just whip me to death, please.

"Smack!" A loud sound rang out by his ear.

Shen Gali wondered if it hurt a lot, whether he should scream. Screaming was tiring, so he decided to keep his mouth shut—that would better provoke the perverted villain's desire to conquer.

Aren't you going to scream? Not screaming? I'll whip you to death! Scream or not! Smack smack smack! Nine-strike whip combo.gif

Shen Gali's plan was perfect, but after waiting a long time, he felt no pain at all.

Strange...?

He opened his eyes. Nan Liujing held the whip steady in his hand, but his other hand had slapped a blank piece of paper on the table.

That loud "smack" was his palm hitting the table.

The next second, the whip did come down.

The rough texture of the leather touched his cheek lightly—more like a caress than a lash.

Nan Liujing looked down at him with arrogance, the whip brushing gently over his face: "Since you gave my things away, you owe me a replacement."

Shen Gali: ...

He had a bad feeling.

"What was the piece you gave away called? Butterfly? Paint me another one. As compensation."

Shen Gali: "Just whip me to death, then."

"Whipping you to death would be too easy. I told you, I'll torment you slowly." Nan Liujing sneered disdainfully, a hint of pride gleaming in his eyes.

...

Shen Gali was listlessly slumped over his desk, letting his watercolor pen screech across the paper.

He twirled the pen in aimless circles. The black blob grew larger, his mind grew drowsier, until he was drawing with his eyes shut, adding several crooked, wavy lines outside the black blob.

"Knock, knock." Nan Liujing tapped the desk with his knuckles, waking him up, and pointed at the black wavy lines. "What's this?"

Shen Gali lifted his eyes weakly and said, "Fur."

"What fur does a butterfly have?"

"You have fur, why can't a butterfly?"

Nan Liujing was sure Shen Gali spent every day either trying to piss him off or preparing to.

He picked up his cup and said, "Take your time. I'll check on it later."

When he wheeled his wheelchair out of the room, he noticed the sticker on his cup still hadn't been peeled off. He was about to casually remove it, but the moment his fingers touched the sticker, two words suddenly popped into his head:

"Mine."

Nan Liujing made himself a cup of coffee and continued making notes and highlighting key points in his study for Shen Gali. As he wrote, he felt foolish, wondering why he was sacrificing his rest for a defective member of the Shen family. If anyone found out, they might mistakenly think he cared.

After a moment of contemplation, Nan Liujing found a reasonable excuse for his actions:

As the eldest son-in-law of the Nan family, if Shen Gali couldn't even get his college degree, it would bring shame upon the entire Nan family. So he was just going through the trouble to make sure Shen Gali at least had a degree, so no one would laugh.

Late at night, when the clock struck midnight, Nan Liujing's eyes ached. He took off his glasses, massaged his temples, and decided to check on Shen Gali's progress.

When he pushed open the bedroom door, it was dead quiet, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The orange light cast a long, still shadow of the person at the desk onto the floor.

Nan Liujing went closer to look and, as expected, Shen Gali had fallen asleep.

The thin white T-shirt outlined his slender waist, and his neck, pillowed on his arm, was long and fair. Even in the dim light, the small red mole on his neck was strikingly vivid, seeming to quiver with each breath.

Nan Liujing's fingers suddenly paused, and his eyebrows rose involuntarily.

But this guy, even asleep, was still up to his tricks.

He was holding a black watercolor pen, with the cap missing, the tip pressed against his nose, drawing a tiny mole.

Nan Liujing took the pen away: "Who are you putting on a show for? Nobody cares."

But as he said this, his hands instinctively reached for a wet wipe, gently wiping the small mole, pausing every now and then to check Shen Gali's expression, ready to pull back the moment he showed signs of waking.

His gaze involuntarily fell on the drawing pinned under Shen Gali's arm.

"I sent you to learn painting, and all you produce is garbage," Nan Liujing taunted, pulling the paper from under his arm to examine it closely.

Four shapeless black blobs were clustered together, with a few wavy curls of fuzz sticking out around them.

Nan Liujing snorted coldly, about to instinctively toss the paper into the trash.

But his hand stopped mid-air.

The words "Mine too" flashed through his mind.

All mine.

His hand lingered on the paper for a long moment, then he opened a drawer and slid the masterpiece titled "Butterfly No. 2" inside.

"Shen Gali, go sleep in your own room." Nan Liujing looked down at him, his words cold.

Shen Gali mumbled something in his sleep but didn't move.

Troublesome.

Nan Liujing grabbed one of Shen Gali's hands and gently pulled. Like a lump of dough, Shen Gali flopped limply into his arms, and still didn't wake up. Instinctively, he curled his legs around Nan Liujing's waist and mumbled, "Doll, you've gotten firm after a few days."

"Do you even have the right to complain?" Nan Liujing found it amusing that he was actually comparing him to a doll.

But Shen Gali was lightweight, just a bag of bones, despite his height.

A strange thought suddenly crossed Nan Liujing's mind: He hated physical contact with others, but when Shen Gali leaned in, the feeling of aversion wasn't as strong. So where exactly was his bottom line with him?

Should he test it?

Starting from the doorway, he slowly wheeled his chair around the perimeter of the room. Even so, Shen Gali didn't wake up. Nan Liujing wondered if he was faking sleep.

The wheels made a faint rustling sound on the floor. Shen Gali mumbled again and began to fumble around aimlessly with his hands, seeming about to wake up.

Nan Liujing's Adam's apple bobbed. He grabbed his own collar and placed it in Shen Gali's hands. After a moment, he slowly raised his hand and gently patted Shen Gali's back.

This soothing pat seemed to do the trick; Shen Gali gradually stopped moving, gripped the collar, tilted his head into Nan Liujing's neck, and fell into a deep sleep.

Looking at the sleeping face in his arms, Nan Liujing let out a soft sigh and raised his hand to cover his eyes.

What... was he even doing?

The room was large, nearly sixty square meters (about 645 square feet). When the wheelchair reached the last wall, it slowed down.

He completed the circuit in three minutes, lost in thought.

Had the room always been this small? It seemed necessary to knock out the wall to the adjacent room.

There was a villa in the suburbs, with a master bedroom covering one hundred twenty square meters (about 1,290 square feet). Should he move out there?

For Shen Gali?

Impossible.

Nan Liujing quickly dismissed this ridiculous thought. He gently laid Shen Gali on the bed, and in his sleep, Shen Gali actively pulled the covers over himself, resting his head on Nan Liujing's pillow, looking peaceful.

Staring at the bed that had been taken over, Nan Liujing raised his hand again to pull the man down and throw him out, but his hand froze mid-air.

Elsewhere.

In Nan Feiyao's private penthouse.

The wide floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the entire Jinhai City, still ablaze with lights even at night, forming a brilliant galaxy of lights.

*

He lit his phone screen and checked. Still no word from Shen Lanqing.

Since the last incident, every call to Shen Lanqing shows the line is busy, clearly indicating he has blocked him. Several attempts to visit were turned away at the door, and despite his mother saying all sorts of nice things, Shen Lanqing simply refused to see him.

It's been nearly a month, and he hasn't even been able to hear his voice.

The lock screen photo is of Shen Lanqing, the only way he had left to remember him by.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Nan Feiyao straightened up slightly, composed himself, and went to open the door. Standing at the entrance was a young girl in a purple dress.

"Yinuo, you're here. Sorry to make you come all this way so late. Appreciate it," Nan Feiyao said, shaking off his weariness and putting on a smiling mask as he warmly welcomed Ren Yinuo inside.

Ren Yinuo's face flushed slightly, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around the strap of her handbag.

She said "It's nothing" in a barely audible voice, then bowed her head and stepped inside. After taking off her shoes, she deliberately arranged them neatly, with their toes perfectly aligned.

Nan Feiyao observed her discreetly. She seemed like a well-disciplined young woman with strict upbringing and a strong sense of propriety.

To avoid appearing too purposeful, Nan Feiyao didn't get straight to the point. He first poured Ren Yinuo some juice, chatted about trivial matters, complimented her bracelet, praised her hair, and so on.

Ren Yinuo was delighted by the compliments and opened up, sharing some details about her daily life.

"I just returned to the country and don't have much work experience yet, so my father wants to train me by starting from the bottom of the company. I'm currently working in social media at the company. It's tough, but I've learned a lot."

Nan Feiyao wasn't really interested in her affairs, but the phrase "social media" caught his attention.

"How many followers do you have? What area of social media are you working on lately?"

Ren Yinuo smiled sheepishly. "Maybe because my father has a big reputation, I've benefited from it too. I have a few million followers across all platforms. Since it's graduation season right now, I've focused my theme on campus life."

Nan Feiyao sneered internally. Right on target.

"Recently, the new college project that Huanhai Electronics is building at Jinhai University could be a great topic. It has a lot of buzz, and you have me as a contact. This theme should be a huge help for your work, right?"

"Yes, that's a great idea. I hadn't thought of it before," Ren Yinuo said, her attention completely snagged by his words "you have me as a contact."

They had only met three times, yet he already considered her as one of his own. It seemed Nan Feiyao had a very good impression of her, and the marriage alliance looked promising.

"Actually, I have a bit of knowledge about this. If you're free, we could hash out the script now," Nan Feiyao continued to coax her.

But innocent Ren Yinuo didn't notice anything wrong. She walked straight into his trap, falling for it like clockwork.

"Actually, I have some concerns about this matter. Since I can't change my brother's decision to build the new college, we can only minimize the damage by focusing on the details."

Ren Yinuo asked curiously, "How? Can you tell me more? I'm going to Jinhai University tomorrow to interview the school administration. Maybe I can help with something."

Nan Feiyao pretended to think hard for a while, then gradually relaxed his brow. "How about this: my brother's spouse, Shen Gali, has been getting good reviews online lately. Since the new college's inauguration ceremony will also have student representatives give speeches, why don't you help persuade the school administration to recommend my brother's spouse to speak? Maybe everyone will go easy on us because of him."

Ren Yinuo nodded without hesitation. "Leave it to me."

Nan Feiyao nearly burst out laughing. If this task was given to Shen Gali, it would definitely go wrong. Then let Shen Lanqing see for himself how useless his brother really is. Eventually, he'd figure out who's right and who's wrong.

Ren Yinuo saw Nan Feiyao smiling and took it as a sign of approval. She shyly lowered her head.

As she looked down, she happened to spot Nan Feiyao's phone lighting up with a notification. She suddenly froze.

The lock screen seemed to be a photo of a very familiar man, as if she had seen him somewhere before.

A wave of bitterness rushed through her heart: A person worthy of being the phone's lock screen must be very important to Nan Feiyao.

But it could also be a picture of some celebrity, since he looked so familiar.

So she must be overthinking it.

Her father had taught her since childhood to treat others with sincerity, with more trust and less suspicion.

So even though she felt uneasy, the rules and discipline she had grown up with reminded her not to casually doubt others—it was rude and improper.

*

So it was just her overthinking.

The next day.

When Shen Gali woke up, the first thing he saw was Nan Liujing sitting in his wheelchair, dozing off with his head drooping.

Although it was summer now, there was still a slight chill in the early morning and evening. The sky outside the window was gloomy, seemingly about to rain.

Shen Gali looked around and realized he had slept in Nan Liujing's room.

He couldn't remember how he ended up sleeping here, but if Uncle Li found out, it would surely lead to another round of nagging.

Time to sneak out.

Before leaving, he glanced at Nan Liujing, still asleep with his head down. Worried that Nan Liujing would tattle to Uncle Li, Shen Gali thought maybe he should cover him with a blanket, otherwise, if he caught a cold, he'd still get scolded.

He felt numb from waking up, and he dragged his exhausted body back to the bed. He grabbed a corner of the thin blanket and tugged. It was too heavy.

Even though it was only a four-pound summer blanket, it was still heavy.

Forget it, he gave up.

His gaze shifted, and he spotted a neatly folded rag on the table.

Well... something's better than nothing.

With weak hands, he unfolded the rag and draped it over Nan Liujing's chest, covering the half-exposed pectoral muscle from his wide-open shirt.

Satisfied, he left.

Just as he returned to his room and was about to go back to sleep, the door was mercilessly pushed open. At the doorway sat Nan Liujing, holding the rag, his eyes shadowed with dark circles.

Shen Gali pulled the blanket over himself, closed his eyes, and muttered a half-hearted apology: "I messed up."

Nan Liujing: "What did you mess up?"

"One rag wasn't enough to cover you. I should've used a few more."

Nan Liujing: ...

He imagined himself sleeping peacefully, covered from head to toe in rags.

His fingers tightened around the rag, as if it were about to tear apart.

"Get up. Class time," Nan Liujing said coldly.

"Aren't you going to work?" Shen Gali asked reluctantly.

"Can't you just go to work and leave me in peace?"

"Until I'm sure you'll pass the professional exam, I can take time off work," Nan Liujing said resolutely. "Get up. Class time." Shen Gali hummed in agreement twice, closing his eyes and saying, "Go ahead. I can listen fine from bed."

Nan Liujing gave a cold laugh, turned his head, and said, "Uncle Li."

Shen Gali felt like he'd been hit over the head when he heard those two words. He slowly sat up, his expression as he looked at the door showed a hint of fear.

Uncle Li seemed to be on constant standby. The moment he heard the young master call, he appeared at the door instantly, bowing respectfully: "Young master, your orders?"

Nan Liujing looked down at Shen Gali, his tone playful, a faint smile on his lips: "Help me into bed. Someone said they want to have class in bed."

Uncle Li immediately stepped forward: "Very well."

Shen Gali: ...?

He watched helplessly as Uncle Li helped Nan Liujing into bed, and even set up a folding table on the bed, laying out the textbooks and notes.

When he was done, Uncle Li discreetly withdrew, saying, "Just call if you need anything," and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Nan Liujing looked at Shen Gali, whose mind had already wandered off to some distant place, and raised an eyebrow: "Satisfied now? Can we start the lesson?"

Shen Gali pulled the covers up and slowly lay down: "Since we can have class in bed, I guess lying down is okay too."

Nan Liujing: ...

Was there really no way to handle Shen Gali in this world?

What he said sounded unreasonable, yet it somehow made sense and was impossible to refute.

The exam was coming up, so Nan Liujing had put all his work at the company on hold to focus on studying with Shen Gali.

True to his word, Shen Gali lay in bed with his eyes closed, listening, and occasionally lifting his notebook to jot something down.

Outside, it started pouring rain, hitting the window and forming a curtain of water. Dark clouds loomed, making the room dim.

This kind of weather was perfect for sleeping. The sound of rain was the closest thing to white noise, creating a masking effect that made one ignore the surrounding noise. Plus, the dim light increased melatonin secretion, inducing drowsiness.

The rustling rain subconsciously represented "safety"—a habit inherited from tens of millions of years of evolution.

On this perfectly rainy day, Shen Gali grew sleepier and sleepier. He curled up and leaned against Nan Liujing's waist.

Besides the rain, the unique woody scent from Nan Liujing made you feel like you were in a quiet forest, boosting the sense of security, perfect for falling asleep without any guard.

Shen Gali yawned and closed his eyes.

Apart from the rain and the scent, what made someone who woke up early feel drowsy was undoubtedly an absolute sense of security.

Among Shen Gali's few good memories, the most unforgettable was when he was a child lying in a hospital bed, his mother lying beside him, teaching him to read and write. He used to complain about being forced to study even when he was sick, but now he understood that his mother had long known she couldn't protect him forever, so she hoped he would become excellent on his own. That's why she always stressed how important studying was.

Perhaps "studying is the only way out" doesn't apply to everyone, but for Shen Gali, who had nothing, it was the truth.

Shen Gali rubbed his eyes lazily and glanced at Nan Liujing's notebook.

This scene was different for Nan Liujing. No matter how quiet the environment, he could never fully let himself fall asleep. For him, lowering his guard meant showing his weakness to the enemy, so he had to stay alert at all times.

Nan Liujing blinked slowly.

Yet, somehow, he was feeling sleepy.

An overly safe atmosphere spread through the air, mixed with a unique scent from Shen Gali.

It wasn't exactly a fragrance, but it was distinctively nice, blending perfectly with the rain outside, making one completely relax.

Nan Liujing couldn't help but yawn.

Shen Gali beside him had been quiet the whole time, never responding to anything he said, so he grew drowsier, his eyelids getting heavier—

Shen Gali: ?

He took a look. The guy had fallen asleep.

Asleep...

Shen Gali looked at him with disdain.

He grabbed the book and studied the key points using Nan Liujing's notes.

Although Nan Liujing was the original BE villain, he wasn't completely useless. At least his handwriting was beautiful—elegant and flowing, with stable and graceful strokes.

Shen Gali had always thought that people with good handwriting were terrifyingly disciplined, able to practice with calligraphy copybooks for long hours. If Nan Liujing weren't a villain, he might have been someone who could achieve great things.

Meanwhile.

A new video suddenly appeared on Bilibili's homepage. Within just a few hours, it had racked up millions of views and quickly shot to the top of the search hotwords.

"A neutral perspective on the pros and cons of Jinhai University's new college."

The video started with Ren Yinuo herself on screen, wearing light makeup and dressed appropriately, greeting the audience.

"I'm sure you've all heard about Jinhai University's new college project recently. The establishment seems to have encountered difficulties, and there have been many opposing voices in society. As a top national institution, its every move naturally attracts widespread attention from all walks of life. Today, I want to share my thoughts. As a reminder, I have no financial ties with Jinhai University, so my views will remain completely neutral."

A stream of 'all ears' comments floated across the screen.

"The new college that Jinhai University is establishing focuses on psychology as its main subject. The advantage is that it fills a gap in this field in Jinhai University's history and brings in new talent. But at the same time, it also has significant drawbacks."

"??? Why did you only mention the advantages in one sentence?"

"Is this really a neutral commentator?"

Ren Yinuo continued: "The new college's emergence means it won't be able to form a complete institutional system in a short time. Moreover, the School of Psychology branches out into various sub-disciplines, such as educational psychology, criminal psychology, etc. These fields require pulling more teachers from other colleges and investing more energy. This inability to treat everyone equally is the main reason many current students' parents are unhappy."

"Indeed, my aunt was furious when she heard about the new college. If the school plans to make this major a 'five-star' program, it's also unfair to other students."

"Getting into this school is tough. Many students have to accept major adjustments to secure a spot here, choosing unpopular majors with poor job prospects. Now you're creating a five-star hot major—doesn't that tell those students they've been abandoned?"

"On the other hand, a new college inevitably comes with lower admission thresholds. This is very unfair to students who applied to Jinhai University in the past four years. You needed 700 points to get into a cold major, but now you only need 680 to enter a hot major—the school's key planned college. I think everyone who has taken the college entrance exam knows what 20 points mean. Sometimes even a fraction of a point can decide a person's fate. So I think this is one of the main reasons why parents of future applicants are dissatisfied."

"Exactly! So why does Jinhai University get to establish a new college? At the very least, they should have surveyed public opinion before making a decision!"

"A current physics major at Jinhai University is crying. The minimum admission score in our province last year was 697, and we could only apply for a super cold major. I'm really not okay with this."

The comment section under this video was quickly flooded, with everyone questioning Jinhai University's true intentions. Even non-students habitually put themselves in the students' place.

After a quick calculation, they thought, "Damn, I got screwed."

It was this video that pushed Jinhai University onto the trending list again. Huanhai Electronics, the company in charge of building the new college, couldn't escape either, getting heavily criticized, accused of only caring about money and ignoring people's demands, called capitalists scum.

Left with no choice, Huanhai Electronics had to issue an emergency statement, but no matter what they said, they couldn't satisfy everyone, so getting criticized was expected.

Ren Yinuo scrolled through the comments, feeling puzzled.

She had read the script exactly as Nan Feiyao had written for her. Why were the comments so one-sided? Didn't they see the advantages she had analyzed?

She was a bit worried—if this keeps up, Huanhai Electronics' reputation will only get worse, and Brother Feiyao might end up hating her.

After some deep thought.

Right! She still had her trump card.

She got up, changed into pajamas, hailed a car, and headed straight for Jinhai University.

*

Time flew to mid-July, and the final exams were just around the corner.

At the breakfast table, there was an unusually extra serving of one sausage and two fried eggs.

Shen Gali, who had gotten up early, still had no appetite. He glanced at it and was about to grab his backpack and leave for his professional exam.

Nan Liujing was sitting across from him, sipping coffee. He said in a low voice, "Sit down and eat your breakfast."

Shen Gali didn't feel like eating and headed straight out.

Seeing this, Uncle Li quickly picked up the plate and chased after him, smiling. "Mr. Shen, why not have breakfast before you go? The young master specially prepared a sausage and two eggs for you—symbolizing good luck. Hope you ace the exam and get a perfect score!"

Shen Gali said dismissively, "Out of a total of 715 points, get a perfect score?"

Was the old man cursing him?

Uncle Li's face fell into an awkward grimace.

Thinking quickly, he cut the sausage in half. "Then get 1,100 points—extra is yours, shortfall is on me."

Looking at the simple sausage and fried eggs, Shen Gali sighed softly and sat back down at the table.

When he was a kid and still in school, his mother would always prepare a fried dough stick and two eggs before exams, saying it would bring a perfect score.

He never expected that aside from his mother, Nan Liujing would be superstitious too.

Still, he didn't really mind that kind of superstition.

But eating was such a hassle—he had to chew each bite. Couldn't it just break down on its own?

Thinking this, he took a bite of the sausage and swallowed without chewing.

It got stuck.

Shen Gali was choked into a coughing fit. Across the table, Nan Liujing looked up, slightly furrowed his brows, and pushed the glass of water over.

So much fuss.

Shen Gali finally washed the sausage down with some water, then slumped weakly on the table. "I don't want to eat anymore..."

Nan Liujing flipped through a magazine, looking somewhat indifferent. "Didn't I say I'd reward you if you passed the exam?"

Shen Gali thought: If you hadn't mentioned that, I'd have forgotten.

But what kind of reward could a villain give?

"Good luck," Nan Liujing said lightly.

Shen Gali grabbed his backpack and walked out without saying goodbye.

Uncle Li chased after him again, smiling kindly. "Mr. Shen, the young master told me to drive you to school today."

Shen Gali rubbed his arms to calm the goosebumps.

A villain's sudden concern was hard not to suspect—nothing good comes from unexpected kindness.

Even if the lazybones felt there was some huge conspiracy behind it, he still had to take the car.

The car stopped at the school gate. Uncle Li got out to open the door, handed Shen Gali his backpack, and made a cheering gesture. "Mr. Shen, good luck! I'm waiting for your triumphant return!"

Shen Gali hummed in response and raised a hand to shield his eyes from the blazing sun above.

A black car pulled up beside him.

"Shen Gali." A familiar, childish little voice sounded behind him.

Hearing this voice, Shen Gali's pace quickened immediately.

Didn't hear a thing. Didn't hear a thing.

"Shen Gali, stop."

The sound of hurried footsteps rang out, and the next moment, the hem of his shirt was caught by a small, fair hand.

Persistent, like a ghost that won't leave.

Hein's childish face appeared in his line of sight, his sparse little eyebrows furrowed in displeasure. "I called you, but you didn't answer. I texted, but you didn't reply. Now that I've finally caught you, you try to run away. Shen Gali, is this how you treat your future husband?"

Shen Gali thought: Right now, I'd really like to see you and Nan Liujing have a fight.

Hein continued talking to himself. "I'm just here to inform you—I got three perfect scores on my final exams. I'm working hard for our future happy marriage, so you can't let me down. Do your best on today's exam. Don't disappoint me."

Shen Gali couldn't be bothered to speak, so he just answered with his brainwaves:

Oh.

But wait. According to the law of energy conservation, the appearance of Annoying No. 4 would inevitably be followed by the appearance of Annoying No. 2 and No. 3.

Sure enough, sensing danger, Shen Gali tried to make a quick escape before stepping through the school gate, but...

"Brother!"

"Li Li!"

Well, he was held up again.

His adoptive father, Gong Yuan, hurried out of the car with Shen Lanqing, flanking Shen Gali on both sides.

"Brother, I called you, but you didn't answer. I texted, but you didn't reply. Have you started hating me?" Shen Lanqing's first words were an accusation, and his tone was dripping with grievance.

Shen Gali's brainwaves: I wouldn't say hate, but I'd rather not see you.

Gong Yuan patted his shoulder with a chuckle. "Li Li, do your best on the exam, okay? It's fine if you don't do well. It's fine if you can't find a job. Your dad will support you."

He then lowered his voice and asked, "Have you used the card I gave you? Don't worry about the money. Your dad has more. If you need more, just ask."

Shen Gali looked up at him. Even though he was also an annoyance, he was unexpectedly not that annoying—kind of endearing, actually.

"I used it," Shen Gali said.

Shen Lanqing, displeased at being left out, forced his way between the two, took Shen Gali's hands, and a faint pink blush crept across his fair face. "Brother, I went to the temple specially yesterday to draw a fortune stick for you. It was the best possible one. The fortune teller said you would shoot to success today. I prayed for you all night."

He cast his eyes down obediently like a loyal puppy, blushing as he waited for his owner's affectionate pat. If he had a tail, it would surely be spinning like a propeller by now.

Shen Gali: "UFO."

Gong Yuan & Shen Lanqing: "Where? Where?"

They didn't see any UFO, and when they turned back—

"Where did my big brother go? Where did my son go?"

After wandering around in circles, Shen Gali finally found the exam hall. He checked his admission ticket and entered with the other candidates.

He had no confidence in the exam—switching majors and cramming for four years' worth of coursework in just a little over ten days. Even a god would crack under the pressure.

Tsk.

He hated the original owner, who had left behind a mess.