Seeing that Ji Nian was really about to change into the uniform, the two girls were practically on the verge of begging their ancestors for mercy.
When the two young girls burst into tears out of fear, Ji Nian realized that while they might have initially intended to play a prank, they seemed to have changed their minds after seeing her.
Fine, then she wouldn’t report them.
But scaring them a little wouldn’t hurt, right?
With her belly slightly protruding and wearing an ill-fitting school uniform, she strutted around outside in an exaggerated manner. The two girls trailed behind her, pleading for her to go back, crying as if their lives depended on it—like palace maids facing execution if Ji Nian refused to comply.
From a distance, Chen Mo felt like he was watching an episode of a palace drama.
Ji Nian figured she’d made her point and turned to head back, clutching the oversized pants that kept slipping.
Her back happened to face Chen Mo.
At the sight of that silhouette, Chen Mo froze.
After Ji Nian disappeared inside, he pulled out his phone with a frown, scrolling to the photos his subordinates had taken while surveilling the Ji Family’s pharmacist.
He had previously dismissed the images in disgust because the man bore an uncanny resemblance to Ji Tingzhou. But now, he swiped to the second photo—a blurry shot he’d purchased from someone else, showing a shadowy figure standing beside the man carrying a briefcase.
At first, he’d assumed it was a short-statured man. But after seeing Ji Nian just now, a new thought struck him.
Not a short man.
Could it be… a child?
The idea unsettled him, and Chen Mo walked away, his mind swirling with questions.
Although Ji Tingzhou had already contacted the school, Chen Mo couldn’t resist dropping by the principal’s office again today, casually reminding him that Ji Nian was the apple of their family’s eye.
For this week, he hoped the school would take extra care of her, and so on.
...
Having had her fun scaring the girls, Ji Nian let them eagerly volunteer to fetch her a new uniform.
They returned in no time.
Teacher Gao had been wondering if something had gone wrong, considering how long they’d taken, but just as the thought crossed his mind, Ji Nian appeared.
The two students who were supposed to guide her trailed behind like meek attendants, heads bowed.
"You must be Ji Nian," Teacher Gao said, momentarily stunned by the young heiress’s striking looks before offering a warm smile.
Ji Nian nodded. "Hello, Teacher Gao."
Compared to her peers, she carried herself with remarkable poise—her speech unhurried, devoid of any childish impatience or the aloofness often seen in wealthy children.
Teacher Gao silently praised her, then recalled the viral short video circulating in their private group chat the day before and chuckled to himself.
No matter how mature she seemed, privately, she was still a kid who’d roped her parents into filming a silly video.
Adorable.
With that thought, he led her into the noisy classroom.
The two guides scurried back to their seats.
Ma Xiaofei shot them a questioning look, but one kept her head down while the other glared at her resentfully.
Ma Xiaofei was baffled.
What the hell? Why glare at her? Did they even do what they were supposed to?
Ugh. If they were going to be like that, they could forget about getting any souvenirs from her upcoming trip to Country O!
Hmph.
Ma Xiaofei rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the figure now standing at the podium, previously obscured by Teacher Gao.
Then she gasped—
"Holy sht!"
With a background like that, why the hell were you using a fake name at school?!
She shot to her feet, her chair screeching loudly against the floor.
But no one paid much attention to Ma Xiaofei’s outburst—everyone else was too busy staring at Ji Nian.
Their thoughts echoed hers: Holy sht?
Seriously? With a face like that, who would believe she wasn’t Ji Tingzhou’s daughter?!
Ji Nian hadn’t recognized the girl who’d suddenly stood up at first, but when Teacher Gao called out, "Ma Xiaofei, are you that excited about our new classmate? Need a couple laps around the field to calm down?"—it clicked.
[Ma Xiaofei?]
Ah. Now she remembered.
Wasn’t this the daughter of Shen Qingtang’s aunt?
The same one who used to bombard Shen Qingtang with nasty texts.
Surprising that her aunt had given up on S High and sent her to Hainuo instead.
But Ji Nian didn’t dwell on it.
The past grievances had already been settled. Shen Qingtang’s aunt, aware of her mistakes, had been showering them with gifts and apologies ever since. Not that Ji Nian could be bought over so easily—but she had to admit, the woman’s relentless efforts to clean up her daughter’s messes had softened her a little.
As long as Ma Xiaofei didn’t provoke her, Ji Nian couldn’t be bothered to engage.
Ma Xiaofei was still the same old Ma Xiaofei. Back in the day, she wouldn’t even glance at anyone whose family didn’t own a private jet. But after arriving here and realizing how "poor" everyone else was, the superiority complex she’d lost at the Ji Family came roaring back.
That is, until she saw Ji Nian.
Her eyes darted to Ji Nian’s neck and wrists.
Good—her watch was hidden under her sleeve. Then she looked down.
At the sight of Ji Nian’s shoes, her expression cracked.
"Her shoes are so pretty, but I don’t recognize the brand," someone whispered.
Ma Xiaofei’s face twisted.
Idiots!
A bunch of clueless morons who only knew Nike and Converse!
Those shoes on Ji Nian’s feet were custom-made for a VIP client—no public release, one-of-a-kind in the entire world!
And how did Ma Xiaofei know?
Fate had a funny way of working—Shen Ping’s company had been responsible for shipping them back to the country.
Ma Xiaofei immediately ducked her head, pretending to be blind.
Ji Nian didn’t notice. Once she recognized Ma Xiaofei, she looked away.
Teacher Gao introduced Ji Nian to the class.
Just as he finished assigning her seat, a lazy yawn drifted in from the doorway.
The sound made Teacher Gao’s eye twitch. "Yang Qicheng," he said sternly, "late again."
Yang Qicheng, his uniform disheveled and his demeanor irreverent for someone so young, didn’t seem the least bit intimidated. He dug at his ear. "When am I not late? Quit nagging."
With that, he sauntered into the classroom.
Teacher Gao seethed but held his tongue.
Yang Qicheng’s father was notoriously difficult to deal with, having outright stated that his son was only here to scrape by for a middle school diploma before heading abroad for high school.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Teacher Gao had learned to turn a blind eye.
As Yang Qicheng passed the podium, his peripheral vision caught someone standing there.
He turned his head—
Ji Nian curled her lips into a faint smile.
And right there, in front of everyone—including the teacher he never hesitated to mouth off to—Yang Qicheng’s knees gave out.
Thud.
He dropped to the floor, pointing at Ji Nian in horror.
"Holy sht! What the hell are you doing here?!"
