For some inexplicable reason, when the old members of the Righteous Brotherhood—especially Ma Da—heard the young mistress shout that rallying cry, an overwhelming surge of excitement surged through their hearts.
Ma Da’s mind even conjured up an image of the Dragon King’s triumphant return.
Thirty years the east bank, thirty years the west—now the young mistress was making her comeback.
Pan Xing, you stole her position—do you still think you can sit comfortably on that throne?
Yun Cheng stood to the side, his expression tinged with worry.
Among all the brothers, he alone knew the truth—the young mistress’s identity was nothing but a lie.
That photo had indeed been found among the late boss’s belongings, but it didn’t prove anything.
Yet now, he realized that the lie he’d fabricated to pull his brothers out of that whirlpool was slowly becoming reality.
The young mistress was just an ordinary girl by birth, but her methods and determination were no less formidable than the boss’s—if anything, she surpassed him.
Was this really just a coincidence?
But none of that mattered now.
What mattered was that the young mistress was about to leave for Bright Pearl City to attend university, and he wouldn’t be able to protect her at all times. What if Pan Xing seized the opportunity to send people after her?
After all, he wasn’t a college student and couldn’t just waltz onto campus.
In truth, Yun Cheng’s worries were unnecessary.
Though fights occasionally broke out on campus, they were just petty clashes between students. Outsiders from the underworld couldn’t easily enter, let alone dare to lay hands on students at a prestigious university.
Still, just to be safe, Yun Cheng decided he needed to find a way to sneak into the school under some guise.
Liu Yutong had no idea what was going through their minds. After finishing her meal, she immediately began organizing personnel transfers and laying out plans.
Most of the members were students—those who wanted to continue their studies would do so, and she would coordinate their arrangements.
Those who didn’t want to study would be prioritized for deployment to supermarkets in the three counties and one town.
Next was the issue of the company’s location.
The university district housed five institutions—three undergraduate and two vocational colleges—arranged roughly in a "C" shape.
At the top were the University of Finance and Economics and the Medical University. To the left was the Vocational Technical College, while the bottom was occupied by the Grain and Economics College and the Institute of Technology.
The University of Finance and Economics and the Medical University were first-tier institutions, the Vocational College and Grain and Economics College were vocational schools, and the Institute of Technology was a second-tier university.
When it came to choosing the company’s location, everyone surprisingly agreed.
They ultimately decided to set up shop in the university district’s commercial street—directly across from the Vocational Technical College and diagonally opposite the University of Finance and Economics.
This street was practically the liveliest spot in the entire district.
The ground floor was packed with snack stalls, restaurants, and bubble tea shops, transforming the entire street into a bustling food hub.
The second floor was dominated by entertainment and training centers—hobby classes, dance studios, billiard halls, internet cafés, and the like.
They planned to rent several storefronts on the western side as office space—close to the schools and convenient for operations.
............
September 2nd.
Liu Yutong returned home to visit her grandparents and handed them a bank card. From then on, she would deposit 2,000 yuan into it every month for their personal expenses.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to give more—she was just afraid her gambling-addicted father would get any ideas.
After being kidnapped by Niu Ben, he hadn’t changed at all. Instead, he acted like nothing had happened, spending all his time in gambling dens and rarely coming home.
Besides, her grandparents had lived frugally all their lives. Aside from food and daily necessities, they had few desires. With this money and her grandfather’s pension, they had more than enough.
September 3rd.
Anticipating the company’s future transportation needs, Liu Yutong had Ma Da order over a dozen black sedans to serve as the company’s official fleet.
By now, all the cars had been delivered.
September 4th.
A convoy of black cars rolled majestically toward Bright Pearl City.
Once they reached the university district, however, they split up, each heading to their respective destinations.
Aside from Yun Cheng and Ma Da, nearly sixty black-clad members had come along.
Perhaps influenced by the young mistress, most had chosen to continue their university education.
The majority enrolled in the neighboring Vocational College—aside from the higher tuition fees, admission was practically barrier-free.
Moreover, the vocational program only had classes in the first year. By the second year, students could start internships, giving them more freedom.
Besides, with the young mistress being new here, she couldn’t afford to lack manpower.
Especially the core members—they all knew about the Righteous Brotherhood.
If the Brotherhood didn’t come looking for trouble, fine. But if they did, they’d have to answer to them first.
Liu Yutong got out of the car by the roadside near the south gate.
Yu Xin, meanwhile, disembarked at the north gate—their majors were different. Yu Xin had chosen International Economics and Trade, while Liu Yutong was in Business Administration, so they weren’t even on the same campus.
University of Finance and Economics.
Though Liu Yutong had been here in her past life, she’d only ever passed by in a hurry—never actually stepping foot inside as a student.
Today marked the first time she entered this campus as one.
At the school gate.
A few senior students tasked with welcoming freshmen were chatting idly.
"They say our university is overflowing with beauties, but I’m in my third year and haven’t seen many. Worst of all, I’m still single!"
"Same here! That’s why I volunteered for freshman duty—hoping to spot some pretty juniors this year."
"Damn, I knew you weren’t this diligent for nothing! So this was your plan all along!"
"Honestly? Me too."
"Great minds think alike, huh?"
"..."
Girls in their own year were either taken or too sharp to fool, but freshmen were different.
Every year, plenty of seniors found love through freshman orientation. If they could score a junior girlfriend this way, it’d be a huge win.
As they chatted, new students began trickling through the gates.
Liu Yutong walked in, pulling her suitcase behind her.
The moment she stepped onto campus, countless eyes locked onto her.
Her jet-black hair cascaded smoothly over her shoulders, the ends shimmering faintly in the sunlight.
She wore a light blue oversized hooded cardigan over a cream-colored ruffled skirt that swayed gently with each step, revealing a glimpse of slender, porcelain ankles.
But the most striking feature was her face—flawlessly sculpted features, luminous skin like fine china, and an aura that was both coolly elegant and vibrantly alive, untouched by worldly grime.
One glance was all it took to ensnare attention.
"Holy crap! A goddess!!"
"Heaven has eyes—we actually got a stunner this year!"
".........."
The welcoming seniors were so stunned they forgot to step forward and offer help with her luggage.
Only when Liu Yutong approached and softly asked, "Seniors, where do I go to register?" did they snap out of their daze.
However, the first thing they did upon regaining their composure wasn't to answer the question, but to turn around in perfect unison.
