Early Tuesday morning, just after arriving at school, Rong Yu received a message from her senior, saying that the aerospace institute had a major issue to handle next month and might need her assistance. Knowing she would forget to eat and sleep once immersed in work, her teacher had specially arranged a single dormitory for her at the institute so she could rest briefly during lunch and evenings.
Rong Yu sent back a cute sticker in response.
Lin Rang stared at the adorable kitten on the screen, finding it hard to reconcile the playful expression with his junior. Rong Yu carried herself with a composed demeanor, remained unflappable under pressure, and handled everything with effortless ease—so much so that she seemed more like the senior between the two of them.
The first class was physics. Pei Yaru walked into the classroom holding yesterday’s quiz papers and began distributing them one by one.
“Holy crap, I actually scored 40?” Ji Zhouye grabbed his paper, grinning like a madman.
Heaven knew his combined scores for the three science subjects in the past had never even reached forty. But under his grandmother’s influence and the brutal training regimen arranged by the class monitor, he had improved this much in such a short time.
Puffed up with pride, he turned to Chen Nian to show off—only to freeze. “What the hell? You got 63? Chen Nian, fess up—have you been secretly studying all night?”
Chen Nian chuckled sheepishly. “How’d you know, Wild Bro?”
Ji Zhouye: “…”
Fine. He stayed up all night gaming—no wonder he only scored 40.
He spun around, snatched Rong Yu’s perfect-scored physics paper, and started checking his answers. For every mistake, he earnestly asked Rong Yu for guidance.
Muttering under his breath, he said, “I actually got this one right at first, but I changed it during review. Should’ve just stuck with my gut…”
Rong Yu rolled her eyes. “Then explain—why did you pick C?”
“Isn’t there a saying?” Ji Zhouye cleared his throat. “‘Three short, one long—pick the long. Three long, one short—pick the short. If they’re all over the place, C reigns supreme.’ So, this one’s C.”
Rong Yu: “…”
Unbelievable.
Absolutely unbelievable.
So this was how he scored forty.
Unable to hold back, she smacked the back of his head. “Listen carefully. The key concept of this question is…”
By the time morning classes ended, Ji Zhouye’s brain felt fried.
At lunch in the cafeteria, Rong Yu ordered him several meat dishes to replenish his mental energy—braised pork, spicy fish, and a rib soup. It was practically a feast.
Whispers erupted around them.
“Eating like that? Ji Zhouye’s definitely not poor.”
“What poor kid orders three big dishes in one meal? His family must be loaded.”
“I heard Ji Zhouye lives in a villa. Only the rich can afford villas in Haicheng.”
“Check the school forum—someone reported Ji Zhouye for fraudulently claiming poverty aid.”
“Damn, the post blew up in just half an hour…”
Seated by the window, Rong Ruoyao pulled out her phone and skimmed the post.
“Class 20’s Ji Zhouye does not meet the poverty criteria. Why did Haicheng No. 1 High School grant him financial aid?”
The post included multiple pieces of evidence:
The price tags of Ji Zhouye’s branded clothes.
The villa where he held his birthday party.
The car he drove to school…
“These are undeniable facts. We demand the school revoke Ji Zhouye’s aid and hold him accountable…”
Rong Ruoyao’s lips curled into a smile.
Ji Zhouye’s family was clearly wealthy, yet he still took a spot meant for the needy. Getting exposed was his own fault.
Recalling his threats from yesterday, her smile turned icy.
He wanted to humiliate her in front of the whole school?
Well, she’d make sure he suffered nationwide disgrace first.
Rong Ruoyao opened Weibo.
After a moment’s thought, she posted a photo of her lunch with the caption: Bought with scholarship money.
Comments flooded in instantly.
“Our Yaoyao is amazing!”
“Winning scholarships in high school? A true genius.”
“How much does No. 1 High give?”
“I heard the top scorer gets 3,000 yuan.”
“Wait, someone got over 10,000 last month—how?”
“That’s the aid fund. Rumor has it the Ji Family set up a massive grant for impoverished students.”
“The Ji Family’s so generous. I wanna work there.”
“…”
Rong Ruoyao scrolled through the comments, annoyed that no one was addressing the real issue.
She switched to a burner account and replied: “The Ji Family’s aid is substantial, but some people exploit it…”
The moment she hit send, the internet exploded.
Netizens dug deeper—and what they uncovered sent shockwaves everywhere.
Meanwhile, Ji Zhiyuan was wrapping up a product launch event for the Ji Family when a reporter suddenly rushed forward.
“CEO Ji, reports claim your family established a high-value aid fund for Haicheng No. 1 High. Is this true?”
Ji Zhiyuan nodded calmly. “Despite societal progress, some families still struggle due to unforeseen circumstances. This initiative ensures underprivileged students can complete their education.”
The reporter pressed, “But allegations suggest a student fraudulently claimed aid. Has the Ji Family verified applicants’ financial status? How will you address this?”
Ji Zhiyuan frowned. “Fraud?”
Someone nearby pulled up the viral post and showed him.
His expression remained unreadable. “Poverty criteria include orphans. This student has no parents and lives independently—he qualifies.”
The reporter blinked. “How do you know so much about him?”
“Because,” Ji Zhiyuan said coldly, “the student being reported is Ji Zhouye—my full-blooded younger brother. The Ji Family froze his credit cards, so he relies on academic merit to earn aid. Any problem with that?”
The room fell silent.
Back in the cafeteria, Rong Ruoyao listened to the crowd’s condemnation of Ji Zhouye with quiet satisfaction.
She refreshed the post, watching as students demanded the school take action.
Once confirmed, Ji Zhouye would be branded a fraud—a social pariah.
She hadn’t wanted to go this far.
But he’d threatened her first.
Then, a news alert popped up on her phone:
“Ji Family’s Fifth Young Master Revealed—Still a High School Student.”
Her blood ran cold.
The accompanying photo showed Ji Zhouye in his school uniform, captioned: Ji Family’s Fifth Young Master, Ji Zhouye.
For a moment, her mind went blank.
The Ji Family?
Fifth Young Master?
Ji Zhouye was a Ji?
No… that couldn’t be…
Yet the signs had always been there.
At his birthday party, heirs of the Hai and Si Families had attended.
Haicheng’s four great families—Hai, Si, Tang, and Ji. Anyone who mingled with those young masters couldn’t be ordinary.
And she… had rejected the Ji Family’s fifth son?
