Early in the morning, Rong Yu handed the consent form to her homeroom teacher. With a guardian's signature already in place, the teacher could no longer persuade her otherwise and had no choice but to proceed with the formalities.
Her college entrance exam score was barely over a hundred—a result so dismal it was almost embarrassing. Unsurprisingly, she was assigned to Class 20, a notorious gathering spot for science-track underachievers.
The homeroom teacher of Class 20, Teacher Pei, a middle-aged woman, shook her head at the sight of Rong Yu. If she couldn’t even handle the humanities track, what was she doing switching to science? Clearly, she treated education as a joke.
Teacher Pei’s class was already the worst of the worst, and now the school had dumped an even weaker student into it. Well, at this point, there was no use crying over spilled milk.
Rong Yu followed Teacher Pei to her new classroom.
"Look, the teacher brought a pretty girl with her."
"Is there a transfer student joining Class 20?"
"Hey, Wild Brother, wake up! Stop sleeping—it’s that girl from yesterday!"
Ji Zhouye had been slumped over his desk, fast asleep since arriving early that morning.
Chen Nian, his lackey, shook him awake, earning an irritated glare. Just as Ji Zhouye was about to snap, his eyes landed on the girl standing at the front of the classroom.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Rong Yu. I’m happy to be your classmate."
Teacher Pei pointed to the only empty seat in the back row. "You’ll sit there."
Rong Yu walked over, schoolbag in hand.
She raised an eyebrow.
And smirked.
What a coincidence.
Ji Zhouye leaned back in his chair, propping his head up with one hand, a lazy grin playing on his lips. "First, you try to get my attention. Then, you stalk me. And now, you transfer into my class and sit right next to me? Spill it—what’s your game?"
Rong Yu ignored him, pulling out her textbook and focusing on the pages.
"Wild Brother, she’s ignoring you," Chen Nian muttered. "We should teach her a lesson."
Ji Zhouye snatched the book from her hands. "I heard you scored barely over a hundred on the college entrance exam—even worse than me. With grades like that, why bother repeating the year? You’re just wasting resources. Might as well go home and feed pigs."
Chen Nian burst into exaggerated laughter. "Yeah! Go feed pigs, you loser!"
Rong Yu shot them a cold glare. "Seems like I didn’t hit you hard enough last night. Perfect timing—my hands are itching for another round."
She stood up and grabbed a chair.
It was morning self-study, and the teacher wasn’t around. The classroom was already noisy, with only a handful of students actually studying. The moment they saw Rong Yu raise the chair, everyone turned to watch.
The chair hovered inches above Ji Zhouye’s head.
He sucked in a breath.
He knew—this girl would absolutely bring it down on him.
He’d already lost to her twice. There was no way he stood a chance.
"Wow, she’s mad," he scoffed, trying to play it cool. "Can’t even take a joke?"
Rong Yu lowered the chair. "I was just joking too. Scared already?"
"Who’s scared? Wild Brother isn’t scared of you!" Chen Nian blustered. "We’ll settle this after school—one-on-one!"
Ji Zhouye stayed silent.
A one-on-one fight? No thanks. He’d lose.
But ganging up on her would make him look pathetic.
Rong Yu went back to her book.
But her focus was shaky.
At their school, evening self-study was optional.
After classes ended, she hailed a cab and headed straight to Hibiscus Manor.
"The people who live here are big shots—some old-money family with a century-long legacy," the driver remarked as they pulled up to the grand gates. "You know the owners, kid?"
Rong Yu nodded and stepped out.
This was the marital home the Ji family had prepared for her back then—a fusion of Chinese and Western architectural styles. What had once been the outskirts of Haicheng was now downtown, surrounded by skyscrapers. Yet the manor remained secluded, shaded by lush greenery, untouched by the city’s noise.
The estate had clearly undergone multiple renovations. The outer walls had been repainted, giving them a more refined, classical elegance.
She climbed the steps, but before she could knock, the door swung open.
Ji Zhiyuan stood there, exhaustion etched into his features, dark circles under his eyes. He hadn’t slept all night.
At the sight of the girl on his doorstep, his brow furrowed in recognition. "Miss Rong?"
In this world, almost no one dared to address the Ji family’s patriarch by his full name. That alone had made her unforgettable.
"President Ji," Rong Yu said. "I heard about Patriarch Ji’s illness. I’ve come to visit him. I hope you’ll allow it."
Ji Zhiyuan’s expression darkened.
The Ji family was constantly hounded by reporters, so their private residences were never disclosed. Aside from close friends and relatives, almost no one knew where they lived.
Who was this girl?
How had she found them?
"Don’t be alarmed, President Ji," Rong Yu said with a faint smile. "If my calculations are correct, the password to the Ji Group’s core safe should be…"
She recited a long string of alphanumeric code without hesitation.
Ji Zhiyuan’s composure cracked.
The password to the Ji Group’s confidential vault was known only to the family’s leader. It was a 26-character sequence that changed monthly, with zero chance of leakage.
His reaction confirmed she was right.
This encryption system had been her design, implemented across the Ji family’s most secure assets. On the surface, it appeared to be random letters, but in reality, it corresponded to dates, converted into complex numerical bases with fixed offsets. Even though it changed every month, as long as she knew the year and month, she could deduce the current key.
"May I visit him now?"
Ji Zhiyuan studied her intently.
A full minute passed—maybe longer—before he finally stepped aside. "Miss Rong, please."
Only two people in the Ji family knew the password: the patriarch and himself. He would never disclose it to an outsider, which meant the patriarch must have told her.
But why would the patriarch share something so critical with a young girl?
Was she connected to someone close to him?
Ji Zhiyuan prided himself on his intellect, but this puzzle left him utterly baffled.
He shot the butler a meaningful glance.
Hibiscus Manor earned its name from the natural lake at its entrance, filled with lotus flowers. By September, the blooms had faded, leaving only the leaves behind.
Rong Yu gazed at the pond, lost in memories. The past rushed back like fleeting clouds, and she pressed her lips together.
Inside, the room was filled with medical equipment. On the bed lay an elderly man, his face pale, his wrinkles like needles piercing Rong Yu’s heart.
She had thought she’d struggle to accept having a son so much older than her.
But the moment she saw him, the natural bond between mother and child overwhelmed everything else.
"Yingbao."
She whispered his childhood name.
Ji Zhiyuan nearly choked.
What had he just heard?
Yingbao?
Was that how this girl’s family referred to the patriarch?
What kind of relationship was this?
Before he could process it, Rong Yu sat by the bed, tears welling in her eyes. She took the old man’s hand—and pressed it against her own cheek.
His mind went blank.
"Young Master," the butler hurried over, "we’ve found something."
The information on Rong Yu was sparse, fitting on a single sheet of paper.
Eldest daughter of the Rong family. Parents divorced, raised by her mother. Two months ago, custody was transferred to her father, and she moved to Haicheng. Currently enrolled at Haicheng No. 1 High School.
Ji Zhiyuan spoke calmly, "Investigate the Rong family elders to see if there’s any connection with the Ji family."
Five minutes later, the steward returned and reported, "The Rong family isn’t originally from Haicheng—they moved here in the 1980s and have had no business dealings with the Ji family… Miss Rong’s mother’s maiden name is Yu, and her ancestors were all farmers from the countryside. There’s no link to the Ji family whatsoever."
