Rong Yu sat quietly in the hospital room for over half an hour.
She had brought her schoolbag with her and sketched a simple pencil drawing, which she placed on the bedside table.
Standing up, she turned to Ji Zhiyuan, who had been silently watching her from the sofa, and said calmly, "I’ll visit at this time every day from now on. Does Young Master Ji mind?"
Ji Zhiyuan remained silent.
Of course, he minded—very much.
But.
This girl knew the Ji Family’s most confidential secrets, and her closeness to the old patriarch far surpassed his own, the eldest grandson.
He even entertained the absurd thought that perhaps this young girl was the old man’s secret lover…
No, that couldn’t be possible.
The age gap was far, far too wide!
Rong Yu pulled out her phone and opened a QR code. "Scan me. Add me as a friend."
Ji Zhiyuan opened WeChat and scanned it.
Rong Yu smiled. "See you tomorrow, Ah Yuan."
Ji Zhiyuan: "…"
Being addressed so casually by a high school student was deeply unsettling.
Yet, when he met her clear, composed gaze, he inexplicably felt that she had every right to call him that.
After all, the old man was "Yingbao" to her—so "Ah Yuan" didn’t seem so strange.
Ji Zhiyuan escorted Rong Yu out and instructed the driver to ensure she arrived safely.
Once the car drove off, his voice turned low. "Assign two men to watch her. If she contacts any business figures, restrain her immediately."
It was already past seven in the evening.
There was no point returning to school for evening self-study now, so she asked the driver to take her back to the Rong Family residence.
"Young Miss is back," a servant greeted her. "Have you eaten, Young Miss?"
"Just a bowl of noodles will do," Rong Yu replied.
She settled on the sofa and pulled out a book she had borrowed from the library—a study on algebraic differential equations, filled with complex formulas that fascinated her.
When she came across an interesting section, she even took out paper and pen to narrow down the solvable regions further.
"Young Miss, your meal is ready."
"Later."
Rong Yu’s pen flew across the paper, filling it with equations. She finished the last stroke in one fluid motion, a satisfied smile crossing her face. That long-lost feeling—she had finally reclaimed it.
She sat at the dining table and picked up her chopsticks. But the moment the noodles touched her lips, her expression darkened.
Rong Yu looked up.
At the staircase stood Rong Qing'an, smirking maliciously.
She set down her chopsticks. "Come here."
Rong Qing'an scoffed. "Who do you think you are, ordering me around?"
Rong Yu stood, grabbed him by the collar, and pinned him against the table.
"Let go of me! You country bumpkin, how dare you—"
He struggled violently, but her grip was like iron, immobilizing him.
Then she shoved the chopsticks into his hand. "Eat."
Rong Qing'an’s eyes widened.
After the servant had brought the noodles, he had secretly poured in half a bottle of salt, half a bottle of vinegar, and—most disgustingly—spit into it.
"I won’t eat this!"
Rong Yu didn’t indulge him. She forced his mouth open and stuffed a chopstickful of noodles inside.
How many years had it been since the nation had enough to eat? And countless people still suffered from hunger. Wasting food was something she could never tolerate.
"Let me go—ugh—"
"I’ll tell Mom and Dad…"
The servants were stunned.
The young miss had always been meek and passive, enduring Rong Qing'an’s taunts and pranks without complaint.
What had changed?
She was actually fighting back?
Before they could process it, the sound of a car engine echoed outside—Rong Wangtian and Shen Lin had returned.
"Dad! Mom!" Rong Qing'an wailed. "Rong Yu bullied me! She—she forced me—"
"What’s going on?" Rong Wangtian stormed into the dining room, took one look at his disheveled son, and glared at Rong Yu. "It’s not even late yet—why aren’t you at school? Instead of studying, you’re here tormenting your brother? Is this how an elder sister behaves?"
"Precisely because I’m his elder sister that I’m teaching him not to waste food," Rong Yu replied coolly, offering the chopsticks. "If you pity him, Father, you can finish the bowl for him."
Rong Wangtian glanced down and immediately understood the noodles had been tampered with.
"This isn’t the first time he’s done this," Rong Yu said. "Since the adults won’t discipline him, I had to step in. Isn’t that right?"
Shen Lin’s face darkened. "Rong Qing'an, apologize to your sister!"
Hearing his full name, Rong Qing'an froze mid-sob and stammered, "S-sorry…"
Rong Yu picked up an apple from the table and headed upstairs.
Shen Lin dragged Rong Qing'an into the study. "Instead of playing tricks, why not focus on your studies? Is scoring a few more points so hard? She’s just a country girl—why keep provoking her? In two years, she’ll be married off. She won’t interfere with your future. But if you keep slacking, you’ll lose your claim to the Rong Family’s inheritance!"
Chastened, Rong Qing'an obediently started his homework.
Rong Yu lost track of time while reading and solving equations, working until past two in the morning. She barely slept before dragging herself to school the next day, dark circles under her eyes.
Her deskmate Ji Zhouye’s seat was empty, along with his usual entourage.
Seems they skipped class.
Rong Yu paid no mind. During the lesson, she finished the last book and set it on her desk, planning to return it to the library at noon.
It was math class now. The teacher, Wu Su, a bespectacled man in his forties, stood at the podium delivering the same monotonous high school math lectures as always. He sighed deeply, surveying the classroom full of indifferent students.
Then his sharp eyes caught the title on Rong Yu’s desk—Advanced Studies in Microequations.
He had been reading the same book recently, hoping to redefine solvable boundaries and publish in an academic journal. With that, he could finally escape this dead-end teaching job.
But a slacker like her, reading this?
He smirked derisively and continued his lecture.
After a quick lunch in the cafeteria, Rong Yu carried a stack of ten books to the library. As she entered, she nearly collided with a couple.
The girl was Rong Ruoyao.
The boy… if she recalled correctly, was Song Huai?
The top student and heartthrob of First High, also Rong Ruoyao’s fiancé.
Their engagement had been arranged by the two families’ patriarchs. Back when Rong Yu’s parents were still married, she should have been Song Huai’s intended.
Because of this, after returning to the Rong Family, the original Rong Yu had developed feelings for Song Huai, showering him with attention—only to be met with his disdain and Rong Ruoyao’s hostility.
Like now. Rong Ruoyao eyed her warily, as if afraid she’d suddenly rush over to hand Song Huai another gift.
