Ling Ai loved going to school, especially after transferring to the forensic science department, where she felt there was an endless wealth of knowledge waiting for her to learn.

Yan Qing was only a specially appointed lecturer in the forensic science department, teaching just three classes per week, but those three classes were treasured like gold by her students. After all, everyone knew she was a renowned figure in the forensic world, and having her personally impart her knowledge was an incomparable honor.

Today in class, Ling Ai found herself distracted, constantly glancing at her watch. Since it was a theory class, her restlessness only grew worse, and she was desperate for dismissal time to come sooner.

The moment the bell rang, she grabbed her school bag and was ready to bolt.

“Ling Ai.”

She hadn’t even made it out of the school building when someone called out to her from behind. She turned around — it was Qian Wei from her class.

Qian Wei was dressed in an expensive suit, a cravat tied around his neck, his hair slicked back with pomade, exposing his broad, gleaming forehead.

He wasn’t short — one could even call him stocky — and his features were regular, not especially handsome, but not ugly either. With his family’s considerable wealth and his taste for dressing well, he had made quite a name for himself at the medical college.

“Is something the matter?” Ling Ai looked at him blankly.

“Ling Ai, I have something to tell you.” Several classmates trailed behind Qian Wei — they weren’t from the forensic science department, just friends of his.

“Is it urgent?” Ling Ai was worried about keeping Zheng Yun waiting and unconsciously knitted her brows.

Her impression of Qian Wei wasn’t particularly good. Whenever she was around him, she always sensed a certain carelessness and arrogance typical of a spoiled rich son.

She had no interest in boys who loved to dress up and show off. No matter how good-looking they were, in her eyes they were nothing more than peacocks.

“Ling Ai,” Qian Wei said, “I want you to be my girlfriend.”

As he spoke, he pulled a jewelry box from his pocket and opened it to reveal a glittering diamond bracelet.

By now, quite a few curious students had gathered around them, and upon seeing the bracelet, gasps of surprise filled the air.

“Wow, it’s diamonds — it must be incredibly expensive.”

“Qian Wei is really spending big this time. I guess everyone with the surname Qian has money?”

Someone whispered, “His family has money to burn. He’s the wealthiest man in Shun Cheng. He gave a bracelet to Li Meili when he was chasing her too.”

“That Li Meili — wasn’t she after his money anyway? Once Qian Wei got bored of her, he kicked her to the curb.”

“Still, it was worth it for a diamond bracelet.”

“I heard Qian Wei has been chasing Ling Ai for a long time, but she’s never given him the time of day.”

“If you ask me, Ling Ai is too stuck-up. She’s not even from Xin Guo, and she’s not even the campus beauty — what’s she got to be so haughty about?” This acidity came from a few girls who had never liked Ling Ai.

“Ling Ai, be my girlfriend.” Qian Wei pushed the box toward her with an air of arrogant confidence.

He knew Ling Ai’s father was no ordinary man, yet she lived in a tiny house. Surely, no girl could remain unmoved in the face of a diamond bracelet like this.

He had purchased several of these bracelets, and each one had successfully won him a girlfriend. This was his bait — a hook that was bound to catch a fish.

“I’m sorry, Qian Wei.” Ling Ai didn’t even glance at the bracelet. “I can’t accept.”

Qian Wei stood dumbfounded for a moment before it sank in — he had been rejected.

“Why?” Qian Wei frowned. “Is there something wrong with me?”

“You’re perfectly fine, but I can’t accept.” Ling Ai glanced at her watch. “I have things to do. I’ll be going now.”

“Wait.” Qian Wei called her back, then pulled yet another jewelry box from his pocket.

“Wow, that’s a top-quality jade bangle.”

“That bangle must be worth several hundred silver dollars at least.”

“Several hundred silver dollars? That’s a fortune!”

Qian Wei knew Ling Ai was different from other women, so he had kept a backup plan. If the bracelet didn’t move her, surely adding this priceless jade bangle would make her yield to him.

When it came to money, Qian Wei had never been stingy. As long as it made a woman happy, he didn’t mind spending more.

After all, his family had plenty of it.

“Qian Wei, what do you think you’re doing?” Ling Ai looked at him with displeasure, feeling humiliated, her tone turning sharp. “Feelings can’t be measured in money. What exactly do you mean by this?”

“Is this still not enough?” Qian Wei could not comprehend Ling Ai’s thinking, and a look of contempt crept into his eyes. “If you think it’s not enough, my family has plenty more where that came from. As long as you agree to be my girlfriend, I can deck you out in gold and jewels every single day.”

“I don’t need any of that.” Ling Ai had always thought Qian Wei was false, but she hadn’t expected him to be this loathsome. “Keep it for someone who does. If you shout it out right now, I’m sure people will come running.”

Ling Ai turned to leave, but the friends Qian Wei had brought blocked her path.

“Ling Ai, if you don’t like me, why did you act as though you did?” Qian Wei pressed relentlessly. “You led me on first, and now you’re refusing me. You’ve had all the advantages, haven’t you? You’re quite the schemer.”

“Led you on?” Ling Ai almost laughed. “Qian Wei, I only ever treated you as a classmate. Your narcissism really needs to have limits. Other than when I’ve handed out or collected assignments, have I ever spoken to you alone or spent any time with you one-on-one? Since I haven’t, where exactly does this so-called leading you on come from?”

Qian Wei sneered. “Ling Ai, drop the act of being above it all. What woman doesn’t love money? If you become my girlfriend, I guarantee you’ll live a life of luxury every day. And if I’m in a good enough mood, I might even marry you and make you the young mistress of the Qian family. Then you’d have mountains of gold and silver to spend however you please — what reason could you possibly have left to refuse?”

“You reek of nothing but money. Truly, without your wealth, you have absolutely nothing.” Hearing all of this made Ling Ai’s stomach turn. This Qian Wei, emboldened by his family’s fortune, seemed to believe every woman in the world would fall for his money. In truth, he was nothing more than a coward who, stripped of his family’s backing, would be a failure in society.

Ling Ai had no desire to waste more words on him. She tried to find another way around the group blocking her, but they idly shifted their feet with her every move, always cutting off her path.

“Qian Wei, will you never stop?” Ling Ai was furious. This was the first time she had ever encountered someone so utterly shameless.

“Ling Ai, don’t rush. I’m only doing this because I like you. Just take the gifts, agree to be my girlfriend, and we can discuss everything.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then we’ll stay like this all day, and I’ll make sure every student in the school knows that you, Ling Ai, refused me because you felt I wasn’t giving you enough.” Qian Wei let out a smug chuckle. “You’re afraid of a reputation for being greedy and insatiable, aren’t you?”

“Qian Wei, don’t push your luck.” Ling Ai stared at that oily, smug face and had the overwhelming urge to punch it.

“And what if I do? This school has my family’s investment in it.” Qian Wei tilted his chin up. “I’ll ask you one last time — do you agree or not?”

“She doesn’t agree.” A rich, magnetic voice rang out suddenly, like a clap of thunder on a clear day, reverberating in everyone’s ears.

The moment Ling Ai heard that voice, she spun around with delight.

Zheng Yun moved through the crowd, striding to Ling Ai’s side with decisive steps. The few boys with Qian Wei immediately moved to block him.

“Who are you?” one of the boys challenged.

“You don’t need to know.”

Before the boy could get another insult out, he felt a searing pain in his shoulder — as though it had been wrenched right out of its socket. He howled in agony.

Zheng Yun grasped Ling Ai’s wrist and pulled her to his side.

“Who do you think you are?” Qian Wei’s face darkened the moment he saw this man who had appeared out of nowhere. “Mind your own business.”

Zheng Yun gave him a cool, indifferent glance, said nothing, and walked away with Ling Ai.

“What are you all standing there for? Stop him!” Qian Wei shouted.

His friends immediately swarmed forward, cracking their knuckles and flexing menacingly at Zheng Yun.

Zheng Yun tucked Ling Ai safely behind him, then unhurriedly rolled up his sleeves. When he raised his head again, his eyes had turned utterly cold.

Before Ling Ai could even react, she heard a few muffled thuds. When she peeked out from behind Zheng Yun, Qian Wei’s lackeys were already crumpled on the ground, moaning in pain, while Zheng Yun appeared not to have moved so much as a single step.

Seeing this, Qian Wei stood frozen in disbelief. Then, snapping back to his senses, he charged forward with a stream of curses: “Ling Ai, you shameless woman, you even brought a pretty boy to back you up—”

The rest of his words never came out, for he was now lying face-down in the dirt, Zheng Yun’s shoe planted firmly on his face, pressing that greasy visage into a flattened mess. Qian Wei could only bulge his eyes helplessly, unable to utter a single word.

“Zheng Yun, let’s go.” Ling Ai cast a look of profound disgust at Qian Wei on the ground and shook Zheng Yun’s arm.

Zheng Yun gave a quiet sound of assent, lifted his foot, and then took Ling Ai’s hand. Under the wide-eyed stares of everyone around them, the two walked toward the school gate.

“Who is that man? He’s so handsome,” exclaimed a girl who had finally come to her senses, her voice filled with admiration.

“Tall, handsome, and powerful — he absolutely crushes a pampered rich boy like Qian Wei.”

“What’s so great about having money if all you do is use it to bully girls?”

Qian Wei lay on the ground, unable to get up for a long time. Hearing these words, he felt his face burn with shame.

He hadn’t even managed to see how the other man had struck before he’d been ground into the dirt. In front of all these people, he had lost every last shred of his dignity.

—