The Scandal of Expulsion

"Your master sent you to a missionary school because, in the world to come, having the status of a missionary school graduate is the only way to walk among the upper crust of society.

Your master has tasted every bitterness of drifting through the underworld, so he does not want you to suffer that same hardship or endure that same misery again. He wants to lift you up high, to keep you in the upper class for the rest of your life, never to fall!

And if you wish to enter that upper class, a diploma from a missionary school is your admission ticket!"

These words made Lu Bolin feel incredibly at ease, and although he still kept a stern face, the iron-gray pallor on his cheeks faded away completely.

Ye Miao heard him, but she did not take any of it to heart.

It was not that she failed to understand.

It was simply that everything Lu Bolin said was of no concern to Ye Miao.

"Circumstances are stronger than men."

Lu Bolin sighed softly:

"Ashui, you know I have been away for two years.

In these two years, I have traveled to many places, seen the warmth and coldness of human nature, and witnessed what this world truly looks like.

At least for the next ten years... no, at least for twenty or even thirty years, the vast majority of this world will be dictated by the Foreign Devils of England!

If you cannot participate in their process of conquering the world and secure a place for yourself, your own social standing will slowly slide away.

Ashui, you are still young, and your master has protected you too well. You do not know how ugly and vicious the world outside truly is, nor do you know what it means to fall from your social class.

Once you fail to grasp the opportunity your master has created for you, you will be cast into the underworld, left to fight for scraps with the vicious stray dogs of the lower class!

This is what your master worries about!

Study hard, and in the future, you will surely understand your master's painstaking efforts!"

Whether these words moved Ye Miao, Lu Bolin did not know.

But they certainly made Lu Bolin's cheeks tremble with deep emotion, to the point where he nearly treated Lu Bolin as his true soulmate!

Ye Miao kept her head down, saying nothing.

While she neither agreed nor disagreed with these words, she at least stopped talking about dropping out of school.

Lu Bolin looked at Lu Bolin.

Lu Bolin blinked, putting on an expression that said, "Master, rest assured, leave it to me," and as if performing a magic trick, he pulled an exquisite little gift box from his pocket.

It was a rectangular watch box slightly larger than a palm, with clean lines and a faint fragrance, crafted from Nanyang rosewood. The edges were inlaid with streamlined tortoiseshell, and the front featured a small, delicate gold-plated brass clasp in the shape of an "Ω," looking incredibly expensive at a single glance.

"Ashui, your master entrusted me to bring this back for you from England."

In truth, Lu Bolin had never entrusted him with any such thing.

This wristwatch was a limited edition that Lu Bolin had spent a great deal of effort to acquire, originally intended for his own use.

Taking it out to use in this manner today was a significant sacrifice.

Lu Bolin's words made Lu Bolin even more satisfied.

"This watch is called an Omega; even in England, it is a mechanical watch that only the nobility of the upper class are qualified to wear."

Ye Miao took the rectangular box, opened the "Ω" clasp, and flipped the lid to reveal a sleek, elegant deep-blue dress watch lying inside.

The watch case was made of stainless steel with rounded, matte edges. The silver dial featured slender Roman numeral indices, the hands were willow-leaf shaped, and the curved lugs were dusted with a faint gold powder—it was understated luxury at a glance.

Ye Miao remained expressionless, though she no longer pouted.

She did not particularly like this watch, but it was undeniably beautiful.

Observing her reaction, Lu Bolin saw that Ye Miao was tempted and seized the moment:

"This is a mechanical watch. You only need to manually rotate the crown every day—about 20 to 30 turns—to drive the gears inside the case, wind the mainspring, and store energy."

To the common folk of Puxi City, this mechanical watch was truly a rare curiosity.

"Once fully wound, the movement can typically provide about 40 hours of power.

If you take the watch off on Friday night, it will stop running by Sunday night, and you will need to wind it and set the time again on Monday morning."

The look of dissatisfaction finally vanished from Ye Miao's face. Seeming satisfied, she tucked the watch into the pocket of her school uniform and finally spoke:

"This school... it isn't impossible to attend."

She looked at Lu Bolin, her tone entirely lacking the respect a daughter should have for her father:

"I have heard that for people from ordinary families like us, there is only one purpose for attending this school.

It is to package ourselves with a degree from a foreign school so that we can marry into foreign nobility later on.

Is that your plan as well?"

This was what she had learned at school.

"Am I attending this school just so I can be sold for a better price in the future?"

Lu Bolin's expression did not change, nor did his tone, as if he were stating something so normal it required no explanation:

"Ashui, there are some things you cannot understand now. In time, you will understand me."

Ye Miao retorted:

"I will go to school and get that damn diploma, but I won't let anyone decide my future."

After saying this, she turned and walked away.

Ye Miao was, after all, only a teenager. Unable to bear the weight of the "destiny" she had learned of from her father, she had barely managed to hold her emotions together with a fierce facade while inside the tea house, but the moment she stepped out, tears began to stream down her face.

Lu Bolin saw Ye Miao's retreating figure as she wiped away her tears and felt a sudden pang of heartache, chasing after her immediately.

He wanted to comfort Ye Miao, to have a proper talk with her about England and the state of the world.

Yet, to his surprise, as soon as Lu Bolin stepped out and before he even reached the spirit wall, he heard Ye Miao, who had already rounded the wall and reached the entrance, call out:

"Xu Yi! You're back!"

The warmth and anticipation in her voice made Lu Bolin's heart sink instantly.

Xu Yi—Lu Bolin had heard this name over his master's phone. He was supposedly a distant relative of his master, someone who had managed to get a letter of recommendation through a connection to Ye Hai that was hundreds of years removed, stumbling into the Green Gang through sheer, dumb luck.

In short, he was an absolute, unadulterated country bumpkin.

The next moment, Lu Bolin nearly suffocated—

"Xu Yi! This watch is for you!"

The anger in Lu Bolin's heart flared up instantly. He had given that watch to Ye Miao, but that didn't mean he didn't value it!

Omega watches were always limited editions; he had spent a full 800 silver dollars and had to pull strings with the foreigners just to acquire this one piece!

He took a step toward the spirit wall, but immediately forced himself to stop, pulling himself back from the brink of an outburst.

Lu Bolin took a deep breath.

Now is not the time to have a conflict with one of our own.

Lu Bolin thought to himself.

He had already sacrificed enough for the Golden Orchid Nunnery, and now was the critical moment to wait for the returns; he had to display the poise of a senior disciple.

An Omega mechanical watch... what did that even matter?

Once he succeeded Ye Hai and took over the Green Gang's foreign trade business, never mind an Omega—even a Longines, a Vacheron Constantin... or even a Patek Philippe, wouldn't he be able to buy them whenever he pleased?!