Chapter 12

After finishing their milk tea, the photographer showed them the final shots.

Chi Ning only glanced at them before losing interest.

Fashionable or not, the clothes simply did not suit his taste.

They were neither practical nor attractive.

As long as clothes were neat and proper, that was enough. His brother's floral shirts were already the limit of what he could accept.

Mo Yuanzhou, on the other hand, was very satisfied. He had altered these clothes overnight after seeing Chi Ning, and they had been photographed before mass production could even begin. The results were even better than he had imagined.

He ruffled Chi Ning's hair several times. "I transferred the money to the bank card number you left behind. I have a dinner appointment later. Want me to take you home first?"

Chi Ning said, "No need. I can go back on my own."

He had been posed like a doll all day. He was exhausted.

After getting home, Chi Ning took a shower and immediately fell asleep.

Once the weekend in mid-June passed,

more than half of June was already gone, and the remaining days flew by.

Throughout the month, there was never a break in the bayberry juice on Chi Ning's desk. At noon, Qin Heng would also come to collect the empty bottles.

Though he never showed any extra expression or made any unnecessary movements, the students in Class One were still terrified.

The day before the final exams, after Qin Heng collected the bottles as usual, Li Qiuhe grabbed Chi Ning's hand and earnestly advised him, "Pool God, I finally know why you've become so lazy and uninterested in studying lately."

"Hm?"

"You've been spending too much time with the people from Class Eighteen." Li Qiuhe looked like a father disappointed in his wayward son. "Qin Heng must have led you astray!"

Chi Ning pulled his hand free and affectionately patted Little Glasses on the head. "Don't overthink it."

Li Qiuhe looked bleak and desolate.

This was bad. Pool God was already defending Qin Heng. That was definitely not a good sign.

"The final exams are in two days. If your grades drop, it might affect your recommendation review. Stop acting like this."

"They won't." Chi Ning lay sprawled over his desk, half-asleep.

He seemed to have gotten too lazy lately. The more he slept, the sleepier he became.

Li Qiuhe felt like the emperor was not worried, but the eunuch was.

"Then what if you don't get first place? What about your scholarship? That gloomy bastard Ye Xinran will definitely mock you behind your back. He might even make a little voodoo doll of you."

Oh, right. The scholarship. Chi Ning jolted upright as if sitting up from a deathbed.

Ye Xinran was one of the few high school classmates Chi Ning remembered.

He was in Class Two and, like Chi Ning, was not good at socializing. However, he would go on to achieve remarkable things and make great contributions to the field of electronic technology.

Ye Xinran had been poor in high school, and his family was deeply in debt. But because he always came in second, he could only receive the second-tier scholarship.

Later, the Shen Family's heir stepped in to help repay his debts. Ye Xinran was deeply grateful and became a key figure in the Shen Family's entry into the tech industry.

This would not do. Chi Ning's expression darkened.

Letting someone surnamed Shen feel pleased with himself would hurt him more than death.

He knew how the scholarship should be awarded!

With a small goal in mind, Chi Ning worked especially hard during the final exams. He wrote at an unmatched speed and repeatedly handed in his papers early.

When the results came out, Chi Ning had achieved an unprecedented score and naturally received the 9,000-yuan scholarship.

At the final awards ceremony before the break,

Chi Ning stood on the flag-raising platform with Ye Xinran to receive their awards.

Ye Xinran held the orange-yellow certificate representing second prize, his face slightly pale.

His family was drowning in debt. The 5,000 yuan for second prize could only deal with the immediate crisis. Once he gave it to the debt collectors, he and his mother might not even be able to afford food.

Why could he not beat Chi Ning?

Ye Xinran was so dazed that he barely knew what he was saying when he gave his acceptance speech.

Chi Ning frowned as he observed him for a while, feeling that Ye Xinran's family situation might be even more serious than he had imagined.

After carefully considering his words several times, he finally stood outside Class Two's door after school and knocked.

"I'm looking for Ye Xinran."

Class Eighteen.

Zhang Qiuwen quietly leaned toward Qin Heng's ear. "I heard Chi Ning went to see Ye Xinran after school, and he didn't look happy. Do you think they'll get into a fight?"

Qin Heng gave him a sidelong glance, thinking, What the hell does that have to do with me?

Zhang Qiuwen gestured at Chi Ning's waist with his hand. "He's so skinny. Could he beat Ye Xinran in a fight? Last time, we even saw Ye Xinran dealing with loan sharks. Chi Ning doesn't have much of a head for this stuff. He'll definitely get taken advantage of. He's a pretty good person. Unlike everyone else, he doesn't look down on me. I don't want him getting hurt."

Chi Ning's waist dimples from the photo shoot flashed through Qin Heng's mind. He felt that Zhang Qiuwen was right.

He narrowed his eyes irritably. "Where are they? Let's go."

Chi Ning led Ye Xinran to the edge of the school's most secluded bamboo grove.

Ye Xinran did not look well. His face was dark. "What do you want?"

Chi Ning said, "I want to give you my scholarship."

Ye Xinran immediately clenched his fists, his thoughts in turmoil.

Had someone found out about his family's debts? How did Chi Ning know?

Had the people from Class Eighteen told others? If something this humiliating spread around, what would their classmates think of him?

Would they think he was the son of a deadbeat?

What was he supposed to do?

"Don't be nervous." Chi Ning took out a bulging envelope. "I only just learned about your situation. I can lend you this money."

Ye Xinran suddenly raised his head and stared at Chi Ning, trying to find even a trace of contempt or pity in his eyes.

But he failed.

Chi Ning's eyes sparkled, filled with a desire for talent and the urge to poach someone else's people.

"You don't need to rush to pay it back, but you have to sign an agreement with my father. After you finish your studies, you'll work for my family's company. I don't understand the specific terms, but it should be similar to private sponsorship. My family should be able to help settle the illegal interest on your loans."

When Qin Heng found Chi Ning, that was what he heard.

By reflex, he grabbed Zhang Qiuwen, who was about to rush toward Chi Ning. The two of them ducked behind a wall and looked over.

Chi Ning was forcefully stuffing the envelope into Ye Xinran's hands. "Take it for emergencies first. Come to No. 31 Jiurong Prestige City tomorrow morning at ten. I'll take you to talk to my dad. You need to study hard, become successful, and work properly for my family in the future. You can't be disloyal."

After a pause, he muttered an emphasis, "You don't have to thank me. We're helping you solve your problems, and after that, you'll be one of our company's people. No matter who tries to poach you, you can't leave. It's basically selling yourself, understand?"

Ye Xinran held the envelope, nearly twice as thick as his own, and froze. His mind went completely blank.

Chi Ning clearly was not practiced at saying that last part. He had obviously made it up on the spot, probably because he did not want Ye Xinran to feel burdened.

Other than his mother, no one had ever believed he could become successful.

Now there was Chi Ning too.

Ye Xinran gripped the envelope, his throat dry. "Thank you."

Zhang Qiuwen, hiding by the wall and peeking over, smacked his lips. "Chi Ning is just too softhearted. He helps anyone. Ye Xinran is ruthless in what he does. He's not as pitiful as he looks."

Qin Heng did not hear Zhang Qiuwen's words. He stared fixedly at the envelope in Ye Xinran's hand, thinking of what Chi Ning had said during the photo shoot at Mo Yuanzhou's place a week ago—

"I have some money that I want to give someone openly, but I don't want them to feel inferior because of it or start hating me. I also don't want them to be too grateful to me. What should I do?"

At the time, he had thought Chi Ning was talking about him.

For a moment, Qin Heng felt irritated. He thought of Chi Ning ordering 300 yuan worth of bayberry juice so he could repay his medical bills on time. He thought of the driver buying an entire case in the blazing sun.

He thought of how, when they first met, Chi Ning had red eyes but had remained extremely calm as he tied a backpack strap around Qin Heng's thigh.

The doctor had said that if the bleeding had not been stopped immediately and he had not been brought to the hospital in time, Qin Heng could very well have been in danger.

Was Chi Ning this kind to everyone?

The thought arose for no reason.

Qin Heng immediately frowned and said, though he did not know who he was speaking to, "What the hell does that have to do with me?"

Zhang Qiuwen said, "Huh?"

"Let's go." Qin Heng slung his backpack over one shoulder and turned to leave.

Zhang Qiuwen did not understand.

He reluctantly looked back at Chi Ning and Ye Xinran beneath the setting sun. When he left, he looked like a melon-eating animal that had not gotten its fill.

The melon farmer, Chi Ning, twitched an ear and turned toward the base of the wall. Alert, he asked, "Who's there?"

Ye Xinran had not noticed anything. "Probably no one. Nobody comes here."

That was true. Chi Ning liked eating lunch here precisely because no one came around.

Relieved, he waved at Ye Xinran. "Remember to come tomorrow. I'll wait for you at home."

Ye Xinran gave a quiet hum. His brows relaxed, and a faint smile appeared.

After Chi Ning got home, he told his father and eldest brother about the matter, lavishly praising Ye Xinran's academic potential.

He had loved striving in his previous life. Though he did not plan to actively struggle this time around, he was exceptionally enthusiastic when it came to motivating others.

"Dad, our main business is currently pharmaceuticals, but look at the state of the economy. Anyone with eyes can see that information technology and real estate are about to enter a boom period. Even pigs can be carried into the sky by the wind."

As soon as Chi Ning thought of the Shen Family, he began pitching grand plans to his father with increasing ease.

"Jiuzhi Group keeps targeting us, and they even make things up about Big Brother in the newspapers. We can't just let this go..."

Chi Baichuan was stunned by what he was hearing.

"We..." Chi Ning paused and changed his wording. "You should bite a chunk off Jiuzhi Group."

Chi Baichuan laughed.

His son had remembered that he did not know how to play the financial markets and felt a little guilty.

It was rather adorable.

His younger son had never been very materialistic and rarely made requests. Once Chi Baichuan looked into this Ye Xinran's character, as long as he was not morally corrupt and could work honestly, he would help if he could.

The next morning at ten.