Chapter 12

After finishing their milk tea, the photographer showed them the finished 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.

It was enough to dress properly. His brother's floral shirts were already the limit of what he could accept.

Mo Yuanzhou, however, was very satisfied. He had altered these clothes overnight after seeing Chi Ning. They had been photographed before mass production could even begin, and the result was better than he had imagined.

He ruffled Chi Ning's hair several times in a row. "The money's been transferred to the bank card number you left. I've got a dinner appointment later. Want me to take you home first?"

Chi Ning said, "No need. I can go back by myself."

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

After Chi Ning got home and took a shower, he collapsed into bed and fell asleep.

Once the weekend in mid-June had passed,

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

That month, the bayberry juice on Chi Ning's desk never ran out. Qin Heng would also come at noon to collect the empty bottles.

Although he never made any unnecessary movements or expressions, the students of Class 1 were still badly frightened.

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, "God Chi, I finally know why you've become so lazy and stopped studying lately."

"Hm?"

"You've gotten too close to the people from Class 18." Like an old father disappointed in his son, Li Qiuhe said, "Qin Heng must have led you astray!"

Chi Ning pulled his hand free and affectionately patted the little bespectacled boy on the head. "Don't overthink it."

Li Qiuhe looked desolate, his gaze bleak.

This was bad. God Chi had started defending Qin Heng. That was definitely not a good sign.

"The finals are in two days. If your grades slip, it might affect your guaranteed admission review. Don't keep doing this."

"They won't." Chi Ning lay sprawled across his desk, drowsy.

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

Li Qiuhe felt like the emperor wasn't worried, but the eunuch was.

"What if you don't get first place? What about the scholarship? That gloomy bastard Ye Xinran will definitely mock you behind your back. He might even make a little doll of you and stick needles into it."

Oh, right. The scholarship.

Chi Ning abruptly sat up in alarm despite being half-dead with sleepiness.

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

He was in Class 2 and, like Chi Ning, was not good at socializing. But he would achieve great things in the future and make enormous contributions in electronic technology.

Ye Xinran had been poor in high school, and his family owed debts. But because he had always ranked second, he could only receive the second-tier scholarship.

Later, the Shen Family's heir stepped in to help him pay off his debts. Ye Xinran was deeply grateful and became a capable right-hand man for the Shen Family's expansion into the tech industry.

That wouldn't do.

Chi Ning's expression darkened.

Letting someone surnamed Shen flourish was worse than killing him.

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 incomparable speed and repeatedly handed in his papers early.

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

At the final commendation ceremony before vacation,

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 buried in debt. The 5,000 yuan from the second prize could only ease the immediate crisis. Once it was handed over to the debt collectors, he and his mother might not even have food to eat.

Why couldn't he beat Chi Ning?

Even when Ye Xinran gave his acceptance speech, he was in a daze.

After observing him with a frown for quite some time, Chi Ning felt that Ye Xinran's family situation might be even worse than he had imagined.

After carefully considering his words again and again, he finally stood outside Class 2's door after school and knocked.

"I'm looking for Ye Xinran."

Class 18.

Zhang Qiuwen quietly leaned close to Qin Heng's ear. "I heard Chi Ning went to find Ye Xinran after school, and he didn't look happy. Do you think they'll clash?"

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

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

The image of the dimples at Chi Ning's waist when he was taking photos flashed through Qin Heng's mind. He felt Zhang Qiuwen was right.

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

Chapter 12

Chi Ning led Ye Xinran to the edge of the most secluded bamboo grove on campus.

Ye Xinran did not look well. His expression was gloomy. "What do you want?"

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

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

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

Did that group from Class 18 tell people? If such an embarrassing matter got spread around, what would their classmates think of him?

Would they think he was the son of a deadbeat debtor?

What should he do?

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

Ye Xinran abruptly looked up and stared hard 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 for poaching someone from another camp.

"You don't need to hurry to pay it back, but you'll have to sign an agreement with my father. Once 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 personal sponsorship. My family should be able to help settle the illegal interest on your loans."

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

By reflex, he grabbed Zhang Qiuwen, who wanted to rush over to Chi Ning, and the two of them ducked behind a wall to look over.

Chi Ning was forcefully stuffing the envelope in his hand into Ye Xinran's. "Take it first for emergencies. Come to No. 31, Jiurong Prestige City, at ten tomorrow morning. I'll bring you to talk with my dad. You have to study hard, achieve success and fame, and work well for my family afterward. You can't have any second thoughts."

He paused, then muttered an emphasis, "You don't need to thank me. We're helping you solve your problem, and after that, you'll be part of our company. No matter who tries to poach you, you can't leave. It's basically selling yourself to us, understand?"

Ye Xinran held the envelope, nearly twice as thick as his own, his expression blank and his mind suddenly empty.

Chi Ning's final sentence was awkward. It was obviously made 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 achieve success and fame.

Now there was Chi Ning too.

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

Zhang Qiuwen, peeking from the foot of the wall, clicked his tongue. "Chi Ning is just too softhearted. He helps everyone. Ye Xinran is ruthless when he does things. He's not as pitiful as he looks."

Qin Heng did not hear Zhang Qiuwen. He stared fixedly at the envelope in Ye Xinran's hand and remembered what Chi Ning had said while filming at Mo Yuanzhou's place a week ago—

"There's some money I want to give someone openly, but I don't want them to feel inferior because of it or dislike me. I don't want them to be too grateful either. What should I do?"

At the time, he had thought the person Chi Ning meant was him.

Irritation flared through Qin Heng for a moment. He thought of Chi Ning ordering 300 yuan worth of bayberry juice so he could repay his medical bills in time, and of the driver buying an entire case of goods under the blazing sun.

He thought of their first meeting, when Chi Ning's eyes had been red, yet he had calmly 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, he might have been in danger.

Was Chi Ning this kind to everyone?

The thought rose for no reason.

Qin Heng immediately frowned and said, though he did not know to whom, "What the fuck 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 at Chi Ning and Ye Xinran beneath the setting sun. As he left, he resembled a melon-eating raccoon who had not gotten his fill.

Farmer Chi Ning's ears twitched. He turned toward the foot of the wall and warily asked, "Who's there?"

Ye Xinran had not noticed. "Probably no one. Hardly anyone comes here."

That was true.

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

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

Ye Xinran gave a soft hum, his brows relaxing as a faint smile appeared.

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

He had loved striving in his previous life. Although he did not plan to take the initiative to strive in this life, he was extremely enthusiastic when it came to firing others up.

"Dad, our main business is currently pharmaceuticals, but look at the economy now. Anyone with eyes can see that information technology and real estate are about to enter their boom periods. Even pigs standing in the wind can be blown into the sky."

As soon as Chi Ning thought of the Shen Family, he became increasingly uninhibited in selling his father a grand vision, getting more and more into it.

"Jiuzhi Group targets us so much and often makes up stories about Big Brother in the newspapers. We can't just let it go..."

Chi Baichuan listened in a daze.

"We..." Chi Ning paused, then changed his wording. "You should bite off a piece of Jiuzhi Group's flesh."

Chi Baichuan laughed.

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

He was rather adorable.

His youngest son had never been particularly materialistic and rarely made requests. Once he had checked this Ye Xinran's character, as long as the boy was not ill-intentioned and could work honestly, helping him out would be fine.

Ten o'clock the next morning.