Even your uncle, Bank President Lin, was nothing special

Liu Yan had some sense, at least. She only dared say those things in front of her own little clique.

When Jin Xia actually brought Zhang Ru over to her, she immediately shut her mouth.

Liu Yan looked Zhang Ru over, gloating. "What, you brought Jin Xia to see me so she could stand up for you?"

Jin Xia raised her hand and swung a slap across Liu Yan's face!

It was the first time in her life she had ever hit anyone, and that first slap went to Liu Yan.

In her previous life...

No, to be precise, her secondary school years a few years ago had been the darkest time across both her lives.

Back then, poverty had gripped her so tightly she could barely breathe.

There had been plenty of girls from well-off families at school, and they seemed to harbor an innate hostility toward girls who were poor and pretty.

When Jin Xia stood up to answer a question, someone would secretly pull the chair out from behind her.

When she went to the cafeteria for food, someone would "accidentally" bump into her and knock over her plate, toss out a casual "Sorry," then act as though nothing had happened, get up, and leave.

If Jin Xia tried to pursue the matter, the teachers would only find her troublesome and difficult, telling her to be more tolerant.

It was during that time that an idea took root in her heart. She swore she would earn enough money and rise above others, so no one could ever bully her again.

Even when she had taken the fall for the phone shop and paid for the phone, Jin Xia had never considered burning bridges with the owner.

But this Liu Yan was truly despicable, arrogant and overbearing. Relying on her uncle Lin Yi's status, she swaggered around and even dared lay hands on a younger student!

As Jin Xia's sharp slap landed, the surrounding onlookers were all dumbfounded.

"You actually dared hit Liu Yan? Do you know who her uncle is?"

"Freshman, you've gone too far!"

"..."

Accusations came one after another. Zhang Ru looked like a child who had done something wrong, her eyes red. "Jin Xia, I'm sorry. If I'd known this would happen, I shouldn't have told you the truth. Now I've dragged you into it too..."

"Whoever her uncle is, what difference does that make?"

Jin Xia's delicate brows drew together slightly as she scrutinized Zhang Ru in front of her.

Furious, Liu Yan picked up her phone. "Jin Xia, just you wait! I'm calling my uncle right now and telling him to come! Even the principal shows my uncle respect, yet you dared hit me at school!"

Covering her swollen, reddened cheek, she awkwardly took out her phone and dialed a familiar string of numbers.

The moment Lin Yi answered, Liu Yan burst into loud sobs. "Uncle, hurry to my school! Someone's bullying me!"

"All right, wait there. I'll be right over!"

Lin Yi did not even ask who had hit Liu Yan or what their background was.

Half an hour later, an ink-black Maybach slowly pulled up outside the campus gates.

Lin Yi got out of the Maybach and strode furiously onto campus, bristling with authority. "Who hit my niece today? I'll skin her alive!"

The moment Liu Yan saw Lin Yi, it was as though she had found someone to back her up. She pointed at the finger marks on her face. "Uncle, you have no idea! If you'd come any later, she might have beaten me to death!"

"Who?"

Lin Yi barked angrily.

Jin Xia smiled calmly. "I hit her."

Lin Yi did not register it at first when he heard that familiar voice. Then he turned and met Jin Xia's gaze.

Lin Yi shuddered and stood rooted to the spot, utterly dumbfounded.

Liu Yan was still tearfully recounting the injustice of being hit. "Uncle, go get the principal to deal with her right now! This Jin Xia doesn't know her place. She even..."

The next second, Lin Yi's eyes widened in fury. He raised his hand and swung a slap across Liu Yan's other cheek. "You disgrace!"

Smack! Another crisp slap rang out.

He was a bank president, after all, with a much broader outlook than ordinary people, especially when it came to the art of choosing his words-

"I sent you to Haida University to study, and here you are causing trouble! If I'd known you were like this, I should have left you in that little fishing village back home for the rest of your life!"

Lin Yi roared and shook off the hand Liu Yan had hooked around his arm.

Liu Yan was completely stunned, and the girls in her clique exchanged bewildered looks.

After all, Lin Yi's fondness for his niece was plain for everyone to see. Almost every friend Liu Yan had knew about it.

Yet now he had actually hit Liu Yan over an outsider?

Liu Yan cried in torrents, sobbing nonstop. "Uncle, but she was the one who hit me first! Have you gone crazy? Why are you teaching me a lesson?"

"It seems Bank President Lin's family was never brought up properly. When the example at the top is crooked, those below follow suit."

Jin Xia's lips curved into a smile, and she cast Liu Yan a sidelong glance. "That slap was just a warning. If there's a next time, you won't get off with just a slap."

Lin Yi kept an apologetic smile on his face, jogging along as he tried to ingratiate himself with Jin Xia. "President Jin, I really didn't know about the conflict between you and my niece. My niece was indeed in the wrong here. I'll be sure to teach her a harsh lesson when we get home. Please, for my sake, let her stay at Haida University. She's about to graduate, after all, and I've only just lost my job..."

So he could back down and speak nicely too. Jin Xia had thought Lin Yi had been that unyielding since birth.

"I'm truly begging you, President Jin. Please be magnanimous..."

Lin Yi was already getting on in years, yet now he had to keep apologizing to Jin Xia for the trouble his niece had caused.

Jin Xia glanced at Lin Yi. "My lawyer will contact you about my classmate's medical expenses and compensation for emotional distress."

"A-a lawyer?"

Lin Yi looked at Jin Xia in surprise.

Before, he had merely thought this young woman was a little tricky and difficult to fool. Only now did he realize that she was far more than difficult to fool. She was meticulous and left no loose ends...

Lin Yi gave an awkward smile. "President Jin, please put in a good word for me with the bank. Or withdraw the complaint and say it was all a misunderstanding. I'll deal with my niece however you want when we get home."

"I'm not interested in your family affairs, and I'm under no obligation to discipline your niece for you."

As Jin Xia grew angry, her brow involuntarily furrowed into deep lines.

She left him with a stern warning. "Don't forget to explain to your niece when you get home exactly what crime it is to fabricate and spread rumors behind someone's back."

"I..."

Lin Yi had no choice but to swallow the words on the tip of his tongue.

Neither pleading nor pressure worked on this Jin Xia. He had exhausted every method he could think of, and now he had no options left. He could only leave it to fate.

He watched Jin Xia walk away in despair, shaking his head and sighing over and over.

Liu Yan ran out of the school and had just reached Lin Yi's Maybach. "Uncle, how could you side with an outsider instead of me?"