Lin Yi turned to Liu Yan and vented all his fury on her. "Do you have any idea how humiliating this is? If you don't want to study, pack your things and get the hell back to your hometown!"
"Uncle..."
Liu Yan gazed at him through tear-filled eyes, biting her red lip without a word as tears welled in her eyes.
Before leaving, Lin Yi glared at her again and snapped, "Jin Xia isn't someone you or I can afford to mess with!"
Liu Yan simply couldn't understand what her uncle meant by that.
Wasn't she just a freshman girl?
This only deepened her resentment. She clenched one hand tightly into a fist and watched indignantly as Lin Yi's car drove farther and farther away.
Jin Xia, just you wait!
In the dorm room downstairs, Zhang Niannian and the others gathered around Zhang Ru.
Meng Ya carefully applied ointment to the swollen, reddened half of her face. "Honestly, how could you keep something this serious from us? You even tried to hide it. If Jin Xia hadn't run into you, were you planning to keep all of us in the dark?"
Zhang Ru punched a stuffed toy. "Damn it, it was humiliating enough! Was I supposed to let everyone know?"
"If you ask me, that Yan An is no good either. Why else would he choose Liu Yan as his girlfriend?"
Song Li sat up and declared indignantly, "From now on, our whole dorm is sworn enemies with those sisters, Liu Yan and Liu Rui!"
Jin Xia watched them with a very particular look in her eyes, even wearing the faintest hint of a smile.
In her previous life, she had never experienced what friendship, family affection, or romantic love really were.
Even though she had gotten along well with the children at the orphanage, she had always felt they were competing with one another. After all, the orphanage's supplies were limited.
Later, when she entered so-called high society, she belonged to over two hundred WeChat group chats and knew countless celebrities and powerful figures.
The higher up she went, the more complicated those relationships became. Communicating with any of them required a hundred and eighty layers of calculation. One careless remark could very well get her pushed out to do someone else's dirty work.
Although Zhang Niannian and the others seemed a little childish and impetuous to Jin Xia now.
Their vivid emotions and that rare sincerity were things no amount of money in this world could buy.
Early the next morning, Jin Xia took Zhang Ru to the best medical aesthetics hospital in Hai City.
The hospital had been established less than a year ago.
Standing at the entrance, Zhang Ru tried to back out. "There are only two little scratches on my face. Liu Yan probably caught me with her nails when she hit me yesterday. They're really nothing. Even if they leave scars, they won't be noticeable. Isn't coming here a bit over the top?"
After speaking, she instinctively glanced up at the enormous sign above the entrance.
Hualun Shengmei International Plastic Surgery Hospital.
Even the name looked fancy and upscale. Any little treatment in there was bound to cost a fortune!
"This is too much money to spend."
Zhang Ru fidgeted awkwardly and waved her hands to indicate that she didn't want to go inside.
But Jin Xia was firm. "Everyone heals differently. It's best to catch it and treat it early. If it leaves scars that bother you for the rest of your life, I won't feel right about it either."
It was better to deal with something like this promptly, so Zhang Ru wouldn't feel troubled by scars on her face later.
Jin Xia strode into the plastic surgery hospital, and two patient consultants soon approached.
The girl in front first sized them both up with a flippant gaze, then asked with a smile, "Do you have an appointment?"
"No."
The moment Jin Xia said that.
The girl hurried forward. "No appointment? Our hospital has just introduced a free skin assessment. We can check your skin's oil and moisture production, your facial contour depth, and offer an expert consultation. All of that is free. We also have..."
Before she could continue her sales pitch, Jin Xia interrupted her. "Give her a skin booster treatment, then scarless facial scar removal. Use Dongguo skin boosters."
Hearing how knowledgeable Jin Xia sounded, the consultant first turned to glance at Zhang Ru.
There were two long, thin scratches on Zhang Ru's face. Unless someone looked closely, they were barely noticeable.
Normally, a client like this was practically handing them money for nothing. Even a little aloe vera gel would keep any obvious scars from forming after the scabs healed and some time passed.
But...
Jin Xia and Zhang Ru were simply too young. Zhang Ru's clothes in particular made it obvious that she was an inexperienced college student.
The consultant gave a cold snort and said disdainfully, "Dongguo skin boosters won't do for the condition of her face. You've clearly read quite a bit online, haven't you? It's better to leave professional matters like this to the professionals. We've brought in a Korean academician for our expert consultations. Would you two like to give it a try?"
When neither Jin Xia nor Zhang Ru answered, the consultant added, "The expert consultation is free. Don't worry. All our hospital's prices are openly displayed. There are no traps."
No traps?
Although Jin Xia hadn't undergone major surgery on her entire face in her previous life, regular upkeep had been essential. She had spent at least tens of thousands on medical aesthetic treatments every month.
When it came to the tricks involved, she could even say she knew more than the consultant before her.
Jin Xia cast a cold glance at the two consultants. "Since you can't treat her face according to my requirements, we'll go somewhere else."
"Wait..."
The consultant who had been so haughty a moment earlier now jogged over.
She explained with an awkward smile, "I was only making a well-meaning suggestion. If you don't want it, our hospital certainly won't insist. Dongguo skin boosters, right? I'll have someone prepare them now. But Dongguo skin boosters aren't cheap."
Beside her, Zhang Ru picked up the brochure the consultant handed over and glanced at it.
A single skin booster injection cost 2,980!
The consultant continued with a smile, "Judging by this young beauty's face, she'll need at least two injections."
Two injections meant six thousand!
Then there was the so-called scar removal package listed in the brochure: 4,999.
Just coming in for a little scar removal and skin brightening would cost over ten thousand!
Zhang Ru reflexively dropped the brochure. "Oh my god, how can treatment here be so expensive? I... I'll pass. I really don't think these two scratches on my face are worth wasting so much money on."
"Young lady, your friend seemed to know so much about medical aesthetics that I thought she was an expert. Our hospital is legitimate, and all the prices in that brochure are genuine and valid. They're standard industry prices too. You're welcome to compare them and ask around."
The consultant paused, then cast an extremely contemptuous glance at Jin Xia. "Still, I'd advise you not to think about medical aesthetics if money is tight. You're students. Your priority should be figuring out how to study properly."
Before you continue