Xing Jiale couldn't help but laugh at Zhong Chen's ridiculous words. He pointed at Gong Zhaoxi and said, "Weren’t you the one who claid this thing was safe? And look how that turned out."
Zhong Chen nodded upon hearing this. "Hearing you say that actually makes feel more at ease."
"People with ill intentions never emphasize their lack of threat."
Gong Zhaoxi chid in, "We’re brothers. I can tell whether you have feelings for her or not."
Even Xiao Yun agreed, "Honestly, the whole world might fall for her, but Jiale definitely won’t."
Xing Jiale pointed at them angrily. "You bastards—screw off! I don’t want this kind of trust."
Zhong Chen frowned. "I don’t get why you’re making such a big fuss about this."
"It’s just about covering for us. I know you don’t approve of us being together, but regardless of right or wrong, sotis you just have to stand by us unconditionally."
"I’ve never asked you for anything my whole life. Consider this my one request."
Xiao Yun added, "Sa here. This is my plea too."
Xing Jiale was left speechless by these three idiots. Given their brotherly bond, he knew he should help without hesitation.
Finally, he sighed in resignation. "Fine, I’ll be your cover. But let’s be clear—if you start fighting like before, I’m out imdiately."
Xing Jiale assud that being friends with Shen Ying and spending more ti with her wouldn’t be much different from before.
A casual greeting at school, chatting during lunch, or occasionally walking her ho after class—these things didn’t seem like a big deal to him.
But he never expected that right after agreeing, his desk would be forcibly moved to Class C, where Shen Ying was, by those three jerks.
Zhong Chen declared, "From today on, you’ll attend Class C. It’ll be way more convenient."
"If you stay in Class A, she’d have to co to you just so we can talk to her by association. And she’s avoiding us lately to keep things low-key."
"But if you’re in Class C, we can drop by anyti under the pretense of visiting you and talk to her."
Xing Jiale glared. "So you’re just kicking out of my own classroom?"
The three grinned at him. "It’s temporary. What, can’t bear to be apart from us?"
Gong Zhaoxi teased, "Who knew you were so clingy, Jiale?"
Xing Jiale felt like he’d swallowed a fly. Deciding he couldn’t stand being around these idiots any longer, he moved his desk next to Shen Ying’s.
Shen Ying smiled at him. "Hey there, desk mate."
Xing Jiale grumbled, "This wasn’t my choice."
Shen Ying sighed. "I saw that. Man, you really have it rough."
Her tone carried sympathy, as if she understood the struggle of babysitting a bunch of morons.
Xing Jiale felt even more aggrieved. If Shen Ying weren’t the root cause of this ss, he’d have vented his frustrations right then.
But as they spent more ti together as desk mates, Xing Jiale noticed sothing.
Her laziness was downright appalling.
She genuinely didn’t pay attention in class—no matter what the teacher said, she was always glued to her phone, tablet, or gaming console.
She even handed in blank test papers, acting like school was nothing more than a library or social club.
Being a disciplined person, Xing Jiale couldn’t take it anymore.
Shen Ying blinked innocently. "Why should I study when I already have over two billion?"
Xing Jiale scowled. "Even if that money lasts you a lifeti, you still need to better yourself to protect your wealth."
"Look at you now—you can’t even do basic math. The money you squeezed from Zhong Chen and the others, plus what Mrs. Zhong gave you, barely adds up to over a billion. Where’d you get 'over two billion' from?"
"If you can’t even handle simple arithtic, how are you going to outsmart people who’ll try to take advantage of you?"
Shen Ying looked touched. "I always thought you hated and wanted to lose everything. But here you are, worried I won’t be able to keep my money safe."
"Though, for the record, I didn’t miscalculate. Rember, I was admitted here for my grades."
Xing Jiale flushed, embarrassed. "Who’s worried about you? I just don’t want you pestering Zhong Chen if you go broke."
He completely missed her remark about not miscalculating.
Xing Jiale pressed on, "Point is, everyone knows you’re loaded. If you stay ignorant, you’ll walk right into every trap set for you."
Shen Ying shrugged. "I’m not studying because I already know everything."
Xing Jiale scoffed. "Oh really? Then prove it—do this test paper."
Shen Ying waved him off. "Too much effort. No thanks. I’ll just write during the college entrance exam."
"Watch —I’ll rank in the top three."
Xing Jiale choked. He knew Shen Ying’s past academic standing. Sure, as a scholarship student, she must’ve been top-tier at her old school.
But their current school? Sure, there were plenty of spoiled rich kids, but the elites were even more formidable.
These students had access to the best education since childhood—their competitiveness was unmatched.
Take Shen Zuola from Class C, for example. On the surface, she seed like a haughty girl obsessed with the four of them, but her grades and talents were impressive.
And then there were prodigies like Zhu Qingya.
Shen Ying’s grades here were good, but not outstanding—just above average. Claiming she’d rank in the top three was pure arrogance.
Especially since she wasn’t even studying now.
Seeing her shalessly boast, Xing Jiale snapped, "Oh yeah? Then as your 'friend' and desk mate, it’s my duty to make sure you reach that goal."
"Starting today, I’ll supervise your studies and limit how often those three can visit—I an, drop by to chat with you under the guise of seeing ."
"No playti unless you finish your daily study tasks."
Xing Jiale thought this was foolproof. With the other three, he could always use "studies" and "future" to keep them in line.
Feeling smug about his plan, he noticed Shen Ying engrossed in her phone.
He snatched it away. "No phones during class. Confiscated."
Shen Ying pouted. "I wasn’t done replying. That’s so rude."
Xing Jiale glanced at the screen—she’d been chatting with Xia ng.
Their conversation was harmless, just planning a weekend hangout. Shen Ying suggested inviting more friends from outside school since just the two of them would be too dull.
Xing Jiale didn’t think much of it. The morning passed without incident.
At lunch, Xing Jiale and Shen Ying headed to the cafeteria.
Instead of following him upstairs, Shen Ying said, "I’ll stay down here," then went off to find Xia ng.
Xing Jiale shrugged and went up alone—only to be blocked at the top by the trio, arms crossed.
Zhong Chen demanded, "What are you doing up here?"
Xing Jiale was baffled. "Uh, eating? What else?"
Xiao Yun sighed, "How could you leave her alone in—"
Gong Zhaoxi chid in, "Exactly. The chef even made her favorite dessert today. If you co up here, how’s the chef supposed to find an excuse to serve it to her?"
Xing Jiale stared at the three idiots in disbelief. "You kicked out of the classroom, and now you’re kicking out of the dining hall too?"
Zhong Chen glared at him. "If you don’t sit with her, how are we supposed to give her special treatnt?"
Xiao Yun nodded. "Yeah, the only way we can be nice to her is through you."
Xing Jiale snapped, "Well, I don’t fucking want to! Why should I—"
Zhong Chen cut him off. "Just clear a space for yourself, then."
With that, he shoved Xing Jiale downstairs and, leaning over the second-floor railing, announced to the entire school, "From now on, none of you are allowed to sit at the tables near him."
Instantly, the area around Xing Jiale’s table emptied, leaving a conspicuous circle of space.
Whispers spread among the students. "What’s going on? Why was Xing Jiale thrown out and warned to stay away from everyone?"
"Wasn’t Xiao Yun the one kicked out of the group before? How co now Xiao Yun’s back and Xing Jiale’s the one exiled?"
"Rumor has it that at the Zhong family’s banquet last night, Zhong Chen, Xiao Yun, and Gong Zhaoxi got into a fight, and Xing Jiale took advantage of the chaos to kiss Shen Ying. Probably pissed everyone off."
Xing Jiale’s head spun. He didn’t even want to imagine how twisted the rumors had beco by now.
He glared at Shen Ying. "This is all your fault."
Shen Ying shrugged helplessly. "You’re the one who said sothing misleading. Can’t bla for that."
Still fuming, Xing Jiale watched as Shen Ying and Xia ng huddled together over a phone, whispering and giggling. Unable to resist, he asked, "What are you two doing?"
Shen Ying replied casually, "Oh, just picking people to hang out with this weekend."
The phrasing struck Xing Jiale as odd. He glanced at Xia ng. "I thought you were eting up with friends outside school?"
Xia ng exchanged a look with Shen Ying before answering, "They’re not exactly close friends."
Before Xing Jiale could process that, Shen Ying added, "By the way, don’t follow around this weekend."
"We want to relax without distractions. Having you there would just make things awkward."
Xing Jiale’s temper flared. "Who the hell wants to follow you? I’m only doing this because those three assholes forced !"
"Harassing at school isn’t enough—now you want to invade my weekend too? Dream on."
Shen Ying nodded, satisfied. "Perfect."
Shen Ying was happy. Xing Jiale was happy. But Zhong Chen and the other two? Not so much.
"No way. You have to stay with her this weekend," Zhong Chen insisted.
Xing Jiale was baffled. "Why the hell should I?"
Gong Zhaoxi rolled his eyes. "You idiot, don’t you rember what kind of ‘friends’ Xia ng has outside school?"
Xing Jiale scoffed. "Not my problem. Even if her friends are pole dancing or stripping or doing wet T-shirt contests, it’s none of my business."
Zhong Chen snapped, "It is your business! You’re keeping an eye on my girlfriend for ."
"She’s young, beautiful, and rich. There’s no shortage of gold-diggers trying to get close to her."
"I can’t personally start drama, and I can’t confront her without solid proof. That’s your job."
Xiao Yun added, "If it’s not so sketchy etup, great. But if it is, you’d better find a way to chase those people off for us."
Xing Jiale stared at them for a long mont before deadpanning, "So you’re basically hiring as your fucking marriage detective?"
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