Chapter 3: The Arrogant and Domineering Fake Young Master 03 Part 2

Chen Ziping punched the wall in frustration. He knew Xu Zhaochen wasn’t someone they could offend, but seeing the counselor smooth things over like this still left him seething.

Shen Ji slowly pulled at the corner of his mouth.

He said, “I understand.”

Compared to the furious Chen Ziping, Shen Ji—the one involved—seemed overly calm. Wu Bo felt uneasy, afraid Shen Ji might do something drastic. He added, “I know you’ve been wronged, but at least nothing major happened. Graduating safely is what matters most. Your future is boundless—there’s no need to stoop to their level and ruin yourself. It’s not worth it.”

Shen Ji turned to look at Wu Bo, his dark eyes calm and unrippled. He said hoarsely, “I know. Teacher Wu, don’t worry about me.”

Wu Bo repeated his advice several more times, and seeing that Shen Ji truly seemed to have let it go, he finally left.

Chen Ziping was still indignant.

But Shen Ji had already calmed down from his anger.

The first time Xu Zhaochen came after him, he’d still held onto a shred of hope—thinking he could stay out of it. But from today’s behavior, Xu Zhaochen had clearly marked him for a grudge and wouldn’t let it go. In that case, he couldn’t just sit and wait.

Shen Ji hadn’t considered going to the school. For something this minor, without evidence, making a fuss would only bring humiliation upon himself. Wu Bo’s attitude had already made that clear. As for Gu Yu… she wasn’t even in his considerations.

Shen Ji had understood one truth since childhood: in this society, the only person he could rely on was himself.

Though Xu Zhaochen seemed able to do whatever he pleased, able to solve most problems with money, Wu Bo’s words made Shen Ji realize this was also Xu Zhaochen’s weakness—it showed that Xu Zhaochen didn’t dare blow things up, that he wasn’t entirely without scruples.

Xu Zhaochen had a price he couldn’t afford to pay. And Shen Ji wasn’t without the strength to fight back.

Shen Ji packed up his textbooks and clothes. He looked around the dorm, interrupted Chen Ziping’s grumbling, and said calmly, “I’m going to stay somewhere else for a few days. Contact me if anything comes up.”

Chen Ziping was startled, then said, “That’s probably for the best.”

Xu Zhaochen could brazenly block his way right at the dorm. It really wasn’t safe for Shen Ji to keep staying here. Better to go somewhere else and avoid trouble.

Beneath his bangs, Shen Ji’s eyes were cold and sharp. Without hesitation, he walked out of the dorm.

…

Li Ye left the dormitory building, the smile fading from his face.

Wang Shao, familiar with Xu Zhaochen’s temper, tentatively spoke up: “Want me to have someone teach that kid a lesson?”

Li Ye raised an eyebrow. “Sure.”

Wang Shao immediately ordered his lackeys to stake out Shen Ji. After giving the orders, he smiled and asked Li Ye, “Where does Young Master Xu want to go tonight? I’ll arrange it.”

Li Ye shook his head lazily. “No need.”

It was just acting. He had no interest in fooling around with this bunch every day. Occasionally skipping wouldn’t affect the Character Persona. Today’s Plot was already complete. Li Ye drove straight home.

He’d returned early today. Neither Xu Wenheng nor He Yaxin was home.

Xu Wenheng’s work was always busy. He Yaxin had gone shopping with her girlfriends.

Li Ye sat alone on the sofa, thought for a moment, then curled his lips and sent Gu Yu a message—wrapping up today’s work.

As a shameless, persistent suitor, being tactless and digging to the bottom of things was perfectly normal, wasn’t it?

…

The Gu Family Main Residence.

Old Master Gu liked having the family together, lively and bustling. So at the beginning of every month, the whole family gathered for a meal—a show of filial piety.

Old Master Gu had three children: eldest son Gu Bo’an, second daughter Gu Peipei, and third son Gu Baichong.

Though Gu Bo’an was the eldest son, he disliked the smell of money and had no interest in inheriting the company. He and his wife spent their days traveling.

Gu Peipei, on the other hand, was a career woman—capable and ambitious. She’d founded her own company early on.

So the heavy responsibility of inheriting the family business fell on Gu Baichong’s shoulders.

Gu Yu was Gu Bo’an’s daughter, and Old Master Gu’s only granddaughter. Old Master Gu doted on her above all. He had no patience for anyone else, but with Gu Yu he was always genial—a completely different person.

Gu Yu spent a long time keeping the old man company. By the time she left, it was already dark, so she decided to stay the night at the Main Residence.

The Gu Family Main Residence sprawled over a large area, with a vast, lush garden. Gu Yu sat on the swing, frowning at her phone.

She’d messaged Shen Ji today, telling him about her encounter with Xu Zhaochen. But Shen Ji hadn’t replied for so long—could something have happened to him? The more Gu Yu thought about it, the more worried she became. She sent Shen Ji a few more messages, asking if he was alright.

But Shen Ji still gave no response.

It was already ten at night.

Just as Gu Yu was about to ask around for news—nearly worried enough to call the police—Shen Ji finally replied. Very concisely: I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.

Though the tone was still cold, Gu Yu let out a breath of relief. At least he was safe.

It seemed Xu Zhaochen hadn’t gone after Shen Ji after all, right?

She put the matter aside and was about to go rest when another message popped up on her phone. Gu Yu was speechless when she saw it.

Xu Zhaochen: Why are you so concerned about Shen Ji? Do you really not like Shen Ji? What exactly do I lack compared to Shen Ji?

Gu Yu irritably shut off her phone. But she’d barely taken two steps when she ran into Gu Baichong.

Gu Baichong had a cigarette between his fingers, half his figure in the shadow of the trees, indistinct. His narrow eyes held a faint smile as he teased, “Who’s upset our Eldest Young Mistress?”

Gu Yu thought her luck was truly terrible—why did her Third Uncle always catch her when that guy made her angry? She said ruefully, “Who else could it be.”

Gu Baichong raised an eyebrow. “Xu Zhaochen is still pursuing you? Quite persistent… You really don’t like him at all?”

Gu Yu pondered for a long time, as if searching for Xu Zhaochen’s merits. Finally she said darkly, “What’s there to like about him? Nothing but a pretty face.”

Gu Baichong smiled noncommittally. “Is that so.”

…

On the other side.

Shen Ji bought a phone at a secondhand shop for two hundred yuan and inserted his old SIM card. Several messages popped up at once—all from Gu Yu, clearly very worried about him. Shen Ji was silent for a moment, then replied.

The old district around S University was a tangled maze. Near the university were many hostels and internet cafés. In the night, their colorful neon lights were like some kind of monster, squatting over the city.

Shen Ji confirmed no one was following him, and his figure quickly vanished into the night.

The following week passed quietly.

Gu Yu was finally free of Xu Zhaochen’s harassment—a few days of peace at last. And Shen Ji seemed safe and sound, as if the earlier episode had passed.

But Wang Shao knew otherwise.

In a private club’s VIP room, the lighting was dim, the coffee table covered in liquor bottles. Besides Wang Shao and his hangers-on, Li Ye was sitting right there in the middle of the sofa. He seemed to be in a bad mood, his expression gloomy enough that no one dared approach.

Wang Shao had checked his phone several times that evening. The men he’d sent to tail Shen Ji still hadn’t reported back.

These past few days, Shen Ji went to class as usual, attended activities, studied in the library, ate in the cafeteria. But wherever Shen Ji appeared, it was always in crowded public places. Wang Shao’s men had no opportunity to act—they could only watch helplessly.

Even they didn’t dare beat someone up in broad daylight. If it got filmed and posted online, they’d be in deep trouble too—they’d definitely get beaten when they got home.

So Wang Shao had arranged for people to keep watch, waiting for Shen Ji to be alone before striking. But the kid was slippery as an eel—never went back to the dorm, vanished the moment school ended, leaving them no way to track him. They’d tried pumping Shen Ji’s classmates for information, but no one knew where he’d gone.

Meanwhile, Shen Ji roamed free and unbothered, brazenly going to school by day, and by night leading Wang Shao’s men on a chase… And for a whole week, they hadn’t touched a single hair on Shen Ji’s head. Li Ye had already lost his temper several times.

Wang Shao knew this couldn’t go on. So he contacted a friend from the underworld. When the friend heard it was just a college student, he pounded his chest and guaranteed he’d have Shen Ji tied up and delivered today…

But it was already so late. Why still no word?

Because his mind was elsewhere, Wang Shao had been distracted all evening. Suddenly his phone buzzed in his pocket. He quickly stepped aside to take the call.

A gruff male voice came through: “You said this kid was just an ordinary college student? My men followed him all the way, and he led them into an alley and beat them up. Damn, he hits harder than my guys.”

Wang Shao said anxiously, “You didn’t catch him?”

The voice said impatiently, “No. One of my men got a rib broken. You’re paying for the medical bills.”

Wang Shao ground his teeth. “You didn’t get the job done and you still want money?”

The voice carried a veiled threat: “It’s because the information you provided was wrong that we failed. Of course you have to pay. My men can’t get hurt for nothing.”

Wang Shao took a deep breath and said coldly, “Fine, you want money? Bring your men here and I’ll pay you double.”

He hung up.

Li Ye sat back lazily on the sofa, legs crossed, one hand holding a wine glass which he gently swirled. The red liquid set off his long fingers, fair as snow.

Wang Shao’s frustration was all too visible to him.

It seemed things weren’t going smoothly…

A faint, indifferent smile appeared in Li Ye’s eyes. He watched coldly from the sidelines.

Three strikes and out—Shen Ji had suffered from carelessness the first two times. Now he was on guard. As the Child of the Plane, he naturally wasn’t someone these Cannon Fodder could easily deal with.

Li Ye was quite satisfied with Shen Ji’s performance these past days—even better than he’d expected. Wang Shao had eaten this loss for sure.

When Wang Shao put away his phone and came back.

Li Ye took a sip of wine, as if he hadn’t seen what just happened, and turned to ask, “Did you catch him?”

Wang Shao had taken the initiative on this matter earlier, but now he couldn’t deliver Shen Ji. He paused, then said in a low voice, “Not yet…”

Crash—

The piercing sound silenced the entire VIP room. Everyone looked over.

Li Ye had hurled his wine glass to the floor. He looked at Wang Shao and said coldly, word by word: “Useless!”

Deep in Wang Shao’s eyes, a flash of hostility flickered and vanished. His fists clenched at his sides. He too was a proud rich kid—it was only because his family’s business depended on the Xu Family that he had to bow and scrape to Xu Zhaochen, catering to this spoiled young master day after day.

But not only did Xu Zhaochen treat him like a lackey, he also flew into rages at the slightest provocation, publicly humiliating him. If Xu Zhaochen weren’t a Xu, he’d have taught him a lesson long ago!

Wang Shao stared fixedly at the person before him.

The young man’s fair face was still bright in the dim light. Those beautiful eyes, filled with fury, somehow gained a touch of vivid, alluring color—like a thorned, poisonous flower blooming brazenly amid rot and decay.

He used to think Xu Zhaochen was just a pretty worthless thing. But at some point, something seemed to have changed…

Wang Shao took a deep breath, slowly suppressing the hostility in his heart. He ground out two words: “My apologies.”

He couldn’t afford to fall out with Xu Zhaochen yet.

Li Ye’s tone was cool. “Don’t disappoint me again.”

Wang Shao hid the strange look in his eyes, his tongue pressing against his lower jaw. “I understand.”

Li Ye glanced down at Wang Shao.

The hostility in Wang Shao’s eyes just now hadn’t escaped him. It seemed this lackey had been dissatisfied with Xu Zhaochen for a long time—which was why he’d been so eager to jump out once Xu Zhaochen fell from power.

Hah. Li Ye withdrew his gaze carelessly.

Though he’d said what he said, when it came to dealing with Shen Ji, Li Ye had never counted on Wang Shao.

Wang Shao was no match for Shen Ji.

But soon, Shen Ji would face the greatest difficulty of his life. In the end, he would still have to bow his head to him. This was, perhaps, the darkness before dawn.