Chapter 29: The Silent Her 1

In the narrow alley where even the afternoon sunlight struggled to penetrate, Jiang Chi walked with a satchel slung across his shoulder. 

The morning had been packed with classes, but the afternoon was free, and there were no evening self-study sessions either.

On a normal day, Jiang Chi would have spent the entire afternoon in the library.

Lately, however, whenever he tried to read there, the overly enthusiastic literature club president-clearly with ulterior motives-would always approach him with a book in hand, peppering him with questions.

The questions alone wouldn’t have been so bad, but the overpowering scent of her heavy makeup and the undisguised, deliberate way she tried to get close made his stomach churn with disgust.

So, he decided to go home to study instead.

“P-please… don’t come any closer… I’ll give you the money…”

“That’s more like it, little sister. Don’t worry, big bro’s just borrowing it—I’ll pay you back next time.”

“Though… this doesn’t seem like enough. How about I take you somewhere nice, hm? Hehehe~ I hear they specialize in helping poor students like you~~”

“Keh keh keh!”

In the dimly lit alley, three thugs surrounded a girl, taunting and pressuring her with crude remarks.

The girl was plain-looking, with an average build. 

She bit her lip hard, crouching in the corner with her arms wrapped around her head. 

Jiang Chi happened to pass by.

Then… he glanced at the girl, then at the menacing trio of thugs, and without another moment’s hesitation, turned and walked away briskly.

The three thugs sneered in disdain-they had thought he might be someone noteworthy, but he turned out to be nothing but a coward. 

Their leering gazes returned to the girl trembling in the corner.

Her shoulders shook as she curled in on herself.

Ding-a-ling…

Ding, ding, ding…

Just as the thugs were about to make their move, a crisp, melodious chime rang out from behind them.

“Boss, that sound… Hiss! Why does it sound so familiar?”

“N-no way…..It can’t be that much of a coincidence.”

“B-b-boss, b-behind you…”

Ding-a-ling…

The bell chimed again, clear and bright.

A strong hand clamped down on the thug leader’s shoulder.

The leader stiffly turned his head and saw a handsome young man in a white T-shirt, casually swinging a golden bell in his hand. 

The boy grinned at him.

“I warned you!” 

The youth lifted the thug leader and slammed him onto the ground, snatching the metal pipe from his grip.

“Stay away from girls from my school!”

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two more strikes landed on the other thugs’ legs, sending them crumpling to the ground.

“Far away!!”

Ji Yuenian was in a foul mood—not only had the school heartthrob brushed past him again, but his mind kept replaying those deep, indifferent blue eyes that held not a shred of concern.

The things he had schemed so hard to obtain were nothing more than casually picked-up toys in Jiang Chi’s eyes!

He hadn’t even spared a single extra emotion-just a dismissive “Hm.”

With no classes in the afternoon, Ji Yuenian had originally planned to go for a foot massage to cool off. 

But as he took a shortcut through the alley, he heard the commotion and curiously moved closer.

Now, Ji Yuenian planted his foot on the thug leader’s back and turned to the shivering girl in the corner.

“Hey, classmate, how much did these scumbags extort from you?”

“T-two hundred fifty,” the girl stammered.

“Alright.” 

Ji Yuenian nodded, snatching the wallet from the thug’s arms. 

He took out a few bills and tossed them to her. 

“Here, kid. Get going. Avoid this route in the future-it’s not safe.”

The girl picked up the money, muttered a thanks, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Ji Yuenian crouched down and “gently” tapped the gang leader’s face with the steel pipe, grinning as he asked, “Wu Fan, remember what I told you before?”

“Stay away from my school and the girls there!”

The cold steel pipe scraped against the thug’s face, the icy sting making him feel as if his skin had been sliced open. 

He gritted his teeth in pain but, for the sake of his pride in front of his lackeys, forced himself to stay defiant.

The pipe knocked twice against the thug’s skull with dull thuds. 

Ji Yuenian pressed his foot harder on the man’s chest, making it hard for him to breathe. 

The boy’s voice, like a demon’s whisper, rang in his ears.

“Last time, this time—you really don’t learn, do you? Think I can’t handle you?”

Clang!

Ji Yuenian casually tossed the pipe aside and stood up, rolling his wrists with a crack.

“Perfect timing. I’m in a bad mood today. You three-fight me. Win, and I let you go. Lose, and you kneel and call me ‘Daddy.” 

Before the words even settled, the three thugs on the ground exchanged glances and lunged at him.

Three minutes later, Ji Yuenian spat out a mouthful of blood, his left cheek slightly swollen. 

In exchange, the three thugs lay curled up like shrimp, bruised and groaning in pain. 

He planted a domineering foot on Wu Fan’s chest, forcing out ragged coughs, and swept a cold gaze over them. 

“Now-you submitting?”

“Y-yes,” Wu Fan whimpered.

“Then stay the hell away from my school!” 

Ji Yuenian released his foot, yanking the man up by the collar. 

At 183 cm tall, his towering frame cast a shadow that swallowed the thug whole.

“I don’t care what you do to other schools, but this turf—Wanqing Yongxing—is under the protection of Ji Yuenian, head of the Sports Department!”

“And now-kneel! Call me ‘Daddy’!”

“Stop.”

A voice cut in.

Ji Yuenian turned to see the newcomer-a figure in a white T-shirt, face obscured by a mask and gloves, save for a pair of strikingly azure eyes.

It was Jiang Chi, who should’ve left long ago.

“Jiang Chi?” 

Ji Yuenian gritted his teeth, cracking his knuckles, his expression darkening. 

“What? Speaking up for outsiders now? Our illustrious school heartthrob colluding with thugs?”

“No.” 

Jiang Chi shook his head. 

“The police are coming.”

“What?” Ji Yuenian’s expression shifted.

“The police are coming,” Jiang Chi repeated, lifting his phone and giving it a shake. 

“I called them.”

After a pause, he added, “Not for you. For these extortionists.”

But Ji Yuenian seemed to ignore that. 

He hastily pulled Wu Fan up, stuffing ten hundred-yuan bills into the thug’s arms. 

“Old rules. Take your guys and scram. If you get caught, you don’t mention me—or you’re dead.”

“And take this for your medical bills!”

With that, he kicked and cursed the trio until they fled.

After finishing all this, Ji Yuenian turned to the blue-eyed boy wearing a mask not far in front of him, his expression dark. 

“Why are you still here?”

“Let me tell you, what happened today stays between you, me, and him. But if the school’s academic affairs office finds out…” 

Ji Yuenian flexed his wrist, his fist the size of a sandbag cracking ominously, carrying an unspoken threat.

If word of an off-campus fight reached the academic affairs office, his chance at being this year’s Model Student would be ruined. 

It wasn’t the meager prize money Ji Yuenian cared about, but his reputation.

“I won’t say anything,” Jiang Chi replied calmly. 

He took something out of his satchel and walked over to hand it to Ji Yuenian.

“Here.”

Ji Yuenian looked down. In the palm of the white glove was a band-aid.