Pei Xingyan spent the entire night deep in thought.
Until the sun rose, he remained in the same long-held position, staring out the window.
He admitted to himself that he had been somewhat arrogant, believing he could effortlessly navigate around the two girls.
But reality had woken him up. He could no longer afford to be as careless as before, ignoring potential dangers.
There was still some time before the school’s highly anticipated sports meet began.
Pei Xingyan and the teammates he had just met were also assigned training sessions.
He considered every possible scenario and concluded the most dangerous would be if the two girls showed up at the training grounds to stir up trouble.
However, directly telling them not to come to the field would sound abrupt, even suspicious, as if trying to hide something.
Most likely, it would backfire.
An entire night passed, and he still couldn’t come up with a good plan. Fortunately, there were still several days before formal training started, so he had time.
Besides, there was something else to do today—he had arranged to investigate the situation regarding Associate Professor Yang’s daughter with Tang Xin.
…….
“Why do you look like a heavy smoker? Don’t tell me you’ve picked up some bad habits?”
Tang Xin sat in their usual spot, concern written all over her face.
“Stop jinxing me. If I really kick the bucket someday, who will be your black slave working for you?”
“Why black slave?” Tang Xin objected, “I only take 30%, the other 70% is yours. If anyone’s a black slave, it’s me, okay?”
“You just do nothing and still get 30%, isn’t that being heartless?”
“No, getting clients is important too, you know. Don’t you realize the most crucial part of any company is sales?”
“I don’t care,” Pei Xingyan whined like a kid throwing a tantrum, “You have to work harder this time, especially since you’re going to be the vanguard.”
“What? Me?” Tang Xin was shocked, “I can’t do it! I don’t know any of your tricks, I’m definitely going to mess it up.”
“Listen to me first…” Pei Xingyan yawned and slowly sat beside her. “What did you think of the situation with Professor Yang’s daughter the other day?”
“Uh…”
Tang Xin suddenly fell silent, unsure how to respond.
Although she had never actually participated in Pei Xingyan’s work, she had thought about it to some extent.
When she heard the professor’s story that day, she was confused. She couldn’t understand why anyone would choose to ruin themselves, especially without any apparent reason.
“Why do you ask?” Tang Xin hesitated, unwilling to admit she didn’t know in front of Pei Xingyan, which would make her look useless.
“Because understanding the reasons behind it is crucial for what we need to do… Unlike clients without specific demands, those with clear requests are easier to handle. Professor Yang arranged for her daughter to return to campus, back to the exam hall, right?” Pei Xingyan reasoned carefully. “So to solve the problem, the first step is to figure out why she wants to let herself go.”
“Alright, but I still…”
“Can’t figure it out?” Pei Xingyan asked.
“It’s not that I can’t…”
Tang Xin said, “It just seems unbelievable. No reason is enough. A girl with such a good family background shouldn’t be doing this, right?”
“Exactly, that’s the problem. Finding that reason is difficult.”
“To be honest…” Tang Xin hesitated and went in circles before finally saying, “I don’t know…”
“It’s okay,” Pei Xingyan shrugged, “I don’t know either. If you could reach a conclusion just from bits and pieces, that would be beyond human capability.”
“So what do we do…”
“We investigate.” Pei Xingyan was the epitome of optimism. “That’s why I said we need to do some groundwork.”
“Groundwork?”
“Yeah, you go scout ahead. You don’t need to find an answer right away, just gather enough information.” Pei Xingyan explained, “That’s why I said this time, I need your help to lead the charge.”
“Why don’t you go?” Tang Xin muttered.
“I can’t.” Pei Xingyan became serious. “Though she’s roughly the same age as us and already an adult, she’s still a high school student who hasn’t entered society yet. Their minds are sensitive—especially a girl like her. If I can’t hit the mark and truly move her, it’ll be difficult to do anything later. But you’re different—you just need to collect intel. You don’t have to worry about the rest; you can even disappear afterward.”
“Alright…”
Tang Xin nodded silently. She had only been complaining; she never intended to go against Pei Xingyan’s plan. And now that he had persuaded her at length, she had even less reason to refuse.
After all, this was their shared cause…
…….
“This high school is really terrible…”
Pei Xingyan squatted across the street from the school gate and voiced his sharp critique.
“That’s a bit harsh…” Tang Xin hung her head. She thought her own high school was worse, so if Pei Xingyan ever evaluated that one, it’d probably be called a toilet.
“How is it not harsh?” Pei Xingyan fumed, “Look at all these thugs gathered at the entrance. Damn it, are the security guards just there to eat and do nothing? If I were a guard, I’d grab a riot fork and send every one of them straight to hell.”
“…….”
“Hey, hey, look! Isn’t that the girl?” Pei Xingyan suddenly stopped his angry rant and quietly pointed her out to Tang Xin.
Among the crowd was a girl whose presence and beauty couldn’t be hidden even if she tried. Tall and graceful, she walked out of the school gate.
She towered over the other girls, her steps exuding a natural elegance that could only come from time and experience.
Some people can size up someone’s background just from the first glance, relying on discerning these subtle details rather than the easily changeable clothes they wear.
Tang Xin carefully compared her phone’s messages and nodded firmly. “That’s her… Oh my god. She looked good in the photos, but seeing her in person is something else. Like a princess.”
But this made it even harder for her to understand. “How could such a good girl end up like this?!”
Pei Xingyan had long stopped chatting and narrowed his eyes, focusing intently on this “little princess.”
It wasn’t just that she looked like a princess—she probably was one in reality.
From what he learned from Professor Yang, her name was Sui Xin.
Her surname was extremely rare, and people of significance with that surname were even fewer.
Pei Xingyan was certain that Professor Yang’s family was no ordinary one.
So considering her good family background, deep connections, and her age, he could almost pinpoint who her father was—down to a specific person.
Chances were, her father’s name often appeared in the news, frequently followed by the character “Chief.”
As for what exactly he was chief of, Pei Xingyan hadn’t watched the news for a long time and couldn’t say for sure. Perhaps very few people ranked above this Mr. Sui.
Recalling how Professor Yang lamented the helplessness of her and her husband, Pei Xingyan almost smiled.
Every family has its troubles—every great person has their worries.
He withdrew his thoughts and refocused his gaze on the girl.
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