Chapter 15: The Confrontation at the School Gate

She had caught the early bus to Capital University, and as soon as she got off, she saw not far ahead a few wealthy heirs stepping out of several black luxury cars. Their drivers handed their schoolbags to them with utmost respect.

Zhong Huayan thought one of them looked vaguely familiar. As she walked closer, she glanced sideways and caught a glimpse of the school badge on his white uniform. The badge was emblazoned with the words: "Vice President of the Student Council, Xu Chuyin."

The boy's complexion was pale and cold, his features strikingly handsome, and he too had noticed her.

“That watch is indeed a fake,” he remarked.

She was eating breakfast, nodded languidly, but in the next second, the boy revealed a darker side.

“So, I’m in a terrible mood. My brother actually gave me a fake watch. Should I take it out on you?”

She tossed the remains of her breakfast into a nearby trash can, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. “Your brother is so rich and yet gives you a fake watch. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t like you—the illegitimate son.”

Those three words made the veins on the back of his hand bulge, his eyes tinged with red.

She added more fuel to the fire. “Don’t be upset. Everyone sees you as a member of the Xu family; no one dares to mock you to your face. Your mother is impressive too, targeting the Xu family fortune and bringing you into this world. Think about it—how could your brother ever like you? He probably wishes you were dead.”

Xu Chuyin was already seething with anger so early in the morning. He had never expected that the girl who used to like him, who would never speak up even when being bullied, could be so sharp-tongued and merciless.

“Xu Chuyin, it seems Xu Yuan was right—she’s really lost her memory,” said another girl, her hair cut short with bangs.

She resembled a bird—slender in build, with pointed ears and thin lips. Clearly of mixed heritage, though not the kind that was considered beautiful; she needed makeup to cover her flaws. She was tall and dressed very properly, the badge on her uniform reading: “Student Council President, Guan Yuxi.”

“Don’t make a scene outside the school. Later, bring her to the indoor pool.”

Zhong Huayan vaguely recalled that the Guan family had been abroad in the past; she didn’t know when they’d returned.

“Guan Yuxi? May I ask, what is Guan Yujing to you?”

Her offhanded question sent a ripple through the cold indifference in the other’s eyes.

Guan Yuxi stalked forward and grabbed Zhong Huayan by the collar.

Up close, Zhong Huayan saw that her face was almost feral.

“He’s my uncle. Don’t you dare mention his name in front of me. Who told you that—your sponsor?”

“Oh, yes, it was my sponsor. He said the Guan family only has Guan Yujing’s line; he’s never heard of any daughters.”

Back when Zhong Huayan was making waves in the capital, she had seen the Guan family’s display of power. Besides Guan Yujing, who was unrivaled, the rest of the relatives had to obey his commands. Guan Yuxi and her father must have lived under the shadow of that uncle since childhood. All the family connections and influence from their grandfather, from everyone, had gone to the uncle.

She’d witnessed first-hand how cold, ruthless, and selfish Guan Yujing was. In public, he had no qualms about humiliating their entire family. He even prohibited any collateral branches from meddling in the core industry of the Guan family during high-level business gatherings.

So the outside world believed the Guan family had produced only one direct male heir for three generations.

“What right does a chicken like you, Li Yanyan, have to judge my family? You should have been born lowly and die lowly too!”

Furious and humiliated, she spat out, “My parents are both educators, so were my grandparents, and my second brother is a researcher. In contrast, your whole family relies on your uncle’s support. Aside from a bit of money, what contribution have you made to society? I nearly forgot—your Guan family originally operated overseas, making money off the Chinese and ingratiating yourselves with foreign circles. If anyone’s lowly, it’s you!”

Zhong Huayan had always wanted to speak these words for the real Li Yanyan. Her family was not there to be insulted at will; they were a scholarly clan who deserved respect. The truly disgusting ones were these twisted, second-generation heirs!

“No wonder you and Xu Chuyin get along so well—birds of a feather. One’s mother is a tramp who climbed into a married man’s bed; the other’s father is a coward who’d rather beg his younger brother for scraps than work for a living. And you still have the nerve to gang up on others!”

Her voice thundered through the air. Around them, students quickly pulled out their phones to record the scene, no longer eager to play lackeys for the rich but choosing instead to observe and record in silence.

Most only knew bits and pieces about the powerful families, but hearing it all laid bare with their own ears left them utterly shocked. Some gossipy students turned away to post about it on the school forum.

[I'm stunned! School hunk Xu Chuyin really is an illegitimate son! That’s basically confirmed now—I used to think it was just a rumor.]

[Li Yanyan must be telling the truth. Yesterday, I saw Xu Yaochuan with her in a car at the school gate!]

[Why is the Guan family so messed up? So the eldest Miss is really that low in the family?]

[I only found out today that Li Yanyan comes from a family of intellectuals. I used to call her names…]

Xu Yuan arrived at school a little later, having stopped to fix her hair. She’d heard the whole argument clearly. Her driver handed her schoolbag to her with respect.

She sneered, but did not step forward, instead walking alone into Capital University.

She was the one truly born of noble blood. Xu Chuyin, an illegitimate child, was only fit to serve her tea. As for Guan Yuxi, after hearing what Li Yanyan had just said, she suddenly felt even more superior.

“Li Yanyan! Go to hell! Who gave you the right to slander me like this!”

Guan Yuxi’s usual aloof and rational demeanor shattered in an instant. Enraged, she began to tremble and seized the other girl by the throat.

Zhong Huayan was not one to cower. She’d been choked only days ago—was it to happen again today?

Without hesitation, she pressed her lit cigarette directly onto the veins bulging on Guan Yuxi’s hand.

“Go ahead and hit me in front of everyone. All the videos are rolling. When this gets out, your father will probably beg your uncle to clean up your mess again!”

Xu Chuyin saw that things were getting out of hand. The students’ curiosity was growing; no one wanted to leave. If the fight broke out, it would be hard to contain.

He hurriedly pulled them apart. On Zhong Huayan’s fair hand, the cigarette had left a blackened, red burn.

“Guan Yuxi! Calm down! We’ll take her to the old place later. Don’t make a scene in public!”

With sheer force, he separated the two girls.

For the first time at Capital University, the wealthy heirs did not come out on top. Instead, their wounds were laid bare, and they slunk away like defeated dogs.

Though the surrounding students said nothing, their opinion of Li Yanyan grew more favorable. Out of curiosity, perhaps, but also because seeing both sides clash was far more entertaining than one-sided victory.