Chapter Six: The Roadblock

Chen Hongxu couldn’t understand why a wealthy heiress like Xue Xi would seek him out, but that didn’t stop him from taking her in. In the face of absolute strength, every scheme and ploy is but a passing cloud.

Besides, having someone around to keep the increasingly unreliable Bingling in check was not a bad thing, Chen Hongxu thought to himself as he turned and walked toward the kitchen.

Xue Xi cast a glance at Chen Hongxu as he disappeared into the kitchen, a faint smile tugging at her lips. She fixed her gaze on Bingling and whispered, “You may be beautiful, but I’m not lacking either. Besides, I have plenty of money. Name your price—how much would it take for you to leave this man?”

Bingling looked down at Xue Xi, who was shorter than her and had to tilt her head up to speak at eye level. She casually scratched her ear, a roguish air about her. “First, thank you for your honesty. As for leaving Hongxu, you can forget it. The main issue isn’t with me—it’s him. He’s head over heels for me, won’t let me go. It’s heartbreaking, really. If I just up and left, what if he couldn’t take it and did something rash?”

Bingling faced Xue Xi with her own sense of pride: women as beautiful as herself weren’t as tall, and those as tall weren’t as beautiful. As a spirit, she was naturally unaware that Xue Xi’s slightly raised chin was simply a habitual posture, not a deliberate show of superiority.

Xue Xi’s brows knitted in annoyance. She cursed under her breath, “What a load of nonsense.” In her mind, with that flash of red in his eyes, could that cold and detached youth really be suicidal? And according to the information she’d gathered...

“Believe it or not,” Bingling said with a satisfied smile, seeing she’d provoked Xue Xi. She ignored the girl, turning over to sprawl across the newly delivered sofa, claiming it as her own. It wasn’t that Bingling didn’t want to continue needling Xue Xi, but she’d watched too few dramas lately and was running low on tricks.

Xue Xi clenched her fists, glaring at the unladylike Bingling, fuming with resentment.

…

After a short while, Chen Hongxu emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of scrambled eggs, glancing at the two girls—one lying down, the other standing. He cleared his throat and said mildly, “Dinner’s ready.”

Bingling didn’t move, as if she were asleep. Xue Xi snorted, cursing her for putting on a show. Then, putting on a bright, surprised, and even slightly delighted smile, she hurried past Chen Hongxu into the kitchen, intent on bringing out the rest of the dishes.

But—

“What’s wrong?” Chen Hongxu placed the eggs on the table and went to the kitchen for bowls and chopsticks. Seeing Xue Xi standing there in a daze, he asked in confusion.

Xue Xi turned slowly, incredulity in her eyes. “Where’s the food?”

“I brought it out, didn’t I?”

“That counts as food?” Xue Xi swallowed hard, struggling to accept the reality.

…

Forced to accept the facts, Xue Xi sat down at the table with Chen Hongxu. Frowning as she struggled to swallow the meal, she shot a glance at the unbothered Bingling, who even seemed to be smirking, cursing her inwardly: That wretched woman must have her own stash of snacks somewhere. This is infuriating—I wasn’t prepared enough.

“Ugh!” She spat out a mouthful after an absentminded bite. “Did you forget the salt?”

An otherwise unremarkable dinner became lively thanks to an extra guest. After the meal, with Xue Xi’s help, the table was cleared. Chen Hongxu led her to the room where a new bed had been set up that afternoon and, without looking back, asked, “You really plan to stay here?”

“Yes.”

“There aren’t many rules in my place. I don’t know what you’re after, but don’t bring me any trouble. I mean it,” Chen Hongxu said, pausing at the doorway and looking back at Xue Xi, whose head was bowed low.

“Okay.”

“Then let’s introduce ourselves properly.” Chen Hongxu smiled, extending his hand. “Hello, I’m Chen Hongxu.”

Xue Xi suddenly grew a bit shy. She hesitated, then lightly touched his hand and whispered, “Xue Xi.”

…

Troublesome women will always find ways to bring you trouble.

Just as Xue Xi, for reasons unknown, managed to win over all the school administrators and teachers.

Since she’d taken care of everyone, how could the teachers possibly stand by and let a promising youth wander aimlessly in a world so full of intrigue, without achieving anything in his studies?

“What a bother.” Chen Hongxu leaned on his desk, chin in hand, gazing out the window at the scenery beyond the classroom and sighing.

“Hey…” Xue Xi quietly sidled up to Chen Hongxu, who had switched seats to sit near the door, and murmured in his ear, “What are you thinking about?”

Chen Hongxu was surprised by this woman, who had only just transferred schools but was already stirring up storms. No matter how she dressed, she looked like a woman in her twenties, yet she was actually the same age as him.

Originally, Xue Xi wanted them to be in the same class, but at Chen Hongxu’s insistence, she relented.

After returning to school, Chen Hongxu learned how Xue Xi had found him. After all, given his age, it was likely he was a student. He’d even told Situ Shan his name. With Xue Xi’s entourage of bodyguards, it hadn’t been difficult to dig up his background.

Chen Hongxu shot Xue Xi a glare and ignored her, switching hands to prop up his head and dozing off.

“Come for a walk with me,” Xue Xi pouted. Making a fuss was her specialty, though she usually reserved these antics for Xue Baishu.

Tears welled in Xue Xi’s eyes as she tugged at Chen Hongxu’s arm, shaking it for all she was worth, her face full of grievance.

Their classmates stared in disbelief, baffled by Chen Hongxu’s indifference to such a high-born young lady. Among them, a pair of hostile eyes watched with resentment.

Unable to shake her off and unwilling to scold her in front of so many students—since he had no intention of revealing his differences—Chen Hongxu let Xue Xi have her way.

With a triumphant smile, Xue Xi dragged him around the small campus, as if she wanted everyone to know this man was hers.

“Disgusting pair…” Watching from the school building, Xiao Fei cursed them bitterly. For Chen Hongxu, this was an undeserved disaster. In her eyes, his fate was either to die, or if not, to be a stranger. But Xue Xi, the newcomer, was different. She was beautiful, her family powerful—far above Xiao Fei’s status at school.

A woman’s jealousy can be fierce. A cold glint flashed in Xiao Fei’s eyes.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

Chen Hongxu stuffed his books into his desk and stood up to leave. Back at school, he was no longer a target for bullying. With his reputation and Xue Xi’s protection, no one dared lay a finger on him.

Xue Xi seemed to know Chen Hongxu wouldn’t wait for her after school, so she waited at the gate in advance.

“Have you been waiting long?” Chen Hongxu asked, not breaking stride as Xue Xi fell in step beside him.

“No,” Xue Xi replied softly, head lowered, clutching her bag—thinking that skipping class for fifteen minutes wasn’t too long a wait.

Chen Hongxu couldn’t understand what went on in Xue Xi’s mind—she had a luxury car but wouldn’t use it, had a mansion but insisted on crowding into his place. As for the bodyguards—well, of course, it was safer near him.

Still, having someone to walk with wasn’t such a bad feeling.

They walked in silence.

Since Xue Xi had paid a generous rent and clarified it included food, utilities, and a protection fee, she insisted on going to the supermarket for groceries—she refused to keep mistreating her stomach.

She’d considered eating alone outside, but didn’t books say that as long as you stay by a man’s side, he’ll never leave you? With that in mind, Xue Xi was willing to put up with a little hardship for the sake of having a strong bodyguard—something Chen Hongxu had no idea about.

Leading his new benefactor through the streets, Chen Hongxu spotted a large supermarket ahead and shook his head with a wry smile. Normally, he’d buy groceries at the local market, but since Xue Xi was paying and insisted that the best produce would be gone by the time they got there after school, he relented.

“Our place is really far from here. Why don’t I ask my dad to buy an apartment nearby? You can move in and live with me. I’ll still pay you rent and utilities—but only you can move in.” Standing in the alleyway, Xue Xi looked at the supermarket across the street, slightly out of breath.

Chen Hongxu had no intention of pondering such inscrutable matters—after all, who could decipher a woman’s mind, let alone two women’s?

Suddenly, Chen Hongxu raised his arm to block Xue Xi, who was walking with her head down, and sighed, “See? I knew you’d bring me trouble.”

The alleyway exit was now blocked, and the hoodlums who had been loitering at the entrance were cutting off their retreat. The group began closing in on Chen Hongxu and Xue Xi.

“Well, look who it is.” Chen Hongxu smirked, fixing his gaze on Li Peng behind the group of tattooed and tough-looking men. He whispered, “Sorry to drag you into this.”

Xue Xi finally understood the situation and said cheerfully, “So they’re after you. I was wondering why they looked so low-class... I mean, let me handle this.”

To Xue Xi, these petty thugs were hardly worth a second thought—no matter how menacing they looked, they were just ordinary people. Compared to those who coveted her family’s assets, these guys were almost cute.

Confident, Xue Xi stepped forward, chin raised, and sneered at the scar-faced leader, “Do you know who I am? Blocking our way to buy groceries? Do you have a death wish? Since I’m in a good mood, get lost now.”

The gangsters were taken aback. The scar-faced man turned to Li Peng, puzzled. “Pengzi, this the heiress you mentioned? Is she all there?”

Li Peng grinned, stepped up to the scar-faced man, and whispered something in his ear. Their leering glances in Xue Xi’s direction made it clear his words weren’t anything good.

Li Peng finished and swaggered forward, pointing at Chen Hongxu. “I’ll give you a chance. One-on-one. If you win, you can leave. If you lose, leave Xue Xi here for my buddies to enjoy for a couple of days. How about it? This is your only chance.” Clearly, he still couldn’t let go of being kicked in the groin by Chen Hongxu last time. In his mind, it had only been a sucker punch—otherwise, ten of these weaklings wouldn’t be his match. Besides, Xue Xi’s powerful background made it better to have a pretext than to pick a fight unprovoked.

Xue Xi, hearing this, smiled as if tempted. This rabble was no match for Chen Hongxu, was it?

Just as she was about to nod in agreement, Chen Hongxu shook his head and said calmly, “She’s not a commodity—she’s not up for wager.”

“Huh?” Xue Xi turned to look at him, stars shining in her eyes, her heart unexpectedly moved.

“Looking for trouble,” Li Peng snarled, charging at Chen Hongxu with a raised fist. “Let’s see you act tough now!”