Chapter 31: I Really Want to Kick Him

“Hey, Tao An, wake up!” Cheng Yuan glared at him. There he was, sprawled shamelessly on the ice bed again. How could someone be so brazen?

Just as she was racking her brain for ways to rouse him, Jun Nanye suddenly spoke. “You’re a senior in high school, right?”

She was young, stayed up past midnight every night, and still talked about being late for school. Even if she wasn’t a senior, she had to be in high school.

“So what if I am?” Cheng Yuan replied cautiously, her eyes narrowing as she thought, More than two million students take the college entrance exam each year. How could he possibly find me? That would be like searching for a needle in the ocean.

“I was the top scorer on the college entrance exam,” Jun Nanye said smoothly. “I can help you.”

“Don’t lie,” Cheng Yuan shot back. “You think being a top scorer is like picking cabbage off the ground? Unless you tell me the year you topped the exam so I can verify it…”

“I gave you my full name, but you still won’t tell me yours. Who’s the one lacking sincerity here?” he countered, still lying there like he had all the time in the world.

Cheng Yuan: “……”

“I can mail you study materials. If you don’t want to share your home address, just give me your school’s. These materials aren’t for sale—money can’t buy them. That way, I won’t know your identity, and you’ll still benefit. Isn’t that fair?”

Cheng Yuan stared at his impossibly handsome face and thought, If I fall for this, I’m an idiot. A guy like him clearly has connections. He’d find my school in no time.

“Getting into a good university is crucial for girls,” Jun Nanye added. “With these materials, you’re guaranteed admission to a top school. Not everyone gets access to the notes of a top scorer.”

“Thanks, but I don’t need them,” Cheng Yuan replied coolly. Her goal was Hai University—and she believed she could get in with her own efforts.

Without warning, she lunged forward, aiming to pry his eyes open.

But he was faster. In a flash, he had her pinned down.

Cheng Yuan: “……” I can’t beat him. How am I supposed to escape this icy hellhole?

“Ow! You’re hurting me,” she suddenly whimpered, her voice turning soft and delicate.

Jun Nanye’s heart skipped a beat. This was exactly what she’d done the night before. The only woman who could so easily set him ablaze.

“Tao An, are you even a man? Don’t you know how to treat a lady gently?” Her sweet, teasing voice practically melted the air around them.

Jun Nanye pressed his lips into a thin line. For the first time, he doubted his own self-control.

The moment he let her go, Cheng Yuan’s hand shot to his waist—pinching hard. If I hurt him, he’ll have to open his eyes!

But in the next moment, she was abruptly jolted awake in her own room.

She almost squealed with joy. Rubbing her hand, she muttered, “Is his waist made of iron? I couldn’t even pinch it!”

Nope. I absolutely can’t see him again.

Rolling over, she cleared her mind and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Hai City.

“Tao An,” Jun Nanye called out. “Pull the student rosters for all senior high schools in Hai City.”

“Huh? Why?” Tao An mumbled, rubbing his eyes groggily and yawning as he shuffled over.

Jun Nanye sat at his desk, legs crossed, fingers tapping rhythmically on the tabletop. “Any progress on the jade pendant investigation?”

“Nothing yet,” Tao An admitted. “Brother Nan, it’s not that I’m slacking. That pendant is ancient. The Gu family’s been searching for nearly twenty years with no luck. How am I supposed to find it? For all we know, it was lost or pawned off long ago…”

Lately, Tao An had been driven half-mad trying to track it down. He couldn’t conduct an open search, so he’d been investigating under the guise of looking into the Gu family.

But Jun Nanye’s mind was stuck on something Cheng Yuan had said: “I’ve worn this pendant since I was a child. How could it be your family’s heirloom?”

Since childhood… Could she be Gu Wan? The missing Gu family daughter from twenty years ago? Had they given her the pendant?

Senior in high school—around eighteen or nineteen years old. It lined up.

“Investigate all female senior students with the surname Gu,” he ordered. “No, scratch that—pull records for all female seniors. And keep it quiet.”

“Got it, Brother Nan,” Tao An replied with another huge yawn.

Jun Nanye stared at him, resisting the urge to kick him.

Tao An hunched further. “Brother Nan, if I don’t sleep, I won’t get anything done tomorrow. Jun Fengjin’s been acting real shady lately, copying everything we do. Especially with that East Bank land—we’ve gotta stay sharp. If he pulls any stunts, it could ruin us.”

“We need that land,” Jun Nanye said coldly. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes as he mentioned his half-brother. “Our proposal and pricing are the most competitive. If we lose the East Bank land, you’ll be digging for diamonds in Africa.”

“Please, no!” Tao An cried. “I swear I won’t mess this up.”

His first trip to Africa had been an adventure. After that? Just hearing the word made him break into a cold sweat.

They continued discussing business late into the night, until Tao An was half-asleep on his feet. “Brother Nan, I really can’t keep my eyes open,” he groaned. “If I don’t sleep now, we’ll fall behind tomorrow. I’m out.”

With that, he collapsed onto the sofa and passed out.

Jun Nanye stared at him in silence, then lay down himself. But no matter how many times he turned over, he couldn’t fall asleep—not even as dawn broke.

“Yuanyuan, have you been sneaking out at night lately?” Bei Xiaolin asked. She’d noticed Cheng Yuan looking increasingly worn out, her dark circles more prominent by the day.

“No,” Cheng Yuan replied simply. Truthfully, aside from studying, her biggest issue was insomnia. Either she couldn’t sleep at all, or she was plagued by vivid dreams that left her wide awake until morning.

It was strange. When she used to visit Sleeping Beauty, she’d sleep peacefully. But ever since she decided to stop seeing him, rest had become elusive. Lying there at night, every second seemed to stretch into eternity.

“Then why do you look so exhausted?” Bei Xiaolin asked, peering at her with concern.

“Probably mice in the house keeping me up,” Cheng Yuan said, brushing it off. “It’ll get better soon.” She quickly changed the subject to something school-related.

That evening, Yu Qing drove them home as usual. After dropping off Bei Xiaolin, only he and Cheng Yuan remained in the car.

“Don’t worry, Cheng Yuan,” Yu Qing said gently. “You’ve got a solid foundation, and there are still several months left. You’ll catch up.”

He assumed her exhaustion was due to academic stress.

Cheng Yuan: “……” If only he knew the real reason.