CHAPTER 7: Crossing the Line 

Civil Code, seriously…

Old Master Yi immediately ordered someone to kick Yi Yao out of the house, saying, “If Xiaoya doesn’t come, don’t bother coming back yourself!”

How did he end up with such a wild-card son?

Yi Yao had been kidnapped when he was young and rescued later. But ever since, his personality had changed drastically—he always thought people were out to get him.

Even with family, he never let his guard down. He believed that as the only male heir, others would think he was a threat to the inheritance. Back in university, he had already started thinking about starting his own business rather than joining the Yi family company.

He believed that if he joined the family business, he’d be targeted, and conflict would be inevitable.

“Just remember—real estate only. No stocks. Give her a few properties so she can collect rent,” Yi Yao added.

“…,” Old Master Yi’s mouth twitched. This son really was his biological child, not picked up from the trash. If Yi Yao had been adopted, he would’ve long since terminated the adoption.

Sigh. Old Master Yi knew Yi Yao had trauma, and the psychologist had said Yi Yao’s condition wasn’t too bad—he could still live a fairly normal life.

The Yi family was used to his paranoia by now. But couldn’t he just bring his daughter over?

Were they supposed to wait even longer?

Was he going to make them wait until Yi Xiaoya finished her college entrance exam?

That was still more than a year away! By then, wouldn’t she feel like her relatives never cared about her?

And yet, none of them dared push Yi Yao too far—what if next time he hid the girl away entirely?

When Yi Yao returned home, Yi Xiaoya was already back.

She pulled out a few photos from her backpack and showed them to her dad.

“You’re in your second year of high school and already thinking about dating?” Yi Yao raised an eyebrow.

“No, this is my brother. Cousin. The blood-related kind. The kind you can’t marry,” Yi Xiaoya said.

“Oh.” Yi Yao nodded. “Okay then.”

“Don’t you think he’s pretty good-looking?” Yi Xiaoya asked.

“Just get to the point,” Yi Yao said.

“Dad,” Yi Xiaoya massaged Yi Yao’s shoulders. “Don’t you have a film company? Or plans to invest in film projects or boy group talent shows? You could let my brother join—keep the money in the family. Whoever earns it, it’s still money, right? Once he makes some, I’ll make him buy me gifts. That way, some of the money comes back to us. Don’t you think that’s smart?”

Yi Yao was about to eat some fruit already cut and placed on the table. When he heard what Yi Xiaoya said, he couldn’t help but turn to look at his daughter.

“Am I wrong?” Yi Xiaoya tilted her head.

“Weren’t you the one who wanted to get into the entertainment industry?” Yi Yao asked.

“Sure, I heard there’s a lot of money to be made in it,” Yi Xiaoya said. “I inherited your good looks, so I’ll definitely make it. Don’t you think so?”

“You always know how to take advantage of an opportunity,” Yi Yao said, speechless. “I told you to study chemistry and medicine, and now you want to enter showbiz? Forget it.”

Yi Yao didn’t mind investing in a film company—there was indeed money to be made in the entertainment industry. But that only applied to those in the mid-to-upper tiers with connections and resources. For those at the bottom, it wasn’t that easy. But since he’d seen what Yi Xiaoya was capable of in his dream, there was no way he’d let her become just another celebrity. She should become a scientist.

Being a scientist was great—respected, perhaps not paid as much, but remembered with honor in history. What they did was far more meaningful.

Of course, Yi Yao wasn’t exactly a selfless man. He just felt that a child’s future should have more purpose. If Yi Xiaoya insisted that being a celebrity was better, he wouldn’t stop her either.

“Fine, it’s not like I’m dying to be in the entertainment industry,” Yi Xiaoya said. “I’ve heard it’s pretty chaotic. But let my brother go. He’s a guy—he won’t suffer much. He’s currently a sports student and his academics aren’t great. If he could win an Olympic medal, that’d be one thing, but he can’t.”

Yi Xiaoya had known for a while that her brother became a sports student. She asked her foster parents and her brother if he could become an Olympic champion.

But Mother Lin flat-out said Lin Dahua didn’t have that kind of potential. Other people could do splash-less dives, while Lin Dahua would just kick someone into the pool. He became a sports student just to get into a college, not to win any medals.

“With a brain like his? Not that useful,” Yi Xiaoya said. “But he’s got good physical strength and some martial arts training. If he’s professional about it, he might even get some praise.”

Yi Xiaoya completely ignored her brother’s love for video games. Playing casually was fine—no need to go pro. He wasn’t cut out for it anyway. Once a hobby becomes a job, he might not even enjoy it anymore.

“As long as you can place in the chemistry competition, I’ll let him sign with the company,” Yi Yao said. “And once you get into a top 10 university, we’ll upgrade his contract to an S-tier one and groom him to be our top star.”

“Dad, do you think I’m stupid?” Yi Xiaoya said. “You think I’d just work hard for others without getting anything in return? If all the benefits go to my brother, I’d rather let him fend for himself.”

Yi Xiaoya made it clear: if she got nothing out of it, it was a no-go.

“You can make a collection of mistake sets. One wrong question earns you a hundred. Don’t think about cheating—I’ll be checking your work to see how well you’re doing afterward,” Yi Yao said. “If you can answer similar types of questions correctly later on, I’ll give you two hundred. But if you still get them wrong, you’ll owe me three hundred.”

“What?” Yi Xiaoya was stunned. “Three hundred… if I mess up, I’m basically losing two hundred!”

“Relax, you’re my only daughter. When I die, all my assets will be yours,” Yi Yao reassured her.

“…,” Yi Xiaoya had a black line across her forehead. What kind of comfort was that? She couldn’t possibly wish for her own dad to die soon—that’d be wrong.

“It’s a great deal—you can’t lose,” Yi Yao said. “Even your cousin works at our company. He’s making money for you too.”

Yi Xiaoya puffed up her cheeks. “Evil capitalist!”

“No worries, you’ll inherit your dad’s viciousness sooner or later,” Yi Yao said.

Yi Xiaoya: Help, how do I have a dad like this?

A new day began, and Yi Xiaoya was driven to school. Yi Yao had specially arranged for someone to pick her up and drop her off every day, just in case someone tried to kidnap her—or worse, she started slacking in her studies.

At school, everyone either thought Yi Xiaoya was in on a special admission or assumed she was the daughter of some nouveau riche.

The school had students split into small groups to make homework submission easier and allow group leaders to check on everyone’s recitations. Yi Xiaoya sat next to the group leader, Xiao Caiyu. Xiao Caiyu came from a well-off family, and many classmates wanted to be friends with her.

“Group Leader.” Yi Xiaoya didn’t think about anything else—she just called her “Group Leader.”

She called Xiao Caiyu “Group Leader” every single time. She didn’t think there was anything weird about it, but others thought she was trying to suck up to Xiao Caiyu. Yi Xiaoya herself had no clue what they were thinking—she just thought it was proper to address someone by their title.

After class, two girls came to chat with Xiao Caiyu. Her birthday was coming up in a few days. They asked how she planned to celebrate—would they be going to a bar, or would the Xiao family throw a birthday party?

“Wow, it’s almost my birthday too,” Yi Xiaoya said. “But I go by the lunar calendar.”

The girls nearby exchanged strange glances when they heard her say that. They figured she just wanted to tag along and hang out.

“Yi Xiaoya, you’re so opportunistic,” one girl said directly to her face.

Yi Xiaoya immediately sensed something was off. Opportunistic?

“Birthdays are more meaningful when you spend them with family,” Xiao Caiyu said with a smile. She turned to Yi Xiaoya. “Maybe your parents have something planned. They might be preparing a surprise for you.”

“Yeah, yeah, so don’t come with us,” another girl added. “Don’t make your parents sad.”

“I never said I wanted to go out with you guys,” Yi Xiaoya said, puzzled. “And I didn’t say I was inviting you over to my house to celebrate my birthday. I was just saying my birthday’s coming up too.”

Yi Xiaoya had figured it out—these people thought she was trying to freeload.

Tch. Who was trying to freeload?

She was still thinking of going back and doing a few more practice problems—maybe she could earn a few more hundred yuan in rewards.

“You’re just putting on a brave face,” someone muttered.

“…” Yi Xiaoya’s lips twitched. “If you say so, then I definitely won’t be inviting you to my place, and I’m definitely not going anywhere with you. You’re rich, and if you want to make it clear you’re picking on someone, just say so. No need for all this roundabout nonsense.”

Yi Xiaoya looked at Xiao Caiyu. Just days ago, she’d thought this group leader was pretty decent. When she’d just transferred in, Xiao Caiyu had gently told her all the things to take note of. Who would’ve thought that just by mentioning her birthday, these people would react like this?

“I’m not anyone’s lackey!” Yi Xiaoya rolled her eyes.

If they wanted to suck up, let them. Just don’t drag her into it.

“Do you want me to talk to the teacher about changing seats again?” Yi Xiaoya asked. “Or maybe even change classes altogether? But why should I? Even if I did, you wouldn’t suddenly like me more. You’d probably just think I was being fake and trying to put on an act.”

Yi Xiaoya really missed her old school—there weren’t all these messy, ridiculous situations.

Maybe she was wrong. She shouldn’t have even said that one sentence.

“This desk—I haven’t even crossed the line,” Yi Xiaoya said.

Just then, the chubby boy Wang Yinfan, who had asked her about something earlier, clapped his hands and said, “Exactly, you didn’t cross any line. They just assumed you were trying to steal their lackey role! They look down on you but still act like they’re being considerate.”

“Fatty, what are you saying?” one of the girls snapped, grabbing Wang Yinfan by the collar.