"What? You mean Zhao Cheng appeared when you were surrounded by those men?" Inside the room, Uncle Li stared at Fang Yu before him, his face etched with utter astonishment.
Moments earlier, Fang Yu had recounted everything that had transpired the previous night to Uncle Li, and the moment he finished, a strange, troubled look had immediately crossed the older man's face.
"That's right. And for whatever reason, I have a premonition that Zhao Cheng is involved in this whole affair." Fang Yu spoke his mind calmly and evenly.
Sure enough, the moment the words left Fang Yu's mouth, Uncle Li's expression shifted once more. Before Fang Yu could press him for answers, however, Uncle Li spoke in a low, grave voice: "Fang Yu, you must breathe not a word of this to anyone for the time being. All you need do is keep your wits about you and stay vigilant. What's more, from this moment forward, you are to stay by the two young mistresses' side twenty-four hours a day."
"May I ask a question?" Fang Yu nodded, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on Uncle Li.
"Speak."
"Who exactly is Lin Ruofei? I was hired only to protect Miss Yan Ting. Why have I suddenly been tasked with guarding both of them now?"
"That, I cannot tell you. But you need only know this: Lin Ruofei comes from an immensely powerful family. What's more, her grandfather is an old and dear friend of Master Fang. Our master called Master Fang to ask for his instructions on this matter some time ago." With that, Uncle Li said no more on the subject.
"Very well. I'll do my best." Fang Yu curled his lip in a faint scoff. It seemed his duties had just grown heavier, he thought to himself. Even so, this small added difficulty was hardly enough to faze him.
"Let's head outside. Today is the first day of the final year of high school, and you need to go to the school to complete your registration." Uncle Li clapped Fang Yu on the shoulder, then turned and walked out of the room.
Jingcheng High School was nestled in a quiet, leafy district of City A.
Today marked the official start of the school term.
A sleek black Mercedes-Benz glided through the school's front gates, drawing searing, curious stares from countless students.
"Could you please stop the car here?" Inside the vehicle, Fang Yu was already growing weary of the intense, all-consuming gazes fixed on the car, and so he asked the driver to pull over.
The car rolled to a stop at the side of the road, and Fang Yu stepped out at once. This was his first time setting foot in the school, and so he had taken care to dress himself neatly for the occasion.
Fang Yu was already blessed with striking, handsome features, and having just stepped out of such a luxurious vehicle, he inevitably drew a veritable tidal wave of stares.
Envy, jealousy, disdain, infatuation… every emotion under the sun was directed his way.
Fang Yu met the surrounding gazes with perfect composure, choosing to ignore them entirely. He pulled out his registration file, then turned and walked deeper into the campus.
No sooner had he walked away than a flurry of whispered conversations broke out among the onlooking students.
"That hunk is definitely a rich second generation. If I can get him to notice me, I'll be set for life."
"Give it a rest. One look at him and you can tell he's a spoiled, entitled playboy. If you get mixed up with him, you'll end up heartbroken and discarded sooner or later."
"But he's seriously so handsome, though."
These were the words exchanged between the gaggles of girls. From the boys, by contrast, came sneering, cynical remarks.
"This guy's clearly some rich young master. If I had to guess, the Four Young Lords of Jingcheng will have their eyes on him in no time."
"Yeah. Either he'll join up with the Four Young Lords, or he'll be chased out of here before long. Sigh, what good is money anyway? The leader of the Four Young Lords, Yu Hualong, is the son of the Municipal Party Secretary."
While the student body buzzed with endless chatter about his arrival, Fang Yu himself was wandering the campus, sweating profusely as he searched in vain for the Dean's Office.