Cassie had to admit that seeing a man standing in the shadows was a lot scarier than she had imagined.
However, his reaction seemed even quicker than Cassie's. Before she could make a move, he had already left the balcony. Cassie heard the sound of a wheelchair moving. He was seated—sitting in a wheelchair, controlling the armrests, pushing the door open, as if fleeing in haste.
Cassie recalled the information she had found online. The young master of the Qi family was described with numerous adjectives: young, handsome, elite, and unfortunately, one more— "disabled."
In the end, Cassie didn't manage to complete the math homework. She was clueless about the formula concepts and the exercises were myriad variations of the same type. When the class monitor came to collect the assignments, she felt a bit embarrassed. She hesitated to submit it, then noticed that the class monitor had only received a meager stack of assignments after making a round of the entire class.
Cassie's seatmate, Annie, was surprised by Cassie's completion of other assignments, "You're actually studying in this class?!"
Cassie: "…?"
Annie then made a mournful sound, hugging Cassie's hand, "I've finally encountered a normal person again!"
Class 6 was known in the grade for being full of influential families. Most students here had an easy path ahead, as they were either rich or well-connected. Even the class wasn't fully occupied, with several empty seats in the back left unclaimed.
This class was divided into two extremes—some were here to simply pass the time, while there were indeed students who were focused on their studies, like the boy on Cassie's right.
"Tsk, don't mind him," Annie shook her head repeatedly, "He joined our class after missing the placement exam. This guy is the first in our grade. You can't compare him with ordinary mortals like us, right, Max?"
Suddenly being called out and praised, Max's face blushed slightly, "…No, I just got lucky."
First in the grade? Wow, impressive.
Thinking about the math problem she couldn't solve yesterday, Cassie felt a bit disheartened. She decided to use the lunch break to find the teacher and catch up on the lesson.
Compared to the others who had already studied for more than two years, she was starting from scratch. Even if she had learned it before, she has already forgotten much of it.
Though lazy, Cassie didn't want to compromise on the life she truly desired. If possible, she wanted to excel.
Taking the initiative to find the teacher resulted in receiving a pile of gifts from the math teacher, who was pleasantly surprised by her diligence.
It seemed different from what she had imagined.
With a heavy heart, Cassie got on the car. When she pushed open the car door, she suddenly froze—someone was sitting in the back seat.
It was a young man, slim and with an air of elegance, displaying excellent looks. However, his thin lips were pressed into a line, and there was a hint of deep melancholy between his brows, adding a touch of coldness that kept others at a distance.
He seemed to be resting with his eyes closed. Upon seeing her enter, he only cast a faint glance at her, showing no extra emotion.
The atmosphere became awkward for a moment.
She had seen this face many times before and was crystal clear about who he was.
Qi Yan.
The fragment of the system's soul in this world.
Why would he come to pick her up? Just a coincidence?
Qi Yan was even more silent than her. Cassie didn't want to be awkward, so she rested her chin on her hand and quietly closed her eyes.
The senior year brought an overwhelming workload, one subject after another pressing down heavily. It was an unprecedented experience for Cassie. She needed to adapt to this kind of routine as quickly as possible.
The atmosphere in the car was unusually relaxed. Having studied math all day, Cassie was mentally and physically exhausted. The driver didn't engage in small talk with her, and gradually, she fell asleep.
After parking, the driver came to open the door. The young girl, unsteady on her feet, stumbled and fell onto his legs.
Qi Yan lowered his eyes, expressionless, as he looked at the fluffy head on his legs. She had a small face but a pair of beautiful almond-shaped eyes, bright like black grapes. Her neatly tied ponytail, as black as satin, seemed soft to the touch.
If only he could feel his legs.
However, he couldn't feel her weight at all. His cold and numb legs seemed like two decorations on his body, serving no purpose.
He was about to express his displeasure when the girl leaning on his legs raised her head and rubbed her eyes.
Qi Yan was suddenly stunned.
Those eyes were very beautiful.
Not only were the contours and shapes beautiful, but there was also a lively and spirited charm conveyed in the depths of her eyes. It was a radiance of hope for life that he had never possessed.
So innocent, bright, and untainted, gathering all the beautiful colors of the world.
Unaware, she yawned tiredly, pushed open the other side of the car door, and lightly jumped out of the car.
Like an elegant cat.
However, she had intruded into someone else's territory.
His gaze was profound. The driver beside him whispered, "Um... Young Master, would you like me to help you down?"
Qi Yan remained silent, supporting himself on the seat, slowly moving his body.
Cold sweat oozed from his forehead. The weight of his entire body almost pressed onto his arms, nearly unable to support it.
His movements were slow, and the driver stood aside instinctively, silently sweating for him.
The young master was always so stubborn. Even when he studied abroad, he was the same. To prove himself, he relied entirely on self-sufficiency for living expenses, even earning a double degree.
But he did achieve it. Since then, no one dared to look down on this eighteen-year-old young man. He entered the workplace, displaying composure surpassing middle-aged businessmen, effortlessly securing a significant position in the business empire.
And now was no exception.
Although his legs were paralyzed, he still refused to live like a disabled person, unwilling to accept even their help.
From getting off the car to getting into the wheelchair, it probably took about five minutes. But for Qi Yan, it felt as if it were a century long.
Beads of sweat covered his forehead. His dark eyes were filled with coldness. When he raised his head, he saw the girl waiting for him, holding her backpack.
His complexion instantly turned pale. Veins protruded on the back of his hand, and the whitened knuckles almost seemed to crack the skin.
But she said nothing. Seeing him sitting in the wheelchair, she turned to the front and opened the door.
In just a moment, she had disappeared from his sight.
Qi Yan rolled the wheelchair, slowly entering the hall.
To facilitate his movement, an elevator was installed in the villa, leaving enough space for wheelchair mobility.
So what did all this remind him of?
It was reminding him that he was disabled.