After breakfast, Xiang Ri and the others went to school separately.
However, Miss An had some grievances, for she was the only one who had to go to school alone, feeling quite lonely.
Yet, in front of Chu Chu, she did not display her feelings overtly; she merely cast a lingering, resentful glance at the man before turning and walking away.
Xiang Ri could not help but shudder, wondering when this Miss An had become such a secluded, forlorn lady?
As the first two lessons in the morning were taught by the class advisor, Xiang Ri behaved obediently, sitting upright and paying full attention, adopting the demeanor of a diligent student.
Standing at the front of the class, Chen Xiaofen looked on with a smile, quite pleased with the performance of her promising student and future son-in-law.
In truth, this favorable perception was largely due to the bias created by their prior connection, and she found everything about him remarkably pleasant. Of course, this was not without the contribution of certain displays of charm from the young man.
The future son-in-law, seated intimately beside the girl named Chu Chu, appeared to Chen Xiaofen as simply a harmonious relationship between close kin, and she thought little of it. After all, she had not yet suspected that a seemingly well-behaved student might deceive her.
After enduring two lessons, Xiang Ri's energy began to wane. As soon as the class advisor had stepped out, he made plans to leave, not only because the following two lessons were a professor's monotonous lecture on hypnotism but also because of an unread call on his phone.
Unable to take the call during class out of respect for the advisor, he had chosen to let it ring. But as soon as the lesson ended and he saw that the missed call was from someone he had long been anticipating, Xiang Ri did not hesitate to skip the rest of the class.
"Xiang Kui, are you really leaving?" Chu Chu asked, reluctant to see him go.
She had initially planned to use her injured hand as an excuse, but upon considering his worry, Xiang Ri quickly substituted with another excuse. Shrugging dramatically, he said, "Chu Chu, you should know, attending that old man's class is a death sentence."
"Old man" was Xiang Ri's nickname for the professor who taught the hypnotism theory class. It was more than just a nickname—it was truly fitting!
Chu Chu, clearly amused by his excuse, rolled her eyes and remarked, "Professor Liu is not as bad as you make him out to be. I think you're just looking for an excuse to skip class."
"Heh heh." Having been caught in his ruse, Xiang Ri admitted it with a grin, not forgetting to flatter her. "Chu Chu, how could you be so clever? You even figured that out."
"Alright, alright." Chu Chu, feeling a bit overwhelmed by his compliments, said generously, "If you're going, then go. But I have one condition."
"You name it." Watching Chu Chu, who seemed to have regained a bit of her old self, Xiang Ri felt a surge of joy.
Chu Chu, a little bashful, said, "Since you're leaving before us, won't you be the one to take care of lunch?"
"Is that all?" Xiang Ri widened his eyes, recalling that a certain Miss An had whispered something in Chu Chu's ear earlier. Now it dawned on him.
With a wry smile, he said, "It was An Xin, wasn't it? That little rascal knows how to strike while the iron is hot. But there's one thing I find strange—how did she know I would skip class? No, even if that wasn't the case, you would have found a way to ask me, right?"
Seeing Chu Chu nod shyly, Xiang Ri knew his guess was entirely correct. He sighed theatrically, "Alright then, lunch is on me."
With that, Xiang Ri quickly rose from his seat, for there was a more important matter awaiting him.
Once he had exited the classroom and walked a little distance, he found a secluded spot, took out his phone, and redialed the missed call.
The call connected immediately, and without waiting for the other person to speak, Xiang Ri eagerly asked, "Hello, is this General Chen?"
"It's me," came the low, commanding voice from the other end of the line.
"My apologies—I was in class just now," Xiang Ri explained.
"No matter," the voice replied calmly, then suddenly added, "Oh, by the way, the funds have been transferred to your account. Not in U.S. dollars, but RMB—a total of 20 billion."
Even though Xiang Ri had anticipated this, hearing it confirmed still left him both excited and curious. "I recall the amount wasn't this high. Given the current exchange rate for U.S. dollars, it doesn't add up. How come...?"
A hearty laugh echoed from the other end. "You donated 7 billion to the nation—of course, the country won't let you suffer a loss."
As though finding the subject of money somewhat sensitive, the other party shifted the topic. "I've sent a team to protect you. You've met them, haven't you?"
"I have," Xiang Ri replied honestly, though he couldn't fathom why the question arose so suddenly.
He also understood that had he not noticed someone tailing him that night and called them out, those individuals with codenames like "Black" and "White" might never have revealed themselves.
Rather than protectors, they felt more like overseers. Still, Xiang Ri knew such measures were inevitable. After all, anyone in possession of that particular item would inspire unease.
The voice continued, "Good that you've met them. They're reliable. If you encounter anything beyond your ability to handle, feel free to reach out to them—though I trust you're more than capable on your own."
Xiang Ri paused, briefly caught off guard, but before he could delve into the implications of the statement, the voice added, "That's all for now. I'll hang up—more to discuss another time." With that, the call abruptly ended.
Despite having just received an astronomical sum, Xiang Ri found himself unable to feel any joy. The final words lingered in his mind, sowing a sense of foreboding. Perhaps, possibly, or likely—the speaker had discovered something...
Preoccupied with these thoughts, Xiang Ri didn't notice the voluptuous foreign woman approaching swiftly from his right. Suddenly, he felt a grip on his shoulder. Reacting instinctively, he twisted her arm behind her back.
"Ahhh!" A peculiar feminine cry of pain rang out.
Snapping back to his senses, Xiang Ri was startled to see it was none other than Annerice, the foreign beauty who had once brazenly kissed him. "Miss Annerice? Why is it you?"
Ignoring the pain in her wrist, Annerice's face was filled with urgency as she blurted out something that left Xiang Ri both bewildered and on high alert: "Mr. Xiang, you must run—someone is coming to kill you!"