Ji Weinan was deeply engrossed in his phone when he heard the words and looked up, his eyes widening in surprise.
Then he remembered the day he tried to talk to Ji Tian; not only had she not listened, but she'd also retorted fiercely and swindled one hundred yuan from him!
He had tried it himself, shaking his hands until they were nearly broken, but he simply couldn't get it to fly.
Quan Jingyou, with candy in his mouth, asked indistinctly, "Weinan, should we intervene?"
Ji Weinan made a black face, "No need to bother. She won't listen to me anyway. Qin Jiangsheng isn't easy to deal with. Once she gets the cold shoulder, she'll stop seeking him out."
Quan Jingyou thought about it and agreed; Qin Jiangsheng indeed was a boring person.
Gong Yu watched them walk away, his eyes taking on a profound depth.
Elsewhere, Ji Tian was in a good mood.
Although Qin Jiangsheng hadn't spoken to her nor had he, like the first time, told her to keep her distance from him, it was a good sign. Maybe her sincerity had touched the major villain.
Jian Chuyi was still obsessed with playing the Rescue the Dog game, staring intently at her phone screen.
Under Ji Tian's influence, she had become a qualified high school slacker.
Ji Tian planned to fleece Jian Chuyi thoroughly, perhaps enough to max out her Laziness Power.
Ji Tian was feeling delightfully optimistic when the King of Competition's voice poured over her like cold water: "A person can only give you up to ten Faith Points, Host. Don't cheat."
Ji Tian, "..."
Fine, ten points it is. One person could unlock a new skill.
Ji Tian began to look forward to what new skill she might unlock next.
She took out her phone, found a game she thought was fun the day before, and with class about to start, she approached Jian Chuyi, "Hey, Chuyi, how about we play this two-player Fire and Ice game? I'll be the Fire Boy."
Jian Chuyi had already turned off her phone. She was tempted, but glancing at the teacher entering the classroom, she sternly declined, "Tiantian, I should really study! This class is physics, and I'm really bad at physics."
Ji Tian, "..."
She was going to attend the class. What would she do?!
So she continued to persuade, "How about just one round? It'll only take ten minutes."
Jian Chuyi blinked her large eyes, torn. She touched her slightly moist chin and saw Ji Tian's earnest expression. Remembering that she actually understood when Ji Tian tutored her in English the day before, her eyes twinkled, and she said with a grin, "If you want me to play, you have to tutor me in physics afterward."
Ji Tian, "..."
Was she going to tutor for her life?
She didn't even understand the subject herself.
Jian Chuyi huffed, "If you won't tutor me, from now on I'll just pay attention in class, and you stop asking me to play games."
Between studying and Faith Value...
Ji Tian shamelessly chose the Faith Value.
"Alright, we'll play now, and I'll tutor you tomorrow."
Jian Chuyi happily took out her phone to connect with her, and Ji Tian shed tears of sorrow in her heart.
She swore she would only learn physics, and nothing else, or else she would die.
She gained another point in her Faith Value, but Ji Tian couldn't feel happy about it. It went straight to her Luck Value, which remained gray, but at least it wasn't negative anymore.
By noon, Ji Tian had made her way to the cafeteria.
Gong Dongxi stood with her sisters in the distance, and when she saw Ji Tian, she glared at her viciously. The damage was essentially negligible.
She had learned her lesson and wouldn't publicly cause trouble for Ji Tian in front of everyone.
Ji Tian scanned the crowd. Bai Tingyu and his group always attracted a lot of attention when they were out. What made her wary was that Shen Zhiyi was also with them, seemingly under duress because Bai Tingyu had ordered her to fetch food for him.
Shen Zhiyi's lips were tightly pressed, her eyes filled with indomitable rage.
It was clear that Bai Tingyu had temporarily forced her to submit by threatening her academic career.
She glanced at Ji Weinan with a hint of grievance in her eyes and ultimately went to get food for Bai Tingyu anyway.
Ji Weinan hesitated to speak. After they added each other on WeChat yesterday, Shen Zhiyi had started chatting with him, and he had discovered that she was a very strong girl. She not only needed to care for her sick mother but also worked hard to earn a scholarship to Imperial City Academy.
His peers were all wealthy or children of officials; they never lacked money, so they didn't deeply understand the word "poverty." But Ji Weinan felt a certain tenacity in Shen Zhiyi.
It was something he had never had, nor had anyone he knew.
She had also shared her dream with him: she wanted to become a Divine Doctor and heal her mother.
Shen Zhiyi brought the food, but slipped, accidentally staining Bai Tingyu's clothes with grease. Her complexion changed, and she quickly took a tissue to wipe it off, anxiously saying, "I didn't do it on purpose. Can I pay you as compensation?"
Bai Tingyu had a severe aversion to dirt and couldn't stand being touched by others. He waved away her hand, and the food she brought was flung to the ground, frightening Shen Zhiyi until her face turned pale.
"Pick it up with your hands."
Shen Zhiyi looked incredulously at Bai Tingyu; the last time he had made her pick up broken glass, and now, he wanted her to pick up food from the ground.
She cast a helpless glance at Ji Weinan, and sure enough, Ji Weinan couldn't sit still any longer. "Brother Yu, she didn't do it on purpose. Let's just let it go this time. You have so many clothes, you won't miss one."
Quan Jingyou cautiously tugged at Ji Weinan's sleeve, trying to get him to sit down. Didn't he see how their Brother Yu's expression was getting colder?
Gong Yu continued to eat his food with a gentle smile, as if he were merely a spectator enjoying the show.
Bai Tingyu gave Ji Weinan a cold look. "If you don't like it, then get lost. Since when did my orders need your interference?"
Ji Weinan was genuinely getting angry. What was the point in bullying a girl like this?
She had apologized and even offered to pay. But he persisted in harping on it.
"You..."
Before Ji Weinan could finish, a voice full of righteous indignation beat him to it. "Fine! If leaving is what you want, we'll leave! Today you're indifferent to my third brother, but tomorrow you will beg to reach us, which you won't be able to! Third brother, let's go! We won't take this bullshit."
Ji Weinan: "???"
He turned toward his even more furious sister, Ji Tian, who was already dragging him away while issuing bold threats. "You, with the surname Bai, had better not come begging for peace with my third brother. He doesn't need it. If you come to him, you're beneath my contempt!"
Everyone present: "...Wow."
True to being the Eldest Miss Ji, she really knew how to make a fierce statement.
Quan Jingyou was dumbfounded, mentally giving her a thumbs-up. Impressive—she took Bai Tingyu head-on.
Gong Yu looked thoughtful as he watched Ji Tian's departing figure, his interest piqued.
And Shen Zhiyi was even more disoriented.
Wait, why are we leaving?
This was a plot point where Ji Weinan would have a small quarrel with Bai Tingyu over her matter, which, although they later reconciled, caused a rift between the brothers.
As she laid her traps deeper, the ultimate betrayal would come.
Only after a complete fallout would Bai Tingyu take action against the Ji Family.
Now it seemed there was a deviation in the plot. She didn't remember this part where Ji Tian bravely spoke out for her brother in the original story...