Zhan Jingrui made good on his promise and began pursuing Chu Xi the very next day.
Under the watchful eyes of classmates from both grades, Chu Xi received gifts from him daily.
Food, drinks, daily necessities, and even tacky fresh flowers.
It was as if he had a magic trick up his sleeve; someone would invariably deliver something to Chu Xi at any given moment.
Amidst everyone's astonishment and well wishes, it took less than two weeks for Chu Xi to accept his courtship.
Some classmates added Chu Xi on their private social accounts. She rarely posted, only sharing occasional texts about peaceful, pleasant times.
That day, she posted a photo of their shoes walking side-by-side, captioned "Adventure," which was instantly spread throughout the school.
The next day, everyone, including the teachers, knew about this golden couple's pairing.
Of course, it wasn't against the rules for someone with good looks, wealth, and academic prowess to be in a relationship.
Not only did the teachers not intervene, but they even joined in on shipping the couple.
Seeing that Zhan Jingrui's life was not only unaffected but flourishing, He Yao's mission was complete, and she could no longer stay at school.
With Hu Jiasheng's consent, without even going through the formal withdrawal process, she simply vanished from Su City.
The next day, the teacher, assuming He Yao was absent without leave, assigned the class monitor to give her a disciplinary warning.
However, the next day, the third day, the fourth day, there was still no news of her.
When they visited her home, no one was there, and her parents' phones went unanswered.
It was then that everyone realized she had withdrawn from school.
With Zhan Jingrui's recent gossip providing entertainment, everyone had long forgotten He Yao. Only Xu Zheng expressed regret over her abrupt departure.
"There wasn't any warning, she just left without a word. What a surprise."
"I don't even have a single photo of her. What a shame. After so many years in school, to be honest, her looks were among the best I've known."
He gave a thumbs-up, but noticing Zhan Jingrui's indifferent gaze, he quickly corrected himself.
"Of course, that's just my personal opinion. Chu Xi is also excellent, no, I should say better than her, but I don't like girls who are too serious."
"Taste is subjective, taste is subjective. Don't look at me like that."
Men are like this.
Visually, they are drawn to pure and gentle girls, like celestial beings.
But in terms of personality, they don't want her to be too reserved or dull; they want everything to suit their preferences.
Zhan Jingrui hadn't expected He Yao to pull such a stunt.
He had started pursuing Chu Xi out of anger, solely to provoke her.
This was because he remembered He Yao once saying she envied Chu Xi and longed to be like her.
Unexpectedly, after he had won Chu Xi over, He Yao disappeared.
Without being able to punish her, Zhan Jingrui's motivation for pursuing Chu Xi diminished significantly.
Following this, he ceased all public displays of affection.
But the CP was already established; regardless of whether they showed it off, everyone knew Chu Xi was his.
A little over a month later, the recommendation spots for prestigious universities were released.
The school decided to recommend Zhan Jingrui.
He was required to participate in a crucial written exam and an interview to finalize the selection.
The teacher informed him of this news. Without a second thought, Zhan Jingrui refused.
"I don't need a recommendation. Let Chu Xi go."
The teacher assumed he was giving way to Chu Xi as a boyfriend, but Zhan Jingrui clarified.
"I'm preparing for IELTS and TOEFL, and I've applied to overseas universities. I plan to study abroad."
The teacher then approached Chu Xi, and upon hearing that Zhan Jingrui intended to study abroad, Chu Xi made the same decision.
To go abroad together.
Zhan Jingrui had been an excellent student from childhood, and Jiang Jingyu was no less capable.
Conversely, with the Jiang surname helping him disguise his identity, everyone assumed he was just an ordinary second-generation rich kid, and he mingled quite well among his classmates.
At the same time, in Nancheng, Jiang Jingyu also secured a recommendation spot.
Once confirmed for the recommendation, attending school became irrelevant. He discussed with Jiang Nan Fang whether he could go out and play.
Jiang Jingyu had a passion for outdoor adventures in recent years.
He was particularly interested in daredevil activities such as paragliding, skydiving, and polar expeditions.
He heard about an expedition team preparing to climb Mount Everest and wanted to join them for the challenge.
It wasn't that Jiang Nan Fang was unreasonable; on the contrary, she believed she was the most open-minded mother in the world.
Throughout their childhood, she never obstructed anything her children were interested in.
However, Jiang Jingyu's challenge of climbing the world's highest peak was something she couldn't accept.
Too many people had met with accidents participating in such activities. Although she had several children, she couldn't bear such grave consequences.
After discussing with Zhan Bei Jue, they found it difficult to outright refuse him, as he had earned his vacation through good grades. They could only resort to emotional manipulation.
That evening, during dinner, Zhan Bei Jue handed everyone a medical report.
He had been feeling unwell recently and went for a check-up, discovering a tumor in his stomach.
Samples had been sent for lab analysis to determine if it was benign or malignant.
Although Zhan Bei Jue was not very old, he suddenly developed a sense of crisis.
His health could deteriorate at any moment, and his children were still young. Who would take over such a large company in the future?
"Jingyu, could Daddy implore you to intern at the company during these few months of vacation?"
"I don't have any strict requirements for you to meet certain standards. I just hope to see my child put in their best effort at the company, which would bring me peace of mind and make me feel more secure about undergoing treatment. Can you agree to this?"
Jiang Jingyu was speechless.
He lived with his father every day; didn't he know how his father's health was?
His father never ate spicy or greasy food, rarely touched alcohol or cigarettes, and maintained his health meticulously. At over forty, he looked like he was thirty, capable of having five more siblings, so how could he suddenly have stomach problems?
It must be a ridiculous excuse concocted by his mother to prevent him from going out, with his father playing along.
His father's acting skills were completely inadequate; he could see right through it.
Over the years, whenever they disagreed with certain decisions, his parents would conspire to put on a show for them.
He had seen through his parents long ago, yet they thought he was still an eight-year-old child and tried this tactic on him.
Jiang Jingyu was about to expose Zhan Bei Jue publicly, but Jing Tian kicked him under the table.
They exchanged a look, and he knew Jing Tian had a better idea, so he pretended to agree obediently.
"Daddy, this is what I should do. Why are you being so polite with me? Don't worry, your health will be fine. You and Mommy should rest at home. I'll follow your arrangements."
After dinner, back in their room, Jing Tian and Ge Er skillfully sat by his bed. Jiang Jingyu looked at them.
"Why didn't you let me expose Daddy just now? His acting was so poor; he was clearly lying."
Ge Er remained indifferent.