Chapter 73: Forbidden to Associate with Those Unrefined Girls

Bai Chuwei opened her eyes slightly. “Duan Xingye, do you really need to work this hard?”

She knew that this boy only slept five hours a night, spending all his other time studying.

Duan Xingye’s handsome face flushed with embarrassment. He scratched his head, a little shy. “I’m not smart, so I can only work hard. Besides, I didn’t study seriously in my first two years of high school.”

He paused, lowering his voice. “I want to prove to my father that his son isn’t completely useless. I want to study finance in college, then come back and help my fourth uncle take over the family business. So I have to put in extra effort now.”

A warm hand gently landed atop his head, softly ruffling his hair. Bai Chuwei’s usually languid voice was uncharacteristically gentle. “Heaven favors those who work hard. Your fourth uncle will be proud of you.”

Her gentle encouragement was like that of a caring elder sister.

Duan Xingye was stunned for a moment, his face turning bright red. He quickly turned away and coughed to cover his embarrassment.

The car stopped at the entrance to the Sky Garden Villa complex. Bai Chuwei and Duan Xingye got out and saw Xu Xingchen waiting at the gate, his smile as warm as a spring breeze as he watched them approach.

Bai Chuwei glanced at Duan Xingye, who was still clutching an English vocabulary book. When she looked at Xu Xingchen, her expression grew colder.

Before meeting Duan Xingye, she had thought of him as nothing more than a minor character mentioned in passing in the original story. But after getting to know him and seeing his hard work, she found herself growing increasingly repulsed by Xu Xingchen, the original protagonist.

Because of Xu Xingchen, all of Duan Xingye’s efforts and hopes had been for nothing—he’d even lost his life.

Xu Xingchen greeted them, and the three of them entered the elevator, pressing the button for the 32nd floor.

Bai Chuwei raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. “The 32nd floor is a double-level penthouse. Xu, your family must be quite well-off. May I ask what your family does?”

In the Sky Garden Villas, a penthouse like this would cost at least twenty million.

Both Xu Xingchen and Duan Xingye were stunned. It wasn’t as if there weren’t girls at school curious about Xu Xingchen’s background, but they always probed indirectly. No one had ever asked so bluntly!

Xu Xingchen glanced at Duan Xingye, then lowered his gaze, replying vaguely, “My father runs a small business, and my mother does some investing. Our family isn’t as wealthy as the Duan family.”

Bai Chuwei smiled meaningfully. His father only ran a small business? That hardly seemed the whole story.

When they reached the top floor and exited the elevator, the door swung open before they could even knock.

A beautiful woman in her thirties appeared, her figure graceful and her makeup striking. She beamed at them. “Xingchen’s classmates are here! Come in, please. I’m Xingchen’s mother.”

Her gaze suddenly landed on Bai Chuwei, and her brow furrowed ever so slightly.

Bai Chuwei’s eyes and brows were naturally bright and expressive, her aura both ethereal and captivating, making her seem mysterious and hard to grasp.

After changing into slippers, Xu Xingchen’s mother, Xu Li, turned to Bai Chuwei with a smile. “This must be your first time visiting our home. May I ask whose family you belong to?”

“Bai Guofu. The Bai family,” Bai Chuwei replied.

The Bai family…

A faint trace of disappointment flashed in Xu Li’s eyes, though she quickly masked it with a smile. “Please, have a seat. I’ll get you some juice. Xingchen, come help me bring out the fruit.”

Mother and son entered the kitchen together. Xu Li began making juice with the blender, then glanced at Xu Xingchen, her voice low and warning. “Xingchen, you’re destined to return to the Duan family one day. You’re not to get involved with those unrefined girls.”

There was a hint of disdain in Xu Li’s eyes. “Take it from me—Bai Chuwei came here today with her sights set on you!”