Chapter 275 – The Envoy from the Northern Frontier (1) [Debt Repayment +1]
Wei Ci gazed at Jiang Pengji’s profile, his heart swirling with complex emotions.
It felt like a ferocious, bloodthirsty beast that fed on human flesh was staring intently at his fragile neck, with snowy-white fangs glistening with bits of flesh, dripping saliva—he could smell the wafting stench of death that cloaked him. Just when he thought he’d meet his end, the creature morphed into a tiny white cat, cutely meowing at him…
Perhaps, that was the illusion he had.
“But why do I feel like you’re intentionally guarding against me? Do I look like a demon that would eat people?”
Jiang Pengji propped her chin in confusion, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips, as if she were innocently questioning him.
Of course, it was merely an illusion.
Wei Ci composed himself, nerves taut as a bowstring, though he maintained a calm facade as he replied.
“Young Master has misunderstood. When have I ever intended to guard against you? It’s wise to keep our distance since we do not know each other well.”
Jiang Pengji narrowed her eyes and suddenly leaned closer to him. Wei Ci’s reaction was quite amusing, resembling a startled rabbit.
He jolted backward, while she chuckled internally, closing the distance even more as she whispered into Wei Ci’s ear. He could clearly feel the trembling of inner strength radiating from her, the kind of fear and terror that couldn’t be controlled by reason, which only piqued her curiosity further.
“Wei Zixiao.” Jiang Pengji, dropping her deliberately innocent tone, returned to her previously cool and serious demeanor, saying, “I don’t understand why you seem so defensive against me, trembling like I’m some venomous snake or feral beast. But let me make this clear—you drawing attention to yourself only stirs my curiosity and desire to investigate. So tell me, are you avoiding me or playing hard to get?”
It was unclear which part of her statement triggered Wei Ci, but his reaction was explosive.
Boom—
The commotion in the corner drew the attention of others. A still-young figure had seized Wei Ci’s hands with one hand, his expression cold and eyes fierce, while Wei Ci, having been caught, lay on the ground looking slightly disheveled, his cheeks flushed perhaps from struggling or something else.
With a thud, a student sitting by the hot spring dropped the platter of fruits in shock at the scene.
Uh… what just happened?
“Sorry, we were just playing. You all carry on.”
Jiang Pengji laughed indifferently, shifting from a half-kneeling position to sitting upright. She lifted the hand that had restrained Wei Ci, allowing keen observers to spot the faint bluish marks left on his wrist… Looks like things got a bit rough.
Wei Ci’s chest rose and fell rapidly, his expression frozen in an icy glare as he stared at Jiang Pengji, his eyes tinged with a hint of bloodshot.
“You were about to push me away; I reflexively thought you were going to attack me, so I just…”
Jiang Pengji spread her hands, giving a look that screamed “not my fault,” while Wei Ci pressed his lips tightly together, unable to respond for quite some time.
Pushing himself upright, Wei Ci ignored the concerned murmurs from those around, striding out of the hot spring room.
Anyone with functioning eyes could read the massive four characters on Wei Ci’s back—”I’m angry!”
The instigator of Wei Ci’s ire, Jiang Pengji, wore a befuddled expression—she wasn’t taking the fall for this.
It wasn’t her intention to offend Wei Ci; after all, he was one of Mr. Yuanjing’s four disciples and had connections at Langya Academy, making him someone she couldn’t afford to cross. She was there to study, not to pick fights; why provoke Wei Ci for no reason?
Yet, ironically, she didn’t want to offend him, but he came over to create the conflict and ended up throwing the blame in her direction.
This was just so unfair!
Oh, you’re a little prince, you call the shots.
The audience in the live stream felt quite disappointed; they were expecting the host to stream something exciting but were met with a total snooze-fest.
【Your Yida】: #Boring, just now the host restrained someone with one hand on the ground; I thought she was going to take a wild ride.
【The Host Faces Me Directly】: I always thought that the domineering CEO wall-slam was cliché and overdone, but now I understand why it’s so popular… It’s that feeling of being conquered in that moment!
【The Host From My Side】: Wasn’t that more like a floor slam? If she did a standing wall slam, she’d probably just slam into their chest.
Watching the audience discuss, Jiang Pengji couldn’t help but get a strange impression—
She was bullying the little prince.
But the reality was, she wasn’t that deranged.
Not only did the audience think so, even the onlookers in real life shared the same sentiment.
“Though Zixiao is stunningly beautiful, he is indeed a certified man.” The guy who had previously tried to cozy up to Jiang Pengji came over, and it was unclear whether he was gloating or just being nosy. “While he has plenty of brothers, Young Master is still a bit young for him.”
With that said, he arched an eyebrow, sending a knowing look that only men could interpret.
Jiang Pengji’s face darkened at the comment.
Wei Ci stepped out of the hot spring room, the cold breeze cooling his heated mind considerably.
Just as Jiang Pengji said, if he had acted normally without showing any signs of unusual behavior, she probably wouldn’t even have given him a second glance, perfectly aligning with his wishes. But unfortunately, he wasn’t prepared mentally and had acted strangely, drawing her attention.
Now, the current situation was the complete opposite of his initial plans.
Standing dazed on the corridor, the brilliant white moon mirrored on the pond below created a picturesque scene that slightly calmed his mind.
Having regained composure, he had no intention of going back just yet; he feared he might slip up again.
God knows, the words Jiang Pengji had said previously had scared every hair on his body to stand on end—he nearly lost his mind.
“Forget it, forget it. Just act normal around her.”
Wei Ci calmed himself for a while, giving himself enough mental preparation until he felt ready to face Jiang Pengji again. He turned back to the hot spring room, only to find it empty inside, with some gambling tokens scattered across the low table.
He stared blankly at the deserted hot spring room, “Where is everyone?”
Gone to stir up trouble.
Jiang Pengji felt that today had turned into quite the eventful occasion—she hadn’t enjoyed the soaking in the spring much at all and ended up meeting a slew of worries instead.
Especially after being “wronged” by the little prince Wei Ci, she soon found herself facing another situation.
This time, it was a rescue from her friend Feng Jin. By the time she arrived, the situation had escalated quite a bit. The usually graceful Feng Jin was fuming, sporting bruises and a few unsightly markings on his otherwise flawless complexion.
Feng Jin was the legitimate second son of the Minister Feng Ren; who in their right mind would dare to strike him, let alone in the face?
Jiang Pengji noted not only did Feng Jin have injuries on his face, but also a cut on his arm that almost bled out half of it, igniting her fury.
“Who the hell dares to mess with my crew?”
