Chapter 219

Words : 1158 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

How should I put this? Having grown accustomed to seeing handsome men like Ji Tingzhou and Chen Mo on a daily basis, and occasionally spotting celebrities at Ji Corporation’s annual galas, Ji Nian’s standards had skyrocketed. Ordinary good looks no longer moved her—she had even developed something of an immunity. But when an impossibly perfect face suddenly appeared before her, striking her vision like a divine beam of light, the sheer impact shattered her previous confidence, leaving behind a dazed flock of little yellow chicks scattered at her feet. [What... the... hell...] Ji Nian’s eyes widened as she stared at the boy standing beneath the bauhinia tree. No one would laugh at her for gaping. Because at that moment, everyone else’s expressions were no better than hers. The boy seemed like he had stumbled into the human world from another dimension. His pale golden hair, cascading over his shoulders, looked like scattered shards of sunlight cast carelessly by God. His skin was as fair as fine snow, and whether from the sun or something else, a faint blush dusted his cheeks—so delicate it seemed like flower nectar might spill if pinched. He stood there, a backpack slung over one shoulder, seemingly unbothered by the crowd around him. His translucent silver-gray eyes were hard to make out in the shade. For a fleeting moment, Ji Nian felt an eerie, reptilian chill crawl over her, but when she blinked, all she saw was the boy—radiant, like an angel descended from heaven. Yes, radiant. [System... Am I seeing things? I can’t quite make out his features...] It was as if her entire vision was bathed in light. The system paused before responding. [Forget that.] [You should be more concerned about the fact that he’s looking at you.] Amid the crowd, the moment Ji Nian squeezed her way in, the boy’s gaze locked onto her—sweaty and disheveled as she was. No sooner had the system spoken than the boy, who had been silently watching her, finally moved. He adjusted his backpack onto his shoulder. Only then did Ji Nian notice—he was wearing their school’s uniform. [That can’t be right. Since when did our school have someone this god-tier handsome?] A face like this, capable of causing riots with a single glance, shouldn’t have gone unnoticed. Ji Nian had to admire her own composure. Even as the boy—his entire being seemingly haloed in light—stepped out from the shadows beneath the tree and began walking toward her, she managed to pull out her phone and type a message in the group chat: @Gu Xiuyuan Your school heartthrob status is in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Gu Xiuyuan, who was drafting the next class meeting’s theme—"How Girls Should Protect Themselves Against Harassment and Rumors"—slowly typed a single question mark in response. Back to the scene. By the time Ji Nian stuffed her phone back into her crossbody bag, a shadow had already fallen over her. A light, elegant fragrance—rare for boys his age—drifted into her senses. Amid the usual chaos of dismissal time, this spot seemed to exist in its own quiet little world. As the boy approached, the crowd parted like the Red Sea, dazed expressions on their faces, clearing a path straight to Ji Nian. She slowly lifted her head. The first thing she met were those silver-gray eyes—the ones that had inexplicably unsettled her earlier. She herself had unusually colored irises, so she was used to curious stares. But now, faced with an even rarer pair of eyes, she finally understood how others must feel when looking at her. But... Wait a minute... Wasn’t this distance a little too close? She could count every fold of his double eyelids. "Uh..." Ji Nian finally found her voice, belatedly realizing just how little space was between them. Any closer, and their noses would touch. "Sorry, did I scare you?" His voice was as gentle as his appearance, soothing, like sinking into warm water. Noticing ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‍her discomfort, he took a step back, putting a more respectable distance between them. Now Ji Nian could finally take in his features properly. Contrary to what she might have expected, his beauty wasn’t sharply foreign or exotic. Instead, it was delicate, flawless—every line meticulously carved, yet without blurring his masculinity. There was a purity to him, as if he’d been cradled by archangels and raised on scripture. [I’ve... never seen this type before.] "Well, not scared, but definitely surprised." Ji Nian swallowed discreetly, digging her nails into her palm to ground herself against the assault of his beauty. The boy’s pale lashes fluttered as he gave her a soft, reassuring smile. "My apologies for startling you." Though his words were polite, his gaze held no remorse—only an unwavering intensity as it traced the stray hair sticking up from her head, the flush on her cheeks, and those jade-green eyes that haunted his dreams night after night. Had it not been so hot, had the crowd not been so thick, had Ji Nian not been so dazed by his beauty, she might have noticed the faint, incongruent flicker of obsession in his otherwise serene expression. "No need to apologize. You’re just... really, really good-looking." "Like, drop-dead, holy-shit levels of handsome, haha." The surrounding crowd: "......" Unfazed by her crude wording, the boy merely said, "I was waiting for someone, but they never came." The onlookers’ admiration grew. How was he still so composed?? Ji Nian wasn’t sure why he was talking to her, but she asked anyway, "Who were you waiting for? Maybe I know them." Looking down at the clueless girl tilting her head, the boy lowered his voice, each word dripping with something thick and syrupy. "Her name is Ji Nian. She’s the daughter of my father’s friend." "My father told me she would come to pick me up." Ji Nian—the very person in question: !!!??? HUH???????? [Is there another Ji Nian at this school!????] System: [Obviously, no.] Weakly, she raised a hand. "W-wait a second." Like a radish being yanked from the ground, Ji Nian extricated herself from the crowd. Though intrigued, the bystanders eventually dispersed, leaving Ji Nian crouched conspicuously by the security booth, phone pressed to her ear. The moment the call connected, she launched into rapid-fire questioning. On the other end, Ji Tingzhou, mid-spa treatment, opened his eyes at her outburst. Oh. Right. He’d finally remembered what he’d forgotten. "Lu Zhi’s son transferred to your school today. You were supposed to pick him up." Ji Nian glanced up at the setting sun. Today? The day was practically over!! A belated realization struck her— Had he been waiting here... all day? And then it hit her. Whose son? Lu Zhi’s son? If it was Lu Zhi’s son, then that meant— She whipped her head around to look at the boy still waiting patiently, who met her gaze and smiled—soft, almost... obedient. The Young Imperial Grandson... It was the Young Imperial Grandson she had once briefly met.

Chapter 219

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