Ye Chen couldn't help but smirk as Sen Tu was carried away by the teacher. He didn't get to see Sen Tu's expression when the illusion spell wore off, but just knowing what was coming was enough satisfaction.
Zhao Yanyan, sitting beside him, glanced at Ye Chen with a knowing smile. "You really are something," she teased.
Ye Chen shrugged casually. "What else was I supposed to do? The guy sent a hundred people to kill me today. He brought this on himself."
Zhao Yanyan's expression darkened. "He seriously tried to kill you? That bastard picked the wrong enemy."
"He won't be showing his face in public anytime soon," Ye Chen said, his voice calm but laced with coldness.
The world they lived in wasn't kind. If he hadn't been strong enough, he'd probably be lying in a hospital bed. If he wasn't ruthless, Sen Tu would've kept coming after him. In Ye Chen's opinion, he'd gone easy on him—he could've made Sen Tu crippled or even brain-dead.
Just then, the food they had ordered arrived. Both Ye Chen and Zhao Yanyan began eating peacefully… until an annoying voice interrupted them.
"Well, well, isn't this Ye Chen's little girlfriend? Looks like you finally left that loser and found yourself a real man. Can't blame you, though. Who wants a broke boyfriend?"
Ye Chen recognized the voice immediately. Yu Ting—his ex-girlfriend—and her new man, Hu Ji. These two loved to stir up trouble.
Zhao Yanyan calmly set down her chopsticks and looked at Yu Ting. "Can't you see I'm still with Ye Chen? Maybe you should have your eyes checked. You might be nearsighted."
Yu Ting scoffed. "Nearsighted? Don't be ridiculous. You're clearly eating with someone else. Don't try to lie your way out of this."
Yu Ting didn't recognize Ye Chen without his old leather mask. Now, with his true face revealed, he was almost unrecognizable—handsome enough to make even Yu Ting do a double take.
"I'm telling you," Zhao Yanyan said with a smirk, "that is Ye Chen."
Yu Ting's jaw dropped. "What?! That's impossible!"
Her scream drew the attention of everyone in the cafeteria. Whispers quickly spread.
"Who's that guy? I've never seen him before…"
"Must be a transfer student—he's hot!"
"He's from my class! But he's always with Zhao Yanyan, so no one dares approach him."
Though many girls were considered pretty at the school, Zhao Yanyan stood in a league of her own. Naturally, all eyes were now on the man by her side—Ye Chen.
Yu Ting fumed as Ye Chen's popularity skyrocketed. She couldn't stand that her ex was now more admired than her current boyfriend. She sneered, "You must've had plastic surgery! No way someone gets this handsome in just a few days."
Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like I have the money for that? You're overthinking things."
"You probably made your rich girlfriend pay for it," Yu Ting snapped, glancing at Zhao Yanyan with disdain. "That must be it."
Ye Chen didn't bother responding. There was no point arguing with someone like her. He could feel the stares from the crowd—admiring from the girls, and hostile from the guys who envied his closeness with Zhao Yanyan.
"Yanyan, let's go," he said quietly, standing up.
Zhao Yanyan, who still hadn't finished eating, sighed and followed. Ye Chen paid for the food and led her out.
Yu Ting called after them loudly, her voice dripping with venom. "Running away, huh? Too scared to admit you got a new face thanks to your sugar mommy? What a coward!"
Ye Chen didn't flinch. To him, Yu Ting's words were just background noise—like a barking dog.
But Zhao Yanyan wasn't as patient. Yu Ting had insulted Ye Chen one time too many, and her tolerance snapped.
Before Ye Chen could stop her, Zhao Yanyan turned and said coldly, "You should really take a good look in the mirror before insulting others. Isn't it you who's acting like a kept woman with that guy beside you?"
Hu Ji's expression darkened immediately, as if someone had slapped him in public.
Yu Ting's eyes widened in fury. "What did you just say?!"
"I said," Zhao Yanyan repeated, her tone icy, "you act more like a prostitute than a girlfriend."
Gasps rippled through the cafeteria. Even the men who had been ogling Zhao Yanyan now looked at Yu Ting with disgust.
"How dare you—!" Yu Ting shouted. "If anyone here looks like a prostitute, it's you!"
Now she'd crossed the line.
The atmosphere turned dangerous. Zhao Yanyan was considered the campus goddess. Insulting her publicly was like blasphemy. Glares were thrown Yu Ting's way from all directions.
Hu Ji felt the shift in energy. Dozens of students were now silently threatening him and Yu Ting with their eyes.
Realizing the situation was about to get out of control, Hu Ji grabbed Yu Ting's arm and began dragging her out of the cafeteria.
"Let go! I'm not done!" Yu Ting yelled.
But Hu Ji didn't stop. He knew staying even a second longer might get them both beaten.
Once they were gone, Ye Chen and Zhao Yanyan exchanged a glance—and both smiled.
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