THIP Chapter 65

Class passed without incident, but the break afterward wasn’t nearly as peaceful.

The news that the aloof academic ace, Ye Zhuoran, had stood up for Xi Yan, the girl ostracized by the entire school, spread through the grade like wildfire. And it was already starting to reach the rest of the school.

During class, Xie Shaoke had already learned the full story through WeChat from students in Xi Yan’s old class.

But no one could figure out why Ye Zhuoran would go out of his way to help her.

Xie Shaoke slipped his phone back into his pocket and walked over to Xi Yan’s desk.

The remaining students in the classroom couldn’t help but shift their gaze toward them, curious to see what would happen next.

A shadow fell over her desk. Xi Yan, still organizing her notes, looked up and saw her half-brother, who had always treated her with cold indifference, giving her a flippant smile. His tone was casual, almost mocking.

“Little sister, if you wanted to join Class A, all you had to do was say something to your big brother. Why bother troubling Ye Zhuoran?”

This was the first time Xie Shaoke had ever called her “sister” since she entered the Xie family. Xi Yan lowered her eyes and said nothing.

When she didn’t respond, Xie Shaoke didn’t seem to care. His smile deepened, but his eyes remained icy cold.

“Or is it that, deep down, you’re just like your mother? So good at seducing men.”

Xi Yan’s eyes snapped up, pale irises locking onto him with an intense glare. Her slender fingers, hidden beneath her sleeves, had already curled into a tight fist.

“Xie Shaoke, you’ve gone too far.” Mu Liuyin’s normally calm voice turned sharp and cold.

Xie Shaoke narrowed his eyes. Ye Zhuoran might come from a powerful background, but that didn’t mean he was afraid of him. Besides, Xie Shaoke said coldly, “When did disciplining my sister become any of your business, Ye Zhuoran?”

Then, with a sneer in his eyes, he added, “Or what? Has Young Master Ye fallen for the Xie family’s bastard daughter?”

Before he could finish his insult, Xi Yan abruptly stood up. She stared at him with icy disdain, clearly ready to unleash her anger—when suddenly, Mu Liuyin grabbed a fistful of Xie Shaoke’s dyed-blue hair and slammed his head onto the desk.

The impact stunned him. The entire class froze, eyes wide in shock. No one could have imagined that the usually silent, aloof top student would hit the class’s self-proclaimed leader.

So… the academic god was also a physical powerhouse?

More importantly, Ye Zhuoran, who usually stayed out of everyone’s business, had gotten into a physical altercation with Xie Shaoke… for the Xie family’s illegitimate daughter.

This made it clear to everyone just how important Xi Yan was to Ye Zhuoran.

“Ye Zhuoran!!” Xie Shaoke roared, finally coming back to his senses and trying to get up.

Thankfully, this body had learned some Taekwondo, so holding him down wasn’t a problem. Mu Liuyin’s gaze turned cold as ice, her usual calm voice now sharp with threat.

“Xie Shaoke, don’t push your luck.”

With that, she slammed his head against the desk a second time—then finally let him go.

Xie Shaoke stormed off, eyes full of resentment.

Mu Liuyin sat back down as if nothing had happened and asked Xi Yan, “Got any tissues?”

Xi Yan blinked, still in shock from what had just happened.

“Got tissues?” Mu Liuyin repeated, patient but expressionless.

“…Yeah.” Xi Yan pursed her lips, then pulled a small packet of tissues from her bag and handed it over.

She watched as the boy, still wearing that cold expression, pulled out a tissue and carefully wiped the hand that had just grabbed Xie Shaoke’s hair.

Xi Yan: “……”

The rest of the class: “……”

Good thing Xie Shaoke didn’t see that—he’d probably come back to start more trouble.

Honestly, if Xie Shaoke hadn’t gone so far with his words, Mu Liuyin wouldn’t have laid a finger on him. After all, Xi Yan was still part of the Xie family. If Mu Liuyin crossed the line, Xie Shaoke might retaliate by making things worse for Xi Yan at home.

Thankfully, when the Xie family patriarch enrolled Xi Yan in this high school, he’d chosen the boarding option to avoid upsetting his legal wife.

What Mu Liuyin didn’t understand was why Xie Shaoke cared so much. As the only legitimate son of the Xie family, even with the sudden appearance of an illegitimate sister, the family inheritance was still his. Why the need to go after her like this?

Maybe he really did hate Xi Yan’s status that much. But according to the backstory, Xi Yan’s mother had no idea the Xie patriarch was married when they were together.

She thought they were in a real relationship and believed they’d get married one day. She had no clue the notoriously flirtatious patriarch was just toying with her.

When she finally found out he was already married, she left, pregnant, and raised Xi Yan on her own for nearly seventeen years.

If she hadn’t fallen terminally ill and had no other family to rely on, she would never have gone to the Xie patriarch and begged him to take care of Xi Yan.

In this whole mess, both Xie Shaoke and his mother were victims—but so were Xi Yan and her mother. Unfortunately, Xie Shaoke had no power over the father he despised, so he vented his anger on Xi Yan instead.

Mu Liuyin glanced at the silent girl’s gentle profile, her cold eyes softening ever so slightly.

As if sensing the gaze, Xi Yan gripped her pen a little tighter.

The day passed like that.

After school, Xi Yan slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the classroom. She looked at the crowd-filled campus and lowered her gaze. Today… might have been the most peaceful day she’d had in over a month.

And that boy who had stood up for her—Xi Yan silently whispered his name in her heart, syllable by syllable: Ye. Zhuo. Ran.

If this kind of kindness was real… then for someone like Xi Yan, who had grown used to being alone ever since her mother passed, it was something she couldn’t help but crave.

But what had she done to deserve such kindness?

A bitter smile tugged at her lips.

She took a step forward, heading toward the dormitory building.

“Wait.”

A calm voice called out from behind her.

She paused and looked back, only to see the handsome boy who had helped her all day walking toward her.

“Where’s your dorm?” Mu Liuyin asked naturally. “I’ll walk you.”

Since she had already chosen to get involved that morning, Mu Liuyin figured she might as well go all the way.

Even though she was confident the fight in class had been enough of a warning, she still didn’t feel completely at ease letting Xi Yan walk back alone.

The moment he said that, a faint blush crept up Xi Yan’s ears. Even though logic warned her that this might all be fake kindness, how could any girl not be moved when someone reached out to help her at her lowest?

She told herself to stay calm, pressed her lips together, and said, “Thanks for everything today. I can get back on my own.”

Then she turned and walked off, not giving him a chance to reply.

Mu Liuyin blinked—she hadn’t expected to be rejected.

With a sigh, she quietly followed behind her, only turning away once Xi Yan had safely entered the dorm building.

The day’s actions might’ve come off as a little abrupt, but Mu Liuyin didn’t see any other way.

Still, thinking about how every world she’d been through always ended the same way… she figured she’d better come up with a solid excuse to keep her mission target from mistakenly thinking she was interested in her.