The late afternoon sun dipped low behind the school buildings, casting long shadows across the courtyard as students streamed out, chatting and laughing. Clubs were ending, the basketball team was shouting somewhere in the distance, and Li Cheng just wanted to get home, take a shower, and exist in peace for at least twenty minutes.
Impossible, of course.
Not with his life.
"Li Cheng!"
He stopped mid-step. The voice was sweet, bright, and guaranteed to ruin any chance of silence.
Lin Xiaoyu jogged over, ponytail bouncing. "You left class so fast! Are you avoiding me?"
"No," Li Cheng sighed. "I'm avoiding problems."
"Then why are you walking toward home?" she smirked.
"…Because that's where I live?"
"Exactly. Where the problems are."
He stared. "Xiaoyu, I swear—"
"Relax, relax! I just wanted to ask—are you coming tomorrow to the class committee meeting? We need to organize the midterm event."
Li Cheng pinched the bridge of his nose. "I didn't volunteer for that committee."
"The teacher assigned you."
"What? Why?!"
"Because you have 'leadership aura,' or whatever she called it. Something about your back being straighter since last week."
Li Cheng groaned. "That was because my system— never mind."
"Your what?"
"Nothing."
Why did Xiaoyu always catch him at the worst moments?
"Anyway!" she said brightly. "Before you go—"
She leaned forward, eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Qin Ruo was looking for you earlier."
Li Cheng froze.
"…Why?"
"She didn't say. But she asked which way you usually walk home."
"Did you tell her?!"
"I'm not a snitch," Xiaoyu said. Then winked. "I told her you take the long path by the garden."
"That's literally the opposite direction of my house!"
"You're welcome!"
Li Cheng stared at her, betrayed. "You enjoy chaos too much."
"I enjoy watching it," she corrected. "You provide it."
And with a cheerful wave, she vanished into the crowd.
The Walk Home -The Calm Before the Storm
Li Cheng walked along the quiet sidewalk, backpack slung over one shoulder, taking a deep breath of the cool evening air.
This… was nice.
No sparring students shouting challenges.
No classmates trying to force him into love-triangle rumors.
No random arrogant boys trying to test their masculinity against him for no reason.
No viral photos.
No—
A group of girls up ahead spotted him.
"Oh my god, it's him!"
"The campus prince!"
"Li Cheng, can I have a picture?!"
He turned around. Nope.
No peace.
Just more problems.
He politely declined, escaping with a half-jog until he reached the quieter residential street leading to his home.
When he finally turned the corner to his apartment building, he exhaled in relief—
Then froze.
Because someone was standing at his door.
A woman.
Not a student.
Not someone from school.
Not someone he had ever seen before.
And definitely not someone normal.
She stood with perfect posture, dressed in a sleek black dress that hugged her figure—professional, elegant, and far too expensive to belong anywhere near his neighborhood. Long hair, curled lightly at the ends, cascaded over her shoulders. Her skin was fair and smooth, her lips tinted with a rose color that felt both warm and dangerous.
She was not cute.
She was not pretty.
She was devastating.
Even from a distance, she radiated the kind of quiet authority CEOs had in dramas—the kind that made people swallow without thinking.
Li Cheng blinked.
Once.
Twice.
The woman smiled politely the moment she saw him.
"Li Cheng?"
His soul left his body.
Why do beautiful women keep appearing in my life out of nowhere?
Did he activate some hidden Luck Stat?
The woman stepped closer, heels clicking softly on the pavement. Not too close—just enough to send his heartbeat into a confused, panicking rhythm.
He pointed at himself slowly. "You… you're looking for me?"
"Yes." Her voice was warm, calm, and graceful. "I've been waiting."
Li Cheng swallowed. "For… what reason?"
She extended a hand—delicate, slender fingers, manicured nails.
"My name is Su Yaling."
The name tickled his memory.
Wait.
Wait.
Hold on.
"Su… Yaling… as in—"
She nodded, smiling with quiet confidence.
"Chairman of Su Group. CEO of Yaling Enterprises. And…"
She tilted her head slightly, eyes softening.
"Your new business partner."
Li Cheng stood there, stunned.
"What?"
"You're the owner of ChengTech Solutions, correct?"
He froze.
ChengTech was the company he had started only a week ago—small, quiet, low-key. Just a basic registration, a few drafted ideas, a name on paper. The system had told him starting early was good for future growth.
But… how the hell did she find out?
Seeing his confusion, Su Yaling chuckled lightly, brushing hair from her cheek in a movement that was almost too graceful.
"I apologize if I startled you. But when someone designs a youth-oriented tech proposal as sharp as yours… people notice."
Li Cheng blinked again.
"You… saw my proposal?"
She nodded. "Not only saw it—I want to fund it."
The world stopped.
Li Cheng's pulse thundered in his ears.
She continued: "Your concept for a modernized student-learning platform with integrated AI tutoring is exceptional. Innovative. And financially promising."
"I— I just wrote that as an idea draft last night."
"Yes," she said, smiling. "And registered it this morning. Which means you are serious."
Li Cheng's brain short-circuited.
How did she—
"Are you wondering how I found out?" she said gently.
"Yes," Li Cheng admitted.
"I have scouts who monitor early-stage youth startups. You caught their attention. Which caught mine."
Li Cheng stared.
This… was ridiculous.
He hadn't even built anything yet. His "startup" was just a name, a basic government registration, and a mildly impressive idea he scribbled down while eating ramen.
But this woman—
CEO of a multi-billion yuan company—
Had appeared at his doorstep.
Because of him.
He swallowed hard. "This… is too sudden."
She smiled again—small, elegant, reassuring.
"Li Cheng, you have potential. The kind that only appears once in a while. I simply don't want anyone else to snatch you first."
That—
Oh.
Oh.
That was dangerous phrasing.
Very dangerous phrasing.
Especially when said with her voice.
He cleared his throat. "So… you want to invest in me?"
"In your company," she corrected softly. "And in your growth."
There it was again.
That tone.
The one that made him wonder whether she was just professional…Or something else entirely.
She stepped a little closer, eyes warm but inspecting, as if weighing his worth.
"You're still in school. You're young. But your ambition… it's rare."
Her lips curved.
"I admire that."
Li Cheng felt heat rise to his ears.
WHAT IS HIS LIFE NOW?!
Inside His Apartment
They stepped inside. Li Cheng tried not to panic over the mess. A suit jacket hung off a chair. Textbooks scattered on the table. An empty instant noodles cup on the counter.
Kill me.
Kill me now.
"I wasn't expecting visitors," Li Cheng muttered.
"It's alright," she said kindly. "A working mind is rarely tidy."
Was that a compliment?
Li Cheng couldn't tell.
She sat on the couch with elegance that made his entire apartment look unworthy.
He sat opposite her, hands clasped, trying to act like a normal functioning human.
"So," he began. "How can I help you, Miss Su?"
"Please," she said. "Call me Yaling."
Li Cheng nearly choked.
He nodded weakly.
"Yaling… what exactly do you want from ChengTech?"
"A partnership," she replied. "Fifty percent investment for a thirty percent stake. Full funding for a development team. In exchange, you spearhead the design."
Li Cheng stared.
"That's… way too generous."
"Because you're worth it."
There it was again.
WHY WAS SHE LIKE THIS?
He couldn't tell if she was genuinely supportive or flirting in the most composed, elegant way possible.
"Also," she added lightly, "my daughter speaks highly of you."
"…You have a daughter?"
"Yes. She attends your school."
Li Cheng's eyes widened.
Wait—
"…Who?"
"Su Mengyu."
Li Cheng froze.
THE STUDENT COUNCIL VICE PRESIDENT?!
THE ICE PRINCESS OF FIRST YEAR?!
He suddenly remembered the girl with long black hair, always cold, always distant, who had stared at him strangely last week.
Oh no.
Oh no, no, no.
"So you're saying…" he whispered. "Your daughter told you about me?"
"She heard rumors," Su Yaling said calmly. "Something about you humiliating a few arrogant boys. And catching a certain girl during sparring."
Li Cheng's soul left his body again.
She laughed softly. "Teenagers are dramatic."
"Tell me about it," Li Cheng muttered.
The Negotiation — Or Something Close to It
"So," she continued, crossing her legs elegantly. "What do you think of the partnership?"
Li Cheng thought.
Carefully.
Objectively.
Rationally.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
If he accepted, ChengTech would instantly become legitimate. Real funding. Real development. A future. Power.
But something else floated beneath the surface.
He watched her.
She wasn't faking admiration. She wasn't pretending. She genuinely saw value in him.
But there was something else too—a softness in her eyes whenever she looked at him. As if seeing a young man she wanted to guide… or protect.
Or something he dared not name.
He inhaled.
"I accept," he said finally.
Her eyes lit—subtly, beautifully.
"Good," she said. "Very good."
She stood, smoothing her dress. "Then I'll send the contract to your email by tomorrow morning."
"Thank you," Li Cheng said sincerely.
"I should be thanking you," she replied.
And then—
She stepped closer.
Too close.
Close enough that he could smell her perfume—warm, elegant, intoxicating.
She reached out…And lightly touched his cheek with her fingertips.
A feather-soft graze.
"You're going to be someone extraordinary, Li Cheng," she murmured.
"Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
His heart stopped.
Then restarted violently.
She pulled her hand back slowly, a small smile forming—knowing, amused, almost teasing.
"I look forward to working with you."
And with that, she turned and walked out the door.
Leaving Li Cheng stunned, breathless, confused—
And absolutely doomed.
But the chapter wasn't done.
Because as Li Cheng shut the door behind her—
His phone buzzed.
A message from Su Mengyu.
The ICE PRINCESS.
[Mom told me she visited you.]
Li Cheng swallowed.
Yeah. That happened.
Then another message came.
[I want to talk. Meet me tomorrow morning before class.]
Li Cheng stared in horror.
Why did this feel like a threat?
And then—
A final message.
[It's about my mother.]
Li Cheng froze.
Oh no.
OH NO.