The fact that the CEO had suddenly begun speaking in honorifics sent a shockwave through the room. For a man like Ethan Ford, using formalities was either a sign that he was completely done with someone… or that he had already chosen a path no one could change. Either way, the directors knew better than to test him.
"I suddenly feel the CEO is right," Director Li said immediately, switching loyalties with expert precision. "The school market is huge. Junye should challenge it comprehensively!"
"Then let's choose…" Ethan's lips curved slightly—a rare, dangerous smile. "Peng University."
He didn't elaborate, but everyone knew what that smile meant.
His woman was there.
And if she was there… he would go.
Every director instinctively pulled out their phones to check the background of Peng University. If the CEO had chosen that school, then they needed to understand everything about it.
However, the moment they opened their browsers, the first page that popped up left them all frozen.
Not the official page.
Not the school rankings.
But—
A girl.
A very famous girl.
[The Legendary History of Quinn the Menace]
[Peng University's Second-to-Last Legend]
[The "Pride" of Peng University – The Jade Quinn Saga Continues]
[Jade Quinn Returns]
Everyone: "…"
What kind of chaotic nonsense was this?
Was this really what showed up when searching a prestigious national university?
Several directors who had graduated from Peng University felt their pride cracking. Since when did their alma mater allow something like this to dominate the search results?
But… the CEO had chosen it. So no matter how bizarre these search results were, they had to take them seriously.
Still, these were just posts created by bored students. They skimmed through them quickly.
Fortunately, the next page finally looked normal.
Peng University, officially Peng Kai University, ranked third in the nation…
They continued reading eagerly, completely unaware that their CEO had already left the meeting room.
---
…
The exam bell rang sharply through the hallway.
Jade Quinn jolted awake like someone rising from a long underwater dream. She rubbed her slightly numb arm, stretching lazily. An hour and a half exam? It felt like centuries.
Still, the good news?
She had woken up inside her classroom.
Meaning—
Her rebirth was real.
No dream. No hallucination.
She was truly back.
Ms. Anna was walking past with a stack of freshly collected exam papers. When she saw Jade stand up and stretch so casually, she clicked her tongue and gave her a disdainful look.
"Since you're still a student, at least sit properly and wait for your grades."
During the exam, Ms. Anna had generously arranged a special seat for her—right next to the trash can.
Jade raised a brow, not even bothering to respond. She yawned, brushed off her clothes, and walked past Ms. Anna with the same lazy arrogance that used to irritate her teachers to death.
"You—!" Ms. Anna's face heated in anger, but she held it in. She would get to enjoy scolding the girl properly later. For now, she stormed off in her heels, the clacking loud and sharp.
After the exam, the classroom buzzed with students comparing answers. Jade sat at the very back, long fingers tapping the desk lightly.
Then she remembered…
She got the last bonus question wrong.
"…Sleeping was a mistake," she muttered, expression flat.
The noise was irritating, and she scanned the room until her gaze landed on the clock.
9:40:52
Her score would probably be released before 10:30.
Not because the school was efficient—no.
Because Ms. Anna really wanted to expose her.
Her boredom peaked, so she unlocked her phone, the screen glowing softly.
She opened WeChat.
At the top, pinned above everyone else—
Ethan Ford.
Jade snorted.
This man… he actually used his real name.
Meanwhile, she had chosen the elegant, refined username:
"I'm Very Pretty."
After thinking for a moment, she tapped on his name and changed his nickname to—
Little Brother.
Jade bit her lip, suppressing laughter. The word itself sounded playful, teasing… seductive. She wondered what would happen if she said it to his face. If she ever got the chance, she absolutely would.
She opened their chat.
And immediately deflated.
It was empty.
Her heart dropped for half a second. Right… she used to be stupid. She had deleted WeChat right after Ethan added her, wiping their entire chat history.
She typed:
"Ethan, are you busy?"
Two seconds.
No reply.
She typed again:
"I know you're busy. You don't have to reply. I didn't have anything important to say."
She rested her chin on one hand, suddenly unsure if Ethan even used WeChat regularly.
His Moments page was empty.
Then she checked hers—and almost died from embarrassment.
She had only set Ethan to view her Moments.
Was her brain even functioning before? Even a pig might have had better instincts.
Before she could wallow in self-loathing, someone called out.
"Jade, you're wanted in the office," Mia Lee said, her tone dripping with mock sweetness.
Of course it was Mia.
Wasn't there anyone else available?
Jade walked to the door and spoke coldly:
"Move."
Mia flinched.
The sudden shift in Jade's aura—sharp, cold, untouchable—was nothing like the overly flashy girl she once was. For a moment, Mia forgot how to breathe and instinctively stepped back.
The class burst into laughter.
"Mia is such a coward!"
"She actually backed away from Jade Quinn!"
"Honestly, Jade did scare us before the exam…"
"To be fair… doesn't she look different today?"
"What's different? She just isn't wearing makeup."
But that comment made everyone pause.
Because it was true.
Girls wore makeup to enhance their beauty.
But Jade…
It felt like she used makeup to hide hers.
Without it, her features were sharp yet delicate, like a rare gemstone finally polished. Someone even whispered that she looked better than Lila Quinn, the campus belle.
Instantly, Lila's aura dimmed.