Chapter 25: Just Wait and See

A night of thunder and rain passed. When dawn broke, the sky was clear.

After that unsettling incident in the latter half of the night, Xianyu Jing, unexpectedly, was no longer plagued by nightmares.

As usual, she rose early. Upon descending the stairs, Aunt Rong recounted the dangerous events of the previous evening.

It turned out that a bolt of lightning had struck the rain awning on her balcony. The rainfall had not been heavy at first, but after the awning was hit, it caught fire.

Jiang Mohe, disregarding the peril of the storm, braved the elements alone to extinguish the flames and tore down the awning to prevent further accidents.

“Thankfully, young Jiang was here, otherwise who knows what might have happened!” Aunt Rong sighed with relief.

Su Cha, standing nearby, commented mildly, “He’s the captain of the security team. Protecting Miss Xianyu’s safety is his duty.”

“That’s because you didn’t see how dangerous it was!” Aunt Rong recalled the scene, still somewhat shaken, and felt Su Cha’s words were inappropriate.

“Although young Jiang is the security captain, it’s not as if he should risk his life for money! Moreover, he acted alone, not dragging any of you into danger.”

Su Cha fell silent.

Xianyu Jing thought Aunt Rong saw things more clearly. Even if Jiang Mohe was merely fulfilling his duty, he could have ordered his subordinates to handle it; there was no need for him to act personally.

Whatever his status, his character deserved respect and trust!

Xianyu Jing had intended to thank Jiang Mohe before leaving for school. But the guard on duty said he had gone out early with the uncle responsible for the villa’s exterior to purchase a new awning.

She could only head to school first, planning to express her gratitude when she returned in the evening.

At noon, Loria failed to find Xianyu Jing in the first-floor hall.

“Could she be upstairs?” asked one of Loria’s classmates.

So Loria, with two other girls, went to the second-floor private room.

Sure enough, through the glass door of one compartment, they spotted Xianyu Jing.

Without a word, Loria opened the door and barged in.

But when she saw the other two people inside, she was stunned.

“P-President…”

Loria recognized the refined and handsome young man wearing silver-rimmed glasses as Mo Haoyuan, the president of the student council; the other, a poised and stylish young woman, was her own sister, Lorina.

Lorina’s face, already embarrassed, turned even darker at her sister’s abrupt entrance. “Loria, what are you doing? How could you come in without knocking?”

“I…” Loria stammered, unsure how to answer.

Xianyu Jing spoke up, “Perhaps Loria came to ask me for the dry-cleaning fee.”

“Dry-cleaning fee?” Mo Haoyuan looked puzzled.

“I accidentally soiled Loria’s clothes yesterday…”

Before Xianyu Jing could finish, Lorina interrupted, “It’s just a piece of clothing, no need for any dry-cleaning fee!”

She shot Loria a look. “Loria, if you have something to say, do it at home. The president and I are discussing important matters.”

Loria was a bit lost.

Just last night, she had agreed with her sister to suppress Xianyu Jing’s club application, so why today was her sister and the president sitting with Xianyu Jing, discussing matters?

But since her sister said so, and Mo Haoyuan was present, she decided it was best to leave.

“Then I’ll let you get on with your business—we’re going to lunch.”

With that, Loria and her two equally confused friends departed.

Mo Haoyuan laughed, “Lorina, your sister is still so rash.”

Lorina forced a smile. “Yes, always like a child. When she falls into someone else’s hands, she’ll probably be clueless about it!”

Xianyu Jing could tell Lorina’s words had an implied meaning, but she pretended not to notice and continued the interrupted conversation.

“President, do I need to resend my application form?”

Mo Haoyuan smiled, “You sent it to the wrong place, so yes, you’ll need to send another. After Senior Nangong Lü informed me, I’ve already reviewed your file. There’s nothing left to approve; just send it directly to Lorina for record-keeping.”

“Thank you, President.” Xianyu Jing nodded with a smile.

She had guessed Lorina would try to use her authority to block her application, so she deliberately sought out Mo Haoyuan during lunch on the pretext of a mistaken submission.

Now, with Lorina bypassed, she could join the club directly, and Loria would have no reason to cause trouble.

“No need to call me President—just Senior is fine.”

Seeing Mo Haoyuan’s cordial attitude toward Xianyu Jing, Lorina recalculated her plans. It seemed this distant relative of the Nangong family had some skill after all.

To be able to enter the Nangong household, attend Liyang Academy, and be cared for enough to join the student council—surely more than just the second young master of the Nangong family was supporting her. Perhaps even the eldest was involved!

Whatever schemes Lorina was plotting, Xianyu Jing didn’t know; she only wished for a peaceful life.

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That day, Loria reported Xianyu Jing’s entry into the student council to Nangong Xin via video call.

It left Nangong Xin fuming!

Her second brother always took the opposite stance. Knowing she disliked Xianyu Jing, he insisted on helping her.

Loria couldn’t understand either. “Xin Xin, why is that salted-fish girl so favored by your grandmother and second brother? She’s just some country girl!”

Nangong Xin gritted her teeth on the other end. It wasn’t only her grandmother and second brother who doted on that wild girl; rumor had it her elder brother had brought her to the Nangong residence as well!

She’d thought the arrangement was merely for a small apartment, but it turned out the wild girl was actually living with her brother.

It was maddening and utterly baffling!

“Don’t worry! Even if that salted-fish girl gets into the student council, she’s not untouchable,” Loria reassured her. “Don’t forget, my sister is the vice president—she has plenty of ways to kick someone out!”

Nangong Xin felt her fury abate somewhat. “Good. Let her suffer a bit!”

“Just watch!” Loria replied quickly, unaware that Lorina had her own plans.

Originally, Lorina had been close to Zhao Wenyan, a childhood friend of Xiao Zhiyun. The Zhao family wasn’t a prestigious lineage, but his brother-in-law was of a distinguished background, and the Zhao family benefited from it.

But after learning Zhao Wenyan’s family arranged a matchmaking session with another girl, Lorina ceased to have any illusions about him.

She had initially taken a liking to Zhao Wenyan because of his easygoing nature, making him easy to manipulate. Otherwise, with her own family’s status, she wouldn’t have considered the Zhaos.

At Liyang Academy, there were plenty of scions from noble families; why tie herself to a single tree? She couldn’t reach the heights of the Nangong family, but there were other clans.

She had just heard that the daughter of the Zhai family would be arriving in a few days. Such an opportunity was not to be missed!

Compared to undermining Xianyu Jing, her own lifelong prospects mattered far more.