Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Do You Know the Consequences of Talking Nonsense?

In an instant, Secretary Li felt as if his body no longer belonged to him.

The hand on his shoulder didn’t seem to use brute force. It simply caught the joint at the wrong angle, pinning him in place. He couldn’t move.

From the corner of his eye, he caught the girl’s profile—calm brows, steady gaze, and a quiet, crushing pressure.

It felt like kneeling before an emperor.

Of everyone there, only Secretary Li had personally witnessed Ye Wan Lan snapping Qin Xian’s limbs in thirty seconds.

Half a month had passed, and the memory had dulled—until the pain in his shoulder made it roar back to life.

“M-Miss Ye…” Secretary Li forced through clenched teeth. “Could you let go first? Sir asked me to deliver a message. It’s important.”

As long as it involved Zhou He Chen, Ye Wan Lan always listened. She never disobeyed.

Sure enough, the grip eased.

Secretary Li straightened with relief and turned fully toward her.

“Miss Ye,” he said quickly, “sir knows you want to enroll at No. 1 High School. If you go to him, he’ll solve everything.”

His smile returned. “Sir only needs to call the principal. You won’t have to waste time and effort—”

Ye Wan Lan rolled her wrist slowly. “Keep talking.”

“There’s one more thing,” Secretary Li said, and his tone shifted as a hint of condescension crept in. “It’s what I want to say.”

He smiled down at her. “Miss Ye, it’s been so many days. You should go back. If you keep fighting with sir like this, it won’t do you any good.”

In River City, no one dared oppose Zhou He Chen.

Without Zhou He Chen’s protection, Ye Wan Lan would get blocked at every turn.

A delicate flower raised in a greenhouse couldn’t survive storms and blazing sun.

Ye Wan Lan lifted her gaze. “Why are you talking nonsense?”

Secretary Li blinked. “What?”

Ye Wan Lan stepped closer, unhurried. “I’m asking you why you’re talking nonsense.”

Crack.

Secretary Li didn’t even have time to react.

Ye Wan Lan pinched his jaw between two fingers. Bone shifted with a sickening click.

Pain exploded through him. He tried to scream—no sound came out.

Ye Wan Lan looked at him steadily. “Do you know the consequences of talking nonsense?”

“Hh… hh…”

Secretary Li’s breathing turned ragged. Terror squeezed his heart so hard he thought it might burst.

He didn’t doubt it for a second—Ye Wan Lan could kill him.

“Get out,” she said.

Only two words, calm as still water.

Secretary Li nearly wept with relief. Clutching his dislocated jaw, he staggered away, fleeing without daring to look back.

In the same breath, the pressure and killing intent around Ye Wan Lan vanished. She returned to her usual gentle composure.

“Aunt,” she said softly, “I haven’t contacted them again.”

Xu Pei Qing didn’t answer at first. Her fingers tightened, then loosened. After a long silence, she finally said, “Dinner’s almost ready.”

Ye Wan Lan went inside. On her bedroom door, she spotted a memo stuck in place.

There are bayberries, honey peaches, and lychees in the fridge. The milk is in the insulated box.

It was Xu Pei Qing’s neat handwriting.

She’d even drawn a tiny heart at the end.

—

The next afternoon, in River City No. 1 High School’s counseling room:

“If you enroll at No. 1 High School, Classmate Ye, it’ll be more convenient to come see me,” Rong Yu said, visibly pleased. “What subjects are you planning to take?”

“History, chemistry, biology,” Ye Wan Lan replied.

Rong Yu’s eyes widened. “Wait—aren’t those the career-trap combo? If you take those three, what major are you planning to apply for in college?”

Most science and engineering majors required physics. History was a humanities subject. That combination severely limited your options.

Ye Wan Lan answered smoothly, “Tomb raiding.”

Rong Yu stared.

Ye Wan Lan propped her head on one hand and smiled. “Kidding.”

Rong Yu hunched his shoulders and leaned toward Yan Ting Feng, lowering his voice. “Brother… I don’t think she’s kidding.”

He whispered urgently, “Last time she said she likes Tower Lord Shen Xiao. The history books don’t record where Tower Lord Shen Xiao’s tomb is. If she finds it, won’t she rob it?”

Yan Ting Feng blinked, faint amusement in his eyes. “Interesting.”

In the Wan Jun Zhi War, he had survived—barely—but then fallen into a deep sleep for three hundred years.

He hadn’t died. Of course there was no grave.

But if Ye Wan Lan tried to rob his “tomb,” he thought that sounded entertaining.

“It seems Miss Ye and I have opposite tastes,” Yan Ting Feng said thoughtfully. “I prefer physics.”

“Oh?” Ye Wan Lan lifted her eyes.

“Because it has the power to cross time,” Yan Ting Feng said. He picked up two sheets of paper and drew a dot on each. “Quantum entanglement. Look—two things that have nothing to do with each other, and yet one day, they form a bond.”

“Physics is interesting,” Ye Wan Lan said softly. “But history matters even more.”

Everything she learned was for Shen Zhou.

Yan Ting Feng paused—rare and unmistakable. His lashes lowered as he touched the spot over his heart.

History mattered.

And it was also the pain he could never forget.

After an hour, the session ended and Ye Wan Lan left.

“It really is the career-trap combo,” Rong Yu muttered, pacing. “No. 1 High School doesn’t even have a fixed history-chemistry-biology class.”

Yan Ting Feng spoke without looking up. “Donate three more buildings.”

Rong Yu stopped mid-step. “What?”

“Make No. 1 High School create a history-chemistry-biology class.”

Rong Yu stared at him, speechless.

In his eyes, money still had to be counted in numbers.

In his brother’s eyes, it was counted in buildings.

—

The sun sank, painting the sky with clouds of fire.

At the Lin Family estate, after dinner, Lin Wei Lan stopped Lin Wo Yu.

“Wo Yu, I need to trouble you with something.”

“Mom, why are you being polite with me?” Lin Wo Yu said with a playful frown. “If you need something, just tell me. I’ll do it.”

“A Lan wants to return to high school. No. 1 High School doesn’t want her,” Lin Wei Lan said quietly. “Help me pull some strings. Just get her an enrollment spot.”

Lin Wo Yu nodded at once. “Of course. It’s good that A Lan wants to go back… but she’s been out of school for three years. Can she keep up? Should we hire a few tutors?”

Lin Wei Lan sighed. “If that hadn’t happened… she would’ve graduated university by now.”

Lin Wo Yu didn’t quite catch it. “Mom?”

“Nothing.” Lin Wei Lan waved her hand. “A Lan’s enrollment is up to you.”

Upstairs, Lin Qin carried a cup of water and went to find Lin Yue.

“Brother, guess what I just heard? Grandma told Mom to pull strings and help Ye Wan Lan get into No. 1 High School.”

Lin Yue slammed his pen down. “What? Grandma hasn’t actually lost her mind, has she? How is Ye Wan Lan supposed to enroll? She dropped out for three years!”

“Who knows what Ye Wan Lan said to Grandma to make her help like this,” Lin Qin snapped, frustration seeping through her voice. “If she really comes to No. 1 High School, what are we supposed to do?”

If her classmates found out she had a cousin who’d gone off to be a stand-in for a young master in the upper circles, how was she supposed to show her face?