C1 Chapter 1

“Bai Nuochu—lower than a hooker. She hikes up her shirt behind the school and lets men grope her. Fifty bucks a time.”

“I heard her dad should’ve strangled her when she was a kid. Anyone who’s seen Bai Nuochu is cursed!”

“I heard she got her fiancé’s dad killed with her own hands!”

The gossip drifted in from all directions. When they spotted a pale figure walking toward them with her backpack clutched to her chest and her head down, the girls who’d been chirping a moment ago turned to Bai Nuochu with open contempt and snickering smiles.

“Don’t think that just because the corner of your eyes looks a little like Vivian’s, you can start acting like you’re hot stuff,” one girl said, glaring at Bai Nuochu. She was only a sophomore, but her makeup was already heavy and overdone.

She looked at Bai Nuochu like she was trash—yet the jealousy in her eyes was impossible to hide.

Bai Nuochu was supposed to be the lowest, most pathetic student at Yingrui, but her brows and eyes did resemble Vivian, the screen-and-stage superstar they all worshipped. If you looked closely, Bai Nuochu’s features were even softer and more delicate than Vivian’s—less polished than Vivian’s flawless makeup, but with a natural, youthful prettiness Vivian didn’t have.

“Vivian’s a top-tier actress and singer. How does a woman like that deserve to be compared to Vivian?” another girl snapped, jumping in immediately. “I heard Vivian’s been linked to Young Master Jue!”

“Gu Lijue!” The moment his name came up, the cluster of girls squealed.

“The Gu family’s second son—the most outstanding, most untouchable heir. I heard Young Master Jue is ice-cold with women and doesn’t let anyone get close. And now he’s actually letting Vivian near him?”

“If she’s connected to Young Master Jue—even if they’re not officially dating—Vivian’s value will skyrocket. All it takes is one little gesture from him, and she’ll be unstoppable.”

“Young Master Jue runs this city, but he almost never shows up in public. If he starts dating Vivian, do you think we’ll see him more?”

The shrieking got even sharper. The moment his name came up, the rich girls suddenly lost all interest in humiliating Bai Nuochu, the pathetic nobody from the wrong side of town.

Bai Nuochu lowered her head and slipped through the crowd.

She was used to this.

If anything had changed, it was that this “young master” had saved her some time she didn’t need to waste.

Just as she unlocked her beat-up bike, a hoarse, gravelly voice came from the dim bike shed.

This was an elite private school, and the bike shed was the one place the spoiled rich kids wouldn’t normally be caught dead in.

A flicker passed through Bai Nuochu’s clear eyes. She pushed her bike and hurried to leave.

She’d only taken two steps when someone twisted the handlebar and yanked it back. “I’m talking to you! Need you to do us a favor.”

A few tall, lanky figures boxed her in. They were some of Yingrui’s resident screwups, but their eyes held a different kind of gleam today. One of them excitedly fiddled with a camera.

“W-what do you want?” Her voice was timid as always. She didn’t dare look up, hiding the flash of disgust in her eyes.

“What do we want? Take it off.” Huang Hao, the one in front, grabbed her jacket and pulled it open.

To the students at Yingrui, Bai Nuochu had always been trash—something they could kick around, something they’d invent new ways to humiliate, but wouldn’t touch for fear it might rub off on them. So she wasn’t prepared for Huang Hao’s move. In an instant, a wide stretch of pale skin was exposed.

Smooth and luminous, even whiter than snow—especially the brief glimpse of her delicate collarbone, drawing the eye into its fragile curve. Against her rough, dusty coat, her soft skin looked like it could glow.

“She’s gotta be worth five million. That’ll cover our gambling debt!”

“Five million? What five million?” Bai Nuochu yanked her clothes back into place, but the next second her backpack was snatched away. Like a starving animal tearing through trash for a scrap of bone, Huang Hao rummaged through it and pulled out her ID.

“Strip. Hold your ID and take pictures!” Huang Hao snarled.

That notorious scam—forcing female college students into nude-photo “loans” until some were driven to jump—had spread to Yingrui’s campus too?

A cold glint flashed in Bai Nuochu’s eyes.

Not far off, the low, powerful roar of an engine swept past. A sleek, jet-black Aston Martin cut through the early night, its body tracing a smooth, luxurious arc.

The car came to a steady stop like a poised beast, and a tall figure stepped out.

Even from a distance, he carried an effortless air of authority and privilege. In the dim light of dusk, his presence felt overwhelming. His narrow gaze swept over the scene as if everything lay plainly before him—and as if none of it was worth his attention.

Snap. He lit a cigar. The ember flared and faded, and the rising smoke veiled his striking, aristocratic features. In the low light he looked deep and silent, unreadable in every way.

That elegant, eye-catching car seemed to split Yingrui’s campus cleanly in two—shadowy bullying on one side, polished power on the other.