After the minor character transforms into a beauty, she steals the heart of a tycoon's son.

Si Lin stared at her, and it was clear to him that she had softened again.

Whether she was a commoner or a noble, she was always like this.

He reached out, encircled her slender white wrist, and pulled her up from her seat.

"If you're tired, we won't go to class this time." Si Lin said, pulling her towards the door.

Ruan Tang was dragged along by him, and she jogged a few steps to catch up with his pace.

Wen Yan stayed.

He stood in front of the podium and scanned the room full of people.

Some of them lowered their heads, not daring to look at him; some huddled in their seats, trying to minimize their presence; and some were still trembling slightly.

Wen Yan spoke up, "Since the deacon has chosen her as their secretary, whether she lives or dies is up to the deacon to decide."

"If anyone dares to openly slap us in the face like they did today, we will not let them off easily."

He paused and looked at Zhou Han and the girl who were still kneeling on the ground.

"As for the two of you, you should drop out of school on your own."

The girl looked up, tears streaming down her face. "Young Master Wen, I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong, please..."

Wen Yan glanced at her.

That glance was faint, but it made her swallow back all the words she was about to say.

She collapsed to the ground, tears streaming silently down her face.

Zhou Han remained kneeling, not pleading for mercy, but instead feeling relieved.

For an heir like him, dropping out of school is a blessing as long as it doesn't affect the family's fortunes.

For girls who aspire to marry into a higher social class, dropping out of Shenglan midway through their studies is tantamount to being abandoned by their families.

From arranged marriages, they were transformed into gifts sent out to serve others.

Wen Yan withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards the door.

The aristocratic students in the front row exchanged glances, their eyes filled with lingering fear, all thankful that they hadn't joined in the commotion.

-

Private lounge on the top floor of the student union building.

Si Lin gripped Ruan Tang's wrist and led her inside before letting go.

"sit down."

Ruan Tang sat down on the sofa, her sleeve half wet and clinging to her arm, and a few water stains splashed on her skirt.

She kept her head down, her hands on her knees, and didn't say anything.

Si Lin walked to the cabinet, opened the drawer and took out a first-aid kit. She turned around, walked back, and threw the kit on the coffee table in front of her.

"Apply the medicine yourself."

Ruan Tang opened the medicine box, inside which were neatly stacked rows of bottles and jars, all with labels in foreign languages.

She picked up a bottle and looked at it, but didn't recognize it. She picked up another bottle, but still didn't recognize it.

She secretly raised her eyes and stole a glance at Si Lin.

He leaned back on the sofa armrest, his long legs crossed, looking down at his phone, his thumb swiping names on the screen, not looking at her.

But in the very second she peeked at him, he suddenly looked up and met her gaze.

"What?" Si Lin put down her phone. "You can't even apply medicine?"

Ruan Tang shook her head. "I don't recognize any of these brands."

Si Lin stared at her for a while, then walked up to her, bent down and picked out a few bottles from the first-aid kit, arranging them in a row on the coffee table.

"This one's for reducing blood stasis. This one's for reducing inflammation. This one's for relieving pain." He pointed to each one, his tone not very friendly.

Ruan Tang nodded and reached for the bottle of medicated oil for bruising, but before she could touch the cap, Si Lin spoke again.

Instead of spending time mingling with ordinary people, you should stay in this building and broaden your horizons.

He leaned back on the sofa armrest, looking down at her, "so that she doesn't lose her brains and end up with a bunch of shabby airs."

Ruan Tang's hand froze in mid-air.

She slowly withdrew her hand and glanced at him.

Then she closed the lid of the first-aid kit, picked up a cushion next to her, moved to the corner of the sofa, buried her face in the cushion, and stopped talking.

Si Lin watched her series of actions and raised an eyebrow. "Are you taking your anger out on me?"

Ruan Tang didn't look up; a muffled voice came from behind the cushion, "No."

"Then turn around."

"I won't forward it."

Si Lin walked over and sat down next to her.

He reached out to pull the cushion, but Ruan Tang was holding it tightly with both hands, and he couldn't budge it.

If Si Lin were really serious, she wouldn't be unable to pull him off; she was just afraid of using too much force and dragging him off the sofa.

"Let go," he said.

"Not loose."

"Your temper is getting worse." Si Lin tugged at the cushion again, this time with a bit of force, pulling it out of her arms and throwing it aside.

"Why weren't you this assertive in the classroom just now?"

With the cushions no longer covering her face, Ruan Tang's entire face was exposed.

She sat in the corner of the sofa, leaning against the armrest, her hands empty and unsure where to put them, so she simply hugged her knees.

Her fair face had a slightly pouty expression, and her eyes were a little red, but her eyes were bright and sparkling as she glared at him.

The little girl suddenly moved closer to him.

Her face suddenly loomed close to his, so close he could see the curl of her eyelashes.

Her skin was so white it had no pores, her eyebrows and eyes were so delicate they looked like they were painted on, and her lips were a natural, tender red, slightly pouting, with a hint of defiance.

"Where do I have any airs of poverty?" She stared at him, her voice soft but her tone assertive.

"You're not even as beautiful as me, how dare you say that?"

Si Lin didn't move.

The two people were standing too close.

He could smell a very faint fragrance on her, like the scent emanating from her skin itself, sweet and clean.

Her earlobes were snow-white and round, and her hair was soft and lustrous.

Upon closer inspection, she certainly didn't have a trace of poverty or stinginess.

On the contrary, she was extremely beautiful.

Her features were so exquisite that they seemed otherworldly, yet the clean and pure look in her eyes and brows made her appear completely non-threatening.

Delicate, elegant, with an indescribable air of nobility.

She surpasses even a true noblewoman like Yan Ling'er.

She just came from a poor background, so sometimes she seems timid and cries a lot.

But at this moment, she was neither timid nor prone to crying.

She was glaring at him like an annoyed kitten, its fur standing on end, claws bared, looking fierce. But because she was so beautiful, her fierceness made her seem all the more lively.

Si Lin coughed and took a step back, creating some distance between them.

"I'm a member of the Si family. I don't need to be good-looking, and no one dares to say I'm poor," he said, his voice lower than before.

Ruan Tang rested her chin on her knees and remained silent.

Seeing her like this, Si Lin picked up the bottles and jars again, poured some medicated oil into his palm, and took her wrist.

Her wrist bones were slender, her skin was fair and smooth, and small bluish blood vessels were faintly visible.

His large hands could probably circle twice over, with plenty of room to spare.