Rise and Slay: From Scandal Queen to Academic Genius-Chapter 26: Illegal Activity! Zhi Zhi Is Going to Arrest You!

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Illegal Activity! Zhi Zhi Is Going to Arrest You!

The laughter in the courtyard came to a halt.

The village chief took a sip of plum wine and muttered, "Who’s here at this hour!"

He was about to stand up from the table.

Ji Xizhi was sitting closest to the door; she stood up first and said to the village chief, "I’ll go open the door."

The village chief, being seated inside, found it inconvenient to get up and responded, "Alright, alright, thank you, Zhi Zhi, my dear girl."

Ji Xizhi stood up and went to the courtyard door, where the knocking had already stopped.

She reached out and gently pulled the latch.

The warm orange light suddenly slipped out through the crack in the door. As the gap widened, it illuminated the area in front of the door.

The soft light settled on a tall man dressed in a pure black work uniform. The man exuded a cold aura, yet was enveloped in the warm light. His stunning face mixed both coldness and warmth, like a snow lotus blooming alone on a mountaintop, absolutely unique.

Ji Xizhi couldn’t help but let her gaze linger for a moment.

Partly because of his face, and partly because she seemed to recognize who this person might be.

Fang Yuliang, the supporting male character in the original plot, a doctoral student at Qing University, created by the author to highlight the loyalty of the male and female leads’ love.

In the story, Fang Yuliang first meets the female lead during this variety show "Life Experience," falls in love at first sight, and loves the female lead. After the female lead refuses him multiple times for the male lead, Fang Yuliang willingly becomes a backup, accepts the female lead as a sister, lives unmarried for life, and silently guards her.

Ji Xizhi had no particular interest in this plot, and wouldn’t have recalled this part if Fang Yuliang hadn’t suddenly appeared. Was it really in the original story?

Love at first sight, accepting a sister, becoming a backup—none of these are illegal!

Compared to the illegal issues in the book, these didn’t catch her attention; better to spend more time on her studies.

Ji Xizhi withdrew her gaze and stepped aside to let Fang Yuliang enter.

Fang Yuliang didn’t move.

At the moment he saw Ji Xizhi, the chill around him abruptly receded.

He could sense Ji Xizhi’s gaze lingering on him, but also felt strange.

She knew him.

Yet, they clearly had never met before.

And the brief look she gave him seemed... disinterested?

Fang Yuliang’s expression stiffened for a moment.

However, he quickly regained his cool demeanor, took a long stride, and walked into the courtyard.

The courtyard was bustling with a gathering, and cameras were set up all around, capturing everything.

Fang Yuliang entered the courtyard and stood right next to Ji Xizhi.

Their proximity and the combination of their striking looks left the entire livestream audience stunned.

"Whoa, where did this deity come from?! This handsome guy standing next to Ji Xizhi, they’re like a golden couple!"

"Help, my heart is out of control. Is he a guest star? A new celebrity? Who signed him? You have ten minutes; I want all the information on this man."

"I’m swooning. Last night, Ji Xizhi’s no-makeup look blew me away, now it’s a double hit tonight, I’m done!"

"Sob sob, my girl is just too beautiful, and this handsome guy matches her so well. It’s the first time I’ve shipped a couple just by looking at their faces. I’ve brought the marriage registry; please you two get married!"

"Bold of you, you upstairs, that’s illegal; you’ll be arrested by Zhi Zhi!"

"? Could both of you arrest me, please? I’d die without regrets, come on!"

...

The livestream went wild; everyone took screenshots rapidly, and soon photos of Ji Xizhi and Fang Yuliang together were posted online, spreading everywhere.

In the courtyard, Director Wang, having eaten and drunk to his fill, clearly noticed Fang Yuliang too.

Holding a cup of plum wine, he suddenly remembered that the special guest would be arriving tonight.

This is a staple feature of "Life Experience"—in each episode, they invite an expert as a special guest to provide some life knowledge to everyone. Previously, they were all older experts, and this was the first time a young, handsome expert was invited as a guest.

Director Wang rubbed his forehead, quickly put down his plum wine, and hurriedly walked towards the courtyard door, warmly saying, "Hello, hello, I’m the show director, Wang Xiong. You’re the one replacing Professor Xue, right? Thank you for your effort. Have you had dinner? Would you like to join everyone for a meal?"

Director Wang said a lot in one go.

Fang Yuliang’s gaze was cold, and he only replied distantly, "Yes."

He answered only the first question and didn’t respond to the rest.

But Director Wang, being an experienced person in the entertainment industry, immediately understood Fang Yuliang’s intention.

He quickly changed his rhetoric, "The show has arranged a room for you already. Turn left after entering; it’s the first room. Everything you need is there, without any cameras. But please bear with the simplicity of the countryside."

Director Wang arranged everything meticulously.

The room on the first floor was originally prepared for Professor Xue, considering his age and the inconvenience of going up and down the stairs.

Now that Professor Xue couldn’t make it, the room arrangements couldn’t be changed.

Luckily, after Director Wang finished speaking, Fang Yuliang’s expression remained unchanged, seemingly unbothered.

Director Wang was relieved.

Fang Yuliang slung his bag over his shoulder and was about to head inside.

After taking a couple of steps, he suddenly turned back and said towards the courtyard entrance.

"My name is Fang Yuliang."

Standing in his line of sight were Ji Xizhi and Director Wang.

Director Wang instinctively assumed it was directed at him, nodding repeatedly with a beaming smile, "Alright, alright, I know, Professor Xue mentioned it on the phone."

Fang Yuliang didn’t respond further.

"Ah～ Fang Yuliang, I’ll remember this name; it sounds so nice～ Was he introduced by the professor? At such a young age, he’s already an expert, amazing!"

"It’s strange, why do I feel like Fang Yuliang wasn’t greeting Director Wang just now?"

"I took a screenshot and drew lines; Fang Yuliang’s gaze seems to have fallen on... Ji Xizhi?!"

"No way, unless they know each other?"

"They probably don’t know each other, but from my analysis of Zhi Zhi’s micro expressions, she’s probably thinking about studying!"

The fans in the comments guessed Ji Xizhi’s thoughts quite accurately.

Ji Xizhi indeed didn’t feel like Fang Yuliang was talking to her, by right, this part had nothing to do with her.

She turned around, closed the courtyard door, and returned to her seat.

Fang Yuliang, seeing that Ji Xizhi didn’t notice, couldn’t help watching her leave for the banquet. His straight-line gaze coincided with Zhong Yulu’s direction in the distance.

Zhong Yulu’s eyes shone brightly, and seeing Fang Yuliang’s glance, her smile was soft enough to drip water.

She hesitated, was about to stand up to greet him, when Fang Yuliang turned abruptly and strode into the house.

Zhong Yulu, standing halfway: "..."

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