Humiliation. Utter humiliation!

Yang Wei had never been so thoroughly shamed in his entire life.

This pretty boy hadn’t just stolen the goddess he’d pined for day and night—he’d now humiliated him publicly. That bastard must be gloating.

Yang Wei clenched his jaw until it ached, fists tight enough to make his nails bite into his palms. Bloodshot eyes, chest heaving like an enraged lion—he whirled around, shooting Cheng Hao a venomous glare.

“What’s there to gloat about? Do you really think you’ll end up with her?”

“Fine, maybe Ye Xinyi *does* like you. So what?”

“Let’s be clear… you’re just a pretty boy. Nothing but a pretty face!”

“She’ll dump you the second she gets bored!”

Yang Wei had completely lost his composure. Reason abandoned him. Ignoring his own dignity, he hurled insults at Cheng Hao.

Cheng Hao watched Yang Wei’s furious outburst with eerie calm. He sat quietly, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he observed the unraveling man. Only then did he speak, slow and measured:

“Are you insulting me… or complimenting me?”

To him, Yang Wei’s words weren’t insults at all. They almost made him happy.

Sure, “pretty boy” sounded crude—but wasn’t it backhanded praise?

Imagine someone shouting during a fight: *“Shut up, you ridiculously handsome bastard!”* or *“F*** me, you’re hot!”* Would you really get mad?

…Yang Wei hadn’t been *that* explicit, but to Cheng Hao, it was the same thing. Not a flicker of anger touched him.

“Honestly,” Cheng Hao sighed, “stupidity really is hereditary. Can’t you see the situation you’re in?”

Extreme rage strips away reason. Blinded by fury, Yang Wei hadn’t noticed his father Yang Dianfeng’s ashen face—the look of a man who’d just swallowed something foul. He dismissed Cheng Hao’s earlier words entirely.

“Stop bluffing! You’re just a pretty boy who shamelessly claims Blue Sea Villa belongs to you. Have you no shame?”

“I see it now—people like you spend all day daydreaming. Do you even hear yourself?”

“If Blue Sea Villa is really yours, I’ll eat the sewage from the toilet right here!”

Yang Wei glared, teeth grinding, sealing his vow with grotesque conviction. No wonder Cheng Hao had compared him to a dog earlier. He’d proven the point perfectly.

“…”

Yang Dianfeng’s face turned corpse-gray. He wanted to slam his head into a wall.

*What sin did I commit to deserve this brainless idiot for a son?*

*If I’d known, I’d have… never brought you into this world.*

Being delusional was one thing. Chasing Cheng Hao’s girlfriend? Making public vows like this? He was digging his own grave.

*Maybe I need a paternity test. How could someone as brilliant as me produce this… this imbecile?*

“Xiao Wei, stop. Let’s go.”

Yang Dianfeng couldn’t abandon his son—not until that DNA report came back. He’d apologize first, grovel if needed, hoping Ye Xinyi and Cheng Hao would let it slide…

“Why should I leave? Dad, weren’t you just saying we’d break his—”

Yang Wei choked mid-sentence. Finally, he saw his father’s expression—the desperate warning in his eyes.

*Could… could that pretty boy have been telling the truth?*

*Is Blue Sea Villa really his? Then he’s…*

Yang Wei couldn’t finish the thought. Cold sweat soaked his back. His breath turned heavy as he stared at the calm, handsome youth before him.

“Dad… what he said earlier…”

He turned to his father, but Yang Dianfeng only shot him a dark glare. Then, shoulders slumped, he shuffled to Cheng Hao and whispered hoarsely:

“I… I’m sorry. My failure as a father. My blindness. Please… let us go. Treat us like the nothing we are.”

The arrogance had vanished. He looked like a scolded quail.

He knew this young man’s background was terrifying. Offending him meant ruin. Pride meant nothing now—only survival.

“Don’t speak of my identity outside. Understood?”

Cheng Hao kept his word. He wouldn’t stoop to a dog’s level. His only demand: secrecy. Exposure would bring endless trouble—especially with his fiancée studying here.

*God knows what she’d do if she found out. Drag her entire family to force me into marriage?*

Yang Dianfeng had been sensible enough not to expose him publicly. To others, Cheng Hao was just another rich kid.

“Understood! Absolutely understood!” Yang Dianfeng bobbed his head like a pecking chicken.

“Good. I don’t want to see either of you on campus again. Clear?”

“Crystal clear!” Yang Dianfeng nearly wept with relief. Cheng Hao was actually letting them go.

The farce ended.

Yang Dianfeng yanked his son away. They fled so fast Yang Wei face-planted mid-run—exactly like a drowning dog scrambling ashore.

Watching them scramble off, the crowd felt a wave of pure satisfaction.

“Junior,” Ye Xinyi propped her chin on her palm, a dazzling smile curving her lips, “I never pegged you for a hidden big shot. You’re way too down-to-earth for a rich heir.”

She knew Cheng Hao’s true identity, of course. But she had her own mask to wear—for now. Still, his reaction surprised her. She’d expected rage, at least sharp words. Yet he’d stayed calm, composed. *He really has changed. Matured.*

Her hidden affection for him deepened.

Cheng Hao gave a wry smile. “I truly didn’t want to reveal it. But that father-son duo barked like rabid dogs. I snapped.”

“You missed their faces. Hilarious.”

Ye Xinyi’s smile was warm now, all traces of her earlier coldness gone. She looked like a docile kitten.

“Our rumors were already flying everywhere,” Cheng Hao sighed. “After this scene? The whole school will think we’re dating.”

“Is being linked to me *that* unbearable?” Ye Xinyi puffed her cheeks, brows furrowing, eyes wide with mock offense. “*I’m* the one at a disadvantage here!”

“No, Senior, that’s not what I meant—”

“Then what *did* you mean?”

“I… well…” Cheng Hao paused, frowning slightly as he stared at the floor. Then he lifted his head abruptly. His clear eyes locked onto Ye Xinyi’s flawless face.

It was the first time he’d looked at her so intently. Her pulse quickened.

“Junior… what’s wrong?”

Flustered, a blush spreading across her cheeks, she turned her face away.

“Nothing. I’m just worried about you.”

“Worried?” Ye Xinyi blinked, confused.

“Yang Wei’s unstable. His face tells it all—high cheekbones like knife blades, thin and cruel. Bulging eyes, messy brows. People like him have explosive tempers, zero self-control. They hit first, ask never. And worst of all…” Cheng Hao’s gaze held hers, serious. “They often live up to their names.”

“If you ever ended up with him, be careful. Books say men with his face… tend to beat their wives. Cheat on them too.”

“Are you insane? I’d *never* be with him!” Ye Xinyi’s eyes widened in disbelief. “I don’t like him—I *loathe* him!”

“Huh? You won’t return his feelings?” Cheng Hao looked genuinely shocked.

“You—!” Words failed her. She glared, chest rising and falling rapidly.

“Senior, I was joking. Don’t take it seriously.” Seeing her flustered, Cheng Hao grinned, satisfied.

“I’ll… I’ll pinch you to death!” Ye Xinyi huffed, reaching out to pinch his waist.

He didn’t stop her. When he glanced back, her lips were curled upward, her smile bright as spring sunshine.

*We used to joke like this as kids,* she remembered. *It feels like we’ve gone back in time.*

*Cheng Hao… I really do cherish you.*