Li Hu pretended not to hear anything, shrinking his neck and slumping over his desk as if completely oblivious to the world.
Only Ye Ning stared unblushingly at Yang Lin.
Feeling Ye Ning’s gaze, Yang Lin frowned in disgust and snapped, "You there, stand up and explain what you were just saying."
Ye Ning pointed at himself and asked, "Me?"
"Yes." Yang Lin’s face was ice cold.
Ye Ning stood up and smiled. "Li Hu said he likes you, but feels he has no chance of ever winning your heart in this lifetime. So I told him he won't stand a chance in his next life either."
Lin Xue’s jaw dropped. She couldn't believe Ye Ning was being so brutally honest.
Li Hu, meanwhile, nearly died on the spot. For him, this was a massive social death.
He lowered his head, burying his face in his arms. He had no face left to show anyone.
Yang Lin was stunned as well. She hadn't expected Ye Ning to be this "forthcoming." All the lectures she had prepared to hurl at him were instantly choked back.
The surrounding students stared at Ye Ning in shock. Was this guy seriously that daring? Wasn't he afraid of failing his classes?
Seeing that no one else was speaking, Ye Ning hauled Li Hu to his feet and smiled broadly. "Bro, if you like someone, go after her! With cowardice like yours, let alone your next life, you'll never win the person you love even in lifetimes after that. Don't be a coward—just go for it!"
Li Hu was on the verge of tears. He was already mortified enough as it was! He never expected Ye Ning to yank him up and force him to face the entire classroom.
"Big Brother, I was just joking! Please don't take it seriously, I'm nowhere near good enough for Teacher Yang," Li Hu stammered in a rush.
Looking profoundly disappointed in him, Ye Ning shook his head. "Coward. Whatever, this is your business anyway, I couldn't care less."
With that, he let go of Li Hu and casually sat back down.
His swaggering, carefree attitude instantly made Yang Lin's blood boil. How could she let herself be outmaneuvered by a student?
Clearing her throat, Yang Lin said, "That student—"
Before she could finish, Ye Ning was already staring right at her. "Teacher, is your throat feeling uncomfortable? Must've eaten too many cold things lately. I advise you to start bundling up today; that way, when your period starts tomorrow, you hopefully won't be in agonizing pain."
"How do you know that?"
Yang Lin’s face went blank with shock. How did this guy even know when her period was due? She calculated the dates in her head—it was indeed within the next couple of days.
The look in her eyes as she stared at Ye Ning shifted entirely. She now regarded him as a total pervert.
"Have you been investigating me?" Yang Lin's gaze turned sharp. If he hadn't been prying into her life, how could he possibly know her personal details so intimately?
The surrounding students looked at Ye Ning differently now too, their eyes clearly broadcasting that they were looking at a creep.
"Teacher Yang, please don't misunderstand. Ye Ning is a very skilled doctor; he must have just been able to tell by looking at you," Lin Xue interjected in a hurry, not wanting Ye Ning to become a public target.
Yang Lin didn't believe that for a second. What kind of medical skill was so miraculous that someone could tell when her period was coming just by a single glance?
"I don't believe it. If he really has such brilliant medical skills, let him tell me what ailments I have right now. If he gets it wrong or can't name them, I'm calling the police station," Yang Lin said sternly.
"You really want me to say it?" Ye Ning asked for confirmation.
"Go ahead." Yang Lin sneered. She refused to believe Ye Ning knew any medicine, and even if he did, it couldn't possibly amount to much.
Ye Ning walked over to Yang Lin's side and looked her up and down for a moment before speaking. "Your period is irregular because you love eating cold foods. And even though you're thin, you have a mild case of fatty liver, which is related to your dietary habits—you probably love hot pot and barbecue. Your joints suffer from a bit of gout, and since you hate eating greens, you're also a bit con—"
"Stop right there."
Hearing that final word, Yang Lin couldn't help cutting him off.
"—stipated," Ye Ning finished anyway.
The entire classroom fell dead silent. They stared at Ye Ning in sheer astonishment. Was this guy's diagnosis true or false? Judging by Yang Lin's reaction, it was probably true; otherwise, why would she look so utterly exasperated?
At that moment, a bizarre thought popped into the minds of quite a few male students: *So even goddesses need to take a dump? And they get constipated too?* Instantly, they felt their infatuation fade just a little bit.
"Your name is Ye Ning, right? Get ready to fail your class," Yang Lin said through clenched teeth. Her face was practically black.
Ye Ning scratched his head and asked curiously, "What does 'failing' mean?"
"It means she won't let you pass the exam," a student helpfully explained.
Ye Ning looked even more puzzled. He asked in surprise, "Why would I take an exam? I'm not even a student."
Yang Lin nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Since this guy wasn't even a student, there really wasn't a damn thing she could do to him.
"If you're not a student, what are you doing in our school?" Yang Lin demanded.
"Everybody says college life is great, so I came to check it out," Ye Ning replied bluntly.
Everyone was left speechless. *You already have the campus belle Lin Xue as your girlfriend—surely you didn't need to come to school just to find out if college life is good?*
"Get out," Yang Lin ordered.
Ye Ning shrugged, also deciding that this place was exceedingly boring. "Fine, I'm heading out. But seriously, Teacher, make sure you eat more vegetables and fruit—helps keep things moving smoothly."
Before leaving, Ye Ning offered one final piece of advice.
Lin Xue wanted to follow Ye Ning out, but seeing the expression on Yang Lin's face, she decisively abandoned that thought. To avoid failing her classes, she figured she had better behave herself.
With a dark expression, Yang Lin took a deep breath and said, "Let's continue with the lecture."
Meanwhile, Ye Ning left the building and wandered around. Seeing that the school's snack street had plenty of good eats, he felt like buying some, only to quickly realize a glaring problem: he apparently didn't have a single penny to his name. The one hundred million Tan Qingshan had given him yesterday had been handed straight over to Su Qingqing, leaving him completely broke once again.
*I need to make money,* Ye Ning thought to himself. According to Su Qingqing, keeping a wife was a very expensive endeavor.
***
### Chapter 16: I'll Give You Five Million to Leave Her
"Stop right there."
Just as Ye Ning was pondering ways to make money, a voice rang out.
Ye Ning turned around to see five male students surrounding him. The ringleader had unsteady steps, dark circles under his eyes, and a trace of fury in his gaze as he looked at Ye Ning.
Ye Ning pointed at himself and asked, "Calling me?"
"That's right."
The young man walked over, towering over Ye Ning with an expression full of disdain. "You're Lin Xue's boyfriend?"
Ye Ning shook his head. "Nope."
Of course he wasn't Lin Xue's boyfriend—he was her husband.
The young man was slightly taken aback. He glanced at a bespectacled student standing beside him and asked, "Didn't you say he was Lin Xue's boyfriend?"
Looking aggrieved, the bespectacled student replied, "I heard him call Lin Xue 'wife' with my own ears."
The leader nodded, knowing his lackey wouldn't dare lie to him. Shifting his gaze back to Ye Ning, he said coldly, "My name is Jiang Hai. You can go ask around—in all of Jiangcheng, our Jiang family is the absolute top dog."
"What does that have to do with me?" Ye Ning asked with a puzzled chuckle.
Jiang Hai sneered, "I like Lin Xue, and she's destined to be my wife in the future. I suggest you don't be ungrateful; leave Lin Xue right now."
"What makes you think you can tell me what to do?" Ye Ning asked amusedly.
"I can give you this much. Leave her immediately." Jiang Hai held up a single palm.
"Five million? Hand it over then," Ye Ning said instantly.
Jiang Hai choked on his own breath. He had originally planned to offer five hundred thousand. Five million was no small sum to him, considering he was still just a student.
Seeing him hesitate, Ye Ning gave him a look of utter contempt. "Turns out you're just a broke loser. If you can't afford to pay, don't put on a front and make people think you're some kind of rich second-gen."
"Bullshit! Who says I can't afford it? What's a mere five million? That's just my monthly allowance anyway," Jiang Hai snapped coldly. "Give me your account number."
Smiling amiably, Ye Ning recited his bank account details.
Jiang Hai let out a cold huff and tapped away on his phone. A moment later, Ye Ning received a notification that five million had been deposited into his account.
"Thanks." Ye Ning expressed his gratitude and turned to walk away.
Jiang Hai’s cronies looked at him with eyes full of admiration.
Jiang Hai gave a smug laugh and said proudly, "You see that? There's nothing in this world that can't be solved with money."
The surrounding young men looked envious and immediately broke into a chorus of flattery.
Hearing their conversation, the corners of Ye Ning's mouth curled upward. Five million should be enough to buy quite a lot of delicious food.
Using mobile payment, he bought a bunch of snacks and happily chowed down.
Before long, his phone rang—it was Lin Xue.
"I'm at the snack street," Ye Ning said around a mouthful of food.
"I'll be right there," Lin Xue replied immediately.
Ancient City University's snack street was a famous local landmark. When Lin Xue arrived, she was accompanied by a few people—none other than Jiang Hai and his lackies.
Upon seeing Ye Ning, Lin Xue's face lit up with joy as she hurried over.
"Wife, you're here," Ye Ning greeted.
Jiang Hai, who had been wearing a complacent smile, suddenly saw his expression turn as dark as ink. He glared at Ye Ning with ill intent, his brow tightly furrowed.
"Where did you get the money to buy food?" Lin Xue asked curiously. She remembered that Ye Ning hadn't had a single cent—he had made a hundred million yesterday, but given it all to Su Qingqing, leaving himself penniless. That was the exact reason she had rushed to find him; it was lunchtime, and she didn't want him going hungry.
Ye Ning chuckled and said smugly, "Some idiot walked up and handed it to me."
"Who the hell are you calling an idiot?!" Jiang Hai demanded, his dissatisfaction flaring up. Glaring coldly at Ye Ning, he said in a chilly voice, "You took my money and promised to leave Lin Xue! Don't tell me you're trying to back out now?"
Ye Ning looked bewildered. "When did I promise you that?"
"Are you going back on your word?" Jiang Hai roared angrily.
Ye Ning shook his head and explained to Lin Xue, "Wife, I told you he was an idiot—his memory is terrible. He tried to give me five million just now to make me leave you. I told him to hand over the cash, but I never agreed to leave you. Then he went ahead and wired the money anyway."
*So that was it.*
The corners of Lin Xue's mouth curved upward. Ye Ning had deliberately played Jiang Hai for a fool. And Jiang Hai really was stupid enough to hand over five million!
Jiang Hai's face turned completely black. Glaring furiously at Ye Ning, he finally realized he'd been played for an absolute moron. His earlier smugness vanished into thin air.
"Dammit! How dare you trick me?!" Jiang Hai bellowed. "Beat him to a pulp! Beat him half to death—I'll take responsibility if anything happens!"
The four young men by Jiang Hai's side exchanged glances, then roared as they charged at Ye Ning. It was four against one; they weren't worried about losing.
"Hold back a bit, don't hit him too hard," Lin Xue warned.
Hearing her words, Jiang Hai sneered, "No way! Today I'm crippling this bastard! He dared to play me, I want his life!"
Lin Xue was left speechless. She had been warning *Ye Ning* to hold back his strength. Given Ye Ning's combat prowess, let alone these four guys, even ten more wouldn't be enough to last a single move against him.
Before Jiang Hai's voice had even faded, Ye Ning sent all four guys flying backward with four quick kicks. They crashed to the ground, their faces turning pale from the agony. Ye Ning's kick had nearly rattled their internal organs loose.
Seeing Ye Ning start walking toward him, Jiang Hai instinctively backed away, his voice trembling as he stammered, "D-don't do anything rash! I'm the second young master of the Jiang family, and my older brother is Jiang Tao! If you mess with me, my brother won't let you off!"
"Jiang Tao? The guy I beat up yesterday was named Jiang Tao too. Is he your brother?" Ye Ning asked in surprise.
Jiang Hai was struck dumb. He had been counting on his brother to intimidate this guy, only to find out the guy had already beaten his brother up too!
No wonder when he saw Jiang Tao this morning, he noticed his brother was wearing makeup. Even though it was very high-end "no-makeup" makeup, Jiang Hai had still been able to spot it. He had been confused at the time, but now he finally understood why Jiang Tao had put on makeup—he had gotten beaten up! And the person who beat him was still walking around completely fine, which meant even Jiang Tao was utterly powerless against this guy.
"Forget it, don't scare him to tears," Lin Xue said, pulling Ye Ning back to stop him from taking action.
Ye Ning shrugged. "Fine then. Consider that five million a fee for his own safety. I won't beat him up today, but if I ever catch you harassing my wife again, I'll turn you into a eunuch."
"What does 'eunuch' mean?" Lin Xue asked suspiciously.
Ye Ning grabbed her hand and traced a Chinese character on her palm.
Lin Xue understood instantly. She shot Ye Ning a sideways glance and scolded with a huff, "Pervert."
Jiang Hai, however, didn't find any humor in it at all. He felt a sudden, chilling draft between his legs. Right now, he didn't dare utter a single word.
It wasn't until Ye Ning and Lin Xue had walked far away that Jiang Hai finally let a resentful expression surface on his face. "You just wait! I won't let you get away with this, you son of a bitch and slut! I'll make you pay!"
Jiang Hai felt he had never suffered such massive humiliation before, and he vowed to get revenge no matter what.
***
### Chapter 17: Someone You Can't Afford to Offend
After eating some food, Lin Xue's expression turned a bit worried.
"You need to be careful. You've offended Jiang Hai, and he won't let it go—he'll definitely come looking for trouble in the future," Lin Xue warned Ye Ning, before adding, "Should I just give the five million back to him?"
Ye Ning shook his head. "Did you forget? I beat up Jiang Tao."
Lin Xue: "..."
If it were just Jiang Hai, he'd be relatively easy to deal with. But Ye Ning had beaten up Jiang Tao as well. Seen in that light, offending Jiang Hai really wasn't worth mentioning. Jiang Tao was a notorious playboy in Small City, whereas Jiang Hai was ultimately just a student with limited means. If Ye Ning wasn't even afraid of Jiang Tao, why would he ever need to worry about a mere Jiang Hai?
"Well, just be careful on your own. Besides, you have the Lin family behind you—nobody gets to mess with someone from our family as they please," Lin Xue said domineeringly, her protectiveness of Ye Ning obvious for all to see.
"Wife, you're so good to me, I have no way to repay you except by offering myself to you," Ye Ning said with a touched expression.
"Get lost."
"Haha."
As the two of them joked around, the atmosphere naturally relaxed.
Not far away, Jiang Hai watched the laughing and chatting pair, his face twisting in ugliness. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Young Master Jiang, what can I do for you?" a casual voice came from the other end of the line.
"Brother Biao, help me cripple someone," Jiang Hai said through grates teeth.
On the other end, Li Biao was momentarily stunned. Jiang Tao had just been beaten up by him last night, and now Jiang Hai was calling him to beat someone else up? Could this be a trap set for him by the Jiang family?
"Young Master Jiang, do you take me for an idiot?" Li Biao asked with a hint of sarcasm.
Jiang Hai blinked in confusion. "Brother Biao, what do you mean by that? I didn't say you'd be working for free—as long as you cripple that punk, I'll give you fifty thousand."
"You don't know?" Li Biao asked in surprise.
"Know what?" Jiang Hai retorted.
Li Biao chuckled. This punk really didn't know anything. Come to think of it, given Jiang Tao's personality, he naturally wouldn't go around telling people he'd been beaten up, since it certainly wasn't anything to boast about.
Thinking of this, Li Biao said, "Sure. Where's the location?"
"Right outside our school gates. Get over here right now, I figure that punk is about to leave soon."
"Alright."
Li Biao hung up the phone. He didn't bring many men—just two of his most capable fighters. The person Jiang Hai wanted to beat up was probably just some student anyway.
Meanwhile, after finishing their food, Ye Ning and Lin Xue had completely thrown Jiang Hai to the back of their minds.
An hour later, the two of them walked out of the snack street. Not long after stepping out, they found their path blocked.
Jiang Hai was flanked by several men. Staring murderously at Ye Ning, he sneered, "Dammit, you dared to play me! Today I'm having someone cripple you!"
With that, Jiang Hai turned to the man beside him and said, "Brother Biao, he's all yours."
Having spoken, Jiang Hai retreated behind Brother Biao. Brother Biao was a renowned fighter in Jiangcheng's underground world; dealing with a single Ye Ning would be an absolute breeze.
Seeing who had arrived, Ye Ning broke into a smile. "What a coincidence."
Li Biao managed a bitter laugh. "Yeah, what an absolute coincidence. I never expected the guy he wanted to hit was you. Jiang Hai and Jiang Tao really are brothers—the people they offend are always the exact same person."
The corners of Ye Ning's mouth curved upward. "Can't really blame them, though. Who told my wife to be so stunning?"
Li Biao glanced at Lin Xue, and thinking of Su Qingqing from the night before, he felt a surge of deep admiration. "Sir certainly has a remarkable way with women."
Standing off to the side, Jiang Hai felt a sense of unease. Li Biao was actually chatting amiably with the guy and hadn't made a move yet, filling Jiang Hai's heart with a terrible premonition.
"Brother Biao, why aren't you doing anything?" Jiang Hai urged anxiously.
*Smack.*
Li Biao spun around and slammed a backhanded slap across Jiang Hai's face.
Jiang Hai was completely dazed. Clutching his cheek, he stared at Li Biao in sheer disbelief, his eyes widening in fury as he roared, "Why'd you hit me?! Hit *him*!"
*Smack.*
Li Biao delivered another slap.
Jiang Hai was on the verge of losing his mind. He couldn't fathom why Li Biao was attacking him.
"Do you know who beat up Jiang Tao? It was me. And the reason I beat him up was precisely because he wanted me to make a move on Sir," Li Biao said coldly.
Only then did Jiang Hai realize his older brother had been thrashed by Li Biao. And the reason for the beating was because Jiang Tao had wanted to target this very Ye Ning!
The ridiculous part was that he had actually hired Li Biao to deal with Ye Ning. In the other man's eyes, he must look no different from a total moron.
"Just what kind of person is he?!" Jiang Hai demanded, his voice cracking.
"Someone you can't afford to offend."
Thinking of that terrifying footprint from yesterday, Li Biao shuddered inwardly, his gaze turning increasingly icy as he looked at Jiang Hai.
"Teach him a good lesson, and let the Jiang family know: if they ever dare to bother Sir again, don't blame me for being impolite," Li Biao ordered.
His two subordinates moved in instantly, raining blows down on Jiang Hai. No matter how loudly Jiang Hai begged for mercy, they had no intention of letting him off.