Chapter 2795 - 2857: School Begins

In the blink of an eye, it was the second day, the day school officially reopened. Neither of them attended the opening ceremony because Wu Shuwei’s allergic reaction wasn’t completely healed yet. But this morning, Wu Shuwei was fully recovered; the dead skin from the tiny blisters had either fallen off or disappeared. Since it didn’t affect her movements, Wu Shuwei got herself ready for school, determined to attend the first class.

The same went for Li Yifei, but before he left, Wu Shuwei stopped him and said sternly, "Even though... I’ve forgiven you, it doesn’t mean we’re very familiar. Around classmates, don’t act too overly familiar, understand?"

"Why?" Li Yifei immediately asked.

"Why do you think? You’re a man, I’m a woman; it’s already inappropriate for a single guy and girl to live together. If we act too familiar, wouldn’t that be... you can ignore your reputation, but I can’t." Wu Shuwei said, feeling annoyed, reaching out to pinch Li Yifei.

Realizing the awkwardness of his question, Li Yifei winced and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Alright, alright, I get it. In front of others, I promise I’ll act like we’re just casual acquaintances, okay?"

"That’s more like it."

"But what is a typical relationship like? I haven’t done much, just wiped your tears and held your hand!"

"Anyway... you can’t act too familiar, really. If rumors spread, they’ll sound awful," Wu Shuwei replied.

"Alright, I’ll do as you say. Whatever makes you comfortable is fine with me," Li Yifei sighed and nodded.

Wu Shuwei just nodded, though she found Li Yifei’s words a bit awkward. She glared at Li Yifei and said, "Don’t talk nonsense, what do you mean by comfortable..."

"Isn’t that normal to say?" Li Yifei asked in reply.

"You promised, don’t act improperly later, or I’ll get mad," Wu Shuwei warned.

"I won’t. But if someone like Zhang Bai comes to bother you, don’t blame me for being rude," Li Yifei said.

"Him... I don’t even know him; how he acts is his business. I just ignore him. Besides, what’s our relationship? What gives you the right to be rude!" Wu Shuwei said, raising her eyebrows and staring at Li Yifei.

Indeed, the two had no established relationship, but Li Yifei saw it differently. If Zhang Bai bothered others, it was none of his concern, but if he bothered Wu Shuwei, Li Yifei wouldn’t allow it. Even if they were just friends, it wouldn’t be acceptable. Moreover, with the thin barrier between them about to break, it was even less acceptable.

"Then you just refuse him directly. I can see he absolutely has feelings for you. If you don’t say anything, I’ll intervene."

"Hey, if that’s the case, I’ll just move out; why endure this with you!" Wu Shuwei said angrily, puffing out her chest.

Um, it’s significant... no, Li Yifei shook his head immediately, saying, "Don’t worry, I know what to do. I was just teasing you earlier; don’t I know your mind? Not just one Zhang Bai, even nine more would be useless. If there’s someone I trust, it’s definitely you. Am I right?"

The words left Wu Shuwei speechless—what did he mean by not trusting others yet trusting me, and knowing my mind... Refuting him wasn’t an option, so she chose silence.

With the negotiation done, Li Yifei and Wu Shuwei indeed needed to maintain a certain distance—not too close or too far. He wasn’t afraid of gossip, but since Wu Shuwei and he hadn’t defined their relationship, it wasn’t suitable to be too close. If that thin barrier shattered, then it wouldn’t matter.

Following instructions, the two arrived at the classroom, and upon entering, found that over half the class was already present, with about fifteen minutes until class started. It indicated that while everyone was busy, they still respected the teacher greatly. Of course, it was also related to the identity of today’s teacher for the first class, Mr. Wang Zizai. Mr. Wang Zizai was a notable figure in the domestic economics field, not only an academician of the two academies but also a key authority in national policies, especially in economics, often involved in drafting some economic policies, deserving everyone’s respect.

As the two entered, naturally, they drew some attention, mostly directed at Wu Shuwei. Li Yifei, on the other hand, was less noticeable, and no one recognized him.

Seeing a beauty, everyone still showed enough respect. Zhang Bai, who was happily chatting with a few people, saw Wu Shuwei and his eyes lit up instantly. He greeted them and walked over, saying from one or two meters away, "Hello, Ms. Wu, it’s an honor to become classmates with you."

"Hello!" Wu Shuwei nodded but didn’t offer her hand to shake, leaving Zhang Bai a bit embarrassed as everyone watched. But Li Yifei found it quite satisfying, glancing at Zhang Bai’s extended hand with a faint smile.

Zhang Bai quickly withdrew his hand and introduced to the surrounding people, "Classmates, let me introduce, this is Ms. Wu Shuwei. She’s a talented woman with outstanding business skills and a graduate from a prestigious school."

"Sounds familiar, like I’ve heard it somewhere, oh right, you’re from a state-owned enterprise," said a middle-aged man, appearing to ponder for a while before suddenly speaking.

Wu Shuwei smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes, I work for a state-owned enterprise."

"There it is. We’ve met before at a banquet, and back then, Miss Wu was really impressive. Unexpectedly, today we can be classmates; it’s an honor," said the older man.

Other classmates also came forward to meet and exchange pleasantries. Naturally, there were also some who didn’t come over; two women remained seated in the back row, looking in this direction with some disdain, either jealous of Wu Shuwei’s beauty or dismissing her method of getting close to male classmates.

Unbeknownst to them, it doesn’t matter whether it’s one’s brows or style; in any setting, it has an advantage, which isn’t Wu Shuwei’s fault. It simply comes down to luck in parentage; genes are crucially important, inherently unequal. These men had seen various beauties before, but a woman with talent, family background, and beauty was rare. Meeting the first two conditions was already uncommon.

Li Yifei stayed silent; the more these men chased after Wu Shuwei, the happier he felt. Why? Because she’s his... Ahem, though not yet, Li Yifei felt she wasn’t someone others could take away.

Using the term ’take away’ disrespected Wu Shuwei; it should be said she wouldn’t fancy these men. Her intended partner should be like a knight in shining armor, galloping away, beyond the reach of these mundane people.

"Hey buddy, you seem familiar, have we met before? Sorry, I have a poor memory, especially when it comes to faces, and my daughter says I have a face blindness disorder, often forgetting after multiple meetings!" said a man of average looks and around forty years old behind Li Yifei.

Turning around, Li Yifei looked at him and smiled, "There is such a thing, but it’s not a disease, just a term. No worries if you don’t recognize me; with your status, others remember you, and you don’t need to remember anyone."

This was quite a compliment because this guy left a good impression on Li Yifei, given that he didn’t go overboard trying to cozy up to Wu Shuwei. For that alone, Li Yifei found him decent.

The man couldn’t help but laugh, saying, "So what’s your surname, buddy? Like you said, those here aren’t ordinary folks, so while I might forget others, I certainly need to remember you."

This guy’s quite charming. Li Yifei also laughed, saying, "Li Yifei, Yifei as in one, two, three and fly!" as he extended his hand. The man’s eyes lit up upon hearing it, shook Li Yifei’s hand vigorously, and whispered, "You’re the brother aren’t you? An old soldier, right?"

Li Yifei hadn’t expected this man to recognize him by name and said with slight surprise, "You know about this?"

"Of course I do, I mentioned my daughter earlier, she’s quite active online, and I sometimes use Weibo myself, so I know about you, brother. I just recalled where I’d seen you; earlier I thought it was in real life when it was actually online," said the man.

"And your name is?" asked Li Yifei.

"We share the same family name, I’m Li as well, Li Dazhuang. Sounds plain, right?" said Li Dazhuang.

Li Yifei paused for two seconds upon hearing this. Li Dazhuang—a quintessentially rural-sounding name even popular in urban-rural junctions. Nationwide, there might be countless individuals named this, but the Li Dazhuang standing before him was no ordinary person. Li Dazhuang was the founder of one of the country’s renowned sportswear brands, second only to the brand established by the gymnastics prince. Li Yifei often wore his brand’s sneakers but hadn’t expected to meet him in person—and finding him unexpectedly approachable.

Though Li Dazhuang didn’t start completely from scratch, his family was based in a coastal city in the south, open early to business, creating a wave of entrepreneurs—one person paving the way for others, lifting the whole family so the place was associated with wealth.

Li Dazhuang was similar, though he personally didn’t hold much stock—just a few billion. Yet, the company had been listed with a stock value of over 70 billion. At this level, nationally excluding state-owned enterprises, private ones were rare, so while Li Dazhuang’s name might be plain, his achievements showed he had real strength, turning a small processing factory into what it was today—something extraordinary.

Li Yifei admired such genuinely capable businessmen and industrialists, especially considering that Li Dazhuang was among the prominent figures in Su Mengxin’s collected data—one of the top names, which was why Su Mengxin said there were notable individuals worth Li Yifei’s acquaintance in this batch.