Mingli High School, Class 1-A.
It was 6:30 in the morning, and the campus was still empty. There were only a few students sat scattered around the classroom, and when they saw Xie Heng walk in, identical expressions of surprise appeared on their faces.
The school tyrant… why is he here so early today?
The students exchanged glances, all thinking the same thing—
He must have scheduled a fight this morning!
They also noticed that Xie Heng’s expression was unusually grim. If this were a TV drama, one would say his brows were darkened with bad luck, as if something unfortunate had happened.
But all he did was stand at the doorway, silent, his gaze sweeping over them with a detached coldness. That alone was enough to make them feel immense pressure.
They instinctively lowered their voices while reading their English textbooks, trying to minimize their presence.
Xie Heng remained at the door, neither entering nor leaving, like a guardian deity blocking the entrance.
His temples throbbed, and half his face felt numb.
He was conflicted.
Yesterday, he had made a verbal agreement with Lu Xi: 85 yuan per classmate he invited. She had even said that both boys and girls should be invited, it would be like a class gathering.
After that, she muttered to herself, saying that if she found better-looking guys, she would replace them.
Xie Heng fully believed she was capable of such betrayal.
It seemed Lu Xi had little faith in him. Just in case, she also told Xu Jiaming and Song Siyang to invite people, with the same deal, 85 yuan per person.
However, the villa had limited space and could accommodate at most 60 classmates. No more than that.
That meant, on average, each of them had a maximum of 20 spots to fill, making it a highly competitive task.
Xie Heng was well aware that Xu Jiaming and Song Siyang were far more popular than he was. If they put in the effort, they could probably gather enough people with just a few words.
He could take a shortcut by asking his basketball team friends. They had nothing better to do anyway and would definitely respond enthusiastically. Plus, they could bring their girlfriends along, he could easily gather 20 people and pocket 1,700 yuan in no time.
But after thinking it through, he decided against it.
Those basketball team guys—he didn’t think they were particularly good-looking, but the girls at school sure did.
Who could predict Lu Xi’s taste? If she took a liking to one of them and replaced him as the model, wouldn’t he lose out on the 5,000 yuan deal?
That would be a disastrous loss.
It was safer to invite classmates from his own class.
But… how was he supposed to ask?
Since the start of the school year, he had always kept to himself. The only ones he was somewhat familiar with were Song Siyang and Xu Jiaming. He had never spoken to the other classmates.
Besides, he knew they were all kind of scared of him.
In the past, he never cared, never even considered mending those relationships.
Now, if he suddenly invited them, would they even agree?
By the time early morning study session ended at 7:50, Xie Heng still hadn’t managed to extend a single invitation.
He just couldn’t bring himself to say it.
He felt incredibly stifled.
Honestly, he’d rather get into a fight with ten troublesome delinquents than do something like this. This was way too hard.
As he wrestled with his dilemma, he noticed that the other two had already taken action.
Song Siyang was chatting with the classmates around him. Xie Heng couldn’t hear what he was saying, but the others would glance over at him, hesitate briefly, then nod in agreement.
As for Xu Jiaming, he had it even easier. With his reputation as both the school hunk and top student, someone who frequently helped others with their studies, there was probably no one who would refuse him.
Xie Heng started feeling anxious.
Though his face remained expressionless, his deskmate, Huang Ying, noticed that compared to usual, he seemed especially irritable today.
She had already overheard the class gossip.
Besides, Class 1-A had a group chat that included everyone—except Xie Heng.
It had been created at the start of the school year, with Song Siyang leading the effort. Every classmate had joined, except for Xie Heng, who had initially been added but left because he found it annoying.
Huang Ying had transferred in later and joined the group chat then. She had eventually noticed that Xie Heng wasn’t in it and later heard that he had removed himself.
Now, the chat was buzzing with discussion about tonight’s dinner at Xie Heng’s place.
[Did you guys hear? XH is inviting us over for dinner.]
[Yeah, I heard from Old Song. I already agreed. Are you guys going? Let’s go together!]
[Not sure… XH hasn’t invited us personally. Maybe he doesn’t actually want us there?]
Aside from the usual lurkers, the group had split into two factions—one side hesitated, worried that Xie Heng wouldn’t welcome them, while the other was going just because Song Siyang and Xu Jiaming had invited them.
Huang Ying glanced at Xu Jiaming.
He still hadn’t invited her.
She hesitated for a moment, then looked at Xie Heng and spoke softly, “Xie… Xie Heng…”
She was naturally introverted, and her voice was always soft and light. Xie Heng cast a sidelong glance at her. “What is it?”
Huang Ying hesitated. “I heard your family is hosting a gathering this Saturday… Can I come?”
Xie Heng was momentarily stunned but suddenly perked up.
He hadn’t expected someone to willingly walk into the lion’s den. Wasn’t this a great opportunity?
Compared to his two friends, whose ‘business’ was thriving, he had finally landed his first ‘customer.’ He was secretly overjoyed, but his expression remained indifferent. “Sure, whatever.”
Huang Ying was delighted and quickly thanked him.
Just then, the girl sitting behind her poked her in the back with a pen and whispered, “Ask if I can come too, please?”
For many girls, Xie Heng might have had a bad reputation and was known to be difficult to deal with, but, he was handsome!
That alone was enough to make him intriguing, to make people want to get close.
A chance to visit his house? That was an opportunity too good to pass up.
Xie Heng overheard the request. The tip of his ear twitched ever so slightly.
He kept a straight face, but inside, he was screaming : Ask me! Just ask me already!
Huang Ying hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “Um… Xie Heng, can I bring a few more classmates? They’re all from our class.”
A few of her close friends would probably want to come too.
Xie Heng blinked. More people?
He cleared his throat and tried to suppress the upward curve of his lips. “Fine, bring them.”
The girl behind Huang Ying clenched her pen excitedly. For the first time, she thought the school tyrant seemed so approachable, practically kindhearted!
Xie Heng did a quick mental calculation. With Huang Ying and her friends, that would be at most four or five people.
Still not enough.
Maybe… he had to put aside his pride and take the initiative to ask around.
At that moment, his eyes landed on Luo Xuan, sitting in the front row.
Last time, in the boys’ restroom, he had helped Luo Xuan out of a tough situation. Maybe he could ask him?
Xie Heng cleared his throat and casually stood up, walking forward.
Unfortunately, his hearing was too sharp.
Before he even reached Luo Xuan, he overheard the conversation happening around him.
“No way, Luo Xuan, you actually want to go? That’s Xie Heng’s house we’re talking about…”
Luo Xuan adjusted his glasses. “Yeah, I know. So what? It’s not like his house is some monster’s lair.”
“…Aren’t you afraid of him?”
Luo Xuan frowned slightly. “Why would I be? Xie Heng is a good person. Let me tell you, last time, some seniors from Grade 11 were giving me trouble, and he helped me out.”
His classmates were stunned and immediately bombarded him with questions.
Xie Heng : “…”
He frowned in embarrassment.
Why was this bookworm advertising for him? And so loudly, too…
He hesitated mid-step, suddenly reconsidering. Maybe he should just go back to his seat and forget it.
Then, he heard the boy sitting behind Luo Xuan mutter, “Honestly, I’d like to go too… but Xie Heng hasn’t invited us. What if he doesn’t want us there?”
Xie Heng’s cold gaze wavered slightly.
Did he want them to come?
To be honest, if Lu Xi hadn’t invited people in the first place, he would never have considered asking his classmates to his house. But now that he thought about it, he didn’t really mind.
They were all classmates. There was no bad blood between them. If they wanted to come, why not?
Xie Heng pressed his lips together.
Suddenly, he recalled what she had told him before. He had hands, feet, and a mouth. If he had something he wanted, he should say it and go after it himself.
That is his house.
These were his classmates.
If he wanted something, all he had to do was say it.
The boy lowered his sharp gaze, took a step forward, and walked over to Luo Xuan.
As he approached, the entire section of the classroom—five rows, front and back—fell silent.
The air seemed to still.
Faintly, he heard someone suck in a breath.
Xie Heng relaxed his furrowed brows slightly.
Then, in a low voice, he said, “This Saturday afternoon, you’re welcome to visit my house. If you want to come, you can.”
After a brief pause, he added, “I’m inviting you.”
After speaking, he pressed his lips together and left the classroom casually. He only returned, unhurried, right before class started.
And just in time to bump into Song Siyang.
With a playful grin, Song Siyang waggled his eyebrows at Xie Heng and deliberately teased, “Wow, who would’ve thought? Our school tyrant is quite popular! Both the top student and I lost.”
Xie Heng : “What?”
Song Siyang sighed dramatically. “I said, you won! A bunch of classmates are planning to go to your place, you invited more people than we did!”
Xie Heng was momentarily stunned.
No way.
His popularity couldn’t possibly be that high.
Half-skeptical, he walked into the classroom, immediately receiving a wave of curious stares.
He was used to people looking at him, but this time, something felt different.
There was… friendliness in their gazes.
A subtle emotion surfaced in his heart, and for once, he didn’t mind the feeling.
When he reached Luo Xuan’s desk, the latter called out to him with a smile and handed him a piece of paper.
“The list of students planning to visit your place, Xie Heng. I counted for you.”
The handwriting was neat, listing at least a dozen names.
Xie Heng’s slender fingers twitched slightly.
His lips curled ever so faintly, and the usual aloofness in his expression softened. “Mm, got it.”
That morning, during class, Xie Heng secretly took out the note to do a little calculation.
These names, plus the people his deskmate was bringing, made a total of exactly twenty.
His fingers trembled slightly.
He did it.
The excitement was so overwhelming that he barely paid attention to a single lesson. It wasn’t until the afternoon that he gradually calmed down.
After school, he bolted out of the gates, took the quickest ride home, and rushed up to the second-floor study where Lu Xi was.
By the time he knocked on the door, his chest was rising and falling rapidly, breath slightly uneven.
Lu Xi opened the door, only to have a piece of paper thrust at her by an exuberant teenager. He grinned smugly. “Look! All the people I invited—exactly twenty!”
Glancing at the list, Lu Xi remained silent for a moment.
Then she smiled, eyes narrowing slightly. “Not bad, Little Xie. You’re quite popular.”
Xie Heng snorted arrogantly. “Of course! Who am I? When I call, they all come running!”
“…”
Look at this little show-off.
Lu Xi’s amusement deepened. She praised him calmly before handing the paper back.
Xie Heng, however, stretched out an arm to block the doorway and raised an eyebrow. “Hey, you promised 85 yuan per person. The money.”
Lu Xi held back a laugh, resisting the urge to ruffle his blue-dyed hair. Instead, she said coolly, “No deal. I’ll pay when I see the people.”
And with that, she shut the door in his face.
Having failed to collect his money, Xie Heng tugged at the corner of his lips, but he couldn’t stop himself from chuckling. He muttered under his breath, “I knew she wouldn’t pay up. Stingy.”
The next day, a few more classmates approached Xie Heng, saying they wanted to come as well. Without thinking too much, he agreed.
As it turned out, those students had originally wanted to go but couldn’t because of prior family plans. However, after casually mentioning it at home, their parents reacted with immediate interest.
“What? You’re going to Xie Yizhao’s son’s house?”
That settled it.
One of the main reasons they sent their kids to this prestigious school was not just for the education but also for the connections.
A chance to bond with Xie Yizhao’s son? Cancel all other plans!
And so, by Saturday afternoon, with the additions from Song Siyang and Xu Jiaming’s guest lists, a grand total of over sixty students showed up.
Despite being well-prepared, the household staff was still taken aback.
Especially the butler—watching the endless stream of students entering, his aging face flushed with pride, his smile unwavering.
Their Young Master had really built strong friendships at school, making so many good friends!
Fortunately, there was plenty of space to accommodate them all. The villa itself was over a thousand square meters, with an additional two-hundred-square-meter courtyard and greenhouse.
The house had been stocked with all kinds of drinks and snacks, and once everyone arrived, they could choose between a seafood buffet in the grand living room or barbecue and hotpot in the courtyard.
Everyone was guaranteed to have a great time.
Lu Xi stayed in the study, leaving the task of entertaining Xie Heng’s classmates to the butler and Xie Heng.
The study was soundproofed, allowing her to work quietly without hearing any noise.
She planned to go out at dinnertime to greet the students and take the opportunity to look for a female model.
Xie Yizhao arrived home around five o’clock.
He had known for days that Lu Xi would be hosting Xie Heng’s classmates at home, but when his car drove in and he saw the lively scene, he was still momentarily stunned.
Did Xie Heng really have such a good relationship with his classmates?
Without overthinking, he chose not to disturb the group of high schoolers. Instead, he had his car drive directly into the underground garage and took the internal elevator straight to the third floor.
In the bedroom, Lu Xi was nowhere to be seen.
After asking the housekeeper, he learned she was in the study.
A faint smile appeared at the corners of his lips. Just as he was about to go downstairs, something crossed his mind, and he picked up his phone to make a call.
It was nearly six o’clock.
The sky was gradually darkening.
Lu Xi closed her design book, stretched lazily, glanced at the time, and figured it was about time for dinner.
She might as well go down and say hello to the kids.
Just as she got up, a knock sounded at the door.
“Madam, dinner is ready.”
Lu Xi was actually feeling a bit hungry.
With a pleased expression, she opened the door and followed the housekeeper toward the elevator. As she left the study, the lively sounds from the house reached her ears, unexpectedly lifting her mood.
She wondered what her rebellious son was up to—what kind of games he and his friends were playing.
Taking the elevator to the first floor, Lu Xi stepped toward the living room, but the housekeeper spoke up just then. “Madam, your dinner is by the pool. Sir is waiting for you there.”
Lu Xi paused.
“Xie Yizhao? When did he come back?”
The housekeeper smiled mysteriously and refused to say more. With no other choice, Lu Xi followed her.
The swimming pool was at the back of the villa, a large outdoor pool.
As she stepped in, she suddenly froze.
At night, the water shimmered with a faint blue glow. By the poolside, a dining table was set, and Xie Yizhao sat there. The table was adorned with fresh flowers, and the candlelight illuminated his handsome face, making her heart flutter involuntarily.
“You… what’s this?”
Lu Xi approached, a trace of hesitation on her face.
Xie Yizhao stood up, pulled out a chair for her, but instead of sitting back down immediately, he lowered his gaze and gently brushed her hair aside.
“I promised to take you out for French cuisine last time,” he said softly. “Tonight, I’m making it up to you.”