Xiao Mei squinted at Li Fengyuan, clearly annoyed by his long stare.
"What are you staring at, idiot?"
She snapped, hands on her hips.
"Still not satisfied with the mess you and your dogs made?"
Then she waved sharply toward the academy's main hall.
"Class is about to start. If you're done drooling, get lost. Don't waste our time."
Her voice was sharp, without a shred of kindness.
Li Fengyuan scratched the back of his head, fully aware that he'd brought this upon himself with his behavior.
Still, he wasn't discouraged.
(If I could win her heart once… I can do it again.)
But that would take time. For now, all he could do was what she asked.
In his past life, he would've smirked and retorted—or just ignored her.
But now, he simply bowed slightly and said,
"Understood!"
Both girls froze. A few students nearby stared in disbelief.
The second young master of the Li Clan… being polite?
Even Xiao Mei looked briefly stunned.
Li Fengyuan turned and walked away, his heart still pounding—not from shame, but from resolve.
But he had barely taken a few steps before hurried footsteps echoed behind him.
"Young Master Li!"
Two boys in matching green robes rushed up behind him.
They were his usual lackeys—Jiang Tao and Ma Wu—sons of minor families, puffed up with borrowed arrogance.
Jiang Tao leaned in with a mocking grin.
"Master, you let that Xiao girl talk to you like that? You want us to—"
Slap!
Li Fengyuan's hand lashed out like a whip, slamming into the boy's face with a force that sent him stumbling.
"Silence!"
His voice was cold. Deadly cold.
Jiang Tao blinked, stunned.
The surrounding students froze mid-step, conversations dying off as dozens of heads turned.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Did he just—?"
"Li Fengyuan slapped Jiang Tao?"
Even among noble heirs and arrogant scions, the Li Clan's young master had been notorious—more for laziness and lechery than for being violent.
At the edge of the courtyard, Xiao Mei raised a brow, watching the scene unfold with folded arms.
"Well, would you look at that," she said, almost amused. "Did Li Fengyuan finally lose his mind?"
Shen Yuyan didn't respond, her expression unreadable as her gaze stayed fixed on the scene.
Xiao Mei glanced sideways at her.
"He's acting differently."
Shen Yuyan nodded silently.
"Not that I mind," she muttered. "Those two dogs deserved it."
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Jiang Tao and Ma Wu.
"They've been throwing their weight around under his name for years. Always harassing weaker students. And he—" she sneered— "he never stopped them."
Her words carried no venom, only cold contempt.
"That's why I hated him."
She wasn't alone in that sentiment.
All around the courtyard, whispers spread. Dozens of students watched in stunned silence but no one sympathized with the situation.
To them, Jiang Tao and Ma Wu had long been the academy's twin pests, bullies in Li Fengyuan's shadow.
Harassing girls, shaking down juniors, threatening other disciples under the name of the Li Clan.
And for the first time… Li Fengyuan had put them in their place.
"Y-Young Master?"
Ma Wu stepped in, trying to salvage the moment.
"We only meant—"
"I don't care what you meant."
Li Fengyuan cut him off, his tone flat but heavy with something unfamiliar: true authority.
Both lackeys flinched.
They had never been treated like this. Not by him.
And that fierceness in his eyes—it was the look of someone who could, and would, tear them apart.
Li Fengyuan's gaze darkened as he stepped forward.
"Go back to Wei Tianhao. Tell that little snake that if he wants to play games with me, he'll need more than a pair of dogs."
(I remember, these two were sent by Wei Tianhao…)
Wei Tianhao—the direct descendant of the Wei Clan, the Li Clan's greatest rival.
Their territories bordered one another, always clashing over markets, resources, and influence.
Conflict was inevitable—and constant.
In his previous life, Li Fengyuan had been a laughingstock, a wastrel who didn't care about power struggles. Wei Tianhao had used that for Wei Clan's advantage.
He'd seen Li Fengyuan's weakness and exploited it.
Worse, Jiang Tao and Ma Wu—his so-called lackeys—had committed countless offenses under his name.
They abused their power, extorted weaker students, and acted like tyrants in his shadow.
Some even believed they operated under Li Fengyuan's direct orders.
And when things fell apart… the blame had landed squarely on him.
He had only realized the full extent of their betrayal after it was too late.
The color drained from both boys' faces.
(H-How did he find out…?)
"I-I don't know what you mean, Young Master! We serve only you!"
Jiang Tao stammered.
"Oh?"
Li Fengyuan raised a brow, his smile cold.
"Is that so?"
The two nodded furiously.
"Then it seems I made a mistake. My apologies," Li Fengyuan said with an almost sincere nod.
The two boys sighed in relief, thinking perhaps the foolish young master had bought their act.
"But," Li Fengyuan continued smoothly, "it's hard for me to trust words alone."
His eyes gleamed with icy amusement.
"To prove your loyalty… why don't you go slap Wei Tianhao in the face for me?"
"W-What?"
Jiang Tao paled.
"Y-Young Master?"
Jiang Tao and Ma Wu stammered.
That would be a death sentence for the two of them if they actually did it. Not to mention, Wei Tianhao was their real master.
Even if he weren't, who would dare walk away alive after slapping the direct descendant of a noble clan?
At their level, they wouldn't survive such a thing for a single day longer.
"Anyways, you two said you also hated Wei Tianhao just as much as I do, didn't you?"
To curry favor with him, of course they had.
"Don't worry," he said gently, like a devil offering salvation.
"I'll take full responsibility. The Li Clan will protect you. And I'll reward you—generously—for your… loyalty."
His smile didn't reach his eyes.
Jiang Tao and Ma Wu stood frozen, mouths agape, caught like rats in a trap.
"Of course," Li Fengyuan added, "if you refuse… I'll take that as confirmation you've been working under him all along. And we both know what that means."
They swallowed hard.
This wasn't the same Li Fengyuan.
Something had changed.
The person was no longer the foolish young master that everyone knew!