Chapter 3: She was Shi Yanzhou’s nominal child bride.

Knowing her place, Shi Kezhen immediately stood up and said goodbye to Mother Shi.

“Mother, we are heading to school now.”

“Mm, go on.”

Mother Shi glanced at her and nodded slightly.

“Remember what I just told you.”

“Yes, I will keep it in mind.”

Shi Kezhen nodded obediently, her attitude serious.

Listening to their exchange, Shi Yanzhou’s face grew increasingly impatient.

He picked up his backpack, slung it casually over one shoulder, and walked straight out the door without even saying goodbye.

Mother Shi had long been accustomed to her son’s behavior.

Watching his departing back, she shook her head helplessly yet fondly.

While Shi Yanzhou had always been casual and free in front of Mother Shi, Shi Kezhen did not dare to be the least bit presumptuous.

She hurriedly curtsied to Mother Shi before treading lightly and quickly chasing after him.

She constantly kept Mother Shi’s teachings in mind.

No matter how rushed she was, she could not disrupt her posture.

Nor could she lose her composure.

She had to remember her status at all times.

Her every word and action must not disgrace the Shi family’s reputation.

Only after she got into the car did the driver, Uncle Li, start the engine.

The entire way, Shi Yanzhou kept a dark face and ignored her completely.

She didn’t seek to bore herself either, quietly gazing at the scenery constantly flashing past the window.

Once they arrived at the school gates and got out of the car, as soon as Uncle Li’s car drove away, Shi Yanzhou immediately warned her.

“No matter what my mother said to you, you’d better have some sense and keep your distance from me.”

“Stop following me around every day like a lingering ghost!”

Shi Kezhen lowered her eyes, her voice soft and submissive, though her face showed her dilemma.

“But…”

“I know what you’re worried about.”

He interrupted her unceremoniously.

“It’s enough to put on a show when we’re at home; don’t be so rigid.”

“My mother didn’t install surveillance cameras at school.”

“Whether you’re following me or not, as long as you don’t say anything and I don’t say anything, how will she know?”

Shi Kezhen hesitated for a moment before finally nodding gently.

“Then please be careful in your daily life, take good care of your health, and don’t act recklessly again.”

“I know, I know, so nagging!”

Leaving those words behind, Shi Yanzhou turned and strode through the school gates, without giving her so much as a parting glance.

Shi Kezhen stood in place, watching his departing figure blend into the crowd.

The obedient submissiveness in her eyes slowly faded, leaving a hint of stubbornness hidden deep down that refused to bow.

But she quickly suppressed it again.

She blinked, and everything restored to its original state as she stepped into the school.

Shi Yanzhou repeatedly told her not to follow him, yet daily interaction between them was inevitable.

Under the Shi family’s arrangement, she had attended the exact same school and same class as him since childhood.

Even now in university, she was still not allowed to have her own thoughts.

Whatever major Shi Yanzhou chose, she had to follow suit.

Consequently, they were still classmates, naturally sharing the same classrooms for lectures.

When she walked into the classroom, Shi Yanzhou was already sitting with his close buddies.

She didn’t know what they were chatting about, but they were laughing uproariously.

Knowing her place, she picked a corner far away from them to sit down.

She quietly opened her textbook, obediently refraining from disturbing him.

Shi Yanzhou had outstanding looks and a smart brain, making him a high-achieving student and the school hunk.

Ever since junior high, many girls had admired him.

But he possessed an arrogant nature, and ordinary people could not catch his eye.

Almost all the girls who had confessed to him from childhood to adulthood had been ruthlessly rejected.

It wasn’t until he entered university that he met the beauty of the Media Studies department, Li Yunshu.

She was a girl who was beautiful in a flamboyant, dazzling, and confident way—the complete opposite of Shi Kezhen.

Unlike Li Yunshu’s bright and magnificent charm, Shi Kezhen possessed a cool and delicate beauty.

Her features were clean, completely devoid of any harshness.

With a weak, submissive exterior and a temperament both cool and gentle, she possessed the classic “White Moonlight” look—pure, transparent, and non-threatening.

In fact, there were quite a few boys who liked girls of Shi Kezhen’s type.

But in Shi Yanzhou’s eyes, she was too dull.

Her personality was always low-profile and unassertive.

Her impression on everyone was simply that of an obedient and sensible girl.

She truly lacked any shining points.

In particular, her singular style of dress over the last ten years was something Shi Yanzhou truly could not appreciate.

Before university, she wore a school uniform every day.

After starting university, she wore a long-sleeved shirt paired with an ankle-length skirt every day.

She wrapped herself up tightly, looking rigid and boring.

“Hi, hello, may I sit next to you?”

A girl suddenly sat down next to Shi Kezhen.

Shi Kezhen tilted her head to glance at her.

The face was very unfamiliar, and she was certain she had never seen this person before; she was not a student in their class.

‘You’ve already sat down, so why even ask?’

Shi Kezhen gave a polite nod but did not initiate conversation.

The girl didn’t seem to notice that Shi Kezhen didn’t want to talk to her and kept trying to familiarize herself.

“My name is Xie Dongdong from the Foreign Languages department, and I’m accompanying my best friend to audit this class today.”

“I heard you are the sister of our resident school hunk, Shi.”

“You are the same age; are you fraternal twins?”

“But I see you two don’t really look alike at all.”

“Is it because one resembles your father and the other resembles your mother?”

Shi Kezhen looked at her with a calm gaze, her voice not heavy but carrying a clear sense of boundaries.

“Excuse me, is there something I can help you with?”

Xie Dongdong was stunned for a moment, but then laughed, not feeling awkward at all.

“Hahaha, Student Shi, you really are as cool and aloof as the rumors say.”

“I like you very much; would it be okay if we became friends?”

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