Zero Mercy

008 Yuan Jing’s advice

They found a patch of grass set slightly apart from the main paths, quiet and undisturbed, and sat down side by side. Mu Yang hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke, her voice low and cautious.

“Yuan Jing… can you tell me,” she asked, choosing her words carefully, “who are the people in this school that absolutely must not be offended?”

Yuan Jing studied her expression—the hesitation, the unease she was clearly trying to hide—and her heart skipped slightly.

“Mu Yang,” she said slowly, “don’t tell me you’ve only been here a few days and you’ve already offended someone.”

A sense of foreboding crept over her. Mu Yang did not look like someone reckless or impulsive by nature. If she was asking such a question, there had to be a reason.

Mu Yang let out a helpless sigh and nodded.

“Yes. I did offend someone. Everyone seems to call him Young Master Qianyi.”

“What?”

The moment the name left Mu Yang’s mouth, Yuan Jing cried out in alarm.

Mu Yang was startled by her reaction. Her face paled instinctively.

“Yuan Jing, could you keep your voice down?” she whispered urgently. “What if someone hears you…”

What if she ended up offending yet another person?

Yuan Jing pressed a hand to her chest, her breathing unsteady.

“Mu Yang… how on earth did you manage to provoke him?”

Mu Yang gave a wry smile and began from the beginning. She told Yuan Jing about the incident before she had even enrolled at Di Rui High School—how she had been knocked down by a bicycle. Then she spoke of what happened after she arrived: reading quietly in the small garden, unknowingly disturbing someone who did not want to be disturbed. She recounted everything carefully, without embellishment, as if simply laying out facts.

When she finished, she asked softly, almost pleading,

“Yuan Jing, can you tell me what kind of person this Young Master Qianyi really is?”

Yuan Jing listened with mounting tension, her heart in her throat the entire time. By the time Mu Yang finished speaking, Yuan Jing looked genuinely shaken.

“Mu Yang,” she said uneasily, “I honestly think it’s a miracle that I’m still sitting here talking to you. You are the first person I’ve ever seen who managed to offend Young Master Qianyi and still remain at Di Rui High School without being expelled.”

She paused, then added in a low, serious voice,“You really need to be careful from now on. If you see him, avoid him at all costs. I honestly suspect that if he decides to target you, he could do things far worse than what you’ve already experienced. Please believe me—I’m not exaggerating.”

Yuan Jing’s expression grew grave.

“Ever since Young Master Qianyi entered Di Rui High School, he’s been cold and ruthless to almost everyone. Teachers, students, even members of the school administration—no one dares provoke him. Not a single person. He’s simply… untouchable.”

Mu Yang’s face drained of color as she listened.

Was it really that serious?

“Young Master Qianyi is the only son of the president of the Xuanling Group,” Yuan Jing continued, fixing her gaze on Mu Yang. “Xuanling Group is one of Di Rui High School’s main investors. And on top of that, he’s considered the most popular male student on campus. Do you understand what those identities mean?”

Mu Yang felt as though her mind had gone blank.

“So it’s really true…” she murmured. “Then… I’m finished, aren’t I?”

She had never imagined that the person she had offended possessed such overwhelming power. Suddenly, so many things made sense.

The arrogance in his gaze.

The way he had casually threatened Director Wu, saying that if his demands were not met, Director Wu would not need to keep his job.

It had never been empty bravado.

Seeing the anxiety in Mu Yang’s eyes, Yuan Jing softened her tone.

“At least for now, you haven’t heard him saying exactly how he plans to punish you, right? That might mean he hasn’t taken you seriously. Or perhaps he’ll forget about you altogether. Either way, just be extra careful these next few days.”

“I hope someone as insignificant as me isn’t worth holding a grudge against,” Mu Yang said quietly, more to herself than to Yuan Jing.

In truth, regret had already begun to creep into her heart. If she had restrained herself earlier, softened her attitude just a little, perhaps none of this would have happened. She had come to this school to study, not to make enemies.

“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” Yuan Jing said gently. “As long as you don’t provoke him again, things might really settle down.”

Mu Yang nodded slowly.

“I’ve already offended him. All I can do now is face whatever comes—deal with soldiers as they arrive, block water with earth. But Yuan Jing, besides Young Master Qianyi, are there others in this school I should stay away from? I’d like to know, so I can keep my distance in the future.”

Yuan Jing thought for a moment, then gave her a brief rundown of several individuals from different grade levels—people whose backgrounds or families made them dangerous to cross.

“In short,” she concluded, “this is a private elite school. Many people here are not ones you can afford to offend. You’ll need to be more cautious from now on.”

“I’ll try,” Mu Yang said sincerely. “Thank you for telling me all this.”

At least now, there were some traps she might be able to avoid.

“There’s no need to thank me,” Yuan Jing replied. “I have something to take care of now, so I’ll head back. If you need anything later, you can look for me. Here’s my phone number.”

She scribbled it down on a small slip of paper and handed it to Mu Yang.

“Alright. Sorry for troubling you,” Mu Yang said. She could tell that Yuan Jing was the most genuine person she had met at this school so far, and she did not want to burden her further.

After they parted, Mu Yang checked the time. It was already past seven in the evening. Her stomach growled faintly. She reached into her pocket and felt the thinness of her remaining cash.

After a moment of hesitation, she clenched her teeth and headed toward the school’s convenience store, planning to buy some instant noodles to get through the night.

The campus had only one small store. Mu Yang went straight to the shelf where the instant noodles were stocked. Just as she reached out for a packet, another hand moved faster than hers and snatched it away.

She reached for a different one. Again, the same thing happened.

Each time she chose a packet, it was taken before her fingers could touch it.

Annoyance flared inside her.

“Who’s deliberately messing with me?” she muttered angrily. “If you want instant noodles, can’t you pick your own? Why take mine every time?”

Cursing under her breath, she turned around.

Standing behind her was a boy who looked like a street thug—sharp features, a crooked grin, and an unmistakably malicious air.

“I feel like it,” he said lazily, eyeing her with open disdain. “I like doing this. What are you going to do about it? Besides, I’m not here to choose noodles. I’m not competing with you either.”

He smirked.

“I’m buying all of them.”

With that, he swept every packet of instant noodles off the shelf and dumped them into his shopping cart under Mu Yang’s furious stare.

“Hey! How can you do that?” she cried out anxiously. “If you take all of them, what am I supposed to eat?”

He ignored her completely and pushed the cart away, disappearing without a backward glance. Around them, several students watched the scene with amused, spectator-like expressions.

In the end, Mu Yang could only buy a few packets of cheap biscuits to make do.

Dragging herself back to the dormitory, she felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.

When she reached the door, she tried to unlock it—but no matter how hard she tried, the key would not turn.

Only then did she realize the door had been locked from the inside.

A cold understanding settled over her immediately.

The others in the dormitory had done this on purpose.