Chapter 266: Shen Zexi's Reputation Targeted

"It's been so many years, and never has any miss from any family dared to get close to the young master, yet you can stay by the young master's side and have an exceptional talent in alchemy; to the young master, you must be special."

"When the young master stabilizes the situation, your good days are still ahead, but the young master may be busy lately; if you're not in a hurry, some matters can be left to me to handle."

His words were both comfort and reminder, and also a subtle act of taking sides and investment.

The Zhao Family is now in turmoil; Meng Kexin's relationship with the Zhao Family has broken, tarnishing her reputation at the Academy, but if she can firmly seize the upcoming Chen Family head Chen Mo Zhi as a high branch, all difficulties will be resolved.

Zhao Bo, as an elder of the Chen Family, clearly welcomes this outcome and is even willing to offer protection should the Zhao Family cause trouble for Meng Kexin.

Meng Kexin understood Zhao Bo's implied meaning, lowered her eyes and thanked him obediently.

"Thank you, Zhao Bo, for the information, and thank you for your concern. I will return to the Academy first, not cause trouble for the young master. As for the Zhao Family... if there truly is trouble there, I will have to trouble you, Zhao Bo."

"Miss, you are being modest; this is within my duties," Zhao Bo bowed slightly.

Meng Kexin said no more and left, taking the ever‑silent Ying Duo, who was like a backdrop, with her.

Walking along the secluded path back to the Academy, Meng Kexin furrowed her brows and analyzed the current situation:

Chen Xiaoshuang was stabbed and poisoned, teetering on death, and behind those assassins was likely the Co‑Absorption "Queen Bee", or at least they used her poison.

The Pope intervened immediately and froze Chen Xiaoshuang's time, but time still cannot be delayed.

Meanwhile, Chen Mo Zhi was thrust into the position of family head at this critical moment, and the Chen Family's power structure underwent a sudden shift.

The situation instantly became exceedingly complex, yet some gaps favorable to her also emerged.

If she can seize the opportunity, she could completely eliminate the Zhao Family's trouble in one stroke.

Just as she was lost in thought, the Ying Duo beside her, who had been as quiet as a life‑size cardboard cutout, suddenly read aloud a passage in his flat, monotone voice, reciting it verbatim:

"The steward, seeing the young master's rare smile, said appreciatively to the newly arrived maid:

"The young master hasn't smiled like this in a long time. Since the lord and lady passed away, the young master has locked himself in his room, working nonstop... you are the first person who can draw the young master out."

Meng Kexin: "........???"

She stopped, turned her head, and stared at Ying Duo with a look as if she had seen a ghost.

The boy's golden eyes calmly returned her gaze, his face still expressionless, as if the preceding line, saturated with an old‑school domineering‑CEO novel vibe, hadn't come from his mouth.

"What—what did you just say?" Meng Kexin wondered if she was hallucinating from overthinking.

Ying Duo blinked, then slightly altered the sentence structure, but the core meaning remained, and he continued in a wooden‑reading tone:

"'It's getting chilly; let the Zhao Group go bankrupt.'"

Meng Kexin: "........"

A twitch flickered at the corner of her mouth; although she caught that meaning from Zhao Bo's words, could he not make a joke while she was trying to think seriously?

Meng Kexin inhaled deeply, striving to gather her thoughts scattered by Ying Duo's two 'CEO lines' back together.

"... Ying Duo classmate," she chose her words carefully, showing no flaw, "where did those... um, interesting words you just said come from?"

Ying Duo's golden eyes stared straight at her.

"Don't like that? I can switch to another."

He paused briefly, then continued in that unvarying tone:

"'Woman, you have successfully caught my attention.' Or, 'This pond, I have leased it for you.'"

Meng Kexin: "......."

She felt the corner of her eye twitch again.

The question she had temporarily ignored inevitably resurfaced.

So, is Yang Yixie actually Ying Duo?

Since arriving, she has devoted herself entirely to alchemy research, always cautious, and in this world many Old World cultures have been lost; even a high‑school biology textbook can be classified as an Old World relic.

Does this world have CEO catchphrases? Is Yang Yixie hinting that he is also a player?

She forced herself to stay calm, carefully observing Ying Duo's expression, which still showed no cracks.

If Yang Yixie truly equates to Ying Duo, then being tricked would only mean she's outmatched.

"Ying Duo classmate, you may not realize that in our era many Old World customs have been lost, though we've been striving to restore some entertainments, such as Rune‑driven game consoles, or reviving old‑era music, paintings..."

"But I don't think I've ever heard of those you mentioned."

Her words were a probe; if Ying Duo, like her, were an Undead from the Old World, his reaction might differ.

If not, then most likely the other party has no intention of sharing identities with her.

Meng Kexin actually has neither the time nor the interest to verify how many Old World entertainment details this wasteland has restored.

She was merely using common sense to test Ying Duo, after all she only needed to play a taciturn decorative role before—speak less, err less.

"Oh," Ying Duo responded with a simple acknowledgment, "then you're somewhat outdated."

For some reason, Meng Kexin's fist tightened, and the disdain in Ying Duo's words seemed about to overflow.

"You usually study alchemy with Chen Mo Zhi, either in the Exotic Plant Garden or the library; it's normal for a bookworm not to know these."

Meng Kexin: "......."

Books, bookworm?

Before she could retort, Ying Duo added another sentence.

"I thought Shen Zexi was bookish enough, but his desk already has several copies of 'Cold Duke's Runaway Sweetheart', 'Demon Campus Heartthrob Falls for Me', 'Domineering CEO's Seven-Day Pursuit' and the like..."

"If you're interested, you can borrow them from him to read."

Hmm, actually Qi Hengyu's desk couldn't fit them, so they were first placed on Shen Zexi's, though Yang Yixie also doesn't understand why a battle‑madman, besides hot‑blooded combat manga, would buy so many shoujo manga.

Meng Kexin was completely stunned.

Shen Zexi reads those kinds of books? How could that be? Doesn't he usually read various profound energy theories and Rune‑crafting related texts?

Shoujo romance manga? Or titles that exude an old‑school melodramatic vibe?

"You—are you serious?"

Meng Kexin's voice cracked, full of disbelief.

She even temporarily forgot the original purpose of just now probing Ying Duo with her words.

Ying Duo nodded, expression utterly serious.

"Hmm, I saw it when I went to his room last time."