4. Fairy

This time, after returning from the future, Ye Feng didn’t choose Finance as his major; instead, he enrolled in Computer Science. In the world to come, humanity relied even more on computers. Naturally, the protection systems for the internet became increasingly sophisticated, but hackers advanced even faster, slipping through almost every crack.

In the blink of an eye, it was the first official day of class. Anyone who has been to university knows that the first day is when the lecture halls are fullest. As new students, it was only natural to take a look at the beauties of one’s own department. The wolves among the boys wouldn’t let such an opportunity slip by; if fortune smiled and someone managed to win a beauty’s heart, what a triumph that would be.

Early in the morning, Ye Feng was dragged out of bed by his three wolfish roommates, and they hurried off to secure the best seats in the classroom.

The freshmen arrived in small groups, chattering excitedly—mainly the boys, discussing the merits and charms of various girls.

But before long, the whole lecture hall fell silent. An eerie quiet descended as a girl entered—no, not just a girl, but an enchantress.

Ye Feng knew this enchantress; his roommates had talked about her many times, even shown him her photograph. Like him, she was a freshman—one of the four campus belles, her beauty on par with Ouyang Lanlan. Her name was Nan Jing.

But her appearance today left Ye Feng utterly dumbfounded. The first impression he had was that her outfit was simply too daring.

She wore a black spaghetti-strap dress; the hem was not a regular trim but shaped like the petals of a fan, irregular and lively. Her pale legs contrasted strikingly with the black dress, and her feet were adorned with slender, strappy high heels that wrapped around her calves, exuding a sultry allure.

Her hair seemed freshly styled, cascading down her back in a glossy black waterfall, loose and flowing. In this era, college boys still had a special fondness for girls with long, flowing hair—and her hair reached all the way to her waist.

But most striking was the top of her dress—a pair of snowy white shoulders exposed, and the neckline cut just low enough to reveal a tantalizing glimpse of her pale chest, along with a deep, shadowed valley.

She really dared to wear such a thing!

Most freshmen were only about sixteen or seventeen, and, after years of cramming for exams, many girls were still slim and underdeveloped—more matchstick than hourglass. But with his experienced eye, Ye Feng estimated that this enchantress was at least a C-cup.

While such a size might not be the absolute top at Haifeng University, among first-year students she was certainly in the heavyweight category. More importantly, her height and proportions were excellent. Some girls appear well-endowed simply because they’re chubby, like that one girl who was rumored to have an E-cup chest but an F-cup waist. Yet, Nan Jing didn’t look plump at all; her figure was genuinely exceptional.

As everyone stared in a daze, Nan Jing glanced around and saw that very few seats remained. She frowned just slightly, then noticed one particular gaze. Unlike the other boys, whose eyes seemed to want to devour her, this one’s was different—she couldn’t quite put it into words, but it wasn’t unpleasant. And, as it happened, the seat beside him was empty.

A faint smile played at the corner of Nan Jing’s lips. Amid all the men’s astonished and jealous stares, she walked over and softly asked, “Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

Ye Feng’s trance didn’t last long, because suddenly he was enveloped in a wonderful fragrance—not perfume, but a mix of shampoo and something else... Could it be that legendary feminine scent?

He looked up quickly, only to find the enchantress standing right beside him, bending slightly at the waist, smiling at him. She had said something, but Ye Feng had missed it in his distraction, so he reflexively replied, “What?”

Fortunately, Nan Jing was used to this sort of thing and repeated with a smile, “Is this seat taken?”

“Oh, no, please sit,” Ye Feng answered politely.

Nan Jing nodded her thanks and slid into the seat beside him. As she sat, her freshly straightened hair brushed against Ye Feng’s face, tickling him both physically and emotionally.

The surrounding boys were gnashing their teeth in regret. Why had they arrived so early? If only they’d come a little later, maybe they could have sat with this enchantress. The girls, meanwhile, felt a sour jealousy, tinged with schadenfreude. After all, having such a captivating presence in their department was unsettling for any female student.

If Nan Jing sitting beside Ye Feng had made the men wish he would vanish from the earth, what happened next made them even more envious.

Nan Jing actually turned her head, smiled, and asked, “What’s your name?”

Ye Feng was surprised. He’d assumed Nan Jing had chosen the seat by chance, since there really were few options left.

“Ye Feng,” he replied, his tone cool and brief.

Nan Jing grew more intrigued. Normally, when she asked a man’s name, he would immediately ask hers in return, or a more mature man would at least convey his curiosity with his eyes. But this guy had simply stated his name—no questions, not even a glance at her—and he didn’t seem to be pretending. This piqued her curiosity and competitive spirit; since she was fourteen, no man had ever so thoroughly ignored her.

“I’m Nan Jing. Nice to meet you,” she said, extending her hand.

Ye Feng was a normal man—his real age was twenty-seven—and he certainly liked enchanting women like Nan Jing. But he didn’t want to become a target for all the men in the department or beyond, so he hadn’t tried to take things further. He’d hoped his curt tone would keep her at arm’s length, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.

Still, he wouldn’t waste an opportunity; he shook her hand lightly. In that moment, Ye Feng could practically feel the murderous intent from the surrounding boys—if looks could kill, he’d have died a thousand deaths.

His apparent indifference only spurred Nan Jing on; she was determined to break his reserve. “Ye Feng, why so quiet? The teacher’s not here yet, it’s boring. Let’s chat.”

Just what he’d been trying to avoid. Ye Feng had no idea what about him attracted this enchantress, so he replied, “I’m just not much of a talker. Nothing much to say.”

Nan Jing was about to press further when the instructor arrived, saving Ye Feng from his awkward predicament.

The first day of class was uneventful—just some explanations about course schedules, electives, and not much else. The instructor spoke for fifteen minutes, then, with little sense of responsibility, left.

As soon as he was gone, the boys and girls, having completed their day’s work, began to file out. Yet Nan Jing still wasn’t finished with Ye Feng.

Before leaving, she stood up, bent slightly, and whispered with a smile into Ye Feng’s ear, “I’ll be seeing you again.”

Ye Feng couldn’t help but glance up—and because Nan Jing was standing, and her dress was made of that slightly heavy, satiny material, the neckline slipped even lower, revealing more of her cleavage, and even the upper curves of her chest.

Truthfully, such a neckline wasn’t all that scandalous, but to be face-to-face with such a brazen display from a beautiful woman made Ye Feng’s heart pound like a lovesick teenager—even though he was a twenty-seven-year-old virgin.

He swallowed hard, struggling not to look down, yet unable to fully resist. He inwardly cursed himself for being so lecherous, fearing that if he kept staring he might lose his composure entirely...

But Nan Jing didn’t give him the chance. She flashed him a sly, foxlike smile, straightened, and left the classroom, leaving Ye Feng thoroughly bewildered as to her intentions. He only knew that this enchantress would bring him endless trouble—and first among them would be his three wolfish roommates.

As expected, the moment they left the classroom, his three roommates started interrogating him.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, a month had gone by. Ye Feng was a good student—since joining the Computer Science department, he hadn’t missed a single class. During this time, the Nan Jing he’d been so wary of hadn’t appeared again, which was a relief. He figured she’d already forgotten about a nobody like him.

Meanwhile, his three incorrigible roommates kept dragging him to the Finance Management department to catch a glimpse of Ouyang Lanlan. They never succeeded, but instead they stumbled upon someone who would become a remarkable figure—Xiao Feng.

Xiao Feng was twenty-three this year, and a lecturer in Monetary Economics for Haifeng University’s Finance Management department. The first class Ye Feng attended there was taught by him.

What made Xiao Feng so remarkable was his future. He was the eldest son of Xiao Tianxia, the leader of Haifeng City’s largest criminal syndicate, the Xiao Clan. Xiao Tianxia had intended for his son to inherit the family business, but Xiao Feng had never liked the underworld. Fortunately, Xiao Tianxia had another son, Xiao Qiang, who was ruthless from a young age—by fourteen he was already involved in the underworld, and by sixteen he’d earned the trust of some of the Xiao Clan’s elders, cementing his position as the successor.

Everything seemed settled, but Ye Feng knew that in 2030, the Xiao Clan would face trouble—Xiao Qiang would get into serious trouble, and Xiao Feng would be forced by fate and family ties to return and take over as clan leader.

But how could a university lecturer lead the Xiao Clan? The clan elders were fiercely opposed, yet Xiao Feng managed to unify Haifeng City’s underworld in just two years, astonishing everyone. He then set about reforming the Xiao Clan, shifting it from the underworld into legitimate business. By the time Ye Feng returned from the future, he’d heard the transformation was nearly complete—though as an ordinary citizen, he hadn’t known the true details.

Ye Feng had been deeply impressed by Xiao Feng’s erudition the first time he attended his class. He’d sat through the same course before, taught by an old professor whose lectures nearly put him to sleep. Xiao Feng, on the other hand, brought every topic to life, keeping students riveted. He rarely stayed on the podium, preferring to walk among the students as he lectured.

During one class, Xiao Feng posed a question that stumped everyone. The room hummed with whispered discussion, but no one had an answer—except Ye Feng, who, with his knowledge from the future, quietly supplied the correct response. Xiao Feng happened to be nearby and overheard him. Surprised, he asked who had answered, and was even more taken aback to discover that this ‘genius’ was a Computer Science student.

After class, while Ye Feng’s three roommates went off girl-hunting, Xiao Feng stopped him, asked a few more questions, and exchanged phone numbers, encouraging Ye Feng to visit his office whenever he had time.

This was exactly what Ye Feng wanted—building a relationship with such an important figure in advance.

Another week quickly passed. One Sunday, Ye Feng spent the day wandering downtown, only to return too late and miss the last bus. He had no choice but to walk home.

Since the new campus had only one main road, taking the long way would be a huge detour, so Ye Feng decided to cut through a shortcut.

As he walked, he vaguely heard a sound not far ahead.

“Help!” a woman’s voice cried out.