Chapter 52 Shameless Showboating

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When Baili Xue heard Lei Bin’s words, she was taken aback. She hadn’t expected him to say such things. Deep down, she had always been somewhat proud of her appearance. She believed that if someone came to propose to her, the young man would be overjoyed and there would be no chance of rejection. Yet, Lei Bin claimed he was also acting out of necessity.

Although his words sounded somewhat pretentious, she understood the rebellious and resistant feeling that arises the moment one’s fate is suddenly decided by others. So, she did not doubt Lei Bin’s explanation. After all, this involved the interests of two families, and Lei Bin had no choice but to comply.

If she had known that Lei Bin had only encouraged Lei Na to propose because he was lustful and thought she was pretty, she would have kicked him to death without hesitation.

Lei Bin’s shamelessness had reached a certain level—it was one of the essential survival skills in the old city. His performance was so genuine that Baili Xue almost wanted to comfort him.

In the end, Baili Xue remained silent for a moment and then said calmly, “Being born into such a family means we have no control over our lives. I’m very grateful that you understand and respect me. From now on, in front of others, we can appear somewhat intimate, but before I graduate from university, I will not truly be involved with you. I want to be completely free during this time.”

“All right, it’s settled then. We’ll maintain appearances on the surface, so I can explain things to my old man at home. Behind the scenes, we both have complete freedom. Of course, if you ever need my help, don’t hesitate to ask. After all, we can consider ourselves friends,” Lei Bin replied with a solemn and gentlemanly demeanor.

“Okay.” Baili Xue responded quietly, feeling a sudden sense of relief. She had thought her request would upset him or make him angry, but to her surprise, Lei Bin accepted it wholeheartedly and even shared her sense of hardship.

Unconsciously, the aversion she felt toward Lei Bin because of the forced marriage began to fade significantly.

Seeing Baili Xue’s expression, Lei Bin laughed triumphantly in his heart. “Haha, I truly am a genius. I immediately sensed her feelings and used the ‘shared suffering’ approach to successfully bring us closer.”

“I’ll walk you home. That way, in the eyes of other boys, our relationship will be confirmed, preventing further harassment, and you’ll have fewer troubles. Those boys are really boring—no serious matters, just coming here to see you,” Lei Bin said, feigning concern for her.

“Sure.” Baili Xue happily agreed, feeling that Lei Bin’s words made perfect sense. In fact, she had openly let others know Lei Bin was her fiancé today precisely to make those other boys give up and stop bothering her.

From an early age, Baili Xue had known her future was destined to be a political marriage. Therefore, she never dared to accept any boy’s affection, fearing it would bring great harm to both of them.

Since childhood, she had been the cherished jewel of the Baili family, lavished with love. But once, her mother told her that in such a family, everything seemed to be present except freedom.

From that moment, she had accepted her fate. Outsiders saw her as lucky, a princess exalted above others, but if given a choice, she wished only to be an ordinary girl with her own freedom.

She never imagined the day would come so soon. When Baili Song apologetically spoke to her, she was not surprised, only slightly taken aback.

She neither cried nor made a fuss; instead, she went to comfort her father, telling him not to blame himself. This was her destiny.

When she heard the name Lei Bin, she remained silent for a long time. She couldn’t see through him or guess his true nature. Now, Lei Bin was a great hero of the federation, praised by thousands, but she also knew some other facts about him and his life in the old city.

That made him even more inscrutable.

Regardless of who Lei Bin truly was—perhaps just a street thug—she was willing to endure it for her family.

On the first day of school, she expected Lei Bin to come find her and confirm their relationship, but instead, she witnessed him severely injure Fang Hao and spark a wave of public opinion across the federation.

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Seeing Lei Bin’s thug-like fighting in the video, her impression of him dropped sharply. She thought he was impulsive, reckless, lacking finesse, and irresponsible—not someone reliable.

But when she heard him say at the scene, “You can insult me, but do not insult the soldiers of the Golden Eagle Unit. It is they who saved our lives with their blood,” she considered that maybe Lei Bin was just overly passionate and emotional.

Emotional people were often sincere; at least, they were not heartless. She comforted herself with this thought.

During class today, the teacher suddenly called Lei Bin up. Although she had prepared mentally, her heart still jolted because she had to face this man, the one now so closely tied to her fate.

She thought Lei Bin would be humiliated and have a hard time, but his performance exceeded her expectations. He was surprisingly proficient in market analysis and even managed to turn the tables on the teacher.

This made her even more puzzled about Lei Bin.

Reports said Lei Bin was just a street thug from the old city, but how could someone like that know so much about market analysis, a field completely unrelated to his background?

Even with training, it would be impossible to master it in such a short time. Lei Bin’s performance clearly showed he had studied this subject for years.

All of this proved that Lei Bin was not as the surface rumors suggested.

So after class, instead of leaving quickly as usual, she chose to wait for Lei Bin to come find her.

But unexpected events occurred.

That was fine, though. By openly admitting their relationship in front of everyone, those boys should finally give up. She would have far fewer troubles.

For so many years, to ward off those boys, she had to act cold, ruthless, and decisive. Now, she was finally free.

He promised her three years of freedom, so during those years, she should be happy—at least with the small joys she could hold in her own hands. The last joys, perhaps.

“By the way, how do you know so much about market analysis?” Baili Xue couldn’t help but ask curiously as they walked.

Lei Bin smiled arrogantly and said, “It’s nothing. When I was bored back in the old city, I liked to read books.”

“Did you really grow up in the old city?” Baili Xue asked again.

Lei Bin nodded with a sigh and said, “Yes, I grew up there with my father, relying on each other. We often ran through the streets chased by others just for a steamed bun. Fighting and stealing were common—just to fill our stomachs and survive. Sometimes, I had to show a different side of myself to survive in such an environment.”

In truth, Lei Bin was thinking: “Heh, girls are soft-hearted. If I tell her more about my suffering, she’ll definitely sympathize with me more, and we’ll grow closer without realizing it. I can even use this chance to excuse my past thug behavior.”

“Really? You still found time to read?” Baili Xue felt a strange softness in her heart. She always sympathized with poor children who could barely afford a meal.

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“Yes. Because back then, I still held onto something—hope. I believed that no matter how fate tormented or tortured you, there would always be a small crack, a gap that lets hope in. So no matter how hard it was, I never stopped reading. Sometimes, I even spent my limited money for food on buying books, just for that faint hope.”

Lei Bin’s face carried a sacred expression, as if he were a tireless struggler who ultimately attained enlightenment.

In reality, the kind of books he read most as a child were those *magazines. Other books gave him headaches.

Indeed, Baili Xue felt a tinge of shame hearing Lei Bin’s words. With such favorable conditions, she had not devoted herself fully to study and had wasted much time on trivial things.

Lei Bin was truly an inspirational figure.

Lei Bin and Baili Xue chatted all the way. After several stops on the hovercar, they finally arrived at her apartment.

Throughout the journey, Lei Bin believed he was flawless. With the powerful support of the Xingmeng database, he performed like a learned professor, repeatedly surprising Baili Xue.

At the apartment entrance, Lei Bin politely said goodbye and then turned to leave without lingering. He knew sometimes one must know when to hold back.

Playing hard to get was best at this moment—do not seem too eager.

Baili Xue watched Lei Bin’s tall, graceful figure disappear, her brow furrowing deeper. What kind of man was he, really?

Even after getting to know him, she still couldn’t see through him.

She slowly turned and returned to her dorm. Upon opening the door, her three roommates were all standing at the entrance, eyes wide as they stared at her.

“What are you all doing?” Baili Xue asked, amused by their expressions.

“Baili Xue, you really have a fiancé now?” asked Qiao Nan, with her two braids and very pure appearance, eyes wide.

“Is it that Lei Bin guy?” asked Yi Shanna, tall and over six feet.

“And he just walked you home earlier?” asked Jiang Yun, a bit chubby with a cute, chubby face.

Seeing their lively expressions, Baili Xue couldn’t help but curl her lips slightly and said, “Yes.”