"Jixia Academy" was built by the Qi family to commemorate the famous Jixia Academy of the State of Qi, which had once been renowned across the world.
"Jixia Academy" covers everything from elementary school to high school, and it isn't limited to just the children of prominent families. Even ordinary students, as long as they have excellent grades, can get in based on their abilities.
If a student comes from a poor family but has outstanding grades, the Qi family is more than happy to offer support, allowing them to attend for free and even providing scholarships.
As a result, the entrance requirements for "Jixia Academy" are extremely high—almost to an obsessive degree—and are far beyond what ordinary schools can compare to.
Since the highest level of education at "Jixia Academy" is high school, if a student from a poor family graduates and then gets into a prestigious university, the Qi family will still provide financial support.
In this way, the Qi family has cleverly recruited many top talents.
Other powerful families also strive to send their children to "Jixia Academy," hoping to discover and recruit talents to enhance their own power and influence.
Both within and outside of their families, it increases their competitiveness.
Even Wei Ziqi spent his entire education, from elementary school to high school, at "Jixia Academy." Alongside him was He Yuanfang.
No one can remember when the He family began following the Wei family. For as long as anyone could remember, the He family had always served the Wei family—starting with He Yuanfang's father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and so on.
However, now, Wei Ziqi no longer particularly likes "Jixia Academy"—not because of the academy itself, but because of the people inside it.
As he watched Wei Ran stand elegantly in her uniform, Wei Ziqi narrowed his eyes slightly.
He patted his legs. "Come sit here!"
Wei Ran was shocked and stepped back, frowning. "No!"
"No?" Wei Ziqi seemed quite surprised by her refusal. "I remember you used to love sitting on my lap when you were little, always clinging to me."
"That was when I was a child. Things are different now!" Wei Ran glared at his legs. Even just his thighs seemed long and strong.
She still remembered how naive she was as a child, not understanding anything, and not knowing the unpredictable nature of Wei Ziqi.
All she knew was that she had nowhere else to go, and since the Wei family had taken her in, she had to behave and not make them dislike her.
There was one time when she tried to climb onto Wei Ziqi's lap, wanting to act cute, but as soon as she sat down, he threw her off.
At that moment, he looked down at her from above and coldly said, "Who allowed you to climb up without my permission?"
Wei Ran had fallen to the ground, her backside sore from the fall. She was terrified.
After that, she never dared to do it again.
But a few days later, Wei Ziqi unexpectedly patted his legs again, just like he did earlier. "Come sit here!"
Wei Ran still cautiously kept her distance, standing two steps away from him, not daring to approach.
Wei Ziqi leaned back against the back of the sofa, his gaze on Wei Ran growing cold. "I said, come sit here."
Wei Ran shrank, her stomach tightening as she carefully stepped closer, one slow step at a time.
Under Wei Ziqi's cold stare, she felt a tingling on her scalp, as if her hair might fall out from the intensity of his gaze.
She reluctantly placed her hands on his knees, but when her hands lost strength, she slipped off his legs.
After struggling, she finally managed to sit on his lap, but Wei Ran still felt unstable, her eyes full of wariness, looking at Wei Ziqi with fear and respect.
Wei Ziqi pressed his lips into a cold line. His mouth suddenly curved into a cruel smile, and without warning, he stood up, causing Wei Ran to fall to the ground with a thud.
She looked up at him, both confused and angry, disregarding the pain in her backside.
The pain from a few days ago still hadn't healed, and the bruises hadn't faded. Now, the pain had worsened.
Wei Ziqi, as cold as ever, looked down at her. "When I tell you to do something, you do it immediately. Don't make me repeat myself. If you delay for even a second, I'll change my mind."
With that, he stepped over her and walked away.
Wei Ran woke up and looked at Wei Ziqi's long legs, but this time, she refused to obey.
She stood, confronting him, as Xiao Lian placed Wei Ran's breakfast on the table across from Wei Ziqi.
Taking the opportunity, Wei Ran sat down, trying to act as if nothing had happened and prepared to eat.
"Take her breakfast away." Just as Wei Ran picked up her utensils, she heard Wei Ziqi's cold command from across the table.
Xiao Lian stood awkwardly to the side, hesitating to move.
It wasn't until Wei Ziqi's icy gaze shot over that Xiao Lian trembled, no longer daring to hesitate, and immediately went to take the breakfast away.
"Miss, I'm sorry." Xiao Lian softly apologized.
Wei Ran's stomach twisted. She shook her head and silently put down her utensils, watching as Xiao Lian, with an apologetic look, took the breakfast away. A nauseous feeling started to swell in her stomach.
She knew this was Wei Ziqi's punishment for not listening to him.
Since her breakfast was gone, she decided to stand up, pushing the chair back with a squeak.
"I'm going to school," Wei Ran said stubbornly.
"No breakfast, no leaving this door." Just as she was about to rush out of the dining room, she heard Wei Ziqi's voice behind her.