Chapter 4

In his past life, not long after Jonathan started working at the factory, a girl named Michelle Johnston came along. His coworkers said she was the factory manager's daughter. Despite her seemingly sweet and obedient appearance, she was actually rebellious when it came to her studies. To make her realize the importance of education, her parents decided to send her to the factory to oversee the workers under the guise of a "factory reform program". Michelle neglected her duties, always encouraging Jonathan to slack off and skip work with her. He wasn't in a position to refuse. Everyone at the factory knew she was the boss's daughter, so they turned a blind eye and didn't cut his pay. Jonathan thought for a moment. In his past life, he hadn't gone back to Jayla's clinic at this time. Judging by the timeline, Michelle didn't know him yet. With that thought, Jonathan walked over and greeted her politely. "Hi. Grandma is out on a house call and hasn't returned yet. Are you here to see her for treatment?" Michelle looked at Jonathan's handsome face, and her heart skipped a beat. She quickly averted her gaze, feeling flustered. "My grandfather has severe back pain from sitting for too long," she said. "When will your grandmother be available? I'd like to ask her to come to my house and give him some traditional treatment." "I'm not sure when she'll be free," Jonathan replied. He glanced at his watch before looking back into her clear eyes. "Based on her usual schedule, she'll be out for a while. You might have to wait another couple of hours. "If you're not in a rush, you can stay. If you have somewhere else to be, just leave your number here, and I'll let her know. She'll get in touch with you later." Michelle felt her heart race under his steady gaze. It was just a simple, casual look, so why was she so nervous? Was it love at first sight? Or just physical attraction? Ugh, she was so shallow! Despite her inner thoughts, she maintained her sweet and obedient demeanor. "I'm Michelle Johnston. Can I add you on WhatsApp?" Jonathan had no objection. He added her and gave her his name. Unsure of how to deepen the conversation, Michelle finished the brief exchange and reluctantly walked out of the small clinic. Once in the alley, Michelle took out her phone and dialed a number. "In five minutes, I want all of Jonathan Campbell's information." "Easy there, tiger. That domineering tone of yours makes your big brother feel totally inferior, and I'm president of a company, you know? Take it down a notch, and don't scare him off, okay? With your strength—" "Stop that nonsense, Levi, and just hurry up!" Michelle snapped, her cheeks puffed up angrily. "Alright, I got it," Levi Johnston replied. After receiving the picture of the small clinic's exterior from his younger sister, he immediately instructed his assistant to investigate. In three minutes, Levi had all the information on Jonathan—everything from his birth to the present, a complete and detailed list of events in his life. Michelle opened the document and quickly scanned through it, reading ten lines at once. "Hey, little lady, all alone here?" A greasy, middle-aged man spotted the slender and beautiful Michelle. He immediately began to approach her, rubbing his hands in excitement. Hearing the man's voice from the other end of the line, Levi knew the situation was about to go south. His face filled with concern. "Michy, just don't kill him, alright? When are you heading back abroad for school? Mom and Dad told me this morning that if you don't get serious about your studies, they're going to be mad again. And guess who's going to get scolded? Me!" At those words, Michelle's eyes lit up. "Levi, you won't get scolded anymore. I'll switch to Jonathan's class tomorrow." Levi was at a loss for words. Before he could say anything, Michelle hung up the phone, only to find her path blocked by the middle-aged man. He reached out his greasy hand toward her. "Hey, little lady, how about I take you out to have some fun?" Suddenly, the sound of bones snapping echoed through the air. The middle-aged man froze, his eyes wide with terror as he looked down at his arm that was now in Michelle's grip. The force was so intense that his arm had been broken! The man let out a blood-curdling scream. Was this girl insane? How could she be so strong? As Michelle released her hold, she heard a movement behind her. She turned, only to see Jonathan approaching. Instantly, Michelle collapsed to the ground, hot tears flooding her eyes. She trembled in fear and pleaded, "Mister, I'll give you money. Please just let me go…" The middle-aged man was utterly baffled. Before he could even understand what was happening, Jonathan kicked him hard in the stomach. The middle-aged man groaned, clutching his stomach and rolling around in pain. Jonathan helped Michelle up. Obviously still frightened, she buried her face into his solid chest. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, her soft voice trembling with gratitude. "Jonathan, thank you for saving me." Jonathan frowned slightly. He wanted to say that men and women shouldn't be so intimate, but Michelle was sobbing in his arms. It was obvious she had been terrified. He sighed and tried to comfort her. "You're safe now. I came over because I found your earphones near the clinic door." With that, Jonathan pulled a pair of white wireless earphones from his pocket. Michelle rubbed her face against his jacket before quickly pulling back to a more appropriate distance. She reached out and took the earphones, which she had intentionally left near the door. "Sorry, I shouldn't have hugged you like that. I've caused you so much trouble by making you come just to bring me these earphones." "Don't worry about it," Jonathan said, his gaze flicking to the man who was still groaning on the ground. "What do you want to do with this creepy guy?" Michelle remained nervous and hid behind Jonathan. "Whatever you want to do with him, Jonathan." "Let's call the cops," Jonathan replied, dialing the number. The police arrived quickly and took the man away. Michelle was still clutching Jonathan's jacket, her fingers still trembling. Jonathan's gaze lingered on her face. She looked sweet, with glowing, flawless skin. Her clear, beautiful eyes were pure and innocent, and they stirred something protective deep within him. She was small and delicate, barely reaching his shoulder. Her innocent and harmless appearance made her the perfect type to be picked on by others. "I'll walk you out of the alley," Jonathan said, still uneasy. The alley was quiet, with no pedestrians around. He added, "Next time you come to the clinic, don't go through here. You can take the next alley over instead. It's a bit farther, but it's busy with vendors and people, so it's much safer." "Okay," Michelle replied obediently and followed him. Once he saw her safely out, Jonathan returned to the clinic. Jayla had already returned. She brought with her a large bag of snacks for Jonathan to take home. Jonathan accepted the snacks and told her about Michelle's situation. After confirming Jayla would have time the day after tomorrow, he sent Michelle a message. She replied that she would come by again then. … The next day at Gracefield High School, Class 1, Jonathan was met with a wave of mocking laughter as soon as he stepped through the classroom door. "Hey, I heard you were kicked out of your wealthy family, Jonathan?" one of his classmates said. "I heard Jonathan left the Campbell family on his own," another chimed in. Someone else replied, "No way! Frederick said it himself—Jonathan was kicked out for being disobedient." As Jonathan took his seat, everyone couldn't help but sneer. So what if he was the biological son of the Campbell family? With his poor academic skills, there was no way he was getting into college! Plus, without the support of a wealthy family, his future would probably be worse than anyone in the class. "Hey! Jonathan, don't even think about getting close to Stella," one of the boys, Owen Craiger, sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Yesterday, Frederick sent her a love letter, and she actually accepted it! "I suggest you talk to the homeroom teacher and just drop out of the physics competition. Otherwise, it's going to be really embarrassing for you when the results come in."