"Heh, she's definitely here for Ji Yanxiu. Didn't she send him ninety-nine paper cranes last week, claiming she folded them herself? They ended up tossed in the trash. Hilarious."
"Who doesn't know she's Jing University's number one doormat? Honestly, if she put that kind of shameless persistence into something else, she might have actually succeeded."
"She's actually dressed... normally today. Did she change her strategy?"
"Ji Yanxiu and Lin Shuran are the ultimate match, okay? He's the campus hunk, she's the campus belle, and they're both top students. What does Jiang Nianxi think she is? Just some girl whose family has a bit of stinking money!"
The speaker's voice cut off abruptly as Jiang Nianxi suddenly turned her head and shot her a glance.
Everyone expected Jiang Nianxi to fly into a rage or throw a tantrum. Instead, she just gave a light, breezy smile. "You're right, I do have a bit of stinking money. Do you?"
"You—" The girl's face flushed crimson, leaving her completely speechless.
"Jiang Nianxi? Damn! Bro, look, is that really Jiang Nianxi?!"
Hearing his roommate, Ji Yanxiu, who was walking this way, immediately looked up. Before he could react, his gaze collided straight with Jiang Nianxi's.
Gone was the exaggerated, terrifying eyeliner and eyeshadow. Instead, she had a pair of beautiful, clear almond eyes, though her gaze was icy—and carried a hint of... hatred?
Did he see things?
Ji Yanxiu felt a jolt of secret alarm, suddenly desperate to know why!
His roommate also sensed something was wrong.
Normally, Jiang Nianxi would have scurried right over, fussing over him and trying to win his favor in every possible way. Today, she hadn't budged at all. Especially since Ji Yanxiu was actually injured, with a huge patch of gauze plastered on his forehead, and she didn't even come over to ask how he was?
Abnormal. Far too abnormal!
Ji Yanxiu hadn't told anyone that the injury on his head was caused by Jiang Nianxi hitting him; he'd just claimed he bumped it by accident.
Earlier, after receiving a call from Lin Shuran, he had immediately found an excuse to "casually" walk past this spot.
He had expected Jiang Nianxi to grovel for an apology, beg for his forgiveness, and hand over some expensive gift... He never expected her to be this cold!
His roommate muttered under his breath, "What's wrong with her? Could she still be mad that you threw away those paper cranes she folded? Fair's fair, you went a bit too far..."
"She's the young miss of the Jiang Family, and she's that pretty. You'd be coming out ahead no matter what."
"She's probably mad." Ji Yanxiu put on a casual front to mask his astonishment.
He didn't really take it to heart, though. Knowing Jiang Nianxi's character, she would definitely come crawling back soon enough to play the doormat again.
Maybe he should consider agreeing to date her, and then start playing mind games with her—making her feel unworthy of him so that she'd willingly give up everything just to win his love...
"A rich girl is a rich girl, temper and all. Still, she's totally wrapped around your finger. You're a lucky bastard!" His roommate said with heavy envy.
Seeing Jiang Nianxi staring at Ji Yanxiu, Jiang Bai's face darkened. "Niannian."
"Grandpa, wait for me a second."
Jiang Nianxi flashed him a playful wink, then walked straight over to Ji Yanxiu, her face lighting up with pleasant surprise. "Isn't this Big Brother Yanxiu?"
"..." Jiang Bai tightened his grip on his cane.
Didn't Niannian say she was going to focus on her studies? Why was she right back to swooning the second she laid eyes on this punk named Ji Yanxiu?!
Was she really a lost cause after all?
Sigh!
Jiang Bai felt a wave of profound disappointment.
"Jiang Nianxi is still playing the doormat as usual. The second she sees Ji Yanxiu, she glues herself right to him. Tsk tsk."
"If I were Ji Yanxiu, she'd drive me crazy!""Ji Yanxiu is such an upright gentleman with true principles. So what if Jiang Nianxi is rich? He won't be swayed at all."
Surrounding students whispered among themselves. Jiang Nianxi acted as though she heard nothing, stopping just a short distance in front of Ji Yanxiu.
Ji Yanxiu watched her walk closer step by step, his gaze resting on her fair, flawless, and pretty little face. His heartbeat suddenly accelerated out of control.
Answering to this, Jiang Nianxi really was... completely different...
Realizing that he had actually stared at her in a daze, he felt somewhat annoyed and quickly put on a cold, aloof front. "What are you trying to do again?"
It was that same disdainful tone—yet, it was this very tone that she had foolishly chased after for an entire lifetime!
Pulling herself back from the depths of her hatred, Jiang Nianxi did not answer. Instead, she looked around. "Is anyone here secretly crushing on our Jing University campus heartthrob?"
Several girls nearby blushed and looked at her in confusion.
"Would you like to have close, personal contact with him? I have a great idea~"
She deliberately kept them in suspense, then smiled and said, "I recommend you all go to a nightclub in the downtown area. He works there as a male escort—even the top-tier one. The manager praised him as a stunning, top-grade catch!"
"What?!"
Like a bomb dropping out of clear blue skies, gasps erupted from the crowd of onlookers.
One had to know that Ji Yanxiu was a famously good student. Not only was he a top academic achiever, but he was also the student union president. How could he possibly work as a top escort at a nightclub?
"And do you know how he got the injury on his head?"
People all around perked up their ears with eager gossip.
Jiang Nianxi said meaningfully, "It's because he failed to please a wealthy sugar mummy, so she beat him. She used a beer bottle, *bang*—"
Ji Yanxiu's expression changed drastically. "What are you talking nonsense for!"
Jiang Nianxi let out a laugh. "Brother Yanxiu, don't get so excited. I'm just stating facts. But if your family is facing hardship, you should just tell me. I can help you! Why would you go work as a male escort? That hurts your reputation as a good student so much, doesn't it?"
"Nonsense!" Ji Yanxiu interrupted her angrily. "I did no such thing!"
What kind of madness had gotten into Jiang Nianxi again? How could she say such outrageous things? Wasn't she slapping him right in the face in public?
Clearly, she used to care deeply about his feelings, speaking to him with the utmost caution for fear that a single wrong word would displease him!
Looking at his pale face turned ashen with anger and shock, Jiang Nianxi's smile widened. "Look how nervous you are, I was just joking. But interested classmates can always go ask around at the nightclub, you know. Who knows, it might actually be true."
Such ambiguous words only made people more suspicious, and the murmurs instantly grew louder.
Could Ji Yanxiu actually be working as a male escort at a nightclub?!
Even his roommate's look toward him shifted. "Holy shit! Bro, is what she said true?"
"I said I didn't! You guys actually believe words from a person like her?"
Ji Yanxiu's complexion reached the absolute limit of ugliness. "Jiang Nianxi, you're slandering me like this simply because I rejected you, aren't you? I've already said that matters of the heart cannot be forced. Do you really have to stoop this low?"
Although Jiang Nianxi was acting very abnormal, he believed a person couldn't possibly change so quickly. This must be a new trick of hers—playing hard to get!
Considering that she looked exceptionally pleasing to the eye today, he could choose not to hold this against her, and might even consider agreeing to date her a bit early. That foolish woman would probably be ecstatic out of her mind then, huh...
The students felt that what Ji Yanxiu said made sense. "Right, right! It must be because Ji Yanxiu turned her down and Jiang Nianxi couldn't accept it, so she's slandering him like this. That is just too despicable!"