"Such a disgusting girl. The campus hunk is having the worst luck getting entangled with her!"
"Isn't this defamation? Can we sue her?"
"Whoever wants to sue my granddaughter can go right ahead, I'll keep them company anytime!"
Jiang Bai spoke in a stern voice, his imposing aura instantly silencing the surrounding students.
Seeing her grandfather protect her like this warmed Jiang Nianxi's heart. She turned back to Jiang Bai and slipped her arm through his. "Grandpa, let's go."
Jiang Bai sighed. "Niannian, you really... I thought you were..."
He had thought she was going to throw herself at the boy shamelessly yet again!
Jiang Nianxi smiled and acted coquettishly toward him. "Oh, Grandpa, I was just having a little fun playing with a clown. You aren't angry, are you?"
A clown?
Hearing her describe Ji Yanxiu that way, Jiang Bai chuckled. "Not angry at all. Well done."
He had been genuinely surprised by how poised Jiang Nianxi was in front of so many people just now, backing Ji Yanxiu into a corner with only a few words.
It seemed his granddaughter wasn't a lost cause after all. With proper polishing, she might just shine brilliantly in the future!
As they walked into the administration building, Jiang Nianxi glanced back at Ji Yanxiu one last time, a flash of ruthlessness quickly sweeping across her eyes.
Ji Yanxiu, in this lifetime, I will never give you the chance to humiliate, hurt, or trample on me again.
The only one who gets to do that to you is me!
With the old man stepping in, the principal naturally had to show some respect, but Jiang Nianxi's grades were simply too abysmal. Allowing her to return to school unconditionally would seem unfair to the other students and poorly affect the school's reputation.
After thinking it over, the principal said, "How about this, Jiang: you will retake all of these subjects. If you pass them all, you can come back and continue your studies. If you fail..."
Before he could finish, Jiang Nianxi agreed right on the spot. "Deal!"
Jiang Bai had originally intended to negotiate with the principal about whether donating a few multimedia classrooms to the school could buy Nianxi a chance to continue her education, never expecting her to agree so readily.
The principal continued, "Given how many courses you've failed, you probably won't be able to pass if you retake them too soon. Let's do this: I'll give you one month. A month from now, you'll retake all the subjects at once. Do you accept?"
"I accept."
Lin Shuran, hiding outside the principal's office, almost laughed out loud when she heard this.
Jiang Nianxi really didn't know the meaning of shame. With her kind of trashy aptitude, even giving her another semester to prepare would be useless!
Still, just to be safe, she needed to figure out a way to keep Jiang Nianxi from concentrating on her studies so she would eventually drop out of school.
Who told her to make Brother Yanxiu lose face in front of so many people today?
Lin Shuran had been furious at the time, but since it wasn't her place to step in and defend him, she could only watch helplessly as Ji Yanxiu endured all those strange looks before finally leaving in a fit of angry embarrassment.
So, Jiang Nianxi shouldn't even dream of having an easy time!
...
As soon as Jiang Nianxi got home, she immediately started reviewing her coursework, especially since one month was a terribly tight timeframe.
Online classes hadn't become widespread yet, but the internet was already quite developed, and she could find plenty of materials online.
Even so, catching up on so many specialized courses in such a short period was still a massive challenge.
A few subjects could be managed through rote memorization, but courses like advanced mathematics and linear algebra required genuine, focused study.
The next morning, sunlight spilled across the Jiang Family's backyard, where the pink roses were in full bloom and looking as fresh as could be.
These were Jiang Nianxi's favorite flowers, but she had no time to appreciate them now, burying her head instead in a desperate attempt to catch up on her studies.
As Jiang Bai drank his tea and watched her struggle, scratching her head in frustration, he could tell she was taking it seriously. For the past two days, she had been waking up early to review her lessons, and this sudden transformation brought him a sense of relief.
Jiang Bai smiled affectionately. "Niannian, your foundation is a bit weak. How about we hire a tutor?"
Jiang Nianxi's eyes lit up. "Okay."
Why hadn't she thought of that? Having a one-on-one tutor would be vastly better than trying to figure everything out on her own.
Just as she was thinking this, a gentle voice chimed in, "Grandpa, are you looking to hire a tutor for Nianxi? What a coincidence!"
Ye Mei walked toward them as she spoke. "Shuran saw how hard Nianxi has been studying these past two days and suggested we find her a tutor. Look, we already found one! He's a total top student who will definitely be able to help Nianxi."
Jiang Bai's expression didn't change. "Is that so? Shuran is very thoughtful."
At that moment, Lin Shuran also appeared in the garden, the smile at the corners of her lips as gentle and harmless as Ye Mei's. "Grandpa, this is the least I can do. Since my sister is willing to turn over a new leaf, of course I have to support her as her younger sister."
That hypocritical act made people's hands itch to slap her a few times.
Jiang Nianxi propped her chin in her hand and chuckled softly. "Really? So, what kind of tutor did you guys hire for me? I'm very picky, you know; not just anybody catches my eye."
She didn't even have to guess that whoever they hired wouldn't be anything good, but what truly surprised her was that the person turned out to be none other than Ji Yanxiu!
Ji Yanxiu was wearing a white shirt and khaki trousers today, looking upright and handsome enough to rival any trendy celebrity. His reputation as the campus hunk was no exaggeration.
He had even carefully styled his hair, making him an even easier sight for sore eyes. However, there was no bandage on his forehead, leaving his unhealed wound exposed for all to see, making it impossible to ignore.
He had done this on purpose.
Jiang Nianxi loved him so much that seeing him injured would surely break her heart.
If she offered a couple of sweet words, he would forgive her and give her another chance to pursue him.
Ji Yanxiu walked over and said politely, "Grandpa, Ms. Jiang, hello. I am Ji Yanxiu, a senior at Jingnan University."
Well, what do you know? Three of her enemies had suddenly gathered in one place. A surge of hatred instantly welled up within Jiang Nianxi, and her hand gripped her pen so hard her knuckles turned white.
Jiang Bai glanced at Jiang Nianxi and noticed that she looked distinctly displeased. He couldn't help but wonder if Nianxi's attitude toward Ji Yanxiu had suddenly changed because she had suffered some sort of blow.
Could it be that Ji Yanxiu had done something to wrong her?
Thinking of this possibility, his face darkened as he looked at Lin Shuran. "Men and women should keep a proper distance. If we're looking for a tutor, we should be looking for a girl."
Lin Shuran had no idea that the old man had previously investigated Ji Yanxiu in secret and didn't hold a very high opinion of him. She smiled and said, "Grandpa, I originally wanted to find a female tutor for my sister, but this senior is a famously brilliant student at Jing University, always ranking first in his grade every year, and he's also the student union president. His character is absolutely guaranteed. Besides, with you holding down the fort at the Jiang Family, who would dare step out of line?"
"That's right," Ji Yanxiu added. "Grandpa, my family isn't very well off. Being a tutor is just a way for me to earn some living expenses, and I have no other intentions. You can rest easy."
As he spoke, his back was straight and his expression was neither servile nor overbearing. On the surface, he truly looked like an outstanding, upright young man.
"Oh... is that so? Let me take a look." Wearing an expression of deep interest, Jiang Nianxi stood up from her chair, crossed her arms over her chest, and walked around Ji Yanxiu with an arrogant and casual air.
Meeting her gaze, Ji Yanxiu felt completely uncomfortable.
What kind of look was that? It was as if she were appraising a piece of merchandise—and a very cheap one at that!