The antique girlfriend of a chaebol heir

"My cousin said that last year at the school anniversary celebration, when he gave a speech as a student representative, the girls below held up their phones like a sea of ​​lights, and the flashbulbs were as bright as a concert!"

"Is it that exaggerated?" Yu Nuo pushed up her glasses, her tone revealing a hint of curiosity.

"And there's something even more outrageous!" Chu Xuanxuan got more and more excited as she spoke. "There was this art department's most beautiful girl who pursued him so passionately, setting up candles and playing the guzheng outside his dorm. Guess what happened?"

"What's wrong?" Li Yueran asked anxiously, pounding on the bed.

"It's said that Senior Jiang glanced out the window and immediately called the school's security department, saying—" Chu Xuanxuan lowered her voice, mimicking a cold tone, "'Someone downstairs is illegally using an open flame; please handle it.'"

There was a moment of silence in the dormitory, followed by suppressed laughter.

"That was too cruel! What happened next?"

The others couldn't help but ask further questions.

"And then? Then the most beautiful girl in the department ran away crying and never appeared in front of Senior Jiang again." Chu Xuanxuan shrugged. "So now all the girls in the school have reached a consensus that Senior Jiang is like a god in heaven, and mortals should stay away. The consequence of chasing him is either freezing to death or dying of embarrassment."

Li Yueran couldn't help but let out a long sigh: "I wonder what kind of girlfriend this unattainable beauty will find in the future. I guess only a fairy descended from heaven would be worthy of her."

The dormitory fell silent for a moment, and the others were lost in thought.

Shen Ci lay on the bed by the window, facing the wall, her eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyelids.

As she listened to her roommates talking about Jiang Duo, her lips pressed into a straight line.

As Jiang Duo's nominal girlfriend, she naturally had no right to respond.

Chu Xuanxuan suddenly changed the subject, as if she had finally remembered mortals after talking about gods: "Let's not think about male gods anymore, but—"

She deliberately dragged out her words, her gaze sweeping across the dormitory before finally settling on Shen Ci. A mischievous smile flickered in her eyes. "My idol's friends are exceptionally outstanding too! Xie Shuheng, the heir of the Xie family... well, never mind him, I heard he's unpredictable. Their roommate, Su Cheng, is also very handsome, a sunny, charming guy. I heard he has a really great personality and doesn't have a girlfriend!"

She teased, "Someone as pretty as Xiaoci could definitely give it a try. It's easy for a woman to pursue a man; maybe she can even catch a glimpse of Senior Jiang's charm!"

Several pairs of eyes in the dormitory turned to look at Shen Ci.

Shen Ci had her back to them, still facing the wall, so her expression was not visible.

After a long pause, her calm voice finally came through, like a deep pool, without a ripple:

"No need, I'm not... interested in these things."

Chu Xuanxuan was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Oh, don't be shy! It's such a waste not to have a romance in college!"

"Exactly!" Li Yueran chimed in. "Xiao Ci, you're so pretty, the line of guys chasing after you will definitely stretch from your dorm all the way to the school gate..."

Shen Ci did not reply.

She closed her eyes, listening to the chirping of insects outside the window, and her mind became clear.

--fall in love?

In her previous life, she had barely seen any men.

In this day and age, men and women can freely interact, but deep down she still can't get over that hurdle.

Moreover, she is burdened with a ridiculous "relationship" left behind by the original owner, which urgently needs to be resolved.

Jiang Duo.

She silently repeated the name in her heart, a faint, bitter smile appearing on her lips.

What others see as an unattainable god is, to her, a past person and a past matter that needs to be handled properly.

Once he gets tired of her, once he forgets her, once he's the one to break up with her, she can start afresh cleanly.

In this era, women can study, work, and make a living through their own abilities. They do not need to depend on their fathers or brothers, nor on their husbands, and they do not need to gamble their lives on the favor or conscience of others.

Shen Ci thought of Aunt Lin.

That woman, who had spent many years working her way up in government departments, was decisive and efficient. She was unmarried at forty, yet lived a carefree and comfortable life, with a career, aspirations, and the confidence to choose her own path.

She remained neither humble nor arrogant in the face of the original owner's difficult behavior; she was sincere and open in the face of Shen's father's hesitation.

Shen Ci longed for that certainty of controlling one's own destiny.

—She wants to become that kind of person too.

Not relying on looks, not relying on family background, not relying on anyone's pity. Relying on one's own knowledge and abilities, one gains a foothold in this world.

Chinese Language and Literature.

She recalled what Aunt Lin had said that day, and a glimmer of light gradually appeared in her eyes.

There are countless paths to success: take the civil service exam, become a teacher, do research, join a publishing house... and each one requires genuine talent and skills.

Although she was in poor health in her previous life, she was still well-read. If she can integrate traditional knowledge with new knowledge in this life, she may well make a name for herself.

As for romantic relationships, those were things she shouldn't have gotten involved in.

……

The atmosphere in the third-year male dormitory is completely different from here.

There was no lively laughter, only the sound of keyboards clicking and the occasional low-pitched conversation.

Jiang Duo leaned against the headboard, his slender fingers casually swiping across his phone screen.

In the WeChat chat window, his and Shen Ci's conversation remained quietly there, the last message dating back to lunchtime.

He initiated the WeChat message.

Scrolling up, the densely packed green chat bubbles were almost all messages from the other person—"What are you doing?" "Do you think this is pretty?" "Why aren't you replying to me?"...

He never really looked at these things.

Jiang Duo recalled that a month ago, Shen Ci had called him via voice or video to say that she had received her university admission letter.

Before she could finish saying the name of the school, he received a phone call and said, "I need to take this call," before switching to another call.

Later... he didn't ask any further questions.

I never expected that they would be in the same university.

Jiang Duo couldn't help but open her Moments and gently swipe his finger across the screen.

More than half a month ago, there were new updates almost every day—exquisite afternoon tea presentations, scenic vacation photos, or selfies with exaggerated filters, accompanied by captions that were either coquettish or complaining, full of intense emotions.

But it came to an abrupt end more than half a month ago.

Just like her, she became exceptionally quiet and clean, no longer initiating any messages for him.

Jiang Duo stared at the blank screen, his fingertips unconsciously stroking it.

When they first confirmed their relationship, Shen Ci wanted to send him eight hundred messages a day, sharing everything from what she ate to who she met and even a dog she encountered on the street.

Now, to make matters worse, there has been no news for a full two weeks.

If he hadn't run into this person at the restaurant today, he would have almost thought that this person had vanished into thin air.

The phrase "feigning indifference to lure the enemy" flashed through his mind again, but he dismissed it once more.

Who can stay silent for half a month, even their WeChat Moments completely disappearing?

Jiang Duo recalled that in the restaurant today, she sat by the window, sunlight falling on her fair profile, her expression serene, a faint smile on her lips as she spoke to her father, but her face changed the moment she saw his message.

And then there's the line, "If it's exposed too early, it will be nipped in the bud by the elders," spoken in a natural tone, yet conveying a sense of detachment.

Jiang Duo suddenly felt that his girlfriend seemed like a completely different person.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but snort, put his phone on the pillow, and turned off the lamp.

Darkness surged in like a tide.

"Shen Ci..." he murmured the name in his heart, a cryptic smile playing on his lips.

—What tricks are you playing?