The antique girlfriend of a chaebol heir

For freshmen who have just entered university, the two-week military training is undoubtedly a double tempering of will and physical strength.

What's even more frustrating is that the training schedule for the past two weeks has been packed so tightly that there's no chance to catch your breath, not even on weekends.

Shen Ci's formation was fixed in the southeast corner of the playground, leaning against an old sycamore tree with pitifully thin shade. During each rest break, she would find a relatively shady corner to sit down, unscrew the cap on her water bottle and sip it slowly, or close her eyes to rest and try to conserve her energy.

Even so, it couldn't stop those who kept coming forward.

"Hey, can I add you on WeChat?"

"Hey junior, I'm a sophomore in the student union's arts and culture department. Feel free to contact me for any future events..."

"Excuse me, can we have lunch together?"

The reasons for striking up a conversation are varied, and the ways of asking for WeChat contacts are bizarre. Some blush and stammer, while others casually hand over their QR codes.

Shen Ci raised her eyes and swept them over the faces that were either eager or nervous, her eyes remaining calm.

"Sorry, I didn't bring my phone during military training."

The same excuse, the same tone, as calm as if stating the weather.

She didn't bring her phone—it was something completely foreign to her.

Occasionally in the evening, she would receive a call from Shen Xiaoming, mostly asking if she was comfortable with the food and accommodation.

At other times, her cell phone is optional for her.

As more and more boys encountered setbacks, Shen Ci's nickname "cold beauty" quietly spread across the military training field.

"See that? Shen Ci, that freshman in Chinese Language and Literature, gets hit on every day, but not a single one succeeds."

"I heard she doesn't even bring her phone. Is she genuinely aloof or just pretending?"

"Whether it's true or not, the title is definitely there—cold beauty, cold enough, beautiful enough."

These comments drifted into Shen Ci's ears on the wind, but he seemed not to hear them.

She focused solely on the training in front of her, doing push-ups, standing at attention, and marching in formation, striving for perfection in every movement.

Sweat soaked through the camouflage uniform, leaving dark marks on the back, which were then dried by the scorching sun, leaving a thin layer of salt frost.

In the boys' dormitory, Yin Kuo lay sprawled on his bed, idly browsing the school forum.

"Holy crap..."

He suddenly sat up with a jolt, his eyes wide open, his fingers frantically swiping across the screen.

"What's wrong?" Su Cheng looked up from his computer. "Is the stock market fluctuating again?"

"More explosive than stock market volatility!" Yin Kuo rolled out of bed, shuffled over to Jiang Duo's desk in his slippers, and shoved his phone in front of Jiang Duo's face. "Brother Duo, look!"

On the screen is a post that has quickly gained popularity: "Who will win the heart of the cold beauty from the Chinese Language and Literature Department?"

Jiang Duo, who was leaning back in his chair reading a book, frowned slightly upon hearing this and his gaze fell on the screen.

The post included several photos taken secretly during military training. Although the images were blurry, the figure was still clearly visible.

The scorching sun turned the faces of those around her red and wrinkled, but her skin remained fair, as if she had been given a special filter, making her stand out from the crowd.

The comments section below has already reached over a thousand posts.

"This beauty is absolutely stunning! I declare her my new goddess!"

"The cold beauty lives up to her name. She hasn't been able to chat up a single person in all this time of military training. I admire her composure."

"A third-year finance major is checking in, ready to make his move. Wish me luck, guys!"

……

Jiang Duo browsed the posts with an uncertain expression, his fingertips slowly sliding across the screen. When he saw those well-known names from the second and third years of university openly declaring in the comments section that they would "pluck this cold beauty," his eyes darkened slightly, but his face remained expressionless.

Yin Kuo, full of curiosity, couldn't help but ask, "Brother Duo, why don't you just tell everyone that your little antique is your girlfriend? If she's taken, those toads will give up, saving you a lot of trouble. After all, who in our school would dare to steal your girlfriend?"

"How could she possibly say that?" Xie Shuheng chimed in. "With Duo-ge's reputation, wouldn't she be devoured alive by all those girls in the school who're eyeing her? Besides, even if she did say it, would anyone believe her?"

He coughed lightly, looked at Jiang Duo, and said with a hint of probing, "After all, our Brother Duo never lets any woman touch him. Who would believe he suddenly has a girlfriend?"

The dormitory was quiet for a moment.

Xie Shuheng paused for a moment, then suddenly suggested, "Brother Duo, what are you thinking? How about... you take the initiative to go public?"

Jiang Duo frowned, his cold gaze shifting from the screen to the deepening twilight outside the window.

After a long pause, he spoke, his voice calm: "Su Cheng, delete all the posts about her on the forum."

"Huh?" Su Cheng was taken aback. "All of them?"

"all."

Su Cheng opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Xie Shuheng gave him a look, so he reluctantly switched computer pages and started typing away on the keyboard.

Jiang Duo sat there in silence for a moment, then suddenly took out his phone.

He tapped the profile picture on WeChat, which had been silent for several days. He looked down at the blank chat window, his fingertip lingering on the screen for a few seconds before slowly typing a line of text—

"I heard you're quite popular lately, with many suitors?"

send.

In the cafeteria, Shen Ci had just finished getting her dinner and found a corner seat with her roommate. She picked up a piece of green vegetable with her chopsticks, but before she could put it in her mouth, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

When military training ended in the afternoon, she would first go back to the dormitory to change into some fresh clothes, and then pick up her phone—because Shen Xiaoming would usually call her around this time.

Shen Ci took out her phone, glanced at the name on the screen, and paused slightly.

Opening the message, that line of text came into view—

Jiang Duo: "I heard you're very popular lately, with many people pursuing you?"

She stared at the words and suddenly felt a chill on the back of her neck.

Despite the bustling atmosphere in the cafeteria, she sensed a chill in those few words.

Like snowflakes drifting in through the window on a winter's day, not biting, yet inexplicably making one's spine tense.

Shen Ci recalled the strange men who had been trying to chat her up these past few days, and the senior student who had just been rejected by her at the cafeteria entrance and wanted to have dinner with her.

How long has it been before the news reached Jiang Duo's ears?

They even sent this WeChat message, which carried a warning tone.

Although Jiang Duo has no romantic feelings for her, she is currently in the position of Jiang Duo's girlfriend.

She's been getting hit on by other men lately. Will Jiang Duo think she's having an affair?

Shen Ci always held the male protagonist in awe. Her nerves were on edge, and her fingers typed a few words on her phone screen before her mind could process them. By the time she realized it, the message had already been sent.

Shen Ci: "Don't pay attention to them, you are the legal wife."

Shen Ci: "..."

"The legal wife"?

How could she type such a word?

Although she was never married in her previous life, the concept of "official wife" was ingrained in her very being, reflecting a deep-seated sense of hierarchy.

She was only thinking about appeasing Jiang Duo, afraid of offending him and causing trouble, afraid that he would mistakenly think that she was having an affair while being his girlfriend. Her mind was filled with thoughts of "official wife" and "principal wife". With a slip of her finger, she sent such absurd words.

Moreover, how could she possibly call a man her legal wife?

Shen Ci's cheeks were so hot they could fry an egg on them, and she frantically tried to press the undo button.

The moment my fingertip touched the screen, the other side had already replied—

"very good."

Two words, concise and sharp, like a thin blade, lightly landing on her nerve endings.

Shen Ci stared at those two words and suddenly felt an even greater chill on the back of her neck.