Nian Ueno

Xie Ziheng was a head taller than Jiang Weixi, and when he stood in front of her, his entire shadow covered her.

Xie Ziheng looked down at her slightly, raising an eyebrow: "Say it again."

Jiang Weixi instinctively took a step back. She had always tolerated it in the past, but for some reason, she just couldn't bear it today.

Perhaps it's because they've already held back several times; even clay figures have tempers.

She raised her chin and said, word by word, "I'm telling you, I didn't eat any food from your Xie family, you don't need to act like a creditor!"

The usually docile little lamb suddenly became assertive and confrontational with him. A look of surprise flashed across Xie Ziheng's eyes, followed by anger.

He reached out and gave Jiang Weixi a push on the shoulder.

Jiang Weixi suddenly felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen, her legs went weak, she lost her balance and staggered backward, her back hitting a hard chest.

Everyone immediately fell silent, their eyes all turning to the man standing behind her.

Jiang Weixi leaned against him to steady herself, looked up and met Ji Dongxun's deep brown eyes, then quickly took a step back: "Sorry."

Ji Dongxun ignored her and glanced at the people on the grass.

Everyone instinctively avoided his gaze and unconsciously shrank a few feet.

Ji Dongxun held a high position at a young age and had a very high seniority in the entire circle of powerful and wealthy people.

In terms of status and seniority, no one dared to be disrespectful in front of him.

His gaze fixed on Xie Ziheng's face, and he asked in a deep voice, "Does bullying a girl give you a sense of accomplishment? Is this how the Xie family raises their children?"

Xie Ziheng opened his mouth, wanting to explain something, but when he met Ji Dongxun's calm eyes, he swallowed his words back.

Their previous arrogance has completely vanished.

After all, even his father didn't dare to offend Ji Dongxun.

His father had to address Ji Dongxun as "Fifth Master Ji" whenever he saw him.

Although Ji Dongxun is not very old, he is of the same generation as the grandfathers of these young people.

No matter how arrogant and domineering Xie Ziheng was on ordinary days, he had to suppress his temper at this moment, his lips pressed into a straight line, and he didn't dare to reply with a single word.

Jiang Weixi secretly observed Xie Ziheng's discomfiture and felt a surge of satisfaction. It turned out that even he had someone he was afraid of.

Power is a wonderful thing.

In the face of absolute power, any tyranny will immediately turn into flattery.

She glanced at Ji Dongxun again, a hint of admiration hidden in her eyes.

At this moment, Jiang Weixi couldn't quite tell whether she admired this man or longed to have the same power as him.

Before she could even gloat for a few seconds, that extremely imposing gaze fell upon her.

Ji Dongxun's reprimand of Xie Ziheng just now stemmed from his dislike of such crude bullying behavior happening before his eyes.

However, this does not mean that Ji Dongxun has any affection for Jiang Weixi.

Ji Dongxun's first impression of Jiang Weixi: restless, scheming, and eager to climb the social ladder.

He despised those who were determined to take the wrong path and climb the social ladder.

Ji Dongxun stared coldly at Jiang Weixi, his eyes, as deep as an ancient pool, seemed to see through everything.

"Don't always think about taking shortcuts or being opportunistic. Recognize your own position and be down-to-earth. That's your duty."

Everyone present was shrewd and instantly understood the implied meaning in those words. Their eyes, seemingly casually glancing at Jiang Weixi, were filled with curiosity.

What did this country bumpkin do to offend Master Ji?

Even Xie Ziheng glanced at her with a hint of surprise.

Jiang Weixi froze on the spot, the admiration in her eyes vanishing, her blushing face turning pale instantly.

Ji Dongxun withdrew his gaze, strode away, his back straight and distant.

He left, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief; the atmosphere became lively again.

Xie Ziheng's expression was not good. He kicked the chair blocking his way hard and sat down back in the crowd.

A few girls huddled together gossiping, pointing and whispering about Jiang Weixi's retreating figure.

"What do you think Mr. Ji meant by what he just said?"

"What else could it mean? It's a warning to certain people not to have unrealistic dreams."

Do you know what I saw last night?

"What's wrong? What's wrong?"

"I saw her run out of Mr. Ji's room..."

"So you failed in your attempt to seduce Mr. Ji. Pah, how shameless."

"Who doesn't know that Mr. Ji is famously averse to women? She thinks she can get into Mr. Ji's bed? She should look in the mirror..."

The group's gossip grew louder and louder, as if they were afraid Jiang Weixi wouldn't hear them.

"Wanwan, you need to be more careful. Don't let a wolf into your house. Your dear cousin sneaked into Master Ji's room last night. She's trying to steal your fiancé."

Gu Wanyi looked at Jiang Weixi, her usually smiling face unusually serious: "Xixi, did you really go into Mr. Ji's room last night?"

Jiang Weixi lowered her eyelids, her eyes reddening, looking like she was about to cry. She shook her head, looking aggrieved.

"I don't know, I don't remember. Cousin, you personally took me home last night. You should know best whether I went into Mr. Ji's room or not."

Gu Wanyi stared into her eyes for a few seconds, but the doubt in her eyes did not disappear.

Jiang Weixi held her hand: "Cousin, didn't you take me back to my room last night? Now that I think about it, the room did seem to be..."

Gu Wanyi interrupted her, her smile returning: "I believe you wouldn't do such a thing; there must be some misunderstanding."

A few girls whispered among themselves, "People's hearts are unpredictable. Wanwan, you're too naive. You should be more careful."

Gu Wanyi stood in front of Jiang Weixi, firmly refuting the crowd: "Xixi wouldn't do that, I believe her."

Everyone looked at them with disappointment and frustration.

Jiang Weixi looked bewildered and innocent, her mood low: "Cousin, I'm going back to school now, you guys have fun."

Seeing that Xixi looked unwell, Gu Wantian personally escorted her to the door. "Xixi, don't listen to their nonsense. I know you're not that kind of person."

No matter what you really think, you have to put on a good show.

Jiang Weixi still has value to the Gu family, so they cannot afford to alienate her.

Otherwise, how will I be able to trick her into going to Mr. Chen's bed next time?

Jiang Weixi cooperated perfectly, a perfectly timed expression of emotion appearing on her face. Holding her hand, she said sincerely, "Cousin, thank you for believing in me. Besides Aunt, you are the best person to me here."

After exchanging some pleasantries and engaging in perfunctory exchanges, the two parted ways at the entrance of the Gu family mansion.

September weather is hot and humid, with the midday sun scorching and blinding.

Jiang Weixi stood under the shade of a tree by the roadside, her fake smile gone, her eyes deep and somber.

She called a ride-hailing service on her phone to go back to school.

The Gu family mansion is located in the mountainous area on the outskirts of the city, far from the city center, about 20 kilometers away from R University where she studies.

About half an hour later, Jiang Weixi got out of the car and paid the fare on her phone.

The taxi fare totaled 52.6 yuan.

That's really expensive.

Jiang Weixi felt a pang of heartache, thought for a moment, and then opened her WeChat Moments to post a status update.

[The taxi fare cost 56.2 yuan, my heart is bleeding. In big cities, even breathing costs money. I guess I'll have to eat sweet potatoes again next week (╥_╥)]

I set the visibility to only Gu Wanyi because I wanted her to reimburse my travel expenses.

I also checked my bank card balance, and it was 13261.5 yuan.

Of that, 1 yuan was transferred by Mr. Liu Liu today.

She has so much money that she already surpasses 99% of college students, but it's still not enough; this amount of money is far from enough to bring her a sense of security.

Jiang Weixi is studying at R University. She is a junior this year, majoring in philosophy.

R University is among the top 5 universities in the country.

The door to dormitory room 425 was tightly closed.

She opened the door with her fingerprint lock. Since it was the weekend, two of her roommates were out, and one of them was lying in bed playing games.

Jiang Weixi got along well with her three roommates. She tolerated the bad tempers of the young masters and ladies around Gu Wanyi, and the girls in the dormitory were much easier to get along with than those people.

She greeted her roommate Su Di, and the pain in her lower abdomen seemed to have gotten worse.

It must be her period.

I suffer a lot during my period; my stomach hurts terribly.

Jiang Weixi changed into a long sanitary napkin, climbed into bed, snuggled up in bed with a hot water bottle, and let out a comfortable sigh.

My phone vibrated.

[Dr. Chen: The latest high-efficacy capsules developed in Country M cost 8,000 yuan each. Do you want one? Should I reserve one for you?]

[Image: A thumb-sized glass bottle containing a crystal-clear capsule; the bottle has English lettering on it.]

That's really expensive!

Jiang Weixi felt a pang of pain as she typed on the screen.

[Reeds and Rushes: Is there anything special about this medicine?]

[Dr. Chen: This product has very few side effects, almost negligible. If possible, it's best to take one pill every two weeks; if that's not possible, one pill a month is fine.]

[Jianjia Cangcang: Okay, please save one for me. Thank you, Dr. Chen.]

She transferred eight thousand yuan to Dr. Chen.

Jiang Weixi stared at the ceiling, a trace of melancholy flashing in her eyes.

My phone vibrated again.

[Ji Xingzhou: Come pick me up.]

[Address: zlovez Bar.]

Jiang Weixi frowned, enduring her discomfort, and got out of bed to go to the bar to pick him up.

Ji Xingzhou transferred 1000 yuan.

Jiang Weixi clicked to receive payment.

Ji Xingzhou was her boyfriend in name only, and also the main source of her tuition and living expenses.

The entrance to the top-floor SVIP suite.

Jiang Weixi was about to push the door open when the voices coming from inside made her stop in her tracks.

"I heard that Xu Manzhen is coming back next month, and she might stay in the country this time."

"Xingzhou, you and Zhen'er have been sulking for a year and a half. I'm not trying to be mean, but that's enough."

"Exactly, exactly. We grew up together since we were little, and after so many years of friendship, any resentment should have dissipated by now."

"I think Zhenzhen still has feelings for you, and you still have feelings for her. You should seize this opportunity to get back together."

"By the way, you should get rid of that girlfriend of yours as soon as possible, so that Zhenzhen won't be upset when she comes back."

"What girlfriend? She's just a source of amusement at best."

Jiang Weixi stood outside, unable to see Ji Xingzhou's expression, but she could hear his emotionless voice: "I'll handle it before she comes back."