Jiang Hua put on her headphones, ready to return to the hotel. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar, understated Audi sedan. Through the lowered window, Jiang Hua caught a glimpse of Zuo Xiangnan’s familiar face. The car was parked across the street from the school.
A moment later, Song Qingran, holding something in her hand with a hesitant and guilty expression, stole a glance in Jiang Hua’s direction before quickly looking away. She walked across the street, opened the car door, and got inside.
A cold expression crossed Jiang Hua’s face as she put in her earbuds and left.
Upon returning to the hotel, the front desk manager immediately approached her. “Miss Jiang, a gentleman brought some things for you this morning.”
Jiang Hua didn’t need to ask to know who had been there. It wasn’t difficult for Pei Zhan to find out her location.
“I don’t accept anything from strangers,” Jiang Hua said coldly.
“Understood, Miss Jiang,” the manager replied.
Back in her room, Jiang Hua ate a little something and then stared at her canvas for two hours. After her mind went completely blank and she couldn’t summon any inspiration, she simply tossed her brush aside. She had a bit of wine, took a shower, and went to sleep.
To earn credits, Jiang Hua had enrolled in various elective courses.
Between completing her coursework, she had little energy left to think about other things.
Whether it was Song Qingran or Pei Zhan…
“Qingran, what are you looking at? Let me see too!”
Song Qingran, lost in thought while looking at a photo on her phone, was startled when someone tapped her on the back from behind. She immediately covered her phone. “It’s nothing, just some unimportant photos.”
“By the way, Qingran… we see a man picking you up and dropping you off every day. Who is he? He’s not your boyfriend, is he? Your boyfriend must be really wealthy! But last time we saw his face, he was so handsome, mature, and charismatic. Which company does he work for? Maybe his company even collaborates with my family’s business!”
“Yeah, Qingran, we’re your friends. Don’t keep secrets from us.”
Song Qingran accidentally dropped her phone on the floor. She hurriedly picked it up, only to find the screen dark—it seemed to be broken.
All three of them shared a dorm room with Song Qingran. She had moved out of Fan Hua Si Jin on her own without telling him. Her relationship with these roommates was usually quite good. Seeing her phone broken, they all looked at her apologetically. “Sorry, Qingran, we didn’t mean to.”
Song Qingran smiled at them indifferently. “It’s okay, I’ll just get it fixed.”
One of them said, “Qingran, isn’t your boyfriend pretty rich? He could just buy you a new phone. He shouldn’t be that stingy, right? That phone of yours looks like a model from several years ago. It’s practically obsolete on the market now.”
Before another could add anything, Song Qingran cut her off. “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s just… an older brother of mine!”
“I have an elective class now. I should go.” Song Qingran’s evasion only piqued their curiosity further. The more she avoided the topic, the more curious they all became.
“Why did you have to say that?”
After Song Qingran left, a girl with a ponytail remarked, “I don’t think that’s any ‘older brother.’ She’s clearly being kept by someone.”
A girl wearing thick glasses and holding books in her arms spoke in a soft, gentle voice, “Actually… I think Qingran is quite nice. We should treat her better from now on and not act like this anymore.”
Another person chimed in, “The clothes Qingran wears don’t show any brand, but they look expensive. Maybe she’s a young lady from some wealthy family.”
“Then we should hurry and apologize to her.”
As the three of them were leaving, they bumped into someone at the corner.
The girl with thick glasses bent over to apologize, saying, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
Jiang Hua picked up the textbook from the ground. When the other person straightened up, the three of them got a clear look at her face, and their eyes were filled with astonishment. “You… you… you…”
“You’re the campus belle elected at Di University this year, right? Named… Jiang Hua? A junior in the Jewelry Design Department?”
Jiang Hua didn’t know how they recognized her, but she simply smiled and nodded before walking away.
The people behind her stared dazedly at her retreating figure. Her long, wavy hair swayed gently with her movements, lifted by the wind, making her look as beautiful as an exquisite goddess from ancient Greece. Even the air where she had been seemed to carry a faint, elegant fragrance. “She’s really so beautiful!”
Then one of them remembered something and patted her arm. “Oh, right… earlier when I went to take a picture of Qingran, I noticed she was staring blankly at her phone. I saw… a photo of Jiang Hua in Qingran’s phone.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes, I saw it clearly…”
The three of them exchanged glances, each with a different thought in mind.
“Actually, there’s something I’m not sure if I should mention.”
“What is it?”
“Last time, I saw Qingran being bullied by Jiang Hua, and she even cried. For some reason, Qingran offered her a bank card, but Jiang Hua didn’t take it. I think… there must be some misunderstanding, so I didn’t say anything.”
“No way! Jiang Hua looks so beautiful, yet she bullies Qingran… She’s so two-faced. What kind of person is she?”
“We can’t let this slide. We have to get to the bottom of this. Make her apologize to Qingran and show everyone what kind of judgment those guys have! How could they elect someone like her as campus belle? I think she’s more like a campus joke,” said a taller girl with a ponytail, speaking indignantly.
When Jiang Hua went to submit her elective course registration form, as she walked outside the office, her eyelid suddenly twitched.
Seeing that the homeroom teacher wasn’t in the office, Jiang Hua checked the time. She still had to hurry to another class, so she placed the registration form under a book.
After submitting the form, Jiang Hua had no idea that shortly after she left, someone secretly entered the office and took a photo of her information with their phone.
The morning classes concluded relatively smoothly.
During the last ten minutes of the final class, the practical course professor announced, “…Today’s newly assigned task is not only your homework, but we will also select five students’ works from the entire Jewelry Design Department. After evaluation by all our professors, these selected works will be entered into this year’s Jiang Corporation Jewelry Student Excellence Design Competition.”
“I hope all students will take this seriously. The competition hosted by Jiang’s Group Jewelry carries substantial prestige. Winning this award will not only add a golden touch to your resumes but will also greatly assist your future job searches.”
Upon hearing this, the entire class began to buzz with excitement.
Except for Jiang Hua, whose heart remained as calm as undisturbed water.
“Jiang Hua…”
Jiang Hua immediately looked up.
The professor smiled at her and said, “Although you took a two-year leave of absence, I still remember being quite impressed with you during your first year. Don’t let me down with this design project. Work hard, and if there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me.”
Jiang Hua nodded, “Yes, Professor.”
The professor continued, “You’ve always scored full marks in theoretical courses, but you should also place more emphasis on practical design. Your previous works were relatively decent.”
How could Jiang Hua not read between the lines…
Perhaps she truly lacked talent in jewelry design.
Back then… Jiang Hua didn’t even know why she had chosen to apply for this major.
It seemed mostly due to her family’s business. The Jiang Family had been in the jewelry industry for so many years, yet they ended up with a daughter who had no design talent.