"Old Jiang! Over here, over here!"
As soon as Jiang Chen arrived at the cafeteria, he heard someone calling him. Looking over, he saw a few of his dorm mates. Although he had moved out in the second semester of his freshman year, they were still quite familiar with each other.
The one waving was a flashy guy dressed in designer clothes, with a trendy perm, winking and making faces at him.
Jiang Chen pretended not to recognize this guy, went to get his meal, and found a seat by himself. But the flashy guy was relentless, dragging another silent, black-clad student over to him.
The remaining dorm mate, along with the student who took over Jiang Chen's bed, nodded in their direction and smiled apologetically.
Jiang Chen nodded back in response.
He didn't go over because he didn't want to make things difficult for them. After all, he wasn't afraid of Zheng Shaoming, but the other students were still quite wary.
"What's up? You brat, so defiant, seeing your father and not coming over?" The flashy guy, named Li Jie, came over and exclaimed.
"Get lost, playing role reversal with dad again." Jiang Chen was speechless.
The black-clad student was Zhao Erhu. After sitting down, he silently continued shoveling food into his mouth. Underneath his tray, there were already two empty plates stacked.
Jiang Chen knew that Zhao Erhu wasn't afraid of being associated with him; he was just naturally quiet and ate a lot, quite wooden.
When they first moved into the dorm in their freshman year, Zhao Erhu looked too easy to bully and was pressured by a senior trying to sell him things. It was Jiang Chen who helped him out of that situation.
"Don't you know I've gotten into some trouble lately?" Jiang Chen took a couple more bites and frowned at Li Jie.
"Why!" Li Jie exclaimed dramatically, "Others might fear Zheng Shaoming, but would Young Master Li be afraid of him?"
"That day, I just didn't show up for roll call; otherwise, would I let him bully my son?"
"Get lost, your dad has that grandson well sorted."
Jiang Chen cursed, feeling quite helpless. This story is hosted at g.com.
He knew Li Jie wasn't bluffing; Li Jie was also a second-generation wealthy, no less than Zheng Shaoming.
It wasn't just a coincidence; Jiangbei University of Finance and Economics, as one of the top financial universities in Jiuzhou, had a School of Economics and Management that was perfect for nurturing corporate management talent. Many tycoons sent their children there.
So, their School of Economics was a place full of hidden talents, with quite a few second-generation wealthy.
However, what left Jiang Chen speechless about Li Jie was that while Zheng Shaoming drove luxury cars, played with beauties, and could ruin entire families of a couple of classmates, which was truly high-class and what being a second-generation wealthy was all about.
Li Jie, this fool, was like a Husky, bouncing around every day, seemingly with the greatest ambition of adopting a few dorm mates as his sons.
"If you're not afraid, why bring Erhu over?" Jiang Chen asked again.
Before Li Jie could respond, Zhao Erhu, who was focused on eating, suddenly looked up, grinned, and showed two rows of white teeth, "I'm not afraid either."
When Jiang Chen met his gaze, his heart skipped a beat, and his breathing quickened. It was a natural reaction when facing danger.
"You..." Jiang Chen's eyes flickered, and he finally nodded without saying more.
Perhaps because he hadn't been exposed to this world before, even after living together for half a year, he hadn't realized that the seemingly simple Zhao Erhu was so deeply hidden. The aura he exuded felt even stronger than the peak Malicious Ghost from last night!
"Old Jiang, call me dad, and I'll settle this for you," Li Jie chuckled from the side.
Jiang Chen gave him a sidelong glance, too lazy to retort.
"If it's a fight, I can help," Zhao Erhu said, still wolfing down his food, seemingly nonchalant. But those who knew him well understood that if he said it, he would definitely follow through.
"Alright, you two, have you ever seen me suffer a loss?" Jiang Chen waved them off.
Hearing this, Li Jie nodded, deeply agreeing.
In the two years they'd known each other, he had indeed never seen this friend of his suffer in any situation.
Which made sense, as Jiang Chen had spent years navigating society in his previous life. Now, living again with eighteen years of life experience, often being thrown under the bus by Old Zhang, he was no stranger to storms and waves.
If his ability to handle things was lacking, that would be surprising.
"Then forget it, but if you change your mind, come find your father anytime..." Li Jie was saying when his attention was suddenly caught by something else. He looked over several times, then frantically signaled to Jiang Chen, "Over there, quick, look... your goddess Lin!" This story is hosted at g.com.
Jiang Chen: "..."
But he still instinctively turned his head and saw Lin Youwei sitting down with a tray not far away. She suddenly looked over, gave him a bright smile, and nodded in greeting.
Jiang Chen nodded back, acknowledging her, then turned back to continue eating.
Li Jie first waved enthusiastically in that direction, then turned back to Jiang Chen, looking pained, "Damn it! Jiang Chen, you're a disgrace to the flirting world. Such a good opportunity, and you just let it slip?"
"The goddess herself greeted you, and you didn't seize the chance to go over, sit down, and ask for her WeChat to confess? Damn! Don't ever say you're a friend of Young Master Li, the Flirting Ace, from the School of Economics!"
Jiang Chen: "..."
He couldn't be bothered with this fool, who seemed to have some sort of social prowess disorder.
On the other side, Yang Chan witnessed this scene and frowned, "This guy is too clueless. Youwei, you greeted him so proactively, and he just nodded at you?"
Lin Youwei was taken aback, then couldn't help but smile, "Haha, didn't you just say yesterday that I should stay away from him?"
"Hmph! With your talent, looks, and family background, he's certainly not worthy of you, but to be so indifferent to your kindness, he's too arrogant!" Yang Chan snorted.
"Alright, alright." Lin Youwei sighed, knowing her bestie meant no harm, just had a sharp tongue.
"By the way, I heard that guy got into trouble with Zheng Shaoming. That guy's no good," Yang Chan added with a chuckle.
"I've already asked my dad to handle it," Lin Youwei nodded.
"Youwei, it's fine to help this time, but let me remind you, if even someone like Zheng Shaoming can corner him, getting too close to him could be dangerous if those aristocratic kids find out!" Yang Chan said seriously.
Hearing this, Lin Youwei sighed deeply, "I know, but I just can't understand. He was such a dazzling young man back then, seemingly able to handle anything, and now..."
"Maybe he's outstanding at his own level," Yang Chan said, surprisingly not refuting this time. "But Youwei, you and I both know this world is cruel. No matter how excellent he is, he can't compare to being born into wealth, let alone the aristocratic families and the Metahuman World, which are beyond the reach of ordinary people!"