On the other side, Jiang Chen glanced at the talisman in his hand. When he touched it with his demonic aura, he could feel a searing heat. It certainly seemed like a high-end item.
"This thing can't be cheap, right? Just giving it to me like that?"
He thought for a moment and remembered that when he was a child, he lived in a very remote town with poor security. Once, he encountered a human trafficker on a motorcycle who tried to snatch Lin Youwei.
Jiang Chen had never liked meddling in others' affairs, especially since he was only 11 years old at the time.
But inside, he had the soul of an adult and couldn't just watch a little girl being taken away.
So he acted, rushing in to save her and shouting to attract a crowd. The trafficker was scared off, but Jiang Chen ended up with a head injury while dragging the person away.
To him, it was just a small matter, but he didn't expect the other party to remember it to this day.
"Talisman, it seems there are indeed many forces in this world unknown to ordinary people. They can handle ghostly incidents, but perhaps they are not very numerous, otherwise, they wouldn't use news channels to remind ordinary people."
"Right, Jiuzhou doesn't publicly acknowledge the existence of ghosts, probably related to what the system mentioned."
Jiang Chen suddenly realized something.
Ghosts feed on human energy, demons feed on ghost energy.
This is probably why the Knocking Ghost didn't just break in and kill but instead created fear step by step, allowing it to continuously absorb the energy of the living.
And once ghostly incidents are made public, everyone would fall into panic, which could lead to big problems!
"No wonder, Lin Youwei was probably struggling with whether to tell me about the existence of ghosts, and in the end, she chose to hint at it subtly."
Jiang Chen shook his head, stopped thinking about it, and walked back to the classroom.
As soon as he entered, a group of people started to make a fuss.
"Wow! Called for a private chat by the goddess Lin, Jiang, you're something!"
"Amazing, Jiang Chen!"
"Damn, Jiang Chen is our rival in love now!"
"Jiang, our friendship is over!"
Bang!
"What are you all doing? Roll call is about to start, keep quiet!"
A boy sitting in the front row, dressed in designer clothes, turned his head with a stern face. Anyone caught in his gaze lowered their heads in silence.
In an instant, the entire classroom fell silent, and no one dared to say another word.
The boy was the grade minister of the student council, but that position alone wouldn't make anyone pay attention to him.
His other identity was the young master of the Zheng Group, Zheng Shaoming.
In Jiangbei City, the Zheng Group ranked among the top five conglomerates.
Such a person had unimaginable influence, and even a group of university students who hadn't yet entered society could vaguely sense it. After all, two people from the school who had crossed Zheng Shaoming a year ago had already dropped out for unknown reasons.
After reprimanding everyone, Zheng Shaoming turned to Jiang Chen, his eyes filled with gloom, but a smile appeared on his face: "Hehe, Jiang Chen, you know Youwei too, right? Her family background is quite extraordinary, and she's recognized as one of the goddesses in our Jiangbei second-generation circle."
"My father and her father are old acquaintances. There's a gathering in a few days that Youwei will attend. Would you like to join, Jiang?"
Hearing this, Jiang Chen was taken aback, almost unable to suppress a laugh.
Because he understood, this Zheng Shaoming was undoubtedly a simp. If their families were truly close, he would have greeted her when she was at the classroom door.
"Mm." He responded perfunctorily, not intending to engage with a child.
Seeing his attitude, Zheng Shaoming's face darkened further, and with a hint of mockery, he said, "Hehe, but I seem to have forgotten, you might not have the time, right? I saw you working at a tea shop last time, so diligent. Is it because your family isn't well-off, and you need to earn your own tuition?"
Jiang Chen glanced at him.
Although he felt no particular emotion, if he were truly a student from a poor family working hard to pay for his education, being publicly ridiculed like this would make it hard to hold his head up in front of classmates.
"Sometimes I quite envy people like you, who wake up every day thinking about how to strive forward. Life must feel very fulfilling," Zheng Shaoming continued.
He didn't act like those brainless second-generation wealthy kids who would ask, "Do you know who my dad is?"
Instead, he knew how to use his advantages, each word hitting the other person's sore spot, making it hard for them to save face.
As for why he targeted Jiang Chen, the reason was simple. The second-generation circle in a city wasn't large, and future marriage prospects were likely among these people.
"I should be the one envying Young Master Zheng." Jiang Chen chuckled.
Zheng Shaoming was momentarily stunned, a mocking smile appearing on his lips. This kid seemed to know his place.
"Every day, you just have to act cute and wag your tail to get everything you want, with clothes ready to wear and food ready to eat. Life must be so comfortable." Jiang Chen's next words made the entire classroom freeze.
Acting cute, wagging his tail—wasn't that implying Zheng Shaoming was a dog?
The last person who called Zheng Shaoming a "fool" had been expelled for over a year. According to classmates who knew that person, their parents lost their jobs, the house was foreclosed, and the parents were getting divorced.
And Jiang Chen's words were far more biting than a hundred "fools."
The entire classroom held their breath, knowing that Zheng Shaoming was likely about to explode.
"By the way, Young Master Zheng said he knew Youwei, but she didn't even glance at you just now. That girl is so rude, I'll be sure to talk to her about it later." Jiang Chen maintained a smile, casually adding fuel to the fire.
He always believed in not offending others unless provoked, but if someone crossed him, he would retaliate fiercely.
"Jiang Chen!" Zheng Shaoming gritted his teeth, his face turning ashen.
He hadn't expected that someone who usually kept to himself in the department could be so sharp-tongued, making it impossible for him to save face.
At that moment, someone in the back row signaled, and five or six people stood up and approached. They were all from the Basketball Club, tall and imposing, surrounding Jiang Chen with cold stares.
"Do you know who you've offended?"
"People from the countryside are so ignorant. One day you'll understand that some people are beyond your reach for a lifetime!"
"You'd better apologize to Young Master Zheng quickly. Crushing someone like you is no different from stepping on an ant."
Jiang Chen lightly flexed his joints.
Unless necessary, he wouldn't bully kids, but since they came looking for trouble, he didn't mind being a life coach and giving them a lesson in reality.
"What are you all doing!"
A man in a suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with meticulously combed hair, walked in.
It was Sun Zhibing, the School of Economics counselor.
"Jiang Dahai, Yan Hu, Jiang Chen... go back to your seats!" Sun Zhibing shouted with a displeased expression, then looked at Zheng Shaoming with a slightly softened demeanor: "Shaoming, you should sit down too."
"Let's start roll call!"