Сhарter 24: Fighting fоr thе Villаiness in аn Onlinе Romanсе Novеl 2
Shen Jiаоjiаo stооd up аnd strеtсhеd hеr bоdу. Thе rentеd аpartment wasn’t lаrge—just оne rооm аnd а bathroоm.
Aside frоm а sоfа, the rоom сontainеd оnlу а singlе bed.
Аfter the originаl оwnеr’s fаmilу went bankrupt, shе didn’t еvеn havе monеy to rеnt а рlаce. Unwilling tо livе in the dormitоry, she quiсklу rеntеd an арartment near the schoоl aftеr swindling hеr first sum оf mоnеy.
Just аs Shen Jiaojiаo рulled оpеn the curtains, she heard a loud “bang bang bang” knocking on the door, accompanied by a familiar young voice: “Shen Jiaojiao! Open the door!”
She ran her fingers through her sleep-tousled hair a couple of times and slowly walked over to open the door.
“You…”
Jiyuxi, furious like a dog with its fur bristling, blurted out his accusatory words before the door even opened.
But the word “liar” died on his lips the moment he caught sight of the figure revealed behind the door.
He froze for a few seconds, then flusteredly averted his gaze, his ears immediately turning red.
It was late spring, bordering on summer. Shen Jiaojiao wore a white, strappy chiffon maxi dress. The afternoon sunlight streamed in through the window, making the white chiffon appear translucent, as if glowing, outlining the girl’s lovely figure.
Her hair was very long. Part of her wavy, raven-black hair cascaded down her back, while the rest fell lazily over her chest. Her fair, slender neck and delicate collarbones were faintly visible beneath her long locks.
Jiyuxi was very tall, probably around 186 cm. She had to tilt her head back to look at him.
“What about me?”
Hearing that sweet, delicate voice, Jiyuxi’s ears turned even redder.
Ahhh!
It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen Shen Jiaojiao before. Was she always this beautiful?
Was her voice always this pleasant?
That trailing note was like a little hook, gentle and soft…
What a waste she wasn’t a voice actor…
As Jiyuxi thought this, he secretly lifted his gaze to look at Shen Jiaojiao, who was tilting her head as she watched him. His mind was filled with nothing but awe.
She clearly wasn’t wearing the meticulous makeup she used to, yet her bare face, free of cosmetics, looked vastly different from before.
Jiyuxi awkwardly scratched his head for some reason, his voice unconsciously softening: “Nothing, nothing.”
Shen Jiaojiao chuckled lightly, her watery almond-shaped eyes also holding a clear, bright smile. “Come in and sit.”
She turned around, and as she moved, a pleasant fragrance seemed to waft toward Jiyuxi’s nose.
He felt a bit dazed and simply followed her inside.
When he came back to his senses, Jiyuxi looked at the small room that could be taken in at a single glance and frowned.
Wasn’t Shen Jiaojiao’s family pretty well-off? Why would she live here…
“You…”
Shen Jiaojiao fetched a bottle of mineral water from the corner and handed it to him. “Have a seat. There’s only this one sofa, so please don’t mind it, Young Master Ji.”
Jiyuxi pressed his lips together, took the water, and sat down.
His mind was filled with a bellyful of questions, completely forgetting the anger he felt over being deceived when he arrived.
Shen Jiaojiao sat down at the other end of the sofa. She lowered her head, making her appear even more petite.
After a few seconds of silence, Shen Jiaojiao looked up with a light laugh. “You want to ask why I’m living here, right?”
Her smile held a touch of bitterness, but her tone was light and breezy. “My family went bankrupt.”
Jiyuxi was stunned, his handsome face filled with shock.
The Shen family went bankrupt?
He thought back. It seemed he had heard a mention of it at a gathering before.
He also vaguely heard that the Shen family had all fled abroad.
Then… why didn’t they take Shen Jiaojiao with them?
Without realizing it, Jiyuxi actually voiced the question.Shen Jiaojiao did not hide the truth. She said frankly, “Because I’m not the biological child of the Shen family.”
Seeing the unconcealable disappointment on Shen Jiaojiao’s face and her nervously trembling eyelashes, Jiyuxi felt somewhat at a loss.
He didn’t know how to comfort her, but his mind had already conjured up a pitiful scenario to explain her actions from the previous period.
Shen Jiaojiao was too pitiful.
Yes, that’s right—she definitely didn’t mean to deceive him intentionally.
She was just caught in a sudden family crisis, with no way out, which was why she had lied to him.
Jiyuxi felt that the tone of the voice message he had sent earlier was too harsh, too rude. Shen Jiaojiao was already in such a miserable state, and he had been too heartless.
He apologized sincerely, “Jiaojiao, I’m sorry. I didn’t know before.”
Shen Jiaojiao shook her head, pursing her lips. The crimson hue of her lips stood out strikingly against her fair, petite face.
She spoke softly and delicately, “I should be the one apologizing. I deceived you for money and even used a classmate’s photo… I… I’m sorry.”
Shen Jiaojiao’s dark, clear eyes gazed at Jiyuxi with remorse, a glimmer of moisture seeming to pass through them.
Jiyuxi quickly straightened up. “No, no, no, there’s no need to apologize, Jiaojiao. We’re friends. It’s my fault for not noticing your difficulties sooner.”
His mind was now filled with thoughts of how helpless, delicate, and pitiful Jiaojiao was.
What good would those two thousand yuan she had deceived him out of do?
Look at how thin her slender arms and legs were—she must not have had enough money to eat properly.
Jiyuxi lowered his head and tapped on his phone a few times. Soon, Shen Jiaojiao’s phone chimed with a “ding.”
He motioned for Shen Jiaojiao to check it. Puzzled, she opened her phone and saw a transfer of twenty thousand yuan.
“Jiaojiao, take this for now. It’s all I have on hand at the moment. I’ll transfer more to you in a few days.”
Although the Ji family was wealthy, they adhered to the principle of raising their son frugally to cultivate his life skills, so they only gave him a fixed monthly allowance of fifty thousand yuan.
If he wanted more, he had to earn it himself using his allowance.
It was already the end of the month, and Jiyuxi only had twenty thousand yuan left, which he had transferred to Shen Jiaojiao.
Shen Jiaojiao widened her eyes, her large, round almond-shaped eyes incredibly lively, as if they could speak.
“Why did you suddenly transfer money to me?”
Jiyuxi felt a bit embarrassed under Shen Jiaojiao’s fairy-like gaze. He scratched his head and didn’t elaborate, simply saying, “Jiaojiao, use it for now.”
Shen Jiaojiao broke into a smile, her beautiful face instantly blooming like a hibiscus flower.
Her voice grew even softer and sweeter. “Thank you, Young Master Ji.”
Seeing Jiyuxi’s dazed, silly expression, Shen Jiaojiao’s eyes sparkled, and the corners of her lips curled slightly as she continued:
“Young Master Ji, you’re such a good person.”
“Really? Haha.” Jiyuxi’s heart swelled with excitement. He was completely captivated, and a foolish grin spread across his face.
He fit the popular image of a sunny, puppy-like young man—handsome face, tall stature, and overflowing youthful charm.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t Shen Jiaojiao’s type.
Shen Jiaojiao put away her smile and said seriously, “Young Master Ji, don’t worry. Including the two thousand from last time, I’ll work hard to earn the money and repay you as soon as possible.”
Jiyuxi was taken aback. He hadn’t considered the idea that she needed to repay him…
But seeing Shen Jiaojiao’s earnest expression, he could only nod. “I’m in no hurry, Jiaojiao. You can take your time repaying it.”Jiyuxi was already starting to worry about the money-making plan Shen Jiaojiao had mentioned, so he asked, “You have so many classes, how are you going to earn money? It’s fine, you don’t have to pay me back.”
Shen Jiaojiao shook her head and adjusted her sitting posture.
She hesitated and said, “I could work at a coffee shop on weekends, or be a game companion? I could also tutor, or if all else fails, I could even draw portraits for people on the street.”
Jiyuxi pondered for a moment. Seeing the easel in the corner, he suddenly remembered that his cousin might be able to help Shen Jiaojiao.
But he needed to ask his cousin first.
“How about this, Jiaojiao, don’t worry for now. Let me ask around and give you an answer tomorrow, okay?”
Shen Jiaojiao tilted her head and said softly, “Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for you?”
“No, not at all. Jiaojiao, just wait for my good news.”
Shen Jiaojiao nodded, smiling gently, her delicate and beautiful face filled with trust.
Jiyuxi couldn’t stay any longer. He quickly bid farewell, somewhat awkwardly, and rushed downstairs, hopping into his sports car and speeding away.
At that moment, he felt like a great knight, with a beautiful and delicate princess waiting for his rescue!