“Captain, sorry, it’s not that we’re slacking off, it’s just that the gap in skill between the two sides is too big.”
“Yeah, especially Shen Junxi—he’s terrifying!”
“I heard he’s won several youth football championships and has represented the capital in many matches, never losing once. There’s nothing shameful about losing to him.”
“That’s right. It’s just a friendly match, no need to take it so seriously. Besides, football has always been a rich man’s game. Someone like the Crown Prince of the capital circle has had privileged conditions and leisure to play since childhood. Us ordinary folks could never catch up in a hundred lifetimes…”
Several players walked over, trying to comfort him.
But the boy’s gaze remained fixed on the center of the crowd, his expression dark.
Cheng Hao knew they hadn’t hit the point—what he cared about wasn’t winning or losing the match, but Su Niansheng.
This friend of his was too stubborn, clearly caring deeply in his heart but saying nothing about it.
“You…”
Su Niansheng was surprised and was about to move when Shen Junxi hugged her even tighter.
“Don’t move.”
“You won the championship, and I congratulated you. Now that I’ve won, won’t you hug me?”
“Alright~” Su Niansheng smiled, unable to resist his coquettishness, and reached out to hug him back. “Congratulations, Shen, the Football King!”
“7:0—”
Feeling the girl’s soft arms wrap around his waist, Shen Junxi’s lips curled proudly, almost provocatively, as he looked toward the boy in the distance whose eyes were filled with gloom.
“I have 7, he has nothing.”
Su Niansheng didn’t catch the hidden meaning in his words, thinking he was just boasting about his victory. She nodded, “Yes, yes, you’re the best, the pride of Jing University and even the entire capital!”
“Am I yours, then?”
Shen Junxi withdrew his gaze, slightly lowering his head to bury it in the crook of her neck, freely inhaling the sweet fragrance of the girl’s body. Hearing her answer, he felt as if he were floating.
“Of course you are.”
Shi Yubai watched from afar as Su Niansheng hugged him back, his gloomy eyes suddenly pierced as if by a thorn, even the corners of his eyes turning slightly red.
Cheng Hao sensed his thoughts and slung an arm over his shoulder.
“Yubai, I think something’s off? Su Niansheng and Shen Junxi have never had any interaction before. How did their relationship suddenly become so close? Could it be… a new tactic she came up with to chase you, deliberately finding someone to provoke you?”
“Playing hard to get—someone as smart as you must know about that.”
“But you’re always so distant. Over time, even the most passionate and devoted girl will grow cold. At the very least, you should give her some hope, right?”
After he finished speaking, the boy’s expression indeed softened a bit, his brows slightly furrowed as if lost in thought.
“Oh my god, look at the campus forum! Shen Junxi and Su Niansheng hugged on the football field. They look so compatible and sweet together!”
“Are they together?”
“How could that be? Isn’t Su Niansheng still chasing Shi Yubai? With all that grand momentum, wouldn’t she give up until she succeeds?”
“Then what’s their relationship? Friends?”
“That’s possible too. Don’t forget, last time Su Niansheng donated money for Shi Yubai, she gave a million in one go—incredibly generous. Plus, her demeanor is so outstanding, and she’s so talented. She really seems like a wealthy heiress.”
“By the way, do you all remember the Best Singer finals? The dress she was wearing, I saw it in a fashion magazine—it’s a super-seasonal style for next year, designed by a famous international designer. Even ordinary rich people can’t buy it. Maybe her family is also from the Beijing circle, so it’s normal for her to know Shen Shao.”
Several girls were gossiping by the sinks when a mocking voice suddenly interrupted them.
Lin Yixuan emerged from the restroom, her tone disdainful. “Nonsense, Su Niansheng is no rich heiress. Her family collects scrap!”
“Ah? Collects scrap?”
“Really? How do you know?”
The girls looked at her with confusion.
Lin Yixuan said, “Of course, she told me herself.”
“She told you herself? What are you to her…”
“Wait!”
One of the girls found her somewhat familiar and quickly remembered.
“Isn’t she that teammate of Su Niansheng’s from Best Singer? The one suspected of lip-syncing at the beginning!”
“Right, right! I often see her walking with Shi Yubai. They seem pretty close.”
“Then what she says is credible.”
“But if Su Niansheng’s family collects scrap, how could she be so rich?”
“Yeah, yeah, is collecting scrap that profitable these days? And how could she know Shen Shao? The people around him are all like Duan Chengyu and Zhong Zhe—scions of financial conglomerates. Ordinary people can’t access connections in the Beijing circle.”
“The Beijing circle?”
Lin Yixuan sneered. Was she even worthy?
“Not everyone in the Beijing circle is a socialite or heiress. Some are just escorts. That line of work pays pretty well these days.”
After saying this, she washed her hands and left, leaving the group of girls stunned, exchanging shocked and speechless glances.
What she meant was…
Inside the restroom, Su Niansheng heard every word she said clearly.
She walked out slowly, startling the girls, who waved their hands in panic. “It was all her saying it! It has nothing to do with us!”
“Let’s go, let’s get out of here!”
Su Niansheng watched Lin Yixuan’s retreating figure and couldn’t help but let out a soft snort.
Escorts.
Pays pretty well.
She sure knows the market rates well, doesn’t she?
At school, she had indeed hidden her identity because she once overheard Lin Yixuan say: Yubai hates the rich. His family was deeply hurt by wealthy people, so he would never like a pampered, high-and-mighty girl.
So, when others asked about her family background, she casually mentioned an insignificant detail: they were in the recycling business.
Except, what they recycled was gold, but in her words, it became scrap.
Now that she wasn’t chasing Shi Yubai anymore, there was no need to hide her identity. She might as well move out of the dorm and switch to commuting to avoid facing such a repulsive face every day.
But…
Over the past few years, the foolish things she’d done and the nonsense she’d said had angered her family so much that they were on the verge of cutting ties. How could she go back now?
Her grandparents, Dad, and Brother weren’t as easy to coax as Shen Junxi, where a little coquettish behavior or acting cute would smooth things over. Just thinking about it gave her a headache.
Biting into her ice cream, she pushed open the dorm door with a headache, only to see Zhao Menghan and Xu Yue approaching with bright, ingratiating smiles.
“?”
“Do you want some ice cream?”
She took the ice cream from the bag and handed it to them. Zhao Menghan and Xu Yue accepted it, and upon seeing that it was a premium ice cream from the imported snacks section of the supermarket, priced at 89 yuan each, they couldn’t help but be shocked.
This cost more than their daily living expenses!
“Thank you.”
“Thank you, Sheng Sheng!”
After unwrapping the packaging, the guilt in their hearts grew even stronger.
Xu Yue said, “I’m sorry, Sheng Sheng. After the finals last week, we didn’t mean to stand you up. It’s just that Yixuan was crying so sadly at the time and insisted we stay with her, so…”
“Yeah, yeah!”
Zhao Menghan nodded along.
She had always been closer to Lin Yixuan, so there was no need to explain these things in principle. But recently, she had discovered that Sheng Sheng was actually quite wealthy.
After graduation, they would be entering society, which was far more brutal than university. Having more friends meant more opportunities. Even if her family were just nouveau riche scrap collectors, it was still more useful than being an ordinary person.