Lin Jing sized her up with slight disdain before saying, “You were quite cute when you were young, but now… Sigh, in the past, I only knew that girls grew up into good adults with praises. Why has some become an insult today? Seriously…”
Everyone: “?”
Gu Yunqing was also stunned.
The reason she introduced herself was that the Gu family was not really just in the business world. The Gu family also had a backer, and that backer was more or less related to the Xiang family.
That was why she’d said her surname out loud. She thought Lin Jing would give her some face, but she didn’t expect this person to be so heartless!
Lin Jing waved her hand.
The men who had just released her rushed over and grabbed Gu Yunqing again. They led her out and threw her to the other end of the corridor. When she wanted to come over again, the men stopped her from getting closer.
Lin Jing sighed. “It’s finally quiet. It’s time to eat now, right? Let’s eat together, Xixi.”
Xue Xi nodded. “Okay.”
Hence, the principal immediately arranged for someone to bring lunch over. After tidying up the table, the principal was about to sit down and eat with them when he heard Lin Jing say, “Is there anything else?”
The principal: “?”
He coughed and said helplessly, “Nothing.”
Seeing that the principal was leaving, Xue Xi picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs and placed it in Lin Jing’s bowl. “Godma, try it.”
Xue Xi’s voice was a little low, but the tail end still managed to reach the principal’s ears.
Ma?
Oh my god, they aren’t even married yet, but she can already address her as Mother?
It seemed like Xue Xi was very favored in the Xiang family!
Outside the door, Gu Yunqing stood in the distance. Because of the struggle, her hair was in a mess. When people passed by, they all looked over and pointed at her. These people were the juniors that she had chosen to welcome Lin Jing.
Just a while ago, she was still bossing these people around to do their work. But now, these people were laughing at her!
Gu Yunqing clenched her fists tightly.
She knew that she was in a terrible state, but if she rushed in front of Lin Jing now, the consequences would be even worse! She had to endure this.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
The phone suddenly rang. Gu Yunqing picked up the call and heard a voice from the other end. “Did you offend Lin Jing?”
Gu Yunqing bit her lip and did not dare to speak. “It’s not that I’ve offended her, but… I…”
“Lin Jing has complained to the family! You have to be punished! Don’t even think about getting a single cent from the family this year!”
The other party hung up after saying this.
Gu Yunqing’s pupils shrank as she clenched her fists in anger.
At this moment, her phone rang. Her credit card had been frozen, and there was no more money in her bank card!
Ever since she’d joined that club and began helping her family with a few things, her family had been more generous to her, causing her to be so extravagant. Today was supposed to be her family’s day to earn money, so she’d had no worries at all.
But now…
Her stomach growled.
She was hungry.
However, her meal card was already out of money!
She was well aware of how ruthless the Gu family was. Even if she called back now, she would definitely not get a single cent.
Gu Yunqing held her stomach and wanted to borrow some money or eat something, but she could not speak.
Gu Yunqing clenched her jaw and entered the pantry.
There were pastries prepared for the meeting room.
Gu Yunqing took a look and gulped.
Pride straightened her.
At this moment, a man walked in from outside the pantry. When he saw her like this, his eyes flashed. He had witnessed everything just now. He walked in front of Gu Yunqing and handed her a milk drink. “Student, you don’t look too good. Is your blood sugar low?”
Gu Yunqing said crazily, “Are you here to laugh at me?!”
The man hurriedly shook his head and said with an honest look, “My name is Jin Peng. I’m someone you chose to help out from the canteen staff. I’m very grateful for this opportunity! You, don’t be like this. Eat something.”
He opened the bottle cap and handed the drink to Gu Yunqing. “Drink it.”
Gu Yunqing was somewhat wary.
She’d originally wanted to push him away and say that she didn’t want to drink, but when she looked down, she realized that the watch on the man’s wrist was an Omega brand.
Gu Yunqing stopped in her tracks.
She looked at Jin Peng again. Jin Peng scratched his head. “Student, I, I… Do you want to add me on WeChat?”
Gu Yunqing took out her phone. “Okay.”
After she added him on WeChat, the two of them sat in the pantry.
Jin Peng brought her a piece of cake. Gu Yunqing took two bites before she took the milk drink from him and drank it.
After eating two pieces of cake and drinking a bottle of beverage, Gu Yunqing felt full and stood up. “I’m going back now.”
After returning to the dormitory, Gu Yunqing was about to push open the door and enter when she heard her roommates discussing. “She was scolded by Lin Jing. She’s so pitiful. What should we do from now on?”
Gu Yunqing stopped in her tracks and clenched her fists.
Another person said, “What do you mean what should we do? You should worry about yourself. Gu Yunqing’s family is a wealthy family. Even if she got scolded, she won’t lose a piece of flesh. Even if she quit school, she’d still be a rich person!”
Gu Yunqing opened the door and walked in.
When it was time for dinner, a few people asked her to go out and eat with them. She rejected them, but when they came back, they still brought her dinner.
Someone placed it on her table and said, “It’s 23 yuan. You can transfer it to me on WeChat.”
Gu Yunqing: “?”
She gritted her teeth and opened WeChat. Seeing that there was only 0.05 yuan left, she felt a little awkward.
She could not say that she did not have money. These people would definitely laugh at her!
She had originally planned to sell a bag tomorrow to maintain her life, but now…
Just as Gu Yunqing was feeling conflicted, there was a beep on her WeChat. She opened it and realized that Jin Peng had sent her a WeChat message: [Ms. Student, I like you. I… I don’t know how to express it, so I used the most old-fashioned method…]
Then, Jin Peng transferred 520[1] yuan to her.
After that, he transferred 1314[2] yuan.
The two transfer messages were attached. One thousand eight hundred yuan in total. If it was in the past, she would not even bat an eyelash. But now, Gu Yunqing bit her lip.
One copper coin could not defeat a hero. She finally understood this saying now.
She stared at it for a long time. Someone in the dormitory was already urging her. “Gu Gu? 23? Are you transferring it to me now? I need to buy something.”
In the end, Gu Yunqing gritted her teeth and accepted the two transfers before transferring 23 yuan to her classmate.
After the two transfer messages were received, Jin Peng sent another message: [Ms. Student, I’ll treat you to supper tonight, okay?]
Gu Yunqing: “Okay.”
That night, when the two of them came back after eating crayfish, Jin Peng handed her another bottle of beverage. Gu Yunqing took a look at it and said, “This beverage is quite nice.”
Jin Peng’s eyes flashed. “Then… then I’ll bring you two bottles every day.”
Gu Yunqing nodded. “Okay.”
Jin Peng looked at her and waved his hand shyly.
When Gu Yunqing returned, the news of Jin Peng sending her back had already spread throughout the entire dormitory. Someone said, “Gu Gu, did you know? The person who sent you back today confessed to Xue Xi in the canteen yesterday and was rejected.”
Gu Yunqing was about to wash up.
Her eyes narrowed and her jaw tightened. She did not say anything, but her eyes flashed.
That night, Gu Yunqing slept very soundly. However, in the morning, she was woken up by a sudden heat. Her chest felt stuffy, and she felt as if there was a ball of fire in her body that she could not suppress.
She stood up and immediately saw the milk beverage on the table. She immediately opened it and took two or three sips before feeling refreshed.
She put down the milk bottle and suddenly thought of something. She curled her lips and turned on the computer…
It was already afternoon when Lin Jing left.
Xue Xi, Xie Yingying, and Li Zixia returned to the dormitory. Just as she was about to pour a cup of water, Xie Yingying ran over and served it to her. “Sister Xi, drink some water!”
Xue Xi: “…”
Li Zixia also stared at her. “Sister Xi, you’re too awesome. What other secrets do you have!?”
Xue Xi thought for a moment. “Nothing.”
In fact, she had never felt that she had any secrets. Every step she took had to be taken. Learning was like this, slowly being accumulated. As for connections… she was also quite baffled how she accumulated those.
However, that was not the main point. The main point was that Xue Xi had to pick up a book. She had accompanied her godmother for the entire day and did not have time to read!
She was really interested in learning.
The next day, the three of them returned to class.
On the way to the classroom, Xue Xi felt that someone was looking at her. She slowly frowned. At this moment, Wang Wei walked over and asked in a gossipy manner, “Xue Xi, did you really reject the cook from the canteen?”
Xue Xi: “?”
Although many people had seen this incident that day, it shouldn’t have spread so quickly, right?
Wang Wei immediately said, “Why did you reject him? And I heard that your attitude wasn’t very good either. Did you know? Gu Yunqing got together with him! And after getting together, she realized that he’s actually a secretly rich second-generation heir. Coming to school to cook is like experiencing life!”
She looked around and lowered her voice. “Everyone is saying that you looked down on him for being poor and for being an employee who had never gone to university. That’s why you rejected him. They’re also saying that Gu Yunqing has a good eye and did not deny someone just because of his appearance… Is that true? Xue Xi, why did you reject him?”
Xue Xi: “?”
She frowned and thought about the day she saw his WeChat balance. She slowly said, “I think he’s not a good person.”
That person gave her an uncomfortable feeling. Her instincts told her to stay away from him.
As soon as she said this, they heard a scoff from behind them. The few of them turned around and saw Gu Yunqing standing behind them. She crossed her arms and said, “Xue Xi, do you need to find such an excuse for yourself just because you made a mistake? Aren’t you a good person? May I ask what is a good person and what is a bad person in your eyes? Is someone not a good person if they didn’t go to university and didn’t study or practice? You’re really interesting!”
She raised her voice. “I got it. I heard that your boyfriend is an instructor? Are you regretting it after learning that Jin Peng is a rich second-generation heir who is better than your boyfriend? Even so, you don’t have to slander him behind his back!”
Her voice was very loud, attracting everyone’s attention. “Jin Peng said that I’m prettier than you. Even if you regret it now, it’s too late!”
After saying that, she opened the milk drink and took a sip.
She didn’t know why, but every now and then, her mouth would feel dry and her heart would feel hot. She must have been too angry yesterday. Moreover, this milky drink tasted really good, and it made her long for it.
After taking two sips and suppressing the frustration in her heart, Gu Yunqing looked at Xue Xi’s expressionless face and felt inexplicably refreshed. She scoffed and said, “Do you see this? Jin Peng sends me breakfast every morning. Knowing that I like strawberries, he especially bought me a strawberry-flavored milk drink! Is such a person not a good person in your eyes? Tsk tsk, aren’t you being too obvious with your ‘grapes are sour anyway’ attitude?!”
[1] A slang where the numbers’ Chinese pronunciation is a homophone for ‘I love you’
[2] A slang whose Chinese pronunciation is a homophone for ‘one life, one world’ or, simply, ‘forever’