She would be reporting at the university tomorrow and was unlikely to return after boarding there. A Miao felt she had the o2bligation to thank Shen Xinglan. She didn't know what would happen to her if he wasn't around.
"You want to draw the line with just a word of thanks? Don't forget you still owe me a condition."
He had underestimated this woman. No wonder she was so enthusiastic about attending university. She wanted to leave him? Shen Xinglan felt an inexplicable feeling of resentment. This enraged him.
But wasn't this the outcome that he wanted?
"Your brain lobe is always so abnormal." Speechless, A Miao shook her head. "I just thought that I might only come back once a month in the future. You're so busy too. We might not be able to meet when the time comes."
Seeing as the psychopath's expression appeared to be easing, she continued, "I wouldn't go back on my word. Whatever you need, you can tell me any time."
A Miao understood the only use Shen Xinglan had for her was her unbelievable stealing skills.
"Glad you understand this."
Shen Xinglan lowered his head. "Go out then."
A Miao curled her lips and turned around to leave. Just as she was about to close the door, she heard someone speak.
"Come back once a week."
Shen Xinglan regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. He was about to tell A Miao to pretend like she hadn't heard him when he raised his head and saw the look of dissatisfaction on her face. He was immediately stupefied.
"Shen I will pick you up every weekend. Come back obediently."
He didn't seem to notice that he was acting like a child throwing a tantrum. He smirked rather smugly when he saw A Miao leaving with a pout.
"Shen II, told you that our boss likes Miss A Miao. Look how happy he looks underneath his cold exterior."
Shen I watched the screen attentively over in the CCTV room. Shen II cast him a glance. "Our boss said that we shouldn't look at his study if there's nothing important."
"Isn't this something important?!" Shen I looked at him like he didn't know anything. "We must enthusiastically prepare for our boss' marriage! Otherwise, he might stay a bachelor forever."
Shen II couldn't endure the feeling of gossiping over his boss' affairs. He turned around and pretended like he didn't hear anything.
"That said, who is that woman in our boss' heart?"
They had been the subordinates of their boss for many years and knew that he had a childhood sweetheart. There seemed to be an accident and he hadn't been able to find her even after so long.
"Miss A Miao is great!" Shen I was like a broken record. "She's pretty and smart. Most importantly, our boss clearly likes her!"
Shen II couldn't help nodding but when he recovered his senses, he glared at Shen I and turned around to leave.
"Hey, don't go!" Seeing as no one was around to see him acting cocky, Shen I took out his phone and started scrolling his Wechat page.
It was bustling in Fujing University today. The first day of classes was practically a parade of luxury cars.
"Stop here, Shen I!"
Shen I took a look around. "Here? There's still some distance away!"
"You don't have to drive me into the campus. There are so many cars inside." A Miao undid her seat belt. "Stop here when you pick me up later."
"Miss, do you find our car too low profile?" Shen I glanced at the BMWs and Mercedes Benzs in front of them. "It's fine. Our boss has too many cars to count. We can take a different one next time."
His strange line of thought startled A Miao. Before she could open her mouth to reply, she heard Shen I continue.
"Our car is actually much more impressive. Our boss had this car custom made. It's not something you can buy with money."
The elongated Maybach that Shen Xinglan frequently sat in was priceless. It was worth more than twenty million yuan. It could even block bullets. Of course... He couldn't tell A Miao these or she would be suspicious as to what use a businessman like Sheng Xinglan would have for a bulletproof car.
"That's not what I mean, Shen I." A Miao interrupted him. "Your car is too high profile. I hope to live as an ordinary university student. I don't want others to find out about my identity."
Shen I nodded. "Okay, I understand."
"Then, see you later!" A Miao got off the car on her own and gave Shen I a little wave.
She made a beeline for the administration building to report herself and pay her tuition fee. Then, she went to the logistics department to get the keys to her dorm.
"The dorms with four beds and six beds are all occupied. Only dorms with two beds are left," said a plump teacher as she turned over the form. "Double rooms are 15,000 yuan each semester. Single rooms are 30,000 yuan."
A Miao frowned. "There's not even a single bed left in the four or six-bedded dorms?"
"Yes, they're all gone. You're too late. Many students have booked their beds last week. If you don't decide now, even the double rooms will soon be gone."
Her plan was to spend 80,000 yuan each semester but her expenses were about to increase by half. There wouldn't be much left of her scholarship then and her living expenses had gone up in smoke...
"Yo, look who it is!"
A Miao was still grappling about her expenses when she heard a sneering voice behind her. When she turned around to look, she realized that enemies sure were fated.
"What's wrong? Did my brother throw you out of the house?" Ji Xue sized her up. "Pitiful. Can you even pay your tuition?" There were several girls behind her. One of them asked:
"Ji Xue, are you saying she's Shen Xinglan's fiancee?"
"You must be joking! How can she be this ordinary?"
"I don't believe it! President Shen is always surrounded by so many beautiful women! Why would he fall for her?"
A Miao pulled a straight face. This was precisely what she had been worrying about. She believed that the entire university would soon learn of her name.
"Teacher, please give me a double room." A Miao took out her card and swiftly swiped it to complete the procedure. She then took the key and prepared to leave.
"Stand right there!" Ji Xue yelled.
Ignoring her, A Miao pushed the door open and exited the building. She didn't expect Ji Xue to have steeled her determination to make things difficult for her.
"A Miao, I advise you to drop out of the university on your own accord. I won't let you graduate successfully." Ji Xue shot her a malicious stare. "Or you can leave my brother on your own. I'll let you off."
The girls around Ji Xue looked at A Miao like they were delighting in her misery. Many girls shared this sort of mentality. What they couldn't have, they wouldn't want others to have it either.
"There's something I don't quite understand." A Miao turned around to stare Ji Xue down with a curious expression. "On what basis are you telling me those words earlier?"
Without waiting for Ji Xue to recover her senses, A Miao continued, "Firstly, the one you call your brother doesn't think of you as his sister. Secondly, never mind you, I don't suppose even your mother has the right to speak on Shen Xinglan's behalf?"
"You... You..."
"Silence." A Miao looked coldly at her. "I don't want to get into any sort of conflict with you but only on the condition that you don't provoke me."
Ji Xue glared contemptuously at her. "Hmph. Don't be too smug. Don't think you're that great just because he's protecting you. With looks like yours? He'll throw you out of the house soon enough. I'll wait to see how unlucky you'll be."
"Save your concern." A Miao turned around and left.
The environment of a prestigious university like Fujing University was great. The dormitory building for the double rooms was hidden behind a cluster of lilacs. The three-story building looked beautiful from the outside.
A Miao's room was located in the deepest corner of the first floor. When she entered the room, she found that her roommate was either existent or haven't arrived. She randomly picked a bed and started putting together her books and bedsheet.
"Phew!" When she was done straightening out the place, she lay on the bed and looked around the clean, neat dorm with a pair of bright eyes.
"I'm finally at the university. I can't relax either. I need to find a job." Thinking of this, A Miao turned a strained expression.
She couldn't find a job outside of the campus. Shen Xinglan would definitely bring her home if he knew. She could only find a job inside the campus.
"Let's worry about that when classes officially begin!"
Simultaneously, Shen I returned to the Ji Conglomerate to make his report.
"Boss, fortunately, I'm smart enough to secretly follow after her. That Ji Xue is like a mad dog. I'm worried that she'll bully Miss at the university."
Shen Xinglan sneered. "You underestimate that woman too much."
"Oh, that's right, Boss! Looks like Miss' scholarship isn't enough."
"Hehe, it'd be a surprise if that's enough. Who told her to give the reward to someone else..."
"Tell her, don't go back to university if someone photographs her working outside."
Shen I made an "oh" sound. "Then... Then I'll send her the card?"
"If she had wanted the card, she wouldn't have left it in her room." Shen Xinglan pursed his lips. "Give her a call to warn her. Then, ask Shen II to come in."
"Boss?" Shen II waited for his instructions.
The bad mood that Ji Xue put A Miao in finally dissolved on the third day since she started classes.
"Student A Miao, come to my office." One fine day, the program supervisor stopped her after class.
She followed the program supervisor to the office, where she was handed a form.
"Are you willing to help out at the campus library?"
A Miao glanced at the form and saw that it was a form for student jobs.
"Teacher Lin!" she cried out in surprise. "Can I?"
The program supervisor, who was close to being in her fifties, had a favorable impression of A Miao. A Miao was the best student in her class. Even though she couldn't tell A Miao's character yet, the latter had always been quiet in the past two days and spoke very little.
"I think you're a rather gentle and quiet person. You might be more suited to work in a library, so I want to recommend your name."
A Miao didn't know how to describe her current emotions. She could only repeatedly thank her program supervisor.
"I'm glad you're willing to take the job." Teacher Lin looked like she was relieved too. The university dean met her this morning and told her to hand A Miao the form. She was clueless as to what was going on.
What if A Miao didn't agree to it? After all, many students were unwilling to work these days. They were either too lazy or found it to be beneath them.
"Thank you so much!" A Miao filled up the form and handed it to the program supervisor.
Teacher Lin nodded after scanning the form. "Great. I'll turn this in for you later. Wait for me to inform you as to when you can start the job."
A Miao was in high spirits as she had found a job. Moreover, her roommate never turned up. The dorm caretaker didn't know what was going on either when she asked.
She had no class on Friday afternoon. After having her lunch at the dining hall, she packed her luggage and waited for Shen I at the junction.
"A Miao!"
A Miao rolled her eyes.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not the one looking for you. It's my cousin."
A Miao turned around and saw a girl standing next to Ji Xue. The girl wore a green skirt and an eye-catching hair clip bedazzled with crystals.
Unlike the beautiful and alluring Ji Xue, she possessed a more classical look. Her eyes, particularly, looked glazed over. Suddenly, A Miao thought of Shen Xinglan. That man had always been interested in such eyes.
More importantly, she found this girl to be very familiar. However, she was certain she hadn't seen her...