Chapter 42

Jiang Muti didn’t initially pay much attention to this matter. At her current stage, she didn’t feel the need to dwell on every little thing.

Firstly, she had gone through so much turmoil recently and had become much more laid-back. Secondly, as she had said before, with the vast amount of money she had inherited, many things seemed insignificant and not worth bothering over.

For someone like her, who had such a strong presence and was the focus of attention in a certain circle, even trivial matters would become topics of conversation, and these would be endlessly exaggerated and distorted.

At the age of the students in her school, their sources of information were limited, and the information they received was one-sided. Jiang’s family’s great success in business, being a commercial news story, wasn’t something anyone would care about. As for the distribution of wealth within the family, that was private business, and of course, no one would be shouting about it.

Therefore, the most widely spread rumors were about her recent father’s death and her broken engagement with Zhou Lu. Of course, most people were only interested in this kind of news and would believe whatever they wanted to believe.

With finals coming up soon, no matter how obsessed the school was with gossip, the pressure of exams still remained.

On Jiang Muti’s first day back, she spent most of the morning in test exams.

She had been lazy at home for so long, and suddenly returning to such an intense exam schedule, it was a bit hard for her to adjust.

But fortunately, her foundation was solid, so even though it slightly affected her performance, it didn’t cause a dramatic decline.

After the results came out, her ranking had dropped slightly, but not by much—she had dropped from the top three to the top ten.

Then all sorts of rumors started to spread, as if her drop in rankings was solid proof of her recent decline and despair.

During lunch, Jiang Muti and Yun Duo decided on a whim to browse some forums, and surprisingly, there were quite a few subtle discussion threads.

Of course, they didn’t blatantly mention her name, but everyone knew who they were talking about.

Jiang Muti saw some of the posts: “I saw her come out of the bathroom yesterday, her eyes were a bit red, looks like she’s been crying.”

“She seemed dazed in the hallway today and bumped into someone but didn’t react.”

“Whenever Zhou Lu is around, she avoids him, which shows how truly heartbroken she is.”

“To be fair, although I don’t like her as a person, she’s really pitiful.”

A chorus of agreement followed, as if they had found some kind of spiritual insight:

“Yeah, she hasn’t even graduated high school, then her family member passed away, and now her engagement has been broken off. It’s really a cruel world.”

Jiang Muti couldn’t help but shrug. “Who are they talking about, this poor thing?”

“You!” Yun Duo replied, then added several pieces of meat from her own bowl to Jiang Muti’s. “Here, eat more, don’t be sad. He’s not worth it.”

“Are you getting back at me for wearing pajamas and driving you two to school for over half a month?” Jiang Muti squinted.

“Of course not! Am I that kind of person?” Yun Duo said with an innocent face.

But in this cold winter, the room was warm, and the bed was a heaven. Her brother and she were shivering every day, wrapped in coats and scarves as they went out.

Meanwhile, Yun Duo was wearing thick pajamas, as if the bed was only a temporary separation. After they left, she could return and continue enjoying the warmth.

Who wouldn’t feel annoyed by that?

Jiang Muti said, “To be honest, how did I not realize that so many people were watching me when I went to the bathroom? And as for Zhou Lu, have I run into him these past couple of days?”

Yun Duo shrugged, “Your classrooms are so close, it’s impossible you haven’t crossed paths. It’s not you avoiding him, it’s him purposely avoiding you.”

“How do you figure?” Jiang Muti asked, puzzled.

If there was something between her and Zhou Lu, that would be one thing, but from the start, they had both agreed to put on a show in front of their families, and regarding this particular business matter—

Although Jiang Muti didn’t feel guilty, it still seemed like the Jiang family wasn’t being entirely fair, so Zhou Lu shouldn’t be the one avoiding her.

Yun Duo said, “I’m not sure what he’s thinking, but from what I see recently, his popularity in school is way better than yours.”

“Obviously, you’ve been eating and drinking well every day, while that guy has really been out of it lately. Before you came back to school, he and Li Xi barely walked together, even when they did run into each other, their expressions were off, so much so that it wouldn’t be surprising if they had broken up.”

Jiang Muti didn’t care, “Tch, men. In these matters, the public opinion is always on their side.”

Zhou Lu might not be more popular than her, but when it came to rumors, or rather, the way they were spread, it was definitely girls who led the charge. Girls often like to make things difficult for each other, but they were much more lenient when it came to the opposite sex, especially when it came to outstanding men.

The two were chatting and gossiping when Qiao Yuqi walked over.

Compared to Zhou Lu’s recent setbacks, Qiao Yuqi’s recent rise could be described as a blazing hot phenomenon.

After his formal album was released, its high quality left the industry in awe, with every song capable of dominating the music charts for a long time on its own.

And these outstanding songs were all packed into one album.

For several months, his songs had been in the top ten of the music charts, only the ranking changing every week.

Qiao Yuqi had completely skyrocketed in popularity nationwide. His songs could be heard in coffee shops, stores, and bars on every street, and street performers loved using his songs for their acts. Many cover versions even popped up.

It was said that the overseas release also did quite well. Given the recent downturn in the domestic music scene, such success had become a rare occurrence.

When Jiang Muti saw him sit down, she couldn’t help but tease, “Oh! The big star.”

Qiao Yuqi wasn’t shy about it, and it seemed that after the finals, during the winter break, he had to make up for the work he missed due to academic commitments.

But as he had said before, despite his immense popularity, he was still maintaining his normal academic routine.

He had perfectly balanced the freshness and hunger for the market, and his reasons were politically correct, perfectly shaping the image of a humble, hardworking, and talented role model who remained unshaken by success.

The company planned to nurture him into a long-term cash cow and a future industry icon, so naturally, they didn’t want him overexposed, consuming his potential value. Their planning for him was patient and thoughtful.

Qiao Yuqi had clearly come to see her about the recent events. He glanced at the black ribbon still tied around Jiang Muti’s arm and said, “My condolences.”

Jiang Muti shrugged and said nothing. After all, she had barely seen her father more than five times, so her grief was limited. If anyone was truly mourning Jiang’s death, it would probably be her brother.

Even his wife, upon hearing of his death, would likely have felt more relief than sorrow, and right now, she was probably mourning the unfair distribution of his estate.

Of course, these matters, like the family’s wealth distribution, were not things to be discussed with outsiders.

Qiao Yuqi spoke again, “I only heard those rumors when I returned to school a couple of days ago. They’re really out of line.”

He had taken leave, but publicity was still necessary. “But don’t worry. If you’re upset, I can spread other news to suppress these rumors.”

When it comes to attention, no matter how much Jiang Muti is noticed in this small area, she is nowhere near as popular as Qiao Yuqi right now.

As he said, as soon as he releases some other news, he could easily shift the focus away from the discussions about Jiang Muti.

Jiang Muti chuckled, “Tch! You sure are bold with your words now.”

Qiao Yuqi replied, “Was I ever humble before?”

“Not really!” Jiang Muti recalled the guy’s past behavior and added, “No need. Sometimes it’s more fun to watch people who aren’t as good as you enjoy their own mental entertainment.”

Qiao Yuqi nodded, “Yeah, I think so too.”

Yun Duo couldn’t stand the way these two always turned into such cynical, scheming types when they got together, so she ate faster.

“Do you know about Zhou Lu’s situation? Recently—” Qiao Yuqi shrugged helplessly.

Obviously, something was off with Li Xi, but no matter how busy Zhou Lu was, he couldn’t have missed such a big issue with his childhood friend living right across the hall.

Although rumors were flying everywhere, these students’ sources of information were always half-baked. If they really wanted to know what was going on with Zhou Lu, they’d have to ask Jiang Muti, who was in the same circle.

Jiang Muti didn’t hide anything from him, “You can ask the adults around your work, they should know. The Zhou family needs funds, and the Huo family from X province is eyeing one of their businesses, so they just hit it off.”

“But the Huo family’s daughter probably isn’t as easy to deal with as me. She might actually be interested in Zhou Lu,” Jiang Muti shrugged. “Girls, once they care, their possessiveness is definitely inevitable.”

“Plus, I think Zhou’s parents probably learned the hard way from me, and now they’re no longer as relaxed as they were in the beginning. They’ve become stricter with Zhou Lu, and having any lingering ties with a girlfriend is absolutely not allowed.”

“So, their situation now is definitely different from mine back then.”

When Jiang Muti said Li Xi was pretentious, it wasn’t that she was being harsh.

The situation between her and Zhou Lu was clearly a show put on for their parents, and it wasn’t hidden from her. Zhou Lu had explained things to her as soon as it happened.

Although Li Xi had every right to be annoyed by it, Jiang Muti had been very understanding about their messy situation. But Li Xi always looked at her as if she were the one disrupting her life.

Alright then, now she would let Li Xi see what it was like to be in the position of a true marriage partner and experience what it felt like to be treated as the third party or someone trying to climb the social ladder.

Qiao Yuqi thought about it and, of course, understood how awkward Li Xi’s situation would be once the engagement was transferred to someone else.

Once he understood the situation, he felt powerless and could only offer some comfort from Li Xi’s side.

He couldn’t help but ask, “So, if that’s the case, they should’ve just started to reach a consensus, right? It’s so fast?”

He didn’t finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear: the two families had probably just reached an understanding, and they probably hadn’t even met a few times yet.

How could the young lady have already set her heart on Zhou Lu? Even if he was truly outstanding, the Huo family’s daughter was not someone whose vision would be shallow. She wouldn’t act like those schoolgirls who fawn over Zhou Lu, right?

Jiang Muti irresponsibly replied, “What if she fell in love at first sight?”

Actually, she knew the reason. It was interesting, really— in the original novel, the second female lead’s surname was Huo. The marriage plot, which was supposed to occur when the characters were older, was sped up by the flap of a butterfly’s wings.

As the malicious female supporting character, Miss Huo would later cause all sorts of trouble, but her feelings for the male lead were genuine.

It was said that they had some past connection when they were young, and she had admired that Zhou family brother since childhood. How could she tolerate Li Xi?

She could only know the truth behind the heavenly eye opened in the original work, but when Qiao Yuqi heard this, he was at a loss for words—

“Love at first sight—” He paused, then added, “Forget it, it’s none of my business anyway.”

He was incredibly busy with work. If Li Xi hadn’t been so heartbroken lately, he wouldn’t have cared at all. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even have the energy to pay attention to Zhou Lu’s bad luck.

After talking with Jiang Muti about his work progress, it was almost halfway through lunch, and the restaurant gradually started to empty out. The three of them finished cleaning up their trays and left.

However, as fate would have it, when Jiang Muti and Yun Duo returned to the classroom, Yun Duo had just gone upstairs when she saw Zhou Lu walking towards them.

The moment Zhou Lu saw Jiang Muti, he instinctively tried to avoid her again, but since they had already bumped into each other face-to-face, his pride wouldn’t allow him to back down in front of her.

So, he pulled the corner of his mouth and greeted, “Back for class?”

Jiang Muti lazily smiled, “I’ve been back for a few days. Don’t tell me you just saw me today.”

“After all, there’s been a lot of talk about us lately.”

Although Zhou Lu didn’t pay much attention to the school gossip, with the rumors spreading so widely, he had inevitably heard something. He could tell she was unhappy.

But who could stand such a thing?

Lately, it seemed like Zhou Lu had matured a lot overnight. He knew that avoiding things wasn’t the solution. He never imagined he would be so miserable in his life.

So, he simply said, “Want to talk?”

Jiang Muti raised an eyebrow, “Aren’t you afraid Li Xi will catch you again?”

Zhou Lu’s expression immediately became complicated, “We’ve broken up.”

Jiang Muti was genuinely surprised this time. The true female antagonist had just appeared, and the female lead had already become a thing of the past. Although Jiang Muti could bet her head that there would still be some entanglements later, Zhou Lu’s feelings for Li Xi and his persistence in love were undeniable.

She didn’t expect him to give up just like that.

The two of them reached the vending machine downstairs. Jiang Muti bought two hot drinks and handed one to Zhou Lu.

“Are you okay? To be honest, I didn’t expect you to be so obedient, especially with how your parents practically sold you off.”

Zhou Lu scoffed, “You should be thinking about who got me sold off in the first place.”

Jiang Muti felt no guilt, “It’s business, after all!”

Zhou Lu silently glanced at her, “To be honest, you can’t blame me, and you can’t blame your Jiang family. If my family knew this was how things were going, instead of telling the partners to avoid risks, we’d definitely have chosen to monopolize the benefits.”

“But what really defeats me is you, Jiang Muti.”

“Hmm?” Jiang Muti raised her eyes to look at him.

Zhou Lu continued, “I was raised to be the heir, and my family instilled my responsibilities in me from a young age. I thought I was already prepared, and aside from fighting for my personal feelings, I was very clear about my duties.”

“I thought you were someone who didn’t know anything, had an older brother to handle responsibilities for you, and would live a life of comfort, the biggest concern being comparing yourself to others and fighting with people.”

Seeing Jiang Muti raise an eyebrow, Zhou Lu shrugged, “No offense, but your performance is really hard to look up to.”

“But recently, I’ve realized that the truly naive one is me, and you’re the real strong one. You can always throw yourself into battle and are completely unafraid of the level you haven’t even reached yet. The most unbelievable part is that you actually succeeded.”

“At the beginning, when you found out that your parents used you to exchange for benefits, you lost your composure for a moment but quickly regained your calm. You never thought of making a fuss or resisting like I did, and you even guided my attitude. You must have had a plan back then, right? Haha! Back then, I actually felt a sense of relief thinking that we were in the same situation, so we’d have a common ally to face it together.”

“Compared to you, my resistance and avoidance were just child’s play. Now, with the family’s difficulties right in front of me, I realize I can’t do anything.”

“I broke up with Li Xi. We should have broken up long ago. I can’t offer her any promises now.” Zhou Lu raised his head, his expression cold and harsh, as if he was being strict with himself. “Right now, I’m not worthy of any selfishness.”

Jiang Muti looked at his face, still the same familiar features—handsome, with a deep domineering and reckless aura.

But now, Jiang Muti no longer saw him as the foolish person she had casually insulted before.

It seemed that the family’s crisis, the pressure from his peers, and realizing his own helplessness had indeed transformed this rebellious and unruly young man overnight.

In the original novel, Zhou Lu would eventually become a successful CEO, an impeccable family leader. He must have had the talent for it, but the cost of eliminating his own naivety was undeniably harsh.

Perhaps it was because he had shattered his own perception and was finally venting the frustrations in front of the person he considered foolish.

After he finished speaking, Zhou Lu seemed much more relaxed, as though he had let something go.

Finally, he smiled and said, “But it’s okay, I just started later than others. One day, I’ll be able to control everything.”

Jiang Muti nodded, “Then you better hurry up.”

The whole afternoon passed in various idle conversations.

In the afternoon, there was a P.E. class. Usually, right before exams, the main subject teachers would take over P.E. class under various pretenses.

It was even more domineering and unreasonable than when the bully son would kidnap a girl.

The students could only watch helplessly as this cruel thing happened, too angry to speak out.

However, it seemed that there had been too many exams recently, and everyone had been thinking hard, so today, all the teachers actually had a conscience and gave them a break.

By coincidence, most of the grade’s classes had P.E. at this time, and the whole playground was lively.

The boys immediately spread out to play basketball and soccer, while the girls did everything, but mostly, they gathered in twos and threes chatting.

Jiang Muti found Yun Duo and was about to sit on a nearby step to pass the time. If the environment allowed, she even thought about pulling out her phone to play a game or two.

But a few girls blocked her path.

Jiang Muti saw that they were clearly coming with a purpose, and they didn’t seem like they wanted to invite her to play badminton.

And when she looked closely, every one of them looked somewhat familiar, which made her smile.

She spoke first, “Hmm? You’re from different classes, yet you all happen to play together? Don’t tell me there’s a ‘Jiang Muti Victims Support Group‘ secretly going on?”

The reason was simple. The girls who approached her were all people who had, to some extent, been wronged by Jiang Muti—like the one who had defended Li Xi earlier, or the girl from Yun Duo’s class who she had humiliated.

In short, they were all people with a clear motive to throw her under the bus.

Before any of the girls could speak, they were already furious. This girl still acted like she didn’t feel guilty about hurting others, and judging by her words, it was as though they were some pathetic loser group that had gathered together.

One of the girls sneered, “It’s just out of concern, as a classmate, for your situation. After all, you haven’t been looking too well recently. But since you still have the energy to care about these things, I guess your father’s death and the breakup didn’t really affect you much, huh?”

Someone else chimed in, “No wonder you’re the young lady from a wealthy family. Didn’t they say money can solve all problems? I didn’t believe it before, but now it seems it’s true.”

“Don’t say things that hit people where it hurts. Jiang Muti has been forcing a smile every day at school to maintain her dignity. Isn’t that hard enough? Do you really want her to cry?”

Finally, the girl who had defended Li Xi earlier said with obvious satisfaction, “Didn’t you say that when it comes down to it, Li Xi was actually the third party involved? Hehe! How does it feel to be the third party now?”

“Your engagement has been annulled, and yet you’re still all clingy with Zhou Lu at lunch. You never expected you’d end up in this situation, did you?”

Jiang Muti looked at the expressions on their faces, her own filled with the same kind of satisfaction from watching others fall.

The girls spoke deliberately loudly, not only catching the attention of the nearby groups of girls, but even the boys who were playing nearby could feel the rising gossip in the air, like a tide of secrets.

The entire playground’s attention was drawn to this area, where Jiang Muti was at the center.

Seeing this, Jiang Muti smiled, her acting skills kicking in as her eyes suddenly grew melancholy, looking rather sorrowful.

The girls watched, even more pleased, ready to say something more.

Jiang Muti sighed audibly, her voice clear, “What can I say? A lot has happened at home recently, and it’s been hard for me to bear.”

“My father passed away. Sure, there’s a project at home that’s about to make billions, but I don’t have my father anymore.”

“Although the inherited assets alone could buy you hundreds of those small neighborhoods like yours, I don’t have my father anymore.”

“Although I got a lot of antiques, jade, diamonds, and jewelry—if I changed them every day, it would take me a hundred years to wear them all—I don’t have my father anymore.”

“So what if I suddenly own a small island in the Pacific covering thousands of acres? I don’t have my father anymore.”

“All of this would be sad enough, but because my wealth has increased tenfold, the relationship with my former fiancé has broken down, and we’re no longer on the same level. Do you know how I feel?”

“I’m sad. I don’t have a father anymore.”

“I—damn!”

Anyone within earshot could hear the thousands of curses and frustrations racing through their minds.

No one could face the words “I don’t have my father anymore.” Despite her father’s death, which should have made her sympathetic, it instead left everyone feeling a strange urge to punch something, their teeth grinding in frustration.

Who was the one who spread rumors about her dead father and broken engagement, painting a picture of someone tragically helpless? They should come out and take a beating.

So this girl, still under eighteen, has enough wealth to rank among the top female billionaires in the country, right? And because her family is about to climb even higher, she’s no longer on the same level as Zhou Lu.

Yes! Of course, her father is dead.

What a great act of being so helplessly devastated by the loss of a loved one, yet somehow she’s wrapped in her billions and unable to escape her sorrow.

This isn’t right!

From this point on, the rumors about Jiang Muti at school took a bizarre turn.

One second, they were embellishing her despondency, making it look like she was distracted, wiping away tears, and carrying a melancholic expression.

The next second, someone took over the conversation, “Yeah, so tragic, with assets that could buy hundreds of small neighborhoods.”

“There’s also jewelry that would take a hundred years to wear.”

“And an island…”

“Tch, just because you’re rich, does that mean you can forget all your worries? Rich people have their own sorrows too.”

At this point, someone exchanged glances, “I’d love to experience such sorrow.”

What else could they do other than study?

So, after a day or two, as the excitement of discussing the matter wore off from every angle, the topic gradually faded from conversation.

Gossip is meant to be fun, who would intentionally choose to bring up something that would backfire?

Once again, the victory of money, at crushing levels.

Over on Jiang Muti’s side, she was leaving school with Yun Duo when they noticed some commotion near the school gate.

As they got closer, they saw a tall, striking beauty leaning against a bright red sports car, seemingly waiting for someone.

It was clear the woman was about their age, though she dressed much more maturely and stylishly. She was undeniably beautiful and stood out starkly among the crowd of plain students.

Jiang Muti wasn’t one to enjoy crowds and drama, so she glanced briefly and walked directly towards her car with Yun Duo.

However, the bored beauty waiting for someone suddenly spotted something in the crowd and walked straight toward them.

“Hey! You’re Jiang Muti, right? The one who was engaged to Zhou Lu?”

Her tone was bold and arrogant, and her gaze was filled with undisguised jealousy and criticism.

“I’m Huo Xin, and now I’m his fiancée.”