Chapter 15: Isn’t She Just Beautifully Tragic?

That evening, Jiang Cheng felt a stifling sensation in his chest, an inexplicable discomfort that he couldn’t quite place. He headed to a bar for a drink, only to witness an illegal transaction taking place.

In his current state of mind, Jiang Cheng had no desire to resolve matters with violence, so he initially gave only a verbal warning. However, the clueless idiot not only failed to tuck his tail between his legs and leave but also summoned reinforcements, boasting about powerful connections and advising Jiang Cheng to be sensible.

Threats were Jiang Cheng’s greatest pet peeve. He personally delivered a thorough beating to the man before tossing him out the bar’s front door. Observing the man lying on the ground, his face bruised and swollen, barely clinging to consciousness, Jiang Cheng leisurely crouched down. With a dismissive and arrogant gaze, he sneered, “You ask me what circles I run in? I’m afraid if I told you, you wouldn’t even dare to hear it, you stupid piece of trash!”

Rising to his feet, he indolently and arrogantly gestured toward the bouncer at the entrance. “Hand the guy and the evidence over to the police. Consider it doing a public service, for f**k’s sake.”

Bouncer: “Yes, Young Master Jiang.”

Returning to the booth, Jiang Cheng was greeted by Chen Xingyi’s playful grin. “Has our Great Demon King’s mood finally improved? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you personally dish out a beating, Brother Cheng. What’s the occasion? Let me guess… who stirred up my Brother Cheng’s displeasure?”

Jiang Cheng detected the taunting tone in Chen Xingyi’s voice, deliberately hitting where it hurt. The momentary improvement in his mood evaporated. He gripped Chen Xingyi by the back of his neck and hauled him off the sofa. “Beating you up some more will smooth out my mood.”

Chen Xingyi, immediately bristling, retorted, “If you’re so tough, why are you so stubbornly refusing to admit that you’re angry because of Ji Shuyi? I’ll see how long you can keep it bottled up. I’m waiting for you to livestream yourself eating sh*t!”

“I’ll livestream myself eating you!”

Jiang Cheng promptly executed a shoulder throw, sending the agitated Chen Xingyi crashing to the ground.

Chen Xingyi cursed and grumbled, attempting to retaliate.

Song Yu, watching from the side, shook his head. “You two are so childish. You really belong only in school.”

In the days that followed, Jiang Cheng avoided contact with Ji Shuyi. Even when encountering her on campus, he no longer felt compelled to provoke or tease her as before.

It was as if… he feared engaging with her,

Afraid of losing control.

He loathed that sensation of losing control.

He despised being swayed by others’ emotions.

He couldn’t allow himself to be in a state of disarray.

During that time, Jiang Cheng frequently overheard the guys around him quietly discussing Ji Shuyi—debating her appearance and strategizing how to pursue her. In the past, a mere glance from him would have been sufficient to silence them, but now, he instinctively filtered out all information related to her.

It was as though… it was irrelevant to him.

This year’s welcome party was scheduled to take place before the National Day holiday.

Jingda University’s welcome party was always a grand affair. On the day of the event, the student associations and student council members in charge started preparations early in the morning. The stage was enormous, and the perfectionist lighting technicians spent a long time adjusting the lights until they were satisfied.

As dusk began to fall, students from various departments lined up in orderly rows, appearing at Jingda University’s stadium.

The stands were bustling with excitement, even featuring things like light boards and glow sticks to ignite the atmosphere.

As the student host, Song Ning, concluded her opening remarks, the first performance, a guzheng piece, began.

The melodious and pleasant music captivated the audience, and everyone was immersed in the sound. Next, an explosive street dance show by several male students ignited the venue.

Cheers and screams filled the air.

The performances were diverse and wide-ranging, each one wonderfully captivating.

The scene resembled a large-scale variety show.

Sitting in the back row playing doudizhu with someone, Chen Xingyi leisurely watched the performances while throwing out two cards, “Pair of twos.”

At the same time, he received a message from Jiang Cheng: “I’m leaving.”

Jiang Cheng never participated in school activities other than soccer. He usually only came to campus for classes, like a working professional temporarily taking courses. That’s why everyone always said he was like a dragon, appearing only briefly and then disappearing. Today, he had stayed to prepare for an academic defense and was only now leaving.

Chen Xingyi, having had his fill of the games, immediately replied upon seeing the message: “I’m going back too. It’s boring to watch. Can you pick me up at the stadium? Lao Song took my car. It’s a good opportunity to test how cool your new motorcycle is.”

Jiang Cheng: “Test drive price: 100,000.”

Chen Xingyi: “Ghost money?”

Jiang Cheng: “Walk back yourself.”

Chen Xingyi smiled, unconcerned, as he looked at the message, knowing that his brother would come to pick him up, despite what he said.

Jiang Cheng rode his motorcycle directly into the campus, arriving at the stadium. Just as he was about to send Chen Xingyi a message to tell him to come out quickly, he heard the host announce the next performance.

“Next, please welcome freshman Ji Shuyi, who will be performing a dance for everyone…”

Hearing those three words, Jiang Cheng, who had been leaning languidly and casually against his motorcycle with his arms crossed, couldn’t help but lift his eyelids. His gaze cut through the crowd, looking towards the high stage. But in an instant, all the lights on the stage went out, plunging it into darkness. As everyone waited in anticipation, a piece of ancient-style music, “Xiang Si Yin” (The Longing of Love), slowly began to play. Then, the lights suddenly came on, and in the spotlight, Ji Shuyi, dressed in a red, ancient-style costume, gracefully danced with a folding fan in her hand. She wore soft-soled shoes, and a red string with a small bell was tied around her ankle.

Her dance was gentle and beautiful, her long hair and the corners of her clothes swaying with her movements. The red dress was bright and enchanting, and under the spotlight, she captured everyone’s admiring gaze.

The music was somewhat melancholic, and her dance was completely integrated into the mood.

‘Love is already hard to fulfill,

Your eyes are like stars,

Looking back, there is only pattering rain at dusk,

At the edge of the world, watching the fleeting light go by,

Not asking when the day of return will be.’

It was the first time Jiang Cheng had seen Ji Shuyi like this – gentle, beautiful, captivating, and even radiating a pitiable fragility within the mood of the music.

That night, the lights were beautifully dazzling, the crowd was passionately boisterous, and the aloof young man, usually like a walking iceberg, unconsciously curved the corners of his lips into a slight smile as he watched through the crowd.

The little explosive bunny is quite pretty when she isn’t exploding.

“Hehehe… completely mesmerized, aren’t you?” Chen Xingyi, who had come over at some point, grinned mischievously. “Beautifully tragic, right?”

Jiang Cheng withdrew his gaze and glanced at the cheap and annoying pest. Knowing that this pest just wanted to hear him praise her, he simply went along with it and tossed out a sentence: “Yeah, beautifully tragic.”

Chen Xingyi saw that he said it with a lack of enthusiasm, looking nonchalant and indifferent. Even though he heard the words he wanted to hear, why did it sound so perfunctory? It didn’t give him any sense of accomplishment. He helplessly shrugged his shoulders. “You’re really no fun!”

Jiang Cheng suddenly retorted with sharp eyes, “I’m no fun?”

“Yes, yes, yes…” Chen Xingyi immediately cowered and said, “Your physical strength is amazing! Unrivaled.”

Later that evening, Jiang Cheng returned to the villa, took a shower, and prepared to sleep. His phone rang several times in a row. He picked it up and saw that it was Chen Xingyi, that annoying pest, again.

Chen Xingyi:

“Cheng, your little nemesis is dominating the forum tonight.”

“I’ll send you some screenshots.”

“Wait a sec.”

“[Image] [Image] [Image]…”

“Bro, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you admiring the beautiful pictures?”

“I’ll send you a few more high-definition photos, and wish you a sweet dream.”

“[Image]”

“[Image]”

“[Image]! ‘Red Exclamation Point'”

At the same time, a small notification appeared:

…You are not yet friends with him (her). Please send a friend verification request first…

“F*ck!” Chen Xingyi shot up from his bed in shock. “What kind of awful brother actually deleted me?”

Furious, he was about to make a phone call to ‘reason’ with him, but his phone number had also been blacklisted.

Chen Xingyi gnashed his teeth. “You win this time, you ruthless bastard!”