Chapter Sixty-Seven: In the End, Secretary Fan Arrived

Gao Jie didn’t care at all about being called “big brother” or not; what he craved was the thrill of the chase. In just a month, he had come to understand Yu Ziqing’s temperament completely. From then on, he played the part of a refined and courteous gentleman during their interactions. Yet Yu Ziqing had never accepted even the smallest gift from him, which led to today’s elaborate scheme. He had deliberately torn Yu Ziqing’s pants; originally, he hadn’t planned on Jiang Xiwen showing up. He had already gotten acquainted with one of Yu Ziqing’s classmates—a girl—through his buddies. She was supposed to drag Yu Ziqing into the car when her pants got ripped, and the taxi driver was instructed to wait by the roadside for Yu Ziqing to appear, then pull over for her.

Gao Jie kept a distant watch on Yu Ziqing from the school gate. When he first saw Jiang Xiwen, he worried that things might go awry, but by sheer luck, Jiang Xiwen ended up escorting Yu Ziqing to the very car Gao Jie had arranged in advance.

He was a true playboy for a reason—he understood women’s hearts well. The moment a woman accepts a first gift, half the battle is won.

The car quickly made its way back to Yangjiang Normal University. As they got out, Jiang Xiwen saw Gao Jie offering extra money to the driver and deliberately said, “Driver, this trip is just the base fare. If you overcharge, I’ll report you to your company. Gao Jie, don’t be so polite with people like this…”

Ugh! Gao Jie seethed with hatred—he wished he could chop Jiang Xiwen into eighteen pieces. The driver he’d hired as a plant today clearly lacked any professional ethics; Gao Jie had already given him a two-hundred yuan tip. After Yu Ziqing and Jiang Xiwen had gone into the shop, the driver even came running back to ask for more money. Now, with Jiang Xiwen provoking him, wasn’t it obvious the driver might spill the truth?

But the driver was an old hand at blackmail. He knew he had to ask for money in front of Jiang Xiwen and Yu Ziqing; once the facts came to light, who would care about him? So he hung around the clothing store, waiting. Now that the key parties were about to get out, he knew the window was closing and loudly declared, “This young man and his sister had me stop at the shop entrance. The traffic police caught me, you see. Shouldn’t you compensate me for my losses?”

Gao Jie finally breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t mind paying—his only fear was Yu Ziqing discovering his scheme. He knew full well that Yu Ziqing despised liars above all. If she ever found out about his behavior, not even the reincarnation of his infamous ancestor, the notorious playboy Gao Yanei, could win her heart for him.

At least the driver was clever enough not to ruin things outright after hearing Jiang Xiwen’s refusal to pay.

“Fine, fine. How much is the fine?” Gao Jie asked.

“Three hundred.”

“Here you go.”

“Gao Jie, why are you afraid of him? He’s extorting you,” Yu Ziqing said, clearly unhappy with the driver.

“Ziqing, if Gao Jie wants to be generous, just let him,” Jiang Xiwen said, pulling Yu Ziqing out of the car and hurrying her toward the school.

Gao Jie had truly spent a fortune pursuing Yu Ziqing—Jiang Xiwen couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. If he was really this serious, then Ziqing was indeed a lucky woman.

“Xiwen, what’s wrong with you? Didn’t I tell you I don’t like Gao Jie? If you don’t help me, why do you keep letting him spend money on us?” Yu Ziqing scolded in English.

“I think he’s pretty good. Why are you so cold to him, Ziqing?”

Yu Ziqing sighed, “I don’t really know his character, and I can’t find any big faults for now. But the way he spends money, he’s just a typical rich kid. His father is the director of the provincial education committee. The first time he met me, he started boasting about arranging a job for me. With guys like that, how could I possibly be with him? Sigh, you’re still young—you wouldn’t understand even if I explained.”

Before Jiang Xiwen could answer, Gao Jie caught up in a few quick strides, laughing, “Ziqing, Xiwen, that driver was such a nuisance. But what can you do—once someone starts blackmailing you, who knows how much time you’ll waste.”

“Sir, spare some change…” At that moment, an elderly beggar woman approached, hand trembling as she pleaded.

This was a snack stall near the school, where beggars often lingered. Beggars in those days were still rather simple—if you bought them some food, they were satisfied; they didn’t necessarily want money.

Yu Ziqing’s heart softened, and she was about to buy the old woman something when Gao Jie immediately stepped forward, producing a hundred-yuan note and pressing it into the old woman’s hand. He even clasped her dirty hand and patted it, saying, “Ma’am, take this and buy yourself something warm to eat.”

This time, Yu Ziqing didn’t mind Gao Jie’s lavishness; her expression toward him softened considerably. But Jiang Xiwen noticed clearly: when Gao Jie held the old woman’s hand, his brow furrowed in obvious distaste. It was all an act.

“Gao Jie, you truly are kind. But look at how thinly dressed this old lady is; it’s so cold, she’ll have trouble sleeping tonight. Why not take her to buy a winter coat, and find her a place to stay? A hundred yuan is just a drop in the bucket,” Jiang Xiwen said earnestly, stepping forward.

Though Yu Ziqing was innocent, she wasn’t stupid. She knew Jiang Xiwen was teasing Gao Jie and felt a little sorry; Gao Jie’s actions just now had indeed changed her view of him somewhat.

“Xiwen, don’t tease your big brother anymore…” Yu Ziqing tried to rescue Gao Jie.

There was hope now. Gao Jie sneered inwardly. Yu Ziqing, sooner or later, I’ll have you under me. Jiang Xiwen, do you really think you can trip me up? Helping a beggar is nothing.

Aloud, Gao Jie said, “Xiwen is right—if you help someone, you should see it through.” He smiled at Yu Ziqing as he spoke, then went to help the old woman up. “Ma’am, come, I’ll get you something to eat, then buy you some clothes.”

“Oh, kind young man, how can I accept this?” The old woman was nearly in tears. In all her years of begging, she’d never met such a generous young man.

“It’s nothing, ma’am; let’s go,” Gao Jie replied, then turned to Yu Ziqing. “Ziqing, I’ll come find you in a bit.”

“Gao Jie…” Yu Ziqing answered softly, unsure what to say. Had she really misjudged him?

As soon as Gao Jie walked away, Jiang Xiwen smiled slightly and tugged at Yu Ziqing’s sleeve. “Ziqing, come with me to watch a good show.”

“What…” Before Yu Ziqing could react, Jiang Xiwen was already dragging her along.

“Why are we following Gao Jie?”

Yu Ziqing soon noticed they were heading in the same direction as Gao Jie and the beggar woman, always keeping a safe distance—it was clear they were tailing him.

“You’ll see soon enough,” Jiang Xiwen replied mysteriously. Now he finally had the chance for Yu Ziqing to witness the truth firsthand; it was far more convincing than anything he could say.

He didn’t mind Gao Jie buying off a few people, but using a beggar woman as a prop was truly despicable. Jiang Xiwen doubted someone like Gao Jie could keep up the act when far from his target. If he really had that skill, he wouldn’t have slipped up so quickly under Jiang Xiwen’s verbal probing in the clothing store.

Gao Jie led the beggar woman through a few twists and turns into a narrow alley.

Yu Ziqing grew increasingly puzzled—this was a dead end. What was Gao Jie planning to do? As Jiang Xiwen pulled her to the mouth of the alley and they peeked inside, Yu Ziqing’s anger surged.

She caught sight of Gao Jie shoving the old woman roughly to the ground. Gone was his usual elegant demeanor; he was cursing foully.

“Old hag, you should be grateful for that hundred. Stop whining!”

“How can you be like this? If you don’t want to give, forget it—why bully an old woman? Didn’t you already pay me fifty yuan for this? Young man, aren’t you afraid of retribution for hitting an old lady?”

Unbelievable—even beggars are in on it? Jiang Xiwen was stunned; he’d never seen anyone go to such lengths to chase a woman.

Yu Ziqing was furious, ready to confront him, but Jiang Xiwen held her back, whispering, “Let’s watch a bit more.”

Gao Jie sneered, “You miserable old hag, get lost before I make you cough up that hundred and fifty!” With that, he pulled a black brick-like object from his pocket. Jiang Xiwen found it familiar; when Gao Jie held it to his ear, he realized—it was an early mobile phone. This guy really was extravagant, owning a cellphone at this time.

“Hello? Yaowu? The people you found really have no sense of professionalism. That taxi driver hit me up for more money after the job, and the beggar woman was clueless too. Only that rickshaw boss was any good—one yank and he managed to rip Yu Ziqing’s pants.”

“What? The rickshaw guy’s from the acrobat troupe? He specializes in stunt driving? Damn, Yaowu, you’re something else…”

The more Yu Ziqing overheard, the angrier she became. Jiang Xiwen thought she was about to rush out, but instead, she turned and walked away from the alley.

Seeing her leave, Jiang Xiwen hurried after her, worried she might run into trouble. “Ziqing, don’t feel bad about someone like him.”

Yu Ziqing smiled, reaching out to ruffle Jiang Xiwen’s hair. “Kid, who says I’m upset? I never liked him anyway. This is for the best—it saves me from feeling guilty sometimes, since he’s always been decent to me before.”

Just as they left the alley, a familiar Bluebird car pulled up nearby. Jiang Xiwen saw clearly as Secretary Fan got out, flashed his trademark ingratiating smile to someone in the car, and then walked away.