Chapter 68: Waiting for Your Revenge

Before Jiang Xiwen could fully process the situation, he heard Gao Jie’s voice from behind, “Ziqing, Xiwen, what are you doing here?”

“Girl, don’t trust this man. He’s no good,” the beggar woman also emerged at that moment, limping badly—clearly her ankle had twisted from being shoved by Gao Jie just now.

But Gao Jie showed no panic. He stubbornly argued, “Ziqing, this beggar isn’t a good person. I was just about to take her to a hostel, but who’d have thought she’d try to extort me? These days, you see all sorts of strange things!”

Yu Ziqing shook her head and said, “Gao Jie, I never thought of being with you, and I’ve never liked you. I used to think you had some integrity, but now I see you for what you are—not only a petty man, but a hypocrite as well. I saw everything just now. I don’t need any explanation from you.”

Gao Jie’s face shifted from nonchalance to embarrassment, paling with anger, but he managed not to explode. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Ziqing, I know you don’t like accepting things from others and you want to earn your own money, but you’re still a university student. You should focus on your studies. The Normal University doesn’t charge tuition and gives you a living stipend. I doubt it’ll affect you much. After you graduate in July, let my father arrange for you to work at Modu No. 1 High School. Wouldn’t that be great? And if you want to pursue a graduate degree, I can support you as well.”

This was Gao Jie’s final card—if only Yu Ziqing understood that everything he did was for her, maybe he could turn the situation around. A true playboy never needs to buy affection with money; he must also present a mask of devotion.

Yu Ziqing let out a soft laugh. “I’ve never seen someone as shameless as you—still trying to talk to me like this after everything that just happened. Whatever you and your father intend, it has nothing to do with me.”

She wasn’t angry or disappointed, just calm and detached. In Gao Jie’s experience, he knew at once there was no hope left—he’d seen this look before, but only after he’d dumped a woman numerous times. It was the resignation of someone finally letting go. Yet Yu Ziqing was the first to give him this look before he’d even had the chance to start.

“Ziqing, let me ask you one more time. Don’t you want to teach at Modu No. 1 High School? I know your family’s situation. Think carefully—without my father’s connections, you probably couldn’t even get into Yangjiang Local High School.”

“Thank you for your concern…” Yu Ziqing remained serenely indifferent.

Finally, Gao Jie’s humiliation turned to rage, and he shifted all his resentment onto Jiang Xiwen. Only by doing this could he restore his own sense of balance and maintain his confidence in his romantic prowess. In his mind, if not for Jiang Xiwen’s interference, winning Yu Ziqing would have only been a matter of time.

“Damn it, since you’re a woman, I’ve never given you a hard time. Don’t worry, I won’t let my father block you from finding a job, but everything will depend on your own abilities now. But as for this little brat—if I don’t beat him up today, my name isn’t Gao Jie.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than he charged forward, the tall figure of one meter eighty launching a flying kick at Jiang Xiwen’s much slighter frame.

“Gao Jie, are you even a man!” Yu Ziqing cried out in alarm, but in the next second, she saw Gao Jie sprawled on the ground, howling in pain. She hadn’t seen how Jiang Xiwen had countered—she only felt that Jiang Xiwen had somehow lifted his foot, and Gao Jie was now clutching his shin, sitting on the ground.

The beggar woman let out a delighted curse in the Yangjiang dialect, “Serves you right, brat…that’s karma!” With that, she quickly slipped away down the alley, her limp now miraculously vanished.

Yu Ziqing was left speechless by the old woman’s performance, but then she saw Jiang Xiwen’s helpless expression. “Ah, Sister Ziqing, the world’s going downhill fast. The old are cunning, the young are sly—there’s no one left you can trust.”

His words made Yu Ziqing, whose mood had soured because of Gao Jie, burst out laughing. “You little grown-up, it seems Brother Li Xuan was right—you really do know martial arts, and you’re this skilled already. No wonder even the special forces guys were surprised.”

“Special forces?” Jiang Xiwen asked in confusion. “Li Xuan is a special forces soldier?”

“Of course. Don’t be fooled by his height—he can really fight. After leaving the army, he became a driver for retired provincial officials. Back at school, whenever some thugs harassed me and Yuling, he was always the one who beat those bastards off.”

Jiang Xiwen wondered if he was as skilled as Wang Wu, and a vision flashed in his mind of a man in sunglasses facing off against Wang Wu. Perhaps Zhang Song had sent this Li Xuan to investigate Old Seven’s kidnapping.

Meanwhile, Gao Jie, sitting ignored on the ground, was seething with pain and rage. He shouted, “Damn it, which school are you from? One of these days, I’ll make you pay!”

Normally, this was just a perfunctory threat meant to save face—something you yelled while making a getaway to show you hadn’t really lost.

That was exactly Gao Jie’s mindset. He didn’t expect Jiang Xiwen to reveal anything, planning instead to investigate later. As long as Jiang Xiwen was still a student, Gao Jie could find a way to make sure he got expelled—no principal in Yangjiang would dare deny Young Master Gao.

“Yangjiang No. 2 Middle School, ninth grade, class four. Jiang Xiwen. You’re welcome to come after me.”

No one expected Jiang Xiwen to declare this so directly. Yu Ziqing grew concerned. “Xiwen, what are you doing?” Then she turned to Gao Jie and said, “Gao Jie, if you’re really a man, don’t bully a kid.”

“I’m breaking the rules for you just this once. What can you do about it, Yu Ziqing? Don’t think your looks make you special. I’ve had plenty of women—your school’s campus beauty has already slept with me. And as for your classmate Cheng Jia, she was going to help you into that taxi when your pants tore, but this little brat here messed things up. To tell you the truth, Cheng Jia’s been with my buddies for a long time now. Who’s as boring as you these days?”

“Get lost!” Yu Ziqing was truly furious, not because of Gao Jie, but because of Cheng Jia. Anyone who spoke to her like that would have been scolded, but it was Cheng Jia’s betrayal that hurt most. Although Cheng Jia was never her closest friend, she was the one girl Yu Ziqing had always trusted. Despite the rumors about Cheng Jia fooling around with men outside school, Yu Ziqing was the only one in the class who still believed in her.

“Sister Ziqing, there’s no need to be upset. I already told you—the world’s falling apart,” Jiang Xiwen continued, his tone full of mock concern.

Yu Ziqing knew he was trying to cheer her up. She managed a smile, though her mood was still heavy. Gao Jie tested his leg, found he could just about stand, and took the opportunity to limp away, calling back, “Jiang Xiwen, just you wait.”

“Xiwen, the money—give it to him, I’ll pay you back,” Yu Ziqing remembered suddenly as she saw Gao Jie leaving. She wanted nothing to do with anything of Gao Jie’s now.

Jiang Xiwen happened to have four thousand on him—he’d planned to visit Yangjiang’s only computer market after seeing Yu Ziqing, hoping to upgrade the family’s 586 with some new parts. Though it was already cutting-edge for the time, he still found it lacking.

He pulled out a wad of hundred-yuan bills, stepped forward, grabbed Gao Jie’s wrist, and stuffed the money into his pocket. Throughout the whole process, Gao Jie couldn’t resist at all. Even Jiang Xiwen was amazed by his own strength—after just a month of training with Wang Wu, the results were remarkable.

Gao Jie certainly wasn’t going to turn down free money. He hadn’t gotten the girl, but at least he wouldn’t lose out financially. Once Jiang Xiwen let go, he said nothing more, just limped off as fast as he could.

No. 2 Middle School, Li Changtian, and there was a director surnamed Fang—he’d start with him. Gao Jie plotted his revenge as he hobbled away.

Yu Ziqing, surprised at the amount of money Jiang Xiwen had given, quickly asked, “Xiwen, why did you give him so much?”

“Those pants cost over three thousand. I didn’t tell you, Sister Ziqing. Just think of it as three months’ worth of tutoring fees for you,” Jiang Xiwen replied with a shrug.

“Three months? My classmates make only a hundred a month,” Yu Ziqing frowned. “Xiwen, where did a kid like you get so much money? Is it from your parents? Let’s go return the pants, and if we can’t get a full refund, I’ll find a way to make it up to you.”

A hundred a month—Jiang Xiwen suddenly remembered the prices in 1993. Tutoring was just beginning to catch on in the early 90s, and work-study programs were still new at Yangjiang Normal University. Back then, university students were the pride of society, and their main job was to study. Many people still considered earning money early as neglecting one’s proper duties.

Of course, he had no intention of letting Yu Ziqing actually return the pants, so he put on a mournful face and, taking on a lecturing tone, changed the subject. “Tsk. I didn’t expect you, Sister Ziqing, to be just like the other teachers—so old-fashioned, looking down on people. You graduate from Normal University and become a teacher, but if you’re just like those boring old folks, how can you inspire your students? Why can’t my money come from my own efforts instead of my parents? Such outdated thinking.”

Yu Ziqing knew all too well how some teachers’ minds were stuck in the past. Teaching that way made it hard to connect with students. When she’d first entered Normal University, she’d resolved to become a teacher beloved by her students. Now, hearing Jiang Xiwen’s words, a stubborn determination welled up in her.

She said seriously, “Xiwen, there’s some truth in what you say, but any kind of study gets dull over time. No one can keep the classroom exciting every moment. If you lack perseverance, even the best teacher can’t help. That’s just how it is.”

She was still just a girl in her early twenties, so easily drawn off topic. Jiang Xiwen found it all quite amusing.