A Grudge Between Strangers

The applause at the end of the speech was always exceptionally loud, and usually proportional to the length of the speech. Su State pursued practicality and efficiency, and rejected meaningless official jargon, platitudes and empty talk. Although it was impossible to completely eliminate them, after all, speaking official jargon was an external attribute of bureaucracy, in Si Ming's opinion, the average speaking time of Su State's leaders was about half that of his previous life, which saved him a lot of precious time.

"Next, let's welcome the new student representative, Murong Qing!"

Amidst applause, Murong Qing, with an impeccable expression, slowly walked onto the stage. In terms of written test scores alone, she was not the top student in the state, but with the bonus points from the art competition and Martial Dao League, she surpassed everyone else and became the state champion.

Generally speaking, the top scholar in a prefecture would choose Heavenly Black Imperial Yellow first. Therefore, Murong Qing, who took the initiative to choose Linked Mountains University, became a hot commodity in the eyes of the leaders. Moreover, she was both literate and martial, and had interests and special skills. Compared with those "candidates" who only knew how to study, she was undoubtedly more favored by public opinion. Finally, her appearance was also a plus.

The so-called "appearance" does not refer to physical appearance, but rather to her spirit and energy. A bookworm with thick glasses, a frail figure, and dull eyes, who looks like an old scholar, would only be criticized by the public if chosen as a student representative, with people saying that the school only produces such exam-taking machines.

In comparison, Murong Qing looked exceptionally energetic and vibrant. In addition, she had a well-proportioned figure, exuding a healthy beauty, and spoke with great confidence, showing no stage fright whatsoever. She was born for big occasions and could be described as a model student with excellent moral character, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and hard work.

"Respected leaders, teachers, and dear classmates..."

The only drawback is that she is too conventional. Her words and actions meet the teacher's standards and there is nothing out of line. However, the students find her monotonous speeches rather boring. They prefer students who stand out, challenge tradition, and have a unique style.

"Tch, they actually chose her as the student representative. The leaders of Linked Mountains University don't have much taste at all."

An unhappy voice came from not far away. Si Ming turned his head and saw that the complainer was Nie Wanzhi, whom he had met at the Martial Arts Club that morning. There were still traces of fighting on her clothes, and her breathing was not very steady. It seemed that the gauntlet match that morning had taken a toll on her physical strength, and she had not yet recovered. Judging from the fact that there were no bruises on her body, she was obviously not the one who lost in the end.

Does this person have a grudge against Murong Qing?

Si Ming recalled that there didn't seem to be anyone named Nie Wanzhi in Murong Qing's circle of friends. After all, the two lived in completely different places, separated by most of the Su State. The only place they had any connection was probably the high school Martial Dao League.

But that doesn't make sense. If it were a defeated opponent who was Qi Ingestion defeat and wanted to get revenge, that would be one thing. But Murong Qing only made it to the top four in the country, while Nie Wanzhi was the runner-up. Even if the two had fought, the outcome wouldn't have been as one might imagine.

Once someone stands out, they attract criticism. Moreover, Murong Qing has a clear sense of right and wrong and is not the kind of person who tries to please everyone. Therefore, she has quite a few people who dislike her. After hearing Nie Wanzhi's complaints, many people immediately echoed her, mostly girls.

"Yeah, so what if she's good at studying and pretty? What's there to show off? You can tell at a glance that she's the kind of person who's arrogant and thinks too highly of herself. She'll never get married. I've seen this kind of situation many times. Capable men often want to find a supportive wife and don't like women who are very career-oriented. On the other hand, she looks down on men who aren't capable. In the end, she's left single."

"That makes sense. She was just invited to dance once by the Yuezheng family, and now she thinks she's a big star? I can only say, thank Yuezheng family only invited her to dance. If they had invited her to sing, she'd probably be inflated to the sky by now."

The "everyone" here does not mean "everyone", but an honorific for those who are knowledgeable in a certain field.

"That's called a petty person getting their way. A boy confessed to her this morning, and do you know how she responded? She directly asked him, 'What were your grades last semester? What level is your Internal Cultivation?' It's like he doesn't deserve to date her if he doesn't have good grades or high martial arts skills. She's so arrogant. Doesn't she realize that a boy with good grades and high martial arts skills would have a lot of girls pursuing him? Why would he lower himself to pursue her?"

"Now that you mention it, she's really materialistic. She treats finding a partner like a business transaction, being picky and choosy. She even considers a potential boyfriend's academic performance. Why doesn't she just date a professor?"

"Hey, you know what, it's actually possible. Some people just like men who are a whole generation older than themselves. Look at how serious and proper she is when she's giving a speech, she probably likes that kind of thing. It would be interesting if it really caused a scandal."

Si Ming frowned as he listened. He could tolerate the complaints of the first few people who were just jealous, but the last one was a bit malicious. The other girls seemed to think that Curse someone like that was inappropriate, but since the other person was on their side, they couldn't really criticize her. They could only pretend not to hear. As a result, the girl became more and more excited as she talked, and kept making up rumors about Murong Qing.

Just as Si Ming was about to speak and warn the girl to shut up, someone beat him to it.

"Shut up, you gossipy old hag! All you do is talk badly about others behind their backs. No wonder the Confucian School say, 'Women and petty men are the most difficult to deal with.' Women's reputations are ruined by sluts like you!" The speaker was actually Nie Wanzhi.

Si Ming was a little confused. Wasn't it you who disliked Murong Qing in the first place? Why are you speaking up for Murong Qing now? Is it the legendary love-hate relationship, where only I can speak ill of her and no one else has the right to? What exactly happened between the two of them?

Suddenly, Si Ming remembered Han Lin, whose girlfriend had been stolen by Yao Bilian and who had met a tragic end. He immediately became alert: Was he going to have his Laozi stolen by a woman?

No, it seems I must remind Murong Qing. If Nie Wanzhi takes advantage of their shared gender and tries to get close to her, that would be very bad. After all, most people only think about being wary of the opposite sex and are always less cautious about the same sex.

The girl who was scolded was just as bewildered as Si Ming, but she quickly recovered and retorted, "Weren't you the one who first spoke ill of Murong Qing? What right do you have to criticize me?"

Nie Wanzhi retorted without hesitation, "Of course I will! I'll repeat what I just said in front of her. What about you? Do you have the guts? A gentleman is open and honest, while a petty person is always worried and anxious. You are a complete and utter scoundrel. Although I don't like Murong Qing, she is still a hundred times, a thousand times better than a despicable person like you!"

The girl blushed, both ashamed and angry. Just as she was about to yell at Nie Wanzhi, a loud snort exploded in her ears, scaring her so much that her soul almost left her body. Her body trembled, and she slumped into the chair, unable to muster any strength. A foul odor gradually emanated from her lower body, causing the students around her to cover their noses and run away.

Such a commotion naturally attracted the teacher's attention. After calling the girl out to find out what happened, the teacher immediately gave Nie Wanzhi a scolding—although the other girl was also at fault, she had already lost so much face that the teacher couldn't really kick her while she was down.

Having witnessed the entire incident, Si Ming shook his head and said, "This girl seems like she's good at causing trouble. It's best to avoid getting involved with her to avoid getting into trouble."

So, on the first day of school, two girls became famous.

One of them was Murong Qing, who performed on the same stage as the queen of Yuezheng Yao, was selected as a freshman representative, and had a unique way of rejecting confessions. With these three hot topics combined, she immediately became a celebrity. The other was Nie Wanzhi, who took on a group of people by herself in the Martial Arts Club and scared a girl so much at the opening ceremony that she lost control of her bladder. These Da Zhuang immediately earned her the title of "most ferocious and vicious freshman".

However, the two girls were a hot topic for only one day, and the next day another woman stole the spotlight.

Pop Yuezheng Yao has been appointed as an honorary professor at Linked Mountains University, where she will teach a semester-long elective music course.

No one knows where the news leaked from, but by the time Si Ming realized it, it had already spread throughout the entire school.

"Hey, Brother Si, how about you sign up for Yuezheng Zheng's classes?"

The speaker was a young man with dyed blond hair. His words and actions gave people a frivolous feeling. His name was Hao Shuai. He was a very outgoing person. Because his room was next to Si Ming's and they were also classmates, they quickly became close, although it was a one-sided friendship.

"Forget it. There will definitely be a lot of people signing up for the diva's classes. If she holds a large class with a hundred or so people, it'll be almost pointless. If she holds a small class, the chances of winning are too low. I've never picked up a bill with a denomination of more than ten dollars in my life. I'd better not join the fun."

Si Ming wasn't interested in music, and having listened to too many songs from his past life, he was prone to giving himself away unintentionally. For example, when he hummed a tune for no reason, others would recognize the melody and ask if it was original. If he answered "yes," he would be Si Ming of plagiarism; if he answered "no," he would have to lie. It was too much trouble, so he preferred to avoid it if possible.

"How can you be so unambitious? She's a superstar! A celebrity you used to only see on TV, now you can see True Person up close! How can you let such a great opportunity slip by? Let me tell you, don't think that going to college will make it easy to find a girlfriend. You still have to take the initiative. Otherwise, after four years of college, everyone else will be in pairs, even three or four, and you'll still be single, watching others show off their love all day long. Don't blame me for not warning you then," Hao Shuai said, patting his chest.

Si Ming felt it was necessary to subtly show off at a time like this, so he said, "Let everything take its natural course. Students should prioritize their studies. There's no need to force things like romance; when the time is right, it will happen naturally."

Hao Shuai shook his head, looking exasperated. "With this attitude, you're destined to be a bachelor for life. Oh well, what can I do? I'm a loyal friend. Once I find a girlfriend, I'll definitely introduce you to her best friends and throw you a social dance party now and then. I guarantee you'll find a partner too."

"Thank you then."

"No need to thank me, it's what brothers should do. If you really want to thank me, then sign up for Yuezheng's courses with me. If you're lucky enough to win, I'll take the classes for you and get the credits for free. How about that, am I a loyal friend?"

"Okay, okay, I'll go with you sometime."

As they talked, they arrived at the classroom door and found it quiet inside. They assumed no one was there, but when they pushed the door open, they found more than a dozen people already sitting there, though no one was speaking.

"What's wrong with everyone? Have they all been silenced...?"

Hao Shuai shut his mouth, because he realized why everyone was silent—the fiercest and most vicious freshman was sitting in the center of the classroom.

Chapter 422 An Unseen Grudge