So What If the Pretty Campus Belle Is a Gold Digger? (12)

In the cramped space, only their ragged breathing could be heard.

Hua Jinchen lowered his head and looked at the person in his arms.

Shi Zheng was still pressed tightly against his chest. The tips of her ears were crimson, and her uneven breaths brushed against his neck.

He loosened his grip a little, but his arms remained around her.

His thumb brushed her burning cheek, forcing her to lift her head.

The flush had yet to fade from her cheeks, and reflexive tears clung to her lashes.

To him, she looked like a flower trembling as it bloomed after being ravaged by a torrential storm... fatally alluring.

Hua Jinchen's Adam's apple bobbed, and his eyes darkened.

I never expected kissing to feel so good. I really want to kiss her to death...

No, how could I possibly think something like that?!

Shi Zheng braced her hands weakly against his chest. "Hua Jinchen, we've been found out... what are you going to do?"

"You want me to make our relationship public?"

Hua Jinchen hated losing control like this, yet he couldn't tear his gaze away from the striking sight before him.

He turned his head away from Shi Zheng and warned, "Don't indulge in wishful thinking. Given your current status, you're not worth the trouble. Shi Zheng, don't covet what doesn't belong to you. As long as you listen and behave, I can guarantee you'll get through school without trouble."

"Got it," Shi Zheng replied with a nod. "Then about the Disciplinary Committee... you've agreed to help me?"

"As for the Disciplinary Committee..." His tone betrayed neither pleasure nor anger. "I'll speak to them for you. I won't let you be expelled."

With that, Hua Jinchen yanked open the lounge door.

A closer look would have revealed a barely perceptible unevenness in his stride.

A few seconds later, Shi Zheng raised a hand and gently touched her stinging lips with her fingertips.

"Hiss..."

Damn it, was Hua Jinchen born in the year of the dog? He even bit my lips raw.

System: [Hua Jinchen's current affection: 32.]

[Holy shit! Host, you're freaking amazing! How did you do that?]

[He clearly has no intention of making your relationship public, but his affection still went up.]

Shi Zheng: [Because he's grown curious about me. Growing curious about someone often means it's the start of liking them.]

When Shi Zheng returned to the dorm room, a burst of shrill laughter and chatter came from inside.

"Some people spend men's money pretending to be high-society ladies and actually think they're hot stuff. And what happened? The forum stripped them down to their underwear, and their poverty was exposed!"

The speaker was her roommate Li Wei. "If I were certain people, I'd pack my bedding and get lost like a good girl, instead of staying here and making an even bigger fool of myself!"

Another roommate, Wang Luning, laughed in agreement beside her. Her gaze flickered, and she didn't dare look directly at Shi Zheng.

Su Qingqing sat at her desk, her head lowered over a foreign-language book.

Hearing this, she said softly, "Li Wei, don't say that."

Her tone was gentle, but she made little effort to stop her.

As if she hadn't heard the grating words, Shi Zheng walked calmly to her desk and put down her books.

Her silence seemed to embolden Li Wei.

"What's wrong? Nothing to say? Weren't you always so good at putting on airs?"

Li Wei turned around, folded her arms, and sneered. "You returned that rented designer bag, didn't you? Well, of course. A few hundred a day in rent isn't something a person like you, slapping her face swollen to look rich, can afford. Hurry up and drop out. You're an eyesore!"

"Since when was it up to you to decide whether I drop out?"

Only then did Shi Zheng slowly turn around. "Has the notice from the Academic Affairs Office come down? Or did the principal call you personally?"

Li Wei was momentarily at a loss, and her face flushed red. "After everything on the forum, you still have the nerve to stay? You think the Student Council will let you off? It's only a matter of time before you're expelled!"

"Oh?" Shi Zheng raised an eyebrow slightly. "Sounds like you know the school rules and regulations very well. Or do you know the disciplinary procedures better than the Student Council?"

"You...!" Unable to outtalk her, Li Wei stamped her foot in anger and turned to Su Qingqing. "Qingqing, look at her. She's at death's door and still talking tough! You're on the Student Council. You tell us, shouldn't she be expelled over what she's involved in?"

Su Qingqing closed her book and raised her eyes to Shi Zheng, advising her in a helpless tone, "Shi Zheng, what happened on the forum really has had a very bad impact."

"Our school and the Student Council have always placed great importance on academic atmosphere and student conduct... if the allegations are true, I'm afraid the punishment won't be light. You'd better start making plans early."

Her words seemed caring, yet they cemented Shi Zheng's position as someone guilty of misconduct.

Wang Luning also muttered under her breath, "Exactly, after all that..."

Just then—

"Ding."

The screen of Shi Zheng's phone, which she had placed on the desk, lit up, and the notification chime for a new message rang out particularly clearly.

From where Su Qingqing sat, she could see Shi Zheng's phone screen.