So What If the Pretty Campus Belle Loves Money? (20)

The taxi stopped in front of the Yunding Club's imposing, gold-plated gates.

The uniformed attendants at the entrance and the glimpses of luxury within gave the impression that the bar for entry was extremely high.

Shi Zheng walked up to the reception desk and gave the private room number Hua Jinchen had given her.

She had been mentally prepared to be scrutinized and given a hard time.

To her surprise, the attendant at reception gave her a professional smile upon hearing the room number.

He bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Hello, miss. Please follow me. The elevator is this way."

The process went unbelievably smoothly.

All those "clichéd plotlines" Shi Zheng had imagined beforehand now seemed unnecessary.

The attendant led her to a private elevator inside, pressed the button for her floor, and politely stepped away.

Just then, a group of well-dressed young men walked over and stopped beside Shi Zheng.

Shi Zheng's eyes met those of one of them.

The smile on his face instantly froze, then turned into undisguised contempt.

"Well, well, look who it is!"

The young man raised his voice and gave Shi Zheng an exaggerated once-over, as though he were inspecting a piece of cheap merchandise.

"Isn't this our famous campus belle Shi? That short on cash? Wasn't making a fool of yourself on the forum enough? Now you've come here to fish for another rich sucker? Who's your target this time?"

Shi Zheng quickly searched the original host's memories—Zhang Hao, one of the suckers the original host had briefly fleeced.

After the forum incident, he probably felt that the original host had cheated him out of his feelings and his money, and was deeply embarrassed, so he held a grudge against her.

Several of his companions had clearly recognized Shi Zheng as well. They burst into malicious laughter, eager to watch the drama unfold.

Shi Zheng breezily asked, "Who are you?"

That attitude struck a more painful nerve than cursing him back outright.

Zhang Hao's face instantly turned bright red. With his companions laughing even louder, he completely lost face.

"Shi Zheng, what the fuck are you pretending for?"

Furious with humiliation, Zhang Hao said, "You're a whore, but you still want a monument to your chastity? Running into me here today is your bad luck! Apologize to us, go inside and offer each of us a toast, and we'll let the past go! Otherwise..."

Shi Zheng glanced at the group. They had the advantage of numbers, and confronting them head-on would clearly put her at a disadvantage.

She lowered her eyes, hiding the cold glint in them.

When she looked up again, she had put on a long-suffering expression. "...Fine. I hope you'll keep your word."

Seeing Shi Zheng back down, Zhang Hao and his friends grew even more smug and crowded around her as they entered the elevator.

The elevator doors slowly closed.

Shi Zheng: [System, send Hua Jinchen a message and tell him to come play the hero and save the beauty.]

[At the same time, keep monitoring Hua Jinchen's location in real time. The moment he gets close to the private room door, alert me.]

System: [No problem, host.]

When they reached the private room, Zhang Hao planted himself in the middle of the sofa and pointed at the liquor on the coffee table. "What are you standing there for? Pour the drinks! Go around and toast each of us, one by one, and show some respect!"

The others joined in the jeering.

"Yeah, campus belle Shi must be pretty good at serving people, right?"

"Give us a proper toast and let us see how sincere you are!"

The filthy remarks went on and on.

Biting her lower lip and looking as though she were swallowing her anger, Shi Zheng silently picked up a liquor bottle and began pouring drinks for the young men who looked down their noses at everyone.

Her movements were somewhat clumsy, making her look even more pitiful, which only provoked them into teasing her more viciously.

Zhang Hao savored the pleasure of being in control, and his words grew filthier. "Wouldn't it have been better if you'd been this obedient from the start? You used to act so pure and noble, but look at you now. Heh, who knows how many people have had their fun with you..."

System: [Host, Hua Jinchen is expected to reach the door within thirty seconds.]

Shi Zheng's hand paused slightly as she poured.

Then.

"Bang—!"

A dull thud rang out, accompanied by the crisp sound of shattering glass.

The liquor bottle smashed squarely into Zhang Hao's forehead.

The blow left Zhang Hao completely dazed. He froze there, utterly motionless.

Liquor mixed with blood streamed down his face.

He blinked, seemingly still unable to register what had happened.

The music was still playing in the private room, but the commotion and jeering stopped abruptly, leaving a deathly silence.

A few seconds later.

"Aah—!!!" Zhang Hao let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered.

He clutched his throbbing forehead, his eyes bloodshot, and furiously pointed at Shi Zheng. "You filthy whore! How dare you hit me?!"

His companions also came to their senses. Cursing, they got to their feet and closed in on Shi Zheng, their faces full of menace.

Shi Zheng backed away, still holding the broken liquor bottle, her gaze wary and cold.

Just as the young man in front reached out to grab her hair—

System: [Hua Jinchen is here!]

"Bang!"

Someone kicked the private room door violently open from outside. It slammed into the wall with a tremendous crash.

A tall, upright figure appeared in the doorway.

Hua Jinchen's expression was frighteningly dark. His gaze swept over the chaotic scene in the room like a sharp blade before settling on Shi Zheng, surrounded by the others.

The last echoes of Zhang Hao's threat seemed still to linger in the air, reaching Hua Jinchen's ears with perfect clarity.

Hua Jinchen's gaze was chillingly cold.

She was his, and it wasn't those pieces of trash's place to lay a finger on her!