So What If the Beautiful Campus Belle Loves Money? (47)

Early the next morning.

Shi Zheng slept soundly, nestled in Hua Jinchen's arms.

One of his arms was still draped possessively around her waist, as if he feared she might run away.

Suddenly, a phone rang urgently.

Hua Jinchen frowned. Without opening his eyes, he reached groggily toward the bedside table.

He answered and held the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

There was a second of silence on the other end.

Then came a man's voice he could never mistake in a million years. "...Where's Zhengzheng?"

Hua Jinchen's eyes flew open.

All his drowsiness vanished in an instant.

He looked down at the phone in his hand, which was clearly not his.

Fuck!

It was Gu Yanshen.

He actually had the nerve to call?!

Hua Jinchen's face instantly darkened, and the air around him seemed cold enough to freeze solid.

He turned on his side and nudged the person still sleeping soundly in his arms, his voice stiff. "...Baby, it's for you."

Shi Zheng mumbled a groggy "Mm," and, without opening her eyes, took the phone and held it to her ear.

"Hello? Who is it?"

Her voice was soft, with the lazy nasal quality of someone who had just woken up, like a cat still half asleep.

On the other end of the line, Gu Yanshen did not speak immediately.

Of course, he could hear that something was different about her voice.

That husky, languid tone sounded as though she had been lovingly watered.

His gaze darkened. "Zhengzheng, it's me."

"The matter you asked me to handle is taken care of. Su Qingqing will be expelled, and the official announcement will be made today."

At those words, Shi Zheng's eyes flew open.

Her drowsiness vanished completely.

She shot upright in bed.

The quilt slipped from her bare shoulders, revealing a swath of fair skin and the scattered red marks left on her collarbones from the night before.

"Expelled?" she repeated, a trace of surprise in her voice.

She had expected Su Qingqing to receive a major demerit at most.

After all, Su Qingqing had the "female lead halo." It wouldn't be easy to stamp her out completely.

Had Gu Yanshen... dealt the female lead a killing blow for her sake?

"The evidence was conclusive, and the procedures were followed. I've already spoken to the school."

"They also found out she had someone help her illegally hack into the school forum," Gu Yanshen said. "It was a serious offense, and there's no room for negotiation."

"After all, I'll handle anything Zhengzheng asks me to do beautifully." He smiled.

Shi Zheng fell silent for half a second.

She understood.

The evidence she had provided alone was nowhere near enough to get Su Qingqing expelled.

He had handled it beautifully—because Gu Yanshen had pulled strings.

Only the male lead could stand against the female lead.

Su Qingqing was finished.

Completely finished.

Shi Zheng was delighted.

"Really? Let me see!"

Completely oblivious to her current state, she immediately went to check the forum.

"Ahem."

A loud cough came from beside her.

Hua Jinchen's face was black as he yanked the fallen quilt over her again, wrapping her up tightly from head to toe, leaving only her head exposed.

"Be careful." His voice was stiff and dry. "Don't catch a chill."

He deliberately raised his voice, making sure the microphone could pick up every word.

"It's so early in the morning. Couldn't it have waited? Did you have to call right now?"

"It seems I've disturbed you."

After a long pause, Gu Yanshen spoke apologetically. "But now that it's been taken care of, I won't disturb you any longer. Zhengzheng, if you need anything else, contact me anytime."

He placed particular emphasis on "contact me anytime."

Then he hung up.

The busy tone beeped.

Shi Zheng held up the phone and froze for a moment.

Hua Jinchen's face was already as black as the bottom of a pot.

He scooped her into his arms, quilt and all, and rested his chin in the crook of her shoulder. His voice was muffled and carried an unmistakable note of jealousy.

"What does he mean by that? What does he mean, 'contact me anytime'? Does he think I'm dead?"

Shi Zheng turned her head to look at his face, plainly awash with jealousy, though he was still stubbornly refusing to admit it.

She couldn't help letting out a soft laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" He felt even more aggrieved. "All you do is laugh."

Shi Zheng said nothing.

She simply raised a hand and smoothed his tousled red hair.

"He helped me deal with Su Qingqing," she said softly. "Aren't you happy?"

Hua Jinchen paused.

"I am," he said in a muffled voice. "But I'm not happy he called so early in the morning, and I'm even less happy he spoke to you in that tone."

With that, he held her even tighter. "You're mine. He can forget about it."

"Mm-hmm, you're mine."

Shi Zheng did not contradict him, simply letting him hold her.