On the day of the Four-School League, Liu Tingting had successfully elbowed her way through the pressure of public opinion. She was no longer under house arrest and had won her way back into the competition.
The feather-haired Little Green Tea had come back for a second life and was competing!
Watching Liu Tingting, radiant and full of energy on the badminton court, Su Muzhi turned to Jiang Linyuan beside her and teased with a smile:
"Love really is powerful. You can even overcome your injuries for it."
"What's powerful is me, not some goddamn love. Little Su, do you understand?"
Jiang Linyuan sneered.
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. But I played quite a part too."
Su Muzhi pretended not to hear that strange nickname. Smiling brightly, she pressed her palms together.
"We're both amazing."
"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm the only amazing one here."
Jiang Linyuan corrected her, displeased.
"When a student gets good grades on an exam using a pen, do you give the pen credit?"
"On the other hand, if the pen runs out of ink and the student fails, then the pen is definitely to blame!"
The smile on Su Muzhi's face stiffened.
This guy really thought I was just a tool?!
"So, if someone kills someone with a knife, then the knife gets all the blame, right?"
She blinked and replied with a smile.
"Hahaha, Su, I was only joking. We're the best of friends, like brothers!"
Jiang Linyuan instantly changed his tune and laughed.
I knew that trashy woman was trouble. Now she's threatening to expose Liu Tingting as a green tea.
Time reveals a horse's strength; adversity reveals a person's heart.
I'll have plenty of chances to make that Downer Girl pay.
"Heh."
Su Muzhi smiled politely and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
Based on what she knew of this jerk so far, he was the sort who'd do anything to reach his goals, even if it meant throwing away his dignity.
When he needed something, she was a "wonderful junior and good partner." When he didn't, he'd turn on her in an instant: "Who the hell are you, you downer?"
"So you've already won Liu Tingting's heart."
Su Muzhi watched Liu Tingting's ponytail on the court. The nameplate on her hair tie caught the light and gleamed.
She remembered that Liu Tingting's hair ties had never had decorations like that before.
"Next, things should just fall into place, right? You'll gradually grow closer, then..."
As Su Muzhi rambled to herself, Jiang Linyuan cut her off:
"No need. It's already over."
His words were so cryptic that even Louis XVI would have been baffled. Su Muzhi stared at him.
"What do you mean? Shouldn't this just be getting started?"
Jiang Linyuan spoke in a leisurely tone.
"I plan to confess to Liu Tingting as soon as this match ends."
To get the system's reward, the girl had to truly fall for him. Even if it lasted only an instant, the thought "I really do like him" was enough.
And Liu Tingting already met that condition.
Good days were just around the corner!
"No, you'll definitely get rejected if you do that..."
Su Muzhi was about to say more, then quickly caught on.
He was deliberately trying to get rejected.
Right. There was no way a trashy guy like him would keep striking out if he genuinely wanted to win over those Little Green Teas.
What he wanted was to be rejected!
But why? Was he a masochist?
He had a fetish for green tea girls, so it wasn't impossible he was even more perverted.
Suddenly, a light went on in Su Muzhi's mind.
Some girls who had rejected Jiang Linyuan's confessions had later come back to him in private, hoping to date him, only for him to promptly turn them down.
Su Muzhi hadn't understood it at the time. Now she did.
"I see. You really are an irredeemable bad man."
Su Muzhi covered her mouth with one hand and laughed, her eyes curving into crescents.
That was it.
He made himself the girls' unreachable ideal, offering them the warmest comfort when they were at their lowest.
He made them believe that he understood them, and that maybe they could have a beautiful future together.
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In that ambiguous, on-again, off-again state, Jiang Linyuan would confess to them, shattering their fantasies.
At that point, they'd only just started to fall for him. There was no way they'd say yes right away; they'd definitely want to keep things going.
Then, after rejecting them, Jiang Linyuan would stop contacting them and leave their lives, preserving the most beautiful impression of himself.
That way, whenever those girls started a new relationship, they'd think of him without meaning to.
Those brief, beautiful memories of an unattainable ideal.
What a jerk this man was.
Still, I don't dislike it.
Seeing Su Muzhi's mischievous grin, Jiang Linyuan couldn't help thinking she'd imagined all sorts of strange things.
Why did that Downer Girl have such a vivid imagination?
"Are you thinking about something weird?"
"Nope."
Su Muzhi smiled.
"Hmm..."
Jiang Linyuan hesitated.
"Could you tone down that lecherous grin? It's disgusting."
"Hm?"
A lecherous grin?
Su Muzhi's smile didn't change, but her eyebrows lifted slightly. She was actually quite displeased. Then, out of nowhere, she said:
"You're such a disgusting person."
What's she mumbling about? Is this kid secretly insulting me in dialect?
Jiang Linyuan couldn't understand what Su Muzhi was saying, but the malice in her tone was obvious.
"Are you insulting me?"
"No. In Shanghai, that's how the locals compliment outsiders."
"You're a Shanghainese? Impressive. If I talk to you, will the Oriental Pearl turn into a defense tower and kill me?"
"Heh, of course not."
With that, Su Muzhi smiled sweetly and said softly:
"We're not that conservative."
Su Muzhi was getting more and more brazen.
You've got Shanghainese; I've got Jinling Elegant Speech. Who's afraid of whom?
"You fake-swearing bastard."
"Jiang, are you insulting me?"
"You wouldn't understand. In Jinling, that's how we compliment people."
"Heh..."
The two of them traded insults, carrying out a cultural exchange that was full of colorful language. Though they couldn't understand each other's dialects, they could both read the sincere feelings in the other's heart.
To understand one another without a word—that must be what a moment of perfect rapport looked like.
While Su Muzhi and Jiang Linyuan exchanged meaningful glances, the Four-School League came to an end.
Xingnan University's overall performance was just passable. As far as the results went, they'd placed no lower than fourth!
Congratulations were in order, though the school leaders who'd come to watch didn't look too pleased.
Why? Hard to guess.
Though the team's overall strength had been a little weak, Liu Tingting had been outstanding individually—and she was more than satisfied with her performance.
As soon as the competition ended, she scanned the stands, then smiled sweetly at Jiang Linyuan and jogged over.
"Aw, Jiang, you're in luck. Are you still planning to sit here and have a heart-to-heart with me?"
Su Muzhi glanced at Liu Tingting and asked with a delighted smile.
"You're my wingwoman. What are you still sitting there for? Go buy us some water! I'm going to give one to Liu Tingting later."
Jiang Linyuan said, annoyed.
Su Muzhi: ...
When Su Muzhi didn't move, Jiang Linyuan advised her earnestly:
"We're all adults. You need to learn to control your emotions instead of throwing a childish tantrum. Hurry up!"
Su Muzhi's smile grew brighter.
"I'll bring you a bottle too."
With that, she didn't give Jiang Linyuan a chance to refuse. She trotted straight over to the vending machine.
Jiang Linyuan paid her no further attention and turned to Liu Tingting, who was walking over with a smile.
"You played beautifully, senior."
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