I'd finally gone on a date with the A-card I'd been dreaming about, and I'd even hooked up with another A-card. Both were things worth celebrating.
So why did putting them together make me feel so miserable?
Jiang Linyuan stared at his WeChat chat history, his head throbbing.
Getting the Badminton Club good results was about as difficult as getting Louis XVI to turn his head and look—there was no head to turn.
Forget it. I'd take things one step at a time. If I couldn't get a sponsor, then I couldn't get one.
Besides, I could use this opportunity to get closer to Liu Tingting.
No matter what, I had nothing to lose.
"Senior Jiang, you didn't get coffee thrown on you?"
Just then, Jiang Linyuan saw a familiar figure appear before him: Su Muzhi.
She naturally took the seat Shen Wanyu had just vacated and blinked.
"Surprised, Senior Jiang? I came all this way just to see you!"
"Heh. You came all this way to laugh at me?"
Jiang Linyuan glanced at Su Muzhi, whose face was bright with smiles, and replied.
"Don't put it like that. I'm still pretty concerned about how things are progressing between you and Shen Wanyu."
Su Muzhi twirled a lock of hair around her fingertip and said unhurriedly,
"As far as I know, you're the guy who's closest to her, Senior Jiang."
Jiang Linyuan raised an eyebrow.
"Su, I'm an honest man. Stop talking in riddles. Let's be frank with each other. What are you after?"
"Be frank with each other?"
Su Muzhi gave him a sly smile, lowered her head, and said bashfully,
"That wouldn't be appropriate, would it? In broad daylight..."
Damn it, did she think I was asking her to strip for some kind of exhibitionist play?!
Jiang Linyuan was furious and slapped the table.
"Su, I'm a gentleman! Don't let your thoughts get so filthy!"
Su Muzhi grinned.
"The kind with the word 'upright' written all over him?"
Jiang Linyuan laughed in exasperation.
She sure had a wild sense of humor. A master of dirty jokes, was she?
"Oh? You can't even take a joke, Jiang. Don't tell me you're still a virgin."
Su Muzhi was still smiling.
"Ha. Don't make me laugh, Su. Just tell me what you want."
Jiang Linyuan replied.
At that, Su Muzhi stopped beating around the bush and came right out with it.
"Jiang, I've looked into you. It seems you have a bit of an obsession with those Little Green Teas."
"And you keep losing, but somehow you just get more determined."
As she spoke, she stared at Jiang Linyuan, as if trying to read something from his expression.
"Oh? What's wrong? Do you have a problem with what I'm into?"
Jiang Linyuan put on the air of someone being treated unfairly.
"Times are so open-minded now. Some people like older women, some like sweet, cute girls. There are all kinds of pairings: men with men, men with women, women with women."
"So what if I like Green Teas? Got a problem with that? Hmm? Are you discriminating against me? Are you trying to stir up division? What's your purpose? What are your motives?"
His barrage left Su Muzhi somewhat stunned.
But she quickly recovered and smiled.
"I thought you were the type to get completely fooled, so I just wanted to give you a little warning."
"Even if I get fooled, I'll do it willingly."
Facing Su Muzhi, Jiang Linyuan put on the look of a devoted lover.
At that moment, Su Muzhi looked thoughtful.
"Did a Little Green Tea break your heart in the past, Jiang? And now you're planning to get revenge by using the same tricks?"
Huh? Did that happen?
Jiang Linyuan froze, unsure what Su Muzhi had imagined.
But to Su Muzhi, his reaction was a clear sign that she'd hit the mark.
From what she'd heard, Jiang Linyuan had confessed to four Little Green Teas, one after another. All four confessions had ended in failure.
But the curious thing was that some of them had later approached him themselves and said they wanted to be with him. Naturally, Jiang Linyuan had rejected them.
Su Muzhi had no idea what had happened, but she found it interesting.
"So Liu Tingting is your target this time, Jiang?"
Su Muzhi blinked.
"Ah, yeah..."
Everything about her reasoning was wrong, but she'd reached the right conclusion!
Jiang Linyuan looked at Su Muzhi's meaningful expression and nodded, putting on a melancholy look.
"That was a time I'll always look back on fondly..."
Su Muzhi didn't have time to listen to Jiang Linyuan make up some sentimental love story. She waved a hand and suggested,
"Jiang, let me help you!"
"What did you just say?"
Jiang Linyuan wondered if he'd heard her wrong.
Su Muzhi put on a sorrowful expression.
"Actually, my experience was similar to yours. In high school, a Little Green Tea ruined my relationships with everyone around me. She destroyed my youth."
As she spoke, she slowly raised her head and said, enunciating every word,
"So I want revenge. Revenge against Little Green Teas!"
Keep acting. Go on, act. Revenge, huh? Hilarious.
Jiang Linyuan struggled to hold back the corners of his mouth as they kept turning up.
Hold it in. Don't laugh.
With Mastery of Acting, Jiang Linyuan could see that Su Muzhi's performance was about as convincing as an old granny getting into bed—enough to make him crack up.
The whole "What goes around comes around; don't look down on a poor girl" routine!
Although he thought that, Jiang Linyuan still put on a look of finding a kindred spirit at last.
"Su! Why didn't you say so sooner? So we're both fellow travelers, condemned to the same miserable fate!"
After all, she was a free wingwoman. He might as well take her up on it.
"Jiang, tell me about your plan. I'll help you."
Su Muzhi said.
Jiang Linyuan naturally wasn't about to tell her everything.
He still couldn't get a read on Su Muzhi, so how could he trust her?
But she had great potential as a pawn in other matters.
"Su, have you ever thought about joining the Badminton Club?"
Jiang Linyuan asked with a smile.
You might say the Badminton Club members weren't very good at badminton?
No problem. I've brought you a powerful new recruit and coach!
There was no question about Su Muzhi's badminton skills. She was seriously good.
He could use her skills to take care of the External Relations Department's work, while also making Liu Tingting feel more threatened and speeding up his progress with her!
A win-win!
"Join the Badminton Club?"
Su Muzhi narrowed her eyes, as if considering something, then smiled.
"Sure."
"Thanks so much, Su. I'll fill you in on the details later."
"Don't worry. Jiang and I are on the same side."
"Heh. Good."
The two chatted happily, but each had their own agenda.
That woman still hadn't clarified what her relationship with Shen Wanyu was.
Jiang Linyuan wore a smile, but inwardly he began planning to find out more about Su Muzhi.
That man hadn't mentioned Shen Wanyu even once. What was he up to?
Su Muzhi's lips curled up as she began planning to use this scheme to get to know Jiang Linyuan better.
"Pleasure doing business with you!"
A smiling tiger with bad intentions.
"Pleasure doing business with you!"
A masked man with ulterior motives.
They both wore relaxed expressions as they thought to themselves, then exchanged a smile, getting along like old friends.
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