A Huge Blame

At the same time, in an upscale bar in Wind City, Tan Feng, Zhou Liang, and seven or eight others had gathered together. Yet the atmosphere showed none of the ease that came with the approaching weekend.

"Damn it, what rotten luck. Tell me, what the hell is this?"

"Today, I'd just pulled some strings and was planning to get Liu Shang kicked out of the Student Union, to give him a warning."

"But before the teacher I'd contacted, the one in charge of Student Union affairs, could even do anything, Liu Shang had already quit the Student Union on his own."

Zhou Liang took a hard gulp of alcohol, in an especially foul mood.

"And to make matters worse, somehow Jiang Ruolin found out about it."

"There's no need to think about it. The huge blame for Liu Shang leaving the Student Union landed squarely on me."

"Honestly, since I'd decided to do it, I wasn't afraid of the consequences."

"But! If I'd punched Liu Shang in the face and achieved my goal, then even if I got blood all over myself, I'd accept it."

"But now, I threw a punch, and that brat Liu Shang dodged it. My damn fist landed squarely in a pile of shit. Not only did it splatter all over me, I also had to take the blame for the whole thing."

"Tell me, isn't that unfair? Isn't that infuriating?!!!"

Zhou Liang was known throughout their circle for being shrewd and resourceful.

Now that he had stumbled and made such a mess of things, his vanity had taken a severe blow.

At that moment, Song Jia and another girl shot him fierce glares. "Zhou Liang, can't you use a less disgusting analogy?!!!"

Lu Kai, standing nearby, cursed as well and asked, "Could things really be that coincidental?"

"Why would Liu Shang suddenly quit the Student Union on his own?"

"It's fine, Zhou Liang. So what if you take the blame? What can Jiang Ruolin, a girl, really do to you?"

"As long as this doesn't drag Tan Feng into it, nothing else matters!"

Hearing Lu Kai say that, Zhou Liang sounded almost tearful.

"Fuck, Lu Kai, you make it sound so easy!"

"Do you really think Jiang Ruolin is Hello Kitty? She has such a big name in our circle—do you really think she's a pushover?"

"After Jiang Ruolin learned about it today, she went straight to the Student Union and voluntarily applied to withdraw, with an incredibly firm attitude."

"When she made such a fuss, it was no small matter. It directly alerted the school leadership, and teachers immediately came down to check on things and ask questions."

"Anyway, all I know is that the teacher I'd pulled strings to find was transferred straight from being a prestigious student society advisor to managing warehouses in the logistics department."

"I owe a huge favor over this!"

Upon hearing Zhou Liang's words, everyone froze, while Lu Kai was left utterly dumbfounded.

"Fuck, no way?"

"That ruthless?!!!"

"Jiang Ruolin usually seems so gentle and quiet. How come she's as ruthless as you are when it comes to pulling strings, Zhou Liang?!"

Zhou Liang took another large gulp of alcohol and sighed. "Ah, don't mention it."

"Before, I thought that no matter how capable Jiang Ruolin was, she couldn't possibly be that capable."

"But now that I see it, Jiang Ruolin is far more formidable than I—or any of us—imagined."

"This time, she didn't use any connections or influence at all. She merely stated her position, and the matter was handled easily."

"It's obvious she wanted to use this to warn people like us not to interfere with her love life, especially not to scheme against Liu Shang. Otherwise, she wouldn't go easy on us."

"Although I took a fall this time, I truly admire Jiang Ruolin."

As he spoke, Zhou Liang patted Tan Feng on the shoulder. "Tan Feng, let me tell you, I'm absolutely the person who supports you most in pursuing Jiang Ruolin now."

"If you can win over a girl like that and make her your wife, that'll be the greatest blessing of your life. You'll live carefree and happily for the rest of your days."

"That girl is just too outstanding, too impressive!"

Hearing Zhou Liang say that, Tan Feng smiled and gave Zhou Liang's arm a firm pat.

"Good brother, thanks for your support."

"I'll repay the favor owed to that teacher who got transferred today."

"The more Jiang Ruolin acts like this, the more it means time is running out. It looks like we'll have to move up our next plan."

"Oh, right, Jia Jia. You should work a little harder and help us keep an eye on Ruolin's movements."

"If you have time tomorrow or the day after, see if you can join us to work out next week's gathering plans?"

Before he could finish, Song Jia extended her hand and waved it in front of them.

"Don't include me in whatever dirty plan you guys are working on!"

"I'm not interested in the slightest!"

"Besides, I'm going to my dad's company this weekend to practice driving. I've already bought my MINI, but I still haven't gotten my driver's license!"

The impatient Lu Kai sighed. "Come on, Jia Jia. It's just a driver's license. Why go through all that trouble taking the test?"

"Just spend money and buy one."

"This is exactly when we need intelligence the most!"

Song Jia rolled her eyes at him. "I'm going to get my driver's license through my own abilities!"

"As for intelligence, what is there to investigate?!"

"After school tonight, Jiang Ruolin and Liu Shang treated her dormmates to dinner at Annie Western Restaurant & Barbecue."

"Then Jiang Ruolin went home for the weekend and isn't at school. That's all!"

"You young masters, all famous around the school, each have several girls flirting around you."

"Do you really need me to gather news about Jiang Ruolin?"

Zhou Liang raised his head and asked, "Jia Jia, you must have heard that from Song Sha, Jiang Ruolin's dormmate, right?"

"I heard you two are pretty close?"

Song Jia took a sip of iced cola and nodded.

"Song Sha's father's company does business with my dad's company."

"Her family's company isn't as large as mine, but it's still very good."

"Song Sha is also a pearl of her hometown, with a lot of popularity."

"Before school started, our families had already met and shared a meal."

"I think Song Sha is a pretty good girl. She's beautiful and cheerful, though she has a bit of a spoiled young lady's temper."

"Zhou Liang, Lu Kai, if any of you want to pursue her, I can help make introductions."

"But, based on what I know about Song Sha, she might not even be interested in any of you!"

The moment Lu Kai heard Song Jia's words, he repeatedly shook his head. "No, no. I don't want to settle down over marriage so early."

"A girl like that would be too much trouble. Once you get together, if your relationship goes bad and you break up later, it'll be even more troublesome."

Perhaps because he had drunk a little too much today, Zhou Liang began joking around.

"I have absolutely no interest in Song Sha."

"But Jia Jia, we're already in college. Shouldn't you start thinking about dating too?"

"How about considering me?"

Song Jia gave him a contemptuous look, then made a shooing gesture.

"Go, go! Even rabbits don't eat grass near their own burrows!"

"And honestly, when I look at you guys now, it feels almost the same as looking at my dad!"

"The longer I look, the more annoyed I get!"