He just slept his way to the top

"Classes are starting?"

Jiang Ze hadn't expected Meng Zhiyuan to hear the news when he had only gone to the university to arrange his return yesterday.

"Yes, I finished the paperwork yesterday. The university said I could start attending classes in a couple of days."

Meng Zhiyuan looked up from the book in his hands at Jiang Ze. "Have you decided where to live?"

Jiang Ze's university wasn't far away. It was a prestigious university right in the center of B City, and students could either live on campus or commute.

"I haven't decided yet..."

Jiang Ze felt a little embarrassed to admit that he wanted to commute. Meng Zhiyuan's villa was in the heart of B City, where every inch of land cost a fortune, and only a few kilometers from the university. Commuting couldn't have been more convenient.

But the big shot had already taken him in for quite some time. Now that he finally had the option of living on campus, it didn't seem right to keep imposing.

He was just about to speak when the man's deep voice sounded in front of him.

"Commute. You won't be as comfortable in a dorm, and the university isn't far from here."

The man settled the matter with a single statement. Jiang Ze put up a token protest, but inside, he was delighted.

Oh, you've got to hand it to the big shot. How did he know I didn't want to live on campus?

Meng Zhiyuan watched in amusement as Jiang Ze wore a troubled expression while inwardly cheering with joy.

"Have Cheng Feng drive you there and back."

This time, Jiang Ze genuinely felt a little embarrassed. He wasn't a child anymore. He was already in university, yet someone would still be driving him to and from classes.

But Meng Zhiyuan gave him no chance to object. Things involving Meng Zimu and Shen Yun were bound to be turbulent during this period. Jiang Ze needed someone by his side to protect him.

"Cheng Feng, get ready and choose a car from the garage. You'll be driving him to and from university from now on."

Cheng Feng understood his meaning and nodded. Wealthy families attracted plenty of trouble, after all. Weren't their enemies always kidnapping or assassinating people in TV dramas? The look he gave Jiang Ze had the air of a man prepared to march to his death.

Jiang Ze's mouth twitched. He had no idea what the man was imagining, but he understood Meng Zhiyuan's good intentions and could only agree.

Over the next two days, Jiang Ze busied himself preparing everything he needed to return to university. His body's original owner had chosen a fairly obscure major, and Jiang Ze needed to familiarize himself with some of the specialized knowledge beforehand.

On the day he was due to officially report to the university, Cheng Feng drove up early and waited at the entrance.

Jiang Ze didn't see Meng Zhiyuan after getting up, so he left him a message before having Cheng Feng drive him to the university.

"Shen Yun, I heard your boyfriend rented you a villa near the university to make it easier for you to get to classes?"

"Yeah, Shen Yun, is that true? Is your boyfriend really that rich? This is central B City. I heard property prices here are astronomical!"

The new term was beginning, and students were making their way back to campus. Shen Yun had returned two days earlier and was now surrounded by a group at the university gates, looking every bit the center of attention.

Shen Yun still wore his usual gentle expression, but he couldn't conceal the smugness in his eyes.

"It's nothing, really. It is outrageously expensive. I didn't want him wasting all that money in the first place. I would've been perfectly fine in a dorm, but he insisted he couldn't bear to put me through that... sigh..."

Once he confirmed it, everyone was beside themselves with envy and began clamoring to visit the villa he was renting.

Shen Yun inwardly disdained them, but he didn't show it, merely offering noncommittal replies.

"Huh? Look at that car. I think I've seen it in a magazine. It must cost several million!"

Someone suddenly exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention.

A car in an understated color slowly pulled up outside the university gates. Its badge wasn't that of a widely recognizable luxury brand; most people had never even seen it before.

The driver parked, got out, and respectfully opened the rear door. A young man with finely sculpted features stepped out.

"You must be mistaken. It looks like some niche brand to me. How could it cost several million? Still, he certainly knows how to make an entrance. Looks like some rich young master."

This was a public university where students earned admission on their own merits. Students from exceptionally wealthy backgrounds were genuinely uncommon.

The student who had called out was interested in cars, but he couldn't come up with a convincing explanation on the spot.

Seeing everyone's reaction, Shen Yun also looked over, displeased. Cheng Feng had his back to him, and although his build seemed familiar, Shen Yun didn't give it much thought.

But he saw Jiang Ze's face perfectly clearly.

"Jiang Ze?! Why is it him again!"

"Shen Yun, you know him? Well, you do spend a lot of time in B City's high-society circles. It's hardly surprising that you'd know a few rich young masters."

Shen Yun glanced at the speaker, then looked back at Jiang Ze basking in the attention. Thinking of Meng Zhiyuan, his eyes flashed with jealousy and resentment.

He gave a derisive chuckle. "What young master? He just slept his way to the top."

That single remark caused an uproar. Everyone looked eager for gossip. He had thoroughly whetted their appetites, but said nothing more.

He merely cast a somewhat frightened glance toward Jiang Ze and said in a flustered tone, "Don't go spreading that around. It's just something I heard. There's nothing to it!"

Everyone wore a knowing look and resolved to discreetly investigate Jiang Ze's background.

Jiang Ze had no idea that merely getting out of a car at the university gates had already sparked so many rumors.

"Cheng Feng, you can head back. I'll contact you this evening."

After Cheng Feng left, Jiang Ze looked at the large characters spelling out "Jinghai University" at the entrance. The strokes were bold and unrestrained, seemingly the work of a master calligrapher.

Once he entered the sprawling campus, he had quite a struggle finding the teaching building for the obscure archaeology major and getting his class schedule.

"Come take a look! Don't miss out! Rare treasures, paintings, calligraphy, antiques-we've got it all!"

He had just entered the archaeology department's teaching area. Although it was certainly tucked away in a remote corner, the scene was completely different from those of the other departments.

As soon as Jiang Ze stepped inside, he discovered that both the buildings and the surroundings had an antique charm. Apparently, to better suit the nature of the major, even the teaching buildings had been constructed to resemble ancient pavilions.

"This is interesting."

Before coming, he had worried about how dull this major would be. Now he saw that some students had even set up stalls selling antiques, paintings, and calligraphy, which certainly made things much more interesting.

"Excuse me, could you tell me what that big building up ahead is? There seem to be a lot of people there."

Jiang Ze approached a nearby student whose stall had the fewest customers to ask for directions.

"You don't even know the Rare Treasures Pavilion? Are you a freshman? No, that can't be right. It isn't time for freshmen to register yet."

The student looked at Jiang Ze in puzzlement. With looks like his, he ought to have been at least somewhat well-known.

"I'm not a freshman. I took a year off because of something at home. I only just came back."

"Oh, that explains it. This place only opened in the last couple of years. It works with our department, but strictly speaking, it isn't a university-owned shop. There are lots of antiques, paintings, and calligraphy inside. You can have treasures appraised, auction them off, or even compete with them! Our department's the only one with anything like it. Loads of people from other departments come just to have a look!"

By the time he finished, the student looked thoroughly proud. Perhaps the major had been so obscure before that he was delighted it finally had something to show off.

"Compete with treasures?"

Jiang Ze wanted to ask more, but just then, a customer arrived at the stall, so he had to give up for the moment.

"System, system, this place doesn't look ordinary at all. The name Rare Treasures Pavilion sounds familiar. Could you check whether it's an important plot point?"

The system was fairly reliable this time. It soon had an answer, its voice brimming with excitement.

"Host, this is a huge opportunity! This is where Shen Yun and Meng Zimu later acquire their main resources for taking on the Meng Family! There's an influential benefactor here!"

"A benefactor? For the protagonists?"

"Exactly. How do you think Shen Yun and Meng Zimu managed to bring down a behemoth like the Meng Family in the end? They couldn't have stood a chance without resources. You could say this is where they start building them up!"

Now Jiang Ze was truly interested. The major he had stumbled into actually had a connection to such a huge opportunity for the protagonists.

As he thought about it, he stepped into the mysterious Rare Treasures Pavilion.