Chapter 6: A Long Way to Go

Because they had drunk quite a bit last night, the four of them, including Jiang Chen, fell into a deep sleep as soon as they returned to the dormitory, only to be jolted awake by a frantic pounding on the door.

"Jiang Chen! Jiang Chen! Open up!"

"Who is it?!"

Luo Peng rubbed his hair and stood up irritably to pull the door open, only to find it was a buddy from the neighboring dorm.

"What time is it? You guys are still sleeping?"

"We drank too much yesterday," Luo Peng yawned.

"Where's Jiang Chen?"

"Still sleeping. What's up?"

"Sleeping my ass!"

The guy barged straight into the dorm and yanked back Jiang Chen's quilt.

"Jiang Chen, get up! Something good happened!"

Only then did Jiang Chen blink his eyes open in a daze.

The beer he had ordered was no issue; the real problem was the three glasses of Western liquor he had consumed at Li Shurui's table. The aftereffects were intense.

Li Shao, Bai Zhe, and Li Li were also successively awakened, sitting up in bed while rubbing their heads.

"What good thing?"

"Li Shurui is downstairs!"

"Who?"

Luo Peng froze, wondering if he had misheard.

"Li Shurui! The flower of the Arts Academy! She's been waiting for you downstairs for over ten minutes. Get down there, quick!"

The guy was both pulling and dragging him, clearly excited and finding the situation quite unbelievable.

Who was Jiang Chen?

He was the school's notorious "simp."

A disgrace to men.

And today, the flower of the Arts Academy had actually come looking for him.

This news sent a shockwave through the entire men's dormitory.

In disbelief, Luo Peng rushed to the balcony and poked his head out to look down.

Standing under the tree, a sexy figure that caused every passing male to turn their head—who else could it be but Li Shurui?

Just then, Li Shurui looked up. Luo Peng hurriedly ducked back, utterly stunned.

Damn!

What was going on?

"Is it really Li Shurui?" Li Shao climbed out of bed.

Luo Peng turned around and nodded blankly.

Li Shao was also stunned.

Jiang Chen, however, didn't seem surprised at all. He rubbed his face and, despite being dragged, hopped out of bed. He said unhurriedly, "I'm going to brush my teeth first."

The others watched helplessly as he dawdled for another ten minutes before finally walking out of the dorm at a leisurely pace.

"When did Jiang Chen meet Li Shurui?" the guy asked the three of them.

But at this moment, Luo Peng and the others were also completely in the dark, having no idea how it had happened.

"Let's go see."

The group quickly headed to the balcony.

Downstairs.

Jiang Chen walked out of the dormitory building, wearing a smile as gentle as sunlight.

"Shurui."

Li Shurui looked at him quietly, ignoring the prying eyes and whispers surrounding them.

"You should know why I came to find you."

"Of course."

Jiang Chen stopped two steps away, maintaining a perfect distance.

"There's no need for thanks. It was just a round of drinks; it's nothing."

Listen to that tone.

Last night, Jiang Chen had tested the usage of the "Simp Gold." As expected, when used on a target for pursuit, it worked perfectly. Regardless of the payment method, it was deducted directly from his simp allowance.

5,888.

To the old Jiang Chen, this would undoubtedly have been an astronomical sum. But now, possessing a "net worth" of ten trillion, spending 5,888 was like taking a single ladle of water from the ocean.

"Jiang Chen, do you think you look cool doing this?"

Seeing Jiang Chen's attitude of treating wealth like dirt, Li Shurui laughed.

It had to be admitted.

She was indeed a stunningly beautiful girl; though young, she possessed an indescribable charm.

A guy passing by was so mesmerized that he nearly walked into a tree.

"I hate three types of people the most. One is those who overrate themselves, and the second is those who pretend to be something they're not. Do you think that by paying my bill, I'll develop feelings for you?"

"No, no, no."

Jiang Chen had excellent composure. Faced with such an insult, his expression didn't change.

"It was just a round of drinks. I really didn't intend to gain anything from it, so you don't need to take it to heart. I did it of my own free will."

Looking into his clean and sincere eyes, Li Shurui frowned slightly.

This guy... didn't seem to be faking it.

"Do you know what the third type of person I hate most is?"

"What?"

"Stupid people."

Li Shurui said coldly, "This amount of money means nothing to me, but to you, it shouldn't be a small sum, right? What will you do with your life moving forward? To torture yourself just to please others—that is the stupidest behavior."

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow.

He had, of course, heard of what kind of person Li Shurui was.

Vain.

Luxurious lifestyle.

Materialistic.

In short, aside from being beautiful, she had almost no virtues.

However, he realized now that although this girl's words were harsh, she was quite honest—at least far better than those "green tea" types.

Inevitably, Jiang Chen thought of his ex-girlfriend, Ai Qian, and sighed inwardly.

He really had simped for the wrong person before.

"It seems I fall into all three categories," Jiang Chen said with a bitter smile.

Li Shurui said nothing more. She picked up her Chanel-branded bag and pulled out a stack of cash.

"This is six thousand yuan."

Jiang Chen was stunned.

"Really, there's no need..."

"Do you want everyone to see you?"

Staring at that decisive and cold, beautiful face, Jiang Chen could only accept the money.

Between the payment and the return, he had actually made a profit of over a hundred yuan.

In a sense, did this count as an illegal cash-out?

"We are not from the same world. I hope you won't disturb me again in the future."

Li Shurui clearly wanted no connection with Jiang Chen. After returning the money, she turned to leave.

"Then what would it take to be in the same world as you?" Jiang Chen asked softly.

"Driving a luxury car worth millions, perhaps?"

Li Shurui paused.

"Shurui, I won't give up. I know you look down on me now, but I will work hard to earn a place in your eyes."

How touching.

"There's no need to waste your time on me. At the very least, you cannot meet my material needs. Perhaps with your talent, you could become wealthy in the future, but I cannot wait that long."

With that, Li Shurui didn't linger. She put on her sunglasses and walked away briskly under a sea of admiring gazes.

What a decisive girl.

And very realistic.

Jiang Chen weighed the stack of cash in his hand, feeling no sense of defeat. Once Li Shurui's figure disappeared, he turned and walked back into the dormitory as if nothing had happened.

"Brother Chen, what's the situation? What did Li Shurui want with you?"

Seeing Jiang Chen return, Bai Zhe Li asked eagerly.

Everyone has a gossiping heart.

How proud was Li Shurui?

For her to take the initiative to find the school's most famous simp was truly intriguing.

"Jiang Chen, what did she mean by giving you money?"

Luo Peng was full of confusion. Although they couldn't hear the conversation, they had seen that stack of cash clearly from the balcony.

"It's simple. She gave me money to tell me to stop pestering her," Jiang Chen said nonchalantly.

Luo Peng and the others were stunned.

Jiang Chen toyed with the stack of bills.

Coming specifically to return the money, and in cash—she clearly wanted zero intersection with him.

It seemed the path of the simp would be long and arduous.

"I'm rich! If I knew making money was this easy, why would I bother working part-time jobs?"

He chuckled, without a hint of shame.

"Let's go eat. My treat!"