Chapter 45: I'm Coming Clean, I Am a Trillionaire

The front of the bus.

Hu Heng, the president of the Mountaineering Club, was diligently explaining the rules that needed to be followed for this activity. The gist was to follow instructions, avoid wandering off aimlessly, and so on...

Jiang Chen wasn't listening; his eyes were fixed on Li Shurui's face beside him.

When others looked at a beautiful woman, they did so with cautious, stolen glances, terrified of being caught. But he was different.

It was like admiring an art exhibition—unrestrained and bold.

"Is there something on my face?" Li Shurui asked, her gaze fixed straight ahead.

Jiang Chen admired her composure and her ability to remain unruffled.

"No, you're much prettier than a flower."

This wasn't flattery. It was an observation born of genuine feeling.

Although Li Shurui's attire today lacked that soul-stirring, breathtaking glamour, it perfectly suited his aesthetic. He even went so far as to offer an unsolicited suggestion.

"I think you look better with light makeup. You used to be... a bit too mature."

Li Shurui remained noncommittal. Surprisingly, she didn't get angry at his critique.

Even Jiang Chen was somewhat taken aback by this.

This girl...

She seemed a bit unusual. Why had she suddenly become so seemingly tolerant of him?

"You still have the mood to participate in this kind of activity? Is your trouble resolved?"

"A person has to live in the moment, don't they?"

Jiang Chen suppressed his curiosity and pivoted the conversation. Li Shurui did not press him further.

The bus pulled out of the East University gates.

"Here, have some water."

The Mountaineering Club's service was indeed excellent; after all, the 500 yuan per person activity fee wasn't paid for nothing. Hu Heng and a male student were handing out bottles of mineral water to everyone.

"Jiang Chen, did you bribe the president to get this seat adjusted for you?" Zheng Jingjing called out from across the aisle.

"I didn't even know President Hu before this. You could just say it's fate."

"Tch! Shameless!" Zheng Jingjing sneered.

Jiang Chen turned a deaf ear to her and glanced at the mineral water in Li Shurui's hand.

"Want me to open it for you?"

There was no more obvious way to show interest.

Li Shurui was clearly not the type of girl who couldn't unscrew a bottle cap, but strangely, she didn't refuse. She remained silent, seemingly accepting it.

Jiang Chen didn't hesitate. He took the bottle from her hand with confidence, unscrewed it, and handed it back to her.

Li Shurui took a sip.

"I saw everything that day."

"Saw what?" Jiang Chen asked, looking puzzled.

"That guy surnamed Bai came to find you, and then he stabbed himself," Li Shurui said softly.

Jiang Chen frowned slightly, a bit surprised. "Why would he do that?"

Li Shurui turned her head. Without beating around the bush, her intoxicating eyes looked directly at him.

His mind raced, but Jiang Chen maintained a calm expression. "Because he was afraid."

"Afraid?" Li Shurui watched him and continued, "Afraid of what?"

"Afraid I'd call the police." Jiang Chen said matter-of-factly, "He stabbed himself so I wouldn't report it, and our grievances would be settled once and for all. I agreed to it."

"Do you think that explanation is reasonable?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Jiang Chen said earnestly. "I think it's very reasonable."

"If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. There's no need to lie." Li Shurui turned her head away again, refusing to look at him.

"Fine, I'll tell you the truth."

Jiang Chen seemed to yield. He sighed, fell silent for a moment, and then spoke: "Actually, I've always wanted to keep my identity hidden. I didn't expect you to find out."

Li Shurui kept her eyes forward, but her delicate, pink ears twitched slightly.

"Shurui, since you've already found out, I won't pretend anymore." Jiang Chen took a deep breath, as if he had undergone a violent psychological struggle. "I'll lay my cards on the table. I'm actually a trillionaire."

"..." Li Shurui remained silent.

"I've always wanted to spend my university life as an ordinary person. So, Shurui, just know this, and please, don't tell anyone else."

"..." Silence continued.

"The reason Bai Haoran stabbed himself was because I used my background to warn him. He knew he couldn't afford to provoke me, so he used self-harm to apologize to me. Shurui, I've told you everything you wanted to know. I haven't hidden a single thing..."

Li Shurui finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Jiang Chen, do you take me for an idiot?"

"You're a billionai—"

Before she could finish, Jiang Chen interrupted her.

"Let me correct you. It's a trillion."

Li Shurui pursed her lips. "Dumbass."

Jiang Chen froze. Before he could react, he saw the campus beauty, who had never once used profanity, turn her head to stare out the window.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Shurui, why are you cursing? I'm telling the truth!"

Li Shurui ignored him.

Jiang Chen was helpless. They say a man's words are meant to deceive, but sometimes you really can't blame men for lying. Often, women only accept lies; if you tell them the truth, they won't believe you at all.

Seeing that Li Shurui was in a "do not disturb" mood, Jiang Chen didn't bother himself further. He pulled out his phone and began scrolling through Xingkong.

As he scrolled, he suddenly stumbled upon Zero Seventeen's livestream.

She was streaming in the morning; she was certainly dedicated. Her current success wasn't purely accidental.

*"Do what you dare to do, what is there to fear? Believe me, I don't care. Even if you leave... even if my heart falls from the sixteenth floor to the B1 basement..."*

The song, enhanced by a sound card, drifted out from his phone's speaker.

Recalling the messages she had sent him before, Jiang Chen entered the livestream and, with a bit of mischief, sent a lollipop worth 1 RMB.

Given Zero Seventeen's "status," she wouldn't care about such a small gift. However, it was early morning and there weren't many viewers. By chance, the notification for Jiang Chen's gift caught her eye. Normally, this million-follower influencer wouldn't have given it a second thought and would have continued singing, but suddenly, that nickname seemed familiar.

*Cold River Lone Shadow?!*

Before she could finish the song "I'm Very Stubborn," Zero Seventeen stopped.

"Brother Han, you're really biased. You send Carnivals and Royal Salutes to others, but to me, you only send a lollipop?"

Zero Seventeen acted coquettishly toward the camera, her voice sweet and melting.

Since Jiang Chen wasn't wearing headphones and his phone was on speaker, Zero Seventeen's voice inevitably reached Li Shurui's ears.

Li Shurui hesitated for a moment, then turned her head to glance at Jiang Chen's phone. It was indeed Zero Seventeen.

"Brother Han, are you intentionally trying to hurt Seventeen's feelings?"

Zero Seventeen naturally didn't know Li Shurui was watching, and even if she did, she wouldn't care. At this moment, the influencer had only one thought: now that he was here, how could she make him stay forever?

Jiang Chen was not a stingy person. Two weeks ago, even when he was short on cash, he had forced himself to treat his roommates to drinks at places like KIMI. Since the girl was acting so sweet, sending a few gifts was nothing. The key was that he couldn't just spend his "simp fund" recklessly.

He was wondering if he should send ten more lollipops to at least maintain some dignity, when he realized Li Shurui had turned her head toward him at some point.

Seeing him looking at her, Li Shurui showed no embarrassment.

"You're watching Zero Seventeen?"

Jiang Chen nodded.

Li Shurui showed no disdain for him watching a female streamer; instead, her gaze fell on his phone screen.

"Guys, does anyone know who this Brother Han is?"

"You don't know Cold River Lone Shadow? He's one of the top whales on Xingkong! He drops millions in a single night!"

"Remember that 'One Hundred Years of Protection' thing that trended? This big brother was the one behind it."

Watching the comments in the livestream, Li Shurui's pupils contracted.