Chapter 46: Only Because One Is Within These Mountains

“Shurui, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Li Shurui withdrew her gaze, her words clearly disingenuous. For some reason, she had become inexplicably restless.

It was impossible to confirm who Han Jiang Gu Ying’s "Brother Han" was referring to, but the comments in the livestream were enough to make the point clear.

Han Jiang Gu Ying was very likely watching Ling Shiqi's livestream right now.

Having been in this industry for several months—and over a year if one included video production—Li Shurui understood all too well how far some creators would go for traffic and fans.

Moreover, someone like Han Jiang Gu Ying was a once-in-a-lifetime big spender.

Although she had had little contact with him beyond the astronomical gifts he had sent her, an uncontrollable sense of crisis was now brewing in Li Shurui's heart.

It felt as if something that belonged to her was being snatched away by someone else.

She pulled out her phone, opened Xingkong, typed and deleted several times, and finally, with hesitation, sent a message.

"Are you watching Ling Shiqi's livestream?"

At the same time.

Beside her, Jiang Chen's phone let out a "ding-dong"—the exclusive notification sound of the Xingkong app.

Li Shurui instinctively glanced at him, but quickly looked away; her entire attention was now focused on Han Jiang Gu Ying.

She had never been so "preoccupied" with a man before, especially one she had never even met.

Jiang Chen tapped into his messages, saw the nickname "Shurui Sonya," and then looked toward the campus beauty sitting beside him.

She was clutching her phone, staring at the screen in a daze, looking somewhat lost in thought.

"Yeah."

He replied with a single word, being quite honest, and then silently observed Li Shurui's reaction.

Seeing the one-word reply in the chat box, Li Shurui bit her lip. For a moment, she actually didn't know how to "interact."

She wasn't Ling Shiqi, after all. Even if she wanted to "tie down" this big spender, her innate feminine reserve made her feel a bit embarrassed to be so forward.

Watching her look like a girl chatting with her dream man—anxious, nervous, and weighing every word before sending a message—Jiang Chen felt a secret sense of amusement.

If this girl knew that the person on the other end of the chat was him, he wondered how she would react.

Just thinking about it was interesting.

Though he was curious, Jiang Chen was not an impulsive person; he didn't hastily reveal his identity.

"I just happened to stumble upon it."

He sent another reply.

Given his identity as Han Jiang Gu Ying, this was likely the most enthusiastic he had ever been since meeting Li Shurui.

Li Shurui, who had been agonizing over how to reply, was caught off guard when he proactively sent an explanatory message.

After all, he had been quite cold and indifferent to her in the past.

After her momentary stupor, an uncontrollable surge of joy climbed onto her cheeks. She no longer hesitated, her slender fingers immediately tapping the keyboard.

"Oh, I thought you went specifically to see her."

Just look at that tone.

It was almost like acting spoiled.

Staring at his phone, Jiang Chen felt a wave of emotion, but he didn't forget to type: "How could that be? She isn't as beautiful as you."

Seeing that the other party was unusually "talkative" today, Li Shurui was not about to miss this chance to deepen their connection. Besides, she was truly curious about this elusive tycoon.

"You've never seen me. How do you know what I look like in real life?"

"How is it that I haven't seen you? I've seen you many times."

Li Shurui naturally didn't grasp the deeper meaning of that sentence, replying: "Livestreams all use beauty filters. Aren't you afraid I'm actually very ugly in person?"

"Are you talking about Qiao Biluo?"

Li Shurui replied with a smiling emoji.

"Then what kind of person do you think I am?"

Jiang Chen asked with interest, while simultaneously glancing sideways.

The campus beauty was now completely immersed in the conversation, utterly ignoring the outside world.

"You aren't very old, are you?"

"How old do you think I am?"

"Thirty?"

"Guess again."

"Twenty-eight?"

Even though they had never met, Li Shurui instinctively felt that he was very young; perhaps that was a woman's sixth sense.

"Wrong."

Looking at the chat interface, Li Shurui was truly surprised.

Was he even younger than twenty-eight?

"Actually, I'm still a student."

Jiang Chen stopped playing coy.

"You're a minor?!"

Li Shurui's expression changed.

She knew that according to laws and regulations, if a minor sends gifts, they must be fully refunded!

And she had already used some of that money to buy a car.

Catching a glimpse of her anxious expression as she stared at her phone, Jiang Chen almost couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you thinking? I'm in university, graduating next year."

Seeing this, Li Shurui breathed a sigh of relief, though she was still somewhat incredulous.

"You mean you're a senior?"

"Yes."

Li Shurui found it inconceivable.

Previously, she had speculated along with Xu Siyi and the others that he might be a successful, wealthy bachelor, but who would have thought he was a university student just like her?

In that case, this tycoon wasn't much older than she was.

"You're joking with me, right?"

Li Shurui suspected he was teasing her on purpose.

How could a student possess such massive assets?

Even Wang Sicong wouldn't have had that much money to squander while he was in school, right?

"Do you think I have any reason to joke with you?"

Thinking he might be angry, Li Shurui hurriedly explained: "No, I mean... don't your parents control your spending?"

"My parents are no longer around."

Seeing this message, Li Shurui couldn't help but freeze for a moment.

She instinctively thought of the "Richest Man in Tomato Movies."

Could it be like in the movies? Had this Han Jiang Gu Ying inherited a massive fortune? Was that why he was so unrestrained and extravagant?

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

Li Shurui bit her lip, hesitated several times, and finally couldn't resist asking one more question.

"If it's convenient to ask, which university do you attend?"

"Why? Are you that interested in me?"

Li Shurui wasn't shy; she replied gracefully, "If there's an opportunity, I'd like to thank you in person."

"Just to say thank you?"

Li Shurui was not an inexperienced young girl; this level of flirtation was nothing to her. She even replied with a somewhat romantic retort: "What else?"

The corners of Jiang Chen's mouth curled up slightly.

"There will be an opportunity."

Li Shurui felt a bit disappointed.

"Who are you chatting with?"

At that moment, a voice came from beside her ear.

Li Shurui quickly put her phone down, composed her expression, and said without looking back, "It's none of your business."

"Shurui, you aren't in a relationship, are you?"

Jiang Chen sounded nervous.

Li Shurui couldn't be bothered to answer. She simply put on an eye mask and leaned back against the seat to rest, making it clear that she was not to be disturbed.

Outside the bus window, the skyscrapers gradually thinned out, the air became clearer, and the bus traveled steadily toward the outskirts of Donghai City.

(End of Chapter)