Chapter 57: Counterattack

“Welcome home, hero!”

By the time the bus returned to Dongda, it was already eight in the evening.

When Jiang Chen pushed open his dormitory door, there was a loud "bang," followed by a cascade of colorful confetti fluttering down from above.

"What are you guys doing?" Jiang Chen asked, bewildered.

Luo Peng and Bai Zheli were each holding a confetti cannon.

"Jiang Chen, this is incredible! You've gone from a salted fish to a leaping carp, from a simp to a great hero!" Luo Peng sighed dramatically.

Jiang Chen brushed the confetti off his hair and shoulders, finally realizing what was happening. "Who told you this?"

"Do we even need to be told? The whole school is buzzing! They're saying you, Jiang Chen, risked your life at a dizzying height, throwing yourself out to save a beauty from the brink of death..." Bai Zheli nodded, following up after Luo Peng, "That's right, Brother Chen. Everyone knows about your selfless act."

"Jiang Chen, you've really brought honor to our dorm," Li Shao added with admiration.

Jiang Chen closed the dormitory door, cleared his throat, and deliberately adopted an air of nonchalance. "It was just a small gesture. Nothing to mention."

"Look at you, getting all high and mighty just because we praised you!" Luo Peng gave him a contemptuous middle finger. "You must be feeling pretty smug right now, huh? Tsk tsk, a life-saving debt! Now, even if Li Shurui is a block of ice, she'll have to be moved by you, right? So, how about it? Is there any..." Luo Peng winked and made a kissing gesture.

"It's not that simple," Jiang Chen shook his head, picked up a broom, and began sweeping the confetti off the floor.

"No way? This was a life-saving moment! You practically risked your life, and she hasn't shown any sign of appreciation at all?" Luo Peng found it inconceivable.

"She said she'd treat me to dinner."

"That's it?"

"What else?" Jiang Chen smiled as he cleaned. "Have you watched too many TV dramas? Do you really think she's going to commit herself to you?"

"Then you've lost out big time. Taking such a massive risk just for a meal? That's a terrible deal," Luo Peng lamented.

"Brother Luo, you can't put it that way," Bai Zheli argued. "Brother Chen couldn't just stand there and watch Li Shurui fall without helping. Regardless, he did a great thing."

Joking aside, Luo Peng's playful expression softened, and he said with sincerity, "Jiang Chen, you're a real man. If it were me, I don't think I'd have that kind of courage. I respect you. I'll see who dares to look down on you from now on."

Aside from the surge in favorability, the reversal of his reputation was clearly a major harvest from Jiang Chen's heroic rescue.

***

Meanwhile, things were even more lively over at the girls' dormitory.

Guo Ran and Xu Siyi were surrounding Li Shurui, offering sincere words of comfort and concern. Zheng Jingjing, on the other hand, was vividly recounting the thrilling details of the incident. At the most exciting parts, she couldn't help but gesture wildly, reenacting the scene herself.

"Jingjing, is it really that exaggerated?" Guo Ran asked skeptically.

Although the news was spreading like wildfire through the school, rumors tended to embellish the truth. It was true that Jiang Chen had saved Li Shurui, but they didn't think the situation was quite that perilous.

"It's not exaggerated at all!" Zheng Jingjing said earnestly. "If Jiang Chen hadn't grabbed the rope in time, he probably would have fallen along with Shurui. And if he had hesitated for even a second, Shurui would have..."

"Do you know how high it was? Over two thousand meters! It was all clouds and mist; you couldn't see the ground at all! I guarantee if you were there, you wouldn't have been able to move a single step out of fear!"

"Was Jiang Chen really that brave?" Guo Ran was still somewhat doubtful.

Zheng Jingjing nodded vigorously. "We all misunderstood Jiang Chen. Everyone else was paralyzed with fear, but he wasn't. If it weren't for him, Shurui might not have come back."

"I used to think he was pursuing Shurui just to spite his ex-girlfriend, but now I realize I was wrong. He might truly be in love with her."

Hearing this, Xu Siyi couldn't help but interject. "Love? Jingjing, do you even know what love is?"

"I don't," Zheng Jingjing replied quickly. "But if a man is willing to risk his life for a woman, what else could it be? Yes, there are many boys around us, but in a situation like that, if it were them, would they be so reckless? Siyi, out of all your ex-boyfriends, could any of them have done that?"

Xu Siyi's face flushed with embarrassment, leaving her speechless.

"If I ever met someone willing to do that for me..." Zheng Jingjing mused.

"Then what?" Guo Ran asked curiously.

Zheng Jingjing didn't hesitate, speaking bluntly, "Then I'd commit to him."

"Regardless of whether he's rich or not?" Xu Siyi asked.

"Yes, regardless of whether he's rich or not," Zheng Jingjing nodded without hesitation. "So what if he's rich? Was Liang Zhenlun not rich? And what happened in the end? How did he treat Ai Qian? If a man doesn't have money, you can work hard together. A man who is truly sincere to you—that's what matters most."

"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect that one mountain climb would lead to such a profound spiritual awakening for our Jingjing," Xu Siyi remarked with a shake of her head.

"If you had seen the scene, you would feel the same way I do."

People grow constantly. Their values change and are reshaped in the process. Previously, Zheng Jingjing believed that wealth represented happiness—endless cosmetics, designer bags changed daily, and everything else; it was the most important metric for measuring a person.

But today, on the plank road, the moment Jiang Chen gripped the rope with one hand while pulling Li Shurui tight with the other, screaming at her to help him save her, her soul had been struck by an unprecedented impact. Everything she had firmly believed in paled in comparison to that face, flushed red with exertion and covered in bulging veins.

"Shurui, maybe you should just give Jiang Chen to Jingjing. This girl's heart is fluttering," Xu Siyi teased.

"He likes Shurui, not me. What's the use of giving him to me?" Zheng Jingjing sighed.

Guo Ran didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Since when had the famous Jiang Chen become such a prize?

After chatting for a while, the girls dispersed.

Li Shurui sat in her chair, not wanting to do anything, her mind drifting. As a bystander, Zheng Jingjing had been so shaken; how much more so for her?

Ever since she had lost her footing on the Dragon Gate Plank Road today, from the moment she looked up and saw that face... her memories began to trace back. She began to try and re-examine that young man through an unbiased lens.

"What is Shurui thinking about?" Guo Ran signaled to Zheng Jingjing.

Zheng Jingjing glanced at the dazed Li Shurui. "Let her be alone for a while. Going through something like that must have been quite a shock."

After an unknown amount of time, Li Shurui suddenly smiled inexplicably. Her eyes regained their luster as she pulled her phone from her bag.

She went to her contacts, opened the blacklist, and released a certain number.

"Decide on a position soon. I won't wait forever."

Confirmed.

Sent.