The Misleading Live Stream

Fenghua High School’s campus forum was unlike typical social media platforms. Bolstered by its considerable wealth, the forum had undergone a complete overhaul, boasting a range of advanced features beyond the standard applications.

Among these new additions, live streaming was a prominent feature.

Jiang Zhe, his expression unreadable, clicked open the misleadingly titled post. Ning Ran’s stunning face instantly filled his screen. Since he had just opened the thread without adjusting any settings, a barrage of bullet comments swiftly scrolled past.

[Is this the peak of Fenghua’s queen’s beauty? I’m kneeling!]

[Sister, debut!]

[I’ve licked my phone screen blurry.]

[Have you never seen a woman in your life? She’s just a little pretty, what’s the big deal!]

[Sour dogs in the front row, don’t run! She’s not just pretty, she’s rich too! The quintessential rich, fair, and beautiful lady.]

Nine out of ten bullet comments floating by praised Ning Ran’s beauty. Jiang Zhe, too lazy to read them all, simply closed the bullet comment feature. Now, he could clearly see Ning Ran sitting at her desk.

She was still the proud little swan.

Her slightly aloof expression and upright, slender posture, lacking only a subtly raised chin of arrogance—it was a familiar formula, a familiar essence, that made Jiang Zhe chuckle involuntarily.

‘A day apart feels like three autumns.’ Fortunately, they would meet soon.

Live streaming software usually came with built-in beauty filters. However, Ning Ran’s inherent beauty was so striking that the added filter somewhat distorted the image, making her look like a figure from a painting brought to life.

According to Jiang Zhe’s niece, it was like breaking through the dimension wall, a character from 2D leaping into 3D.

Just by reading the bullet comments, it was clear how popular Ning Ran was. Fenghua’s campus forum attracted not only its own students but also onlookers from outside. However, guests in tourist mode couldn’t post comments or replies, and were limited to three bullet comments before being muted.

“I’ve waited five minutes, so now we can begin! Hello everyone, I’m Ning Ran from Grade 11. I’ve started this live stream today because I want to personally clarify the matter between Jiang Zhe and me.”

It was unclear if Ning Ran had ever live streamed before, but her equipment was complete. As she spoke, she tapped the microphone, unhesitatingly uttering Jiang Zhe’s name.

Her face wore an open and serious expression, much like a celebrity at a press conference clarifying a scandal.

Jiang Zhe’s interest was piqued. After a moment’s thought, he reactivated the bullet comments.

[Pretty older sisters always belong to someone else, boohoo. My sweet secret crush just ended in heartbreak.]

[Who is Jiang Zhe? Can a Fenghua student explain? Curious.jpg]

[Ning Ran has a terrible personality. She bullies students at school. No matter how pretty she is, she’s a femme fatale!]

[Hehehe, Jiang Zhe is one of our school’s heartthrobs, a super handsome young man!]

[Tsk tsk, our school’s heartthrob is handsome too. Who can’t brag?]

He dimmed the color of the bullet comments so they wouldn’t obstruct the screen but were still legible. Jiang Zhe propped his chin with one hand, holding his phone in front of him with the other, watching the live stream quietly.

Although he disliked the ‘weakling’ appearance of his current body, he couldn’t deny its outstanding looks. So, seeing others praise his handsomeness, Jiang Zhe rather enjoyed it.

After all, who didn’t like being praised?

“You must be very curious who Jiang Zhe is. Look here, he is Jiang Zhe!”

Mid-sentence, Ning Ran reached out and held a photograph in front of the camera. It was precisely one of the candid photos of Fenghua students that had been sold at high prices privately.

Her expression remained cool, and her decision to display the photo directly was resolute.

Jiang Zhe, witnessing this scene: “…”

[Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! Is this even a human? He’s a celestial being!]

[What kind of magical place is Fenghua High School? Why is everyone so good-looking? Did they poke a nest of beauties?]

[One minute. I want all this man’s information.]

[Ahhh, I’m willing to buy him an entire fish pond! He’s too handsome!]

Jiang Zhe, who decidedly did not want an entire fish pond, silently closed the bullet comments. Even if he enjoyed being praised, he couldn’t handle such an overwhelming onslaught.

Meanwhile, many students watching the live stream in the cafeteria erupted in gasps of surprise.

They had initially heard rumors about an unclear relationship between Ning Ran and Jiang Zhe, unsure of their veracity. Now, seeing Ning Ran bring up Jiang Zhe during her live stream, they immediately concluded that something was definitely going on between the two.

Jiang Zhe might have avoided the bullet comments, but he couldn’t escape the surrounding chatter. He silently watched Ning Ran on the live stream, unsurprised by her actions.

The embarrassment of puncturing Ning Ran’s narcissism yesterday was now coming back to haunt him.

Ning Ran’s actions were merely a small act of revenge. He knew she would continue to be vague and intentionally misleading. However, instead of getting angry, Jiang Zhe found himself smiling cheerfully.

This ruffled cat truly couldn’t stand even a little bit of provocation!

Although Jiang Zhe had considered going along with Ning Ran’s misunderstanding of his crush yesterday, he remembered her awkward personality and felt he shouldn’t agree too easily. He needed to do the opposite.

The effect would be better.

“We are just very good friends. In fact, we’ve arranged to go to a club activity together today. Recently, there have been some unrealistic rumors, and I hope these rumors will stop here.”

As she spoke of ‘good friends,’ the cool expression on Ning Ran’s face suddenly shifted. Her lips curved slightly upward, and her peach blossom eyes narrowed, carrying a hint of playful cunning.

It was as if a bland, flavorless scene had suddenly come alive, or a black-and-white picture had unexpectedly burst into vibrant colors.

Despite her words clarifying their relationship, her expression and demeanor suggested otherwise.

Jiang Zhe suppressed it again and again, but he couldn’t resist. His fingers twitched, and he reopened the bullet comments.

[AW SL, a beauty critical hit!]

[I truly envy Fenghua High School students; they get to see such a beautiful person every day!]

[If Ning Ran and Jiang Zhe aren’t together, I’ll eat noodles while standing on my head. I swear it with this bullet comment!]

[Exactly, exactly! Anyone can see there’s something going on between them. Tsk tsk, no matter how much they hide it, it’ll eventually come out. Don’t struggle, just go public!]

As the bullet comments streamed past, Jiang Zhe’s upturned smile was anything but reserved.

Besides silently agreeing that this generation of netizens had good taste, he also confirmed their plan to go to the club activity together. Ning Ran’s panicked departure yesterday, like she was being chased by a dog, hadn’t included a clear agreement, leaving Jiang Zhe a little worried.

“Alright, I hope the rumors between Jiang Zhe and me will stop. Besides that, I also need to clarify the truth about the campus bullying incident!”

Ning Ran’s smile was fleeting, like the ephemeral bloom of an epiphyllum. It didn’t last long before her usual cool demeanor returned.

As soon as her words fell, her hands were already busy. She took out a tablet, brought up a video, and then placed it in front of the camera.

It was the video of Lin Moshu apologizing to Su Lianlian from yesterday.

Ning Ran truly lived up to her reputation for being direct. She didn’t even bother to blur out faces, presenting the raw footage to everyone, using the most potent evidence to dispel the bullying rumors.