The Campus Belle’s Desperate Gambit

Zhou Yi was utterly numb from the relentless barrage of questions and comments from her classmates.Dammit! Where was all this enthusiasm when I was begging you to submit your PPTs for the last group project?!Back then, every single one of you played dead! When I was chasing deadlines, you’d practically kneel and call me ‘daddy’!Now, look at you, all pumped up and vying to curry favor!Fine, you bunch of curs, I’ll remember this. Xiao Chen, Xiao Wang, Xiao Wu… every last one of you, just you wait.Just then, a tall figure, long-limbed and carrying a basketball, forcefully pushed their way in from the edge of the crowd.Zhou Yi glanced up, nearly choking on her breath. ‘Holy shit, Zhao Lei, you too?”No, seriously, buddy, what are you doing here joining the commotion? Shouldn’t you be on the court, sweating it out and radiating youthful vigor?!”Your character design is collapsing, bro!’To make matters worse, even students from the neighboring class had caught wind of the situation and rushed over, instantly jamming the corridor to a standstill.Zhou Yi’s mind was a chaotic mess; she knew not how to respond and had nowhere to hide. She could only resort to her all-purpose dry laugh, shrinking back. “Ahaha… it’s nothing, really… thank you all… I’m waiting for someone, just waiting…”The moment these words left her lips, they confirmed the crowd’s earlier suspicions, causing the throng to erupt instantly.”Waiting for someone? Senior student, who are you waiting for? Do you need help calling them?””Senior student, would you like to come into the classroom and sit for a bit? We’ll bring you a chair!””The senior student’s smile is truly beautiful…””Waiting for a friend?” Zhao Lei suddenly interjected, a suspicious blush creeping across his tanned face. “I… I can wait with you too…”Zhou Yi’s lips twitched several times. ‘Bro, are you serious?!’Just as she felt she was about to be roasted alive by the overly zealous atmosphere, she finally spotted Jiang Chen leisurely strolling out from behind the crowd, his backpack slung over his shoulder.Her eyes lit up, and she quickly waved, shouting, “Jiang Chen!!”That single shout instantly silenced the boisterous corridor for a full second.All eyes swiveled in unison toward Jiang Chen.”Holy crap!!! She’s really looking for Jiang Chen?!””I told you so, I told you so! And you still didn’t believe me!””Jiang Chen, you sly dog!!! When did you make your move?!””Treat us! You absolutely must treat us! The ‘single no more’ meal is non-negotiable!””Get together! Get together!”Cheers and whistles exploded in an instant.Zhao Lei cast a deep gaze at Jiang Chen, then turned and departed, his retreating figure imbued with an indescribable sense of dejection.Jiang Chen remained rooted to the spot, glancing at the direction Zhao Lei had left before turning his gaze to the beautiful, unfamiliar girl before him, utterly bewildered.Zhou Yi, meanwhile, felt her face flush crimson from the incessant taunts and cheers; she had a distinct feeling that if she stayed any longer, these rascals would literally usher her into a bridal chamber!’No, I can’t take this anymore. A strategic retreat is imperative!’With a resolute heart, Zhou Yi cast aside all reservations, darting forward to seize Jiang Chen’s sleeve. “I need to talk to you about something, something very urgent! Can we speak privately for a moment?”Yet, Jiang Chen’s arm remained perfectly still, even retracting slightly, subtly widening the distance between them.His gaze fell upon Zhou Yi’s hand clutching his sleeve, his eyes holding a hint of inquiry and… detachment?”Student, do we know each other?”‘Ah, this…!’It was then that Zhou Yi suddenly remembered, realizing she had been utterly swept away by her urgency. So engrossed in bringing her grand plan to fruition, she had completely forgotten that in this simulated world, Jiang Chen didn’t know her at all!The colossal cognitive dissonance froze her instantly on the spot, her hand, still clutching his sleeve, suspended awkwardly in mid-air—neither pulling nor letting go.’Wait, that’s not right. Even if he doesn’t know her, how can Jiang Chen remain so utterly nonchalant in the face of such an undefeated, beautiful campus belle?’This made her suddenly recall that throughout all her time knowing Jiang Chen, she had never once seen him pay special attention to any girl. Whether it was a gentle campus belle, a lively junior student, or even a straightforward confessor, they all returned defeated from his presence.To put it nicely, he was self-disciplined; to put it bluntly, he was excessively cold.She couldn’t help but secretly wonder, ‘Could this guy… actually be…?”No, no, that can’t be, can it?’Zhou Yi immediately dismissed the thought. ‘It must just be that Jiang Chen has high standards and a cool personality!”Still, I should be more cautious when interacting with him in the future…’In the instant she froze in thought, the surrounding jeers also paused eerily due to this sudden, unexpected twist, only to erupt into an even louder clamor of discussion.”Woah… a campus belle’s epic fail? A one-sided confession?””Jiang Chen is amazing! He doesn’t even give face to the campus belle!””The senior student is so brave, but so pathetic…”The torrent of discussions and gazes descended upon Zhou Yi like an unlimited-firepower skill, making her feel as though her health bar was rapidly dwindling.’I need to quickly think of a way to recover some HP.'”Um…” Zhou Yi’s mind raced at an unprecedented speed, and in a sudden flash of inspiration, she blurted out, “You dropped your wallet!””……?” Jiang Chen paused, instinctively patting his pants pocket.The cheers from the onlookers immediately deflated by half, as everyone waited with curiosity for the next development in the drama.Striking while the iron was hot, Zhou Yi forced out a friendly smile. “I picked it up and just handed it in at the library front desk.”Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes, remained silent for a second, then slowly said, “Oh? But my wallet… it’s still here.”Zhou Yi’s heart sank, yet with the arrow already on the string, she had to shoot. Giving up now would mean all her efforts were in vain!”I was talking about the documents inside your wallet.” Zhou Yi, without a hint of blush or shortness of breath, decided to bluff her way through to the very end!Jiang Chen stared at her for a long moment, and just as Zhou Yi was about to crack, he suddenly smiled. “……Alright then, lead the way?”‘Excellent! Plan successful!’ Zhou Yi’s heart instantly blossomed with joy.”This way, please!”Without further ado, she grabbed Jiang Chen and turned, making a swift exit.’What kind of joke is this? If I don’t run now, do I want to be preserved as a specimen?’She dragged Jiang Chen by the wrist, hurrying along, only releasing his hand when they reached the corner of the library.After stopping, she leaned against the wall, panting heavily. Looking up, she saw Jiang Chen, perfectly at ease, pull a black wallet from his pants pocket and twirl it around his fingers.”What a coincidence, wouldn’t you say?” he remarked, his gaze on Zhou Yi a half-smile. “All my documents are right here.”His slender fingers flipped open the card slots one by one. “Student ID, meal card, library card… Do you want to check which one I dropped?”A cold sweat instantly broke out on Zhou Yi’s back, her brain once again whirring frantically.”Care to explain?” Jiang Chen took a step closer, his smile enigmatic, the oppressive feeling of his height casting a shadow over her.Zhou Yi let out two dry laughs. “Uh… haha, maybe I… I remembered wrong… it must have been someone else who looked like you…””I’m so handsome, who could possibly look like me?”Jiang Chen slowly dropped that line, leaving Zhou Yi so choked up that her entire being felt like it was trembling.”Well… it’s good that your wallet is fine. A misunderstanding! All a misunderstanding! I have something else to do, so I’ll be going now!”Zhou Yi turned, intending to bolt. She truly couldn’t keep this act going any longer!’But deep down, she truly wanted to cry. What possessed her to come up with such a terrible excuse as dropping a wallet? Of all things to invent, why that?!”Jiang Chen not exposing her publicly just now was already him saving her face. But now?”Would Jiang Chen believe whatever she said next? What if he refused to help? Wouldn’t her plan be completely ruined?”Only now did she realize she had indeed been too impulsive. She had thought it would be effortless to get Jiang Chen’s help, but now… *sobs*, what else could she possibly invent?’