A Bitter Reunion in the Library

Jiang Zhe quickly slipped behind the bookshelf, his hand covering his face in an attempt to conceal himself.

Unfortunately, Su Lianlian’s sudden exclamation had instantly drawn everyone’s gaze. No matter how swiftly Jiang Zhe moved, it was futile.

Nevertheless, few people in the room recognized Jiang Zhe. Only Lin Moshu and Su Lianlian, two familiar faces, remembered him vividly and identified him at a glance.

One had been forced by Jiang Zhe to apologize on the spot and had his chess piece removed. The other, after a warm invitation, had been mercilessly rejected and left seething with anger.

Instantly, Jiang Zhe felt two exceptionally ‘ardent’ gazes pierce him. He knew he had been exposed.

‘If only I had known I’d encounter a new wave of game plot in the library,’ he thought, ‘I would have gone deeper inside, instead of standing by the entrance watching the show and getting entangled myself.’

Lost in thought, Jiang Zhe kept his arm covering his face. The spectacle wasn’t over yet!

Since there was no escaping now, he might as well stay put and watch. He could observe the scene where the two male leads and the female lead truly went head-to-head, personally experiencing the bittersweet thrill of the original game plot.

Jiang Zhe maintained a good mindset, unfazed by the awkwardness of being caught red-handed. Lin Moshu and Su Lianlian, on the other hand, didn’t dwell on him for long. Compared to Jiang Zhe, the more formidable Bai Ling still loomed nearby, watching intently.

The elites cultivated by the Bai family possessed minds as intricate as sieves.

Even if Lin Moshu considered himself exceptionally capable, he couldn’t deny Bai Ling’s brilliance. If all went as expected, Bai Ling was destined to be the next head of the Bai family.

From a young age, Bai Ling had a keen eye; the paintings he invested in and acquired were now worth more than a hundred times their original value.

Despite being only sixteen, he already held significant sway within the Bai family. Yet, the direct descendants of the Bai family were numerous and talented, making Bai Ling far from unique. One could foresee that the future power struggles within the Bai family would become even more intense.

While gaining control of the Lin family was also incredibly difficult, fortunately, the Lin family merely had many children, but not many truly talented ones. Lin Moshu felt confident he would emerge as the ultimate victor.

In some ways, Lin Moshu and Bai Ling were kindred spirits; their brainwaves aligned. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have simultaneously thought of earning the principal’s favor to increase their own leverage.

Alas, ‘since Zhou Yu was born, why was Zhuge Liang also born?’ There could only be one winner.

“Lianlian, don’t interfere. This is between Lin Moshu and me.”

Bai Ling maintained his gentle smile, his tone soft as he addressed Su Lianlian, showing no anger at the interruption. His handsome face, always graced with a smile, was incredibly amiable, making it impossible for anyone to dislike him.

Compared to Lin Moshu, who stood opposite him, the gentle young man in white and the cool, aloof type each had their own distinct charm.

Although Jiang Zhe had only been in the game for two days, the plot had already progressed. As a transfer student, Su Lianlian had met four of the male leads. Another, from the Wang family, was temporarily confined to a ‘dark room’ by his family for injuring someone and hadn’t been released yet.

However, due to their recent acquaintance, their relationships were merely friendly, not yet reaching a deep emotional level. Thus, this was still considered the early stage of the game. Only after the Rose Festival concluded would the game’s progress enter its middle stage.

Unlike the initial phase, which quickly established the premise, the middle stage lasted longer. As for the late stage… when Jiang Zhe transmigrated, the game’s ending hadn’t been released. It had only progressed to the point where the constantly meddling villainess had gone offline, the Ning family was torn apart, and the relationships between the male and female leads entered a heated phase.

Five men vying for one woman—a true ‘Shura Field’ erupted!

The originally innocent romance game had taken a turn, yet whether it was due to targeting a young audience initially or simply the prolonged emotional investment, players completely accepted it, with game ratings continuously soaring.

Jiang Zhe, listening to his niece proudly recount the ratings, felt utterly astonished. ‘Ultimately, I am old,’ he thought, ‘and can no longer keep up with the youth.’

After hearing Bai Ling’s gentle words of comfort, Su Lianlian bit her lip in distress, sighing inwardly. ‘They are all my men,’ she thought. ‘If it weren’t for following the plot to gain affection, I wouldn’t want to see them fight like dragons.’

Fortunately, among the game’s male leads she had encountered so far, all but Jiang Zhe were diligently following the plot without deviation.

Thinking of Jiang Zhe, Su Lianlian instinctively glanced over. She saw him standing in the corner, his hand covering his face, his peach blossom eyes blinking, their glistening charm inviting repeated looks.

‘Indeed, my true favorite is still Jiang Zhe!’

Remembering that she was still following the plot, Su Lianlian took a deep breath, forcing herself to avert her gaze. In an instant, she transformed into a skilled actress, her eyes red and tearful as she looked at Lin Moshu and Bai Ling.

“But you are both my friends! I can’t just stand by and watch you get hurt. I would be so sad!”

Perhaps speaking from genuine emotion, Su Lianlian’s words were exceptionally sincere. She raised a hand to wipe the corner of her eye, her pitiful demeanor evoking sympathy.

Her petite and delicate frame resembled a lovely bird, making one desire to draw her into an embrace for comfort.

Witnessing this, the tension between Lin Moshu and Bai Ling eased, no longer as taut as it had been moments before.

Lin Moshu did not remain silent. He sighed softly, then turned his head, gazing at Su Lianlian with tender affection. “It’s nothing,” he said with a helpless tone. “We’re just having a little disagreement; it’s not a big deal.”

Bai Ling couldn’t help but scoff, though he said nothing. He simply looked at Lin Moshu through his glasses, the curve of his lips deepening, as if he had seen through all of Lin Moshu’s pretense.

His confrontation with Lin Moshu had been a whim; even continued defiance would yield no results. It was better to use Su Lianlian’s words as an excuse to back down. After all, the outcome between him and Lin Moshu was destined to be a struggle to the death.

There was no need to rush.

Principal Fenghua’s praise—Bai Ling was determined to secure it!

Therefore, Bai Ling merely needed to smile, without uttering a word, and things would conclude as he wished.

“However, the ownership of this book hasn’t been decided. Bai Ling and I have argued back and forth with no resolution. Perhaps we should ask someone else what they think.”

Yet, to Bai Ling’s surprise, Lin Moshu spoke again, and his words were astonishing.

He was clearly not letting go!

“Lin… Lin Moshu, who do you intend to ask?”

Su Lianlian was equally puzzled. She almost blurted out ‘Brother Lin,’ but after a glance at Bai Ling, she quickly remembered she was still ‘fishing’ and swallowed the words, instead voicing her confusion.

Listening to Su Lianlian, Bai Ling looked at her, then raised an eyebrow slightly. The gentle smile on his face remained unchanged, but his dark eyes grew profound.

He quickly withdrew his gaze, watching Lin Moshu with interest, silently observing his performance.

Lin Moshu did not beat around the bush. Having tasted defeat in the fencing club incident, he intended to make Jiang Zhe pay immediately. No matter how Jiang Zhe chose, he would offend one of them.

Neither he nor Bai Ling was an easy opponent; choosing either would lead to a dead end.

With such a reason, not even Ning Ran could protect him.

Thinking this, Lin Moshu turned his head and looked directly in Jiang Zhe’s direction. For the first time, he smiled at Jiang Zhe, which made Jiang Zhe’s heart stir. He instantly understood Lin Moshu’s plan.

‘This guy is always trying to dig a pit for me!’

Jiang Zhe’s partially hidden face showed an amused expression, his lips curving upwards. ‘Free experience points are not to be refused. If you want to scheme against me, Jiang Zhe, then be prepared for some bad luck.’