A Calculated Retaliation

After Lin Moshu departed with Su Lianlian, the lively scene abruptly concluded. The students, wary of Ning Ran’s formidable presence, dared not linger.

Instead, they cast curious glances between Ning Ran and Jiang Zhe, reluctantly retreating and turning back every few steps, clearly unwilling to leave the spectacle behind.

Not only did the curious onlookers disperse, but Ning Ran’s own entourage also made their exit.

Having instigated the chaos with their unauthorized actions, Ning Ran’s followers departed, feeling justifiably in the wrong. After all, when the confrontation first erupted, they had all remained utterly silent, not daring to utter a single sound.

They hadn’t even dared to breathe a word.

Now, to approach Ning Ran and start chattering after having left would be an act of sheer audacity; their faces simply weren’t that thick. Even if they were completely shameless, Ning Ran, a young lady of her stature, was not easily fooled.

Once the obstructing crowd had largely cleared, Jiang Zhe smiled at Ning Ran. He extended a hand towards her, speaking with a serious demeanor: “Hit me a couple of times to vent your anger. Don’t let it fester.”

Clearly, it wasn’t just Ning Ran who remembered the foot-grabbing incident; Jiang Zhe knew he couldn’t simply gloss over it.

However, his ‘what’s done is done’ attitude drew an exasperated curl of Ning Ran’s lips. She felt Jiang Zhe was taking advantage while feigning humility, a tactical retreat to advance.

‘Did he think she wouldn’t dare to strike?’

Ning Ran lifted her gaze and offered Jiang Zhe a faint smile. Her gentle expression, gracing her beautiful face, instead radiated a dazzling allure. She did nothing to the hand offered before her, yet her small, round-toed leather shoe mercilessly stomped down, inflicting immense pain on Jiang Zhe’s instep.

Alas, his act of grabbing her foot had been far too abrupt.

Moreover, he had also harbored thoughts of kissing Ning Ran later on.

He deserved to be stomped on.

Jiang Zhe forcibly suppressed the urge to grimace, striving to maintain a calm facade. However, the frown etched upon his brow from the pain betrayed a hint of his discomfort. This sight considerably brightened Ning Ran’s mood.

Even though her facial expression remained aloof, her peach blossom eyes shimmered with such captivating allure that one might wish to drown within their depths.

In this moment, Ning Ran decided to forgive Jiang Zhe.

Though this impoverished student wasn’t particularly obedient, he possessed keen insight and a pragmatic understanding of the situation. Simply seeing that he hadn’t sided with Su Lianlian today, Ning Ran’s negative impression of Jiang Zhe had already risen to a three out of ten.

She wondered what had been happening recently. All the prominent figures at Fenghua High seemed to be getting entangled with Su Lianlian, as if they had been afflicted by a ‘diminishing intelligence aura,’ entirely lacking their former shrewdness and decisiveness.

This abnormality had arrived suddenly, and Ning Ran felt she too had been somewhat affected. Otherwise, why did her temper invariably become so volatile whenever she encountered Su Lianlian, making her want to brutally beat Su Lianlian?

Normally, she would have long ago dismissed such a person as irrelevant, simply overlooking them.

However, today, while confronting Lin Moshu and Su Lianlian alongside Jiang Zhe, Ning Ran, after an initial burst of irritation, quickly reverted to her usual state, as if calming down in an instant.

“Feeling better now? Then, it’s time we discussed other matters.”

The pain from the stomp had peaked initially, then receded into a dull ache. Jiang Zhe didn’t focus on the discomfort, instead, he grinned and deftly shifted the topic.

This made Ning Ran eye him warily, unsure what schemes Jiang Zhe was concocting.

Jiang Zhe, seeing Ning Ran’s defensive posture, couldn’t help but chuckle. He then abandoned any pretense and directly stated his thoughts: “We don’t have any deep-seated grudges, or even any previous interactions. So why did you come looking for trouble with me today? Even if you dislike Fenghua’s impoverished students, I’m not the only one.”

Knowing the game’s plot, Jiang Zhe understood that he and Ning Ran had no reason to intersect.

Yet, being threatened by Ning Ran to kneel down immediately after transmigrating into the game felt strange, no matter how he looked at it!

Especially since he could tell Ning Ran’s aversion to him wasn’t particularly strong; otherwise, she wouldn’t have merely stomped on his foot as retaliation.

After openly addressing the matter, as if remembering something, Jiang Zhe glanced hesitantly at Ning Ran. After a moment of deliberation, he continued: “Fenghua High has over a hundred special enrollment students. Out of all those people, you chose me. Are you picking your bullying targets based on looks? Or have you been secretly observing me…”

“Shut up!”

Jiang Zhe’s words were cut short as an indignant Ning Ran stomped down again. Unfortunately, Jiang Zhe was prepared, agilely dodging the renewed attack.

Missing her strike, Ning Ran glared furiously, only to be met with Jiang Zhe’s cheeky grin.

“I received an anonymous letter,” Ning Ran stated, realizing she couldn’t outdo Jiang Zhe’s shamelessness. She stomped her foot in frustration, then broke her silence. “It claimed you were slandering my reputation at Fenghua.”

‘It’s better to explain it now,’ she thought.

She wasn’t some villain who bullied others indiscriminately. There was always a reason!

However, these words plunged Jiang Zhe into contemplation. He recalled the game’s plot: Ning Ran, the villainous young lady, out of jealousy that Su Lianlian had stolen her fiancé’s attention, tormented Jiang Zhe, who was close to Su Lianlian. This would lead to Su Lianlian’s active protection and then Lin Moshu’s intervention.

Yet, having personally experienced it, the truth seemed to diverge from the narrative.

Ning Ran had come to trouble Jiang Zhe because of an anonymous letter, and then Su Lianlian had voluntarily stepped forward. He only needed a moment’s thought to grasp the hidden implications; it must be related to Su Lianlian.

‘Ah!’

‘The female lead’s perspective truly isn’t reliable!’

‘The pure romance game my niece spoke of has now become a game of backstabbing.’

“An anonymous letter… that’s slander. Did you come here without investigating first? Aren’t you afraid of miscarriages of justice?”

Jiang Zhe didn’t believe Ning Ran was lying. After piecing things together, he quickly arrived at the truth. However, he didn’t think Ning Ran was such an impulsive person that she would completely lose her head.

‘There must be other details she hasn’t revealed.’

“I asked some of the people spreading the rumors, and their answers were consistent. They all said I was unable to control myself because of your good looks…”

Upon hearing Ning Ran’s words, Jiang Zhe thoughtfully raised a hand to stroke his chin. Then, reacting instantly, he grinned and took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them.

They stood closer, yet maintained a safe distance, ensuring Ning Ran wouldn’t feel encroached upon.

Jiang Zhe, with a mischievous grin, shamelessly asked, “Just how infatuated are you with my good looks?”

This remark earned him a roll of Ning Ran’s eyes. She now understood she had been manipulated. If Jiang Zhe hadn’t unexpectedly turned the tables, she would likely have been the one in the most trouble.

At the very least, the charge of bullying a classmate would have been inescapable.

Brooding over this, Ning Ran gritted her teeth. She absolutely would not suffer in silence.

Without directly answering Jiang Zhe’s question, Ning Ran declared with a serious expression: “Rest assured, I, Ning Ran, am never one to take a loss. Since she dared to scheme against me, she will pay the appropriate price.”

Ning Ran dropped this fierce declaration, then, unwilling to waste any more time, immediately prepared to find an opportunity to deal with Su Lianlian.

However, before she could implement her plan of revenge, Jiang Zhe reached out and grabbed her wrist.

Jiang Zhe calmly considered the situation. He felt the distance between him and Ning Ran was too great; a special enrollment student couldn’t naturally blend into the top-tier rich kids’ classrooms. Therefore, he couldn’t rely on things happening organically; he had to take the initiative.

“If we’re going to act, we have to go all the way. Weren’t you going to take me to see the clubs? Let’s meet at the fencing club tomorrow.”

He still needed to seize the right moment to complete his binding mission!