Chapter 169: Chapter 169: I Always Like to Eat the Melon That’s Forced Off the Vine
Jiang Nanshu lowered her head, vaguely feeling the air around her growing colder, so she wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed them.
Then she thought, what was she rubbing for? Since she decided to switch to a new plan, all that craziness, grossing someone out, groveling—it was pointless. She needed to reel him in and then kick him away harshly, let him suffer a blow in love, toy with his emotions, be hated; then she’d have both the money and the Disgust Value.
She couldn’t wait to cash in early.
Then she leaned weakly into Lu Qingyan’s arms, her voice laced with a little hook, her small hand intentionally teasing as she touched his chest: “Brother Qingyan, I’m so cold, hug me quickly.”
[Don’t believe I can’t take you down, kiddo.]
Seeing that Lu Qingyan didn’t move, she looked up to find him staring at her expressionlessly.
Jiang Nanshu: “…”
She felt like something was off but couldn’t put her finger on it.
Lu Qingyan slowly pushed her away with one hand: “Remember to put on more clothes when it’s cold.”
Then he passed by her and left.
Jiang Nanshu stood rooted to the spot, as if struck by lightning.
[You must have eaten Tang Seng’s monk, to be this unaffected.]
She touched her face and let her gaze drift downwards.
[Not working? Could it be that you feel inferior? I’ve never heard about you having any hidden ailments.]
Lu Qingyan quickened his pace.
What could he say? She had blatantly shown her intent to play him; he couldn’t possibly jump naively into the trap.
Jiang Nanshu’s mind was a mess, momentarily unable to find a suitable plan to conquer Lu Qingyan.
To anyone else, this scene looked like her being rejected by Lu Qingyan once more.
Liang Ciqiu walked up behind her, a cigarette pinched between his index and middle finger, his voice faint: “He’s not right for you, don’t push it.”
Jiang Nanshu’s brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed as she turned around with a smile: “What a coincidence, I’ve always liked the challenge of plucking the twisted melons. If my substitute leaves me, I can only turn to the real deal.”
Liang Ciqiu’s expression tightened, hidden in the nightlife, his thoughts unknown.
Jiang Nanshu had no time to dawdle with him: “Since you’ve chosen Su Ran, stop swinging by my side, it’s really annoying.”
“Jiangjiang! Hurry up, it’s your turn soon,” Xu Xi’s voice came from afar.
Jiang Nanshu responded with a shout and headed towards her.
Liang Ciqiu stretched out his hand, ultimately letting it fall feebly, finished his cigarette, found Jiang Nanshu’s account, and transferred three million to her. He intended to remove her from his contact list, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He felt disgusted with himself, truly turned into a masochist by Jiang Nanshu.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Jiang Nanshu looked at the red headband tied around Xu Xi’s head and fell silent for a few seconds.
It read: Go Jiangjiang!
In her hand, she held a flag fluttering in the wind, also inscribed with words: I wave the banner high for Jiangjiang, who dares to oppose her!
Jiang Nanshu closed her eyes briefly and asked very seriously, “Don’t you find this embarrassing?”
Xu Xi, swinging the flag joyously, replied: “Nope, look how commanding it is. If the whole school doesn’t support you, I’ll be your backup, oh right, Wanwan too!”
She gestured to someone behind Jiang Nanshu.
Xu Xingwan approached with the same gear, a bit awkwardly: “Do we really have to carry these eye-catching packs?”
Xu Xi was not pleased with that remark.
“How will they know Jiangjiang has a support group if we’re not unique? Is Su Ran the only one with fans?” She patted Jiang Nanshu’s shoulder, “Others have it, and so do you, darling.”
Xu Xingwan: “…”
Jiang Nanshu: “…”
She thought she was already shameless enough, but it turned out Xu Xi was even more so.
The host on stage, Hu Ying, announced, “Next up, Jiang Nanshu from the Broadcasting Department, class one, will present the song ‘Divination.’”
Right after her performance, it would be Su Ran’s Beijing Opera program.
Xu Xi was even more excited than Su Ran, “Go for it, Jiangjiang, if all else fails, we three can embarrass ourselves together.”
Xu Xingwan resignedly picked up the flag and walked to the back of the square.
Xu Xi, holding a megaphone, cheered, “Go Jiangjiang, you’re sure to win!”
Her voice was so loud it drowned out all the noise of the venue.
Everyone turned their heads in unison, the weird silence settling as Xu Xi danced even more vigorously.
Jiang Nanshu had started off walking, but then she broke into a run.
So this is how social death feels.
Jiang Yunchuan couldn’t help but laugh out loud, “Nannan’s friends are indeed quite entertaining.”
Jiang Zhouye paused for a moment, “So there are actually people willing to be her friend?”
Jiang Leyi rolled her eyes at him, “It’s only you who thinks she’s no good. Admit it, even if she’s bad, she has a charisma that many like.”
She refrained from mentioning Jiang Nanshu’s ability to hear heartbeats in front of Chu Muxi.
That was something only their family could hear; if others found out, they might consider Jiang Nanshu a monster and take her away to be burned.
Chu Muxi’s voice was soft, “I also don’t think Sister Nannan is as bad as what people say. As long as she’s willing to improve, I believe Aunt Lu will definitely accept her.”
As her words fell, the three of them didn’t continue the topic.
Jiang Leyi thought disdainfully in her heart, does she really need Aunt Lu’s acceptance?
It would first require Jiang Nanshu to accept her son!
After all, what Jiang Nanshu thought about most in her heart was either calling off the engagement or increasing how much Lu Qingyan was disgusted by her.
Her tone melancholic, “Alas, it appears Nannan won’t be able to enjoy the Lu family’s extravagant wealth. No matter whether she’s good or bad, she won’t accept my sister.”
Chu Muxi hooked her lips in a barely visible smirk in the dark, someone has some self-awareness.
She lowered her head to open WeChat, messaging Aunt Lu: “Auntie, Yan Yidan has arrived. Would you like her to join you?”
Aunt Lu responded promptly, “Have her come here, then help me keep an eye on the Jiang family’s movements.”
Chu Muxi found it all incredibly thrilling.
The idea of being an undercover agent in front of people she knew was a challenge she found very exciting.
Would the Jiang family still be able to accept the Lu family if they knew that all along, it was Aunt Lu alone who wanted to ruin Jiang Nanshu?
Chu Muxi switched her WeChat account.
She continued to maintain her harmless image and stood up to whisper something to Yan Yidan.
Pointing towards where Aunt Lu was seated, Yan Yidan rose and walked forward, naturally taking a seat beside Aunt Lu.
Old Sir Lu frowned upon seeing this, understanding that Aunt Lu wanted to embarrass Jiang Nanshu. He wanted to warn them, but Aunt Lu spoke first, “Dad, this is my friend’s daughter. She’s just come down from the mountains to learn her craft and isn’t familiar with Beijing. I’ve taken her out for some fun. Yidan, say hello to Grandpa Lu.”
With a gentle face and a smile, Yan Yidan said in a soft voice, “Greetings, Grandpa Lu.”
Even though Grandpa Lu was not pleased, he didn’t want to brush off his daughter-in-law’s face, so he reluctantly responded, not wanting to speak another word to the young woman beside him.
The only granddaughter-in-law he had his eye on was Jiang Nanshu!
On stage, two people carried up a piece of unfolded white paper and secured it with a stand; there was also ink and a brush nearby.
People were confused, wondering why a singing performance required all these things. Was Jiang Nanshu going to sing and paint at the same time?
Maybe paint “Butterfly Lovers” to match the theme of the song?
Sneering glances were cast toward the Lu family.
Aunt Lu, feeling embarrassed, said sharply, “All this pretense of elegance can’t change her innate country bumpkin nature. If Yidan were on stage, the performance would be a hundred times better than hers.”