NOVEL NEXT Chapter 58
Chapter 58
Minutes ticked by.
The appointed time had long passed, but Han Rou still hadn’t shown up.
The crowd went from excited to puzzled.
Why isn’t the girl here yet?
Did she change her mind?
No way. A guy who risked everything to protect you, how could you say no?
Maybe she hasn’t seen the post yet?
Fang Youcai also began to panic.
The school was cheering him on. Even students from other schools were supporting him.
He felt like the most charming man in Shangjing University.
How could the cold and elegant Han Rou resist?
Yet… she was still not here.
This is unacceptable! She’s late? Really?
Just then, silence fell.
Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, “Look! It’s Jiang Zhou… and Han Rou?!”
Everyone turned, shocked.
Wait… had she been here the whole time?
Was the crowd too thick for her to enter?
Why’s Jiang Zhou here? Shouldn’t he be hiding in shame in his dorm?
“Wait, wasn’t this supposed to be a confession? What’s going on now?”
“Also… aren’t those the two other girls from the photo?”
“Why are they here? Dragging Jiang Zhou out to apologize?”
“Man, this is going to be a spectacle!”
Amid the buzz, Jiang Zhou and the three girls walked onto the field.
Fang Youcai, still holding his bouquet, was overwhelmed with excitement.
He didn’t even register that Jiang Zhou was there. All he saw was Han Rou.
He strode over, knelt down on one knee, and held up the flowers. “Han Rou, please be with me! I’ll protect you. No one will ever hurt you again!”
Han Rou took the flowers and stood there in silence for a moment. Then, she smiled softly and dropped the bouquet to the ground.
The crowd gasped.
Even Fang Youcai’s eyes went wide in disbelief.
“Han Rou, how could you be so careless? That bouquet cost me 300 yuan!”
Han Rou looked at him and calmly said, “In your post, you said you’ve been stalking me for years?”
Fang Youcai immediately shook his head. “I wasn’t stalking! I was protecting you! I was afraid you’d get hurt!”
“Protecting me… with a professional DSLR camera? What exactly were you trying to capture?”
“No, those photos were taken on my phone!”
“Nikon 7500, shutter speed 1/240, aperture 5.8. You uploaded the pictures without even deleting the metadata?”
As the voice echoed, everyone around exchanged looks.
This… wasn’t how the story was supposed to go.
Wasn’t it supposed to be a successful confession and a happily-ever-after ending?
Why did it suddenly turn into a courtroom drama?
And those photos. Were they really taken with a professional camera?
Most of the crowd had assumed they were casually snapped with a phone.
But even if it was a DSLR, so what? Couldn’t that still be a coincidence?
Besides, would using a professional camera really cover up the fact that Jiang Zhou dated three girls at the same time?
At the very least, Fang Youcai had helped Han Rou see Jiang Zhou’s true colors.
Even if she didn’t accept his confession, wasn’t this public humiliation a bit much?
At that moment, the crowd started getting restless.
Many began whispering and pointing at Han Rou.
“Shut up!” Han Rou coldly swept her gaze across the group. “Who I have dinner with is my business. Who are you? The principal?”
Huang Qi also nodded. “Yes, I went out with Jiang Zhou. So what? What’s it got to do with you?”
Su Nan stood up next. “This guy may be a bit of a jerk, but eating with him is quite pleasant.”
Buzz!
The crowd grew even more agitated.
They were starting to realize something.
Han Rou, Huang Qi, and Su Nan knew about each other.
And apparently, they didn’t care that Jiang Zhou was dating the others.
What the hell?
Was this guy descended from a god or something?
This was wilder than any harem novel they’d read.
“You’re all the same! Don’t you find yourselves disgusting?”
“A girl should have self-respect. Han Rou, you’re throwing yourself at some guy with two others. How can you be student council president?”
“Yeah! And you still dare show your face here and act like victims? What a joke!”
“I’ve never seen anything like this. In ancient times, you wouldn’t survive two episodes!”
“Are you that desperate for men? There are plenty of good guys on campus!”
“I can only imagine how filthy their relationship must be!”
At that moment, Jiang Zhou suddenly picked up a brick.
The crowd jumped back, thinking he was about to snap and attack.
But he just placed the brick down and sat on it.
“Go on. Say everything you want to say, then I’ll talk. Otherwise, if you’re not satisfied, I’m not satisfied.” Jiang Zhou looked completely calm, unfazed by how vicious their insults were.
People began looking at each other in silence.
Maybe it didn’t matter what they said.
What was really strange was: why did this scumbag seem so confident?
“You’re done? Okay, now it’s my turn.” Jiang Zhou stood and clapped his hands, his gaze sweeping across them. “Since when does having dinner with someone mean you’re in an illicit relationship?
“Your minds are disgusting. Is this what university taught you?
“To the one who said girls should have self-respect. If I go shopping with your mom, does that mean something shady’s going on?
“Who taught you to make baseless accusations and use venomous words?
“You do realize that spreading rumors can get you three years in prison?”
The crowd visibly paled.
Spreading rumors can lead to criminal charges?!
No one had ever told them that!
“But Fang Youcai recorded your conversation. We all saw it!” someone argued.
Jiang Zhou smirked. “Then should I write a story about having dinner with your mom? Will you call me ‘Dad’?”
“You— you say one more word and I’ll beat you up!”
“This is exactly what I mean. You can’t even prove I lied, and yet you spread my story across the entire forum?”
The speaker faltered, unsure how to respond.
They hadn’t been there in person. They just saw the post and assumed it was true.
Fang Youcai, still unwilling to give up, said, “I swear everything I wrote was exactly what I heard!”
The crowd perked up again.
“Yeah! Fang Youcai heard it. How can you deny that?”
Jiang Zhou looked at him. “You sure you heard everything exactly as it happened?”
“Yes! I heard it! You’re a scumbag. Stop trying to whitewash yourself!” Fang Youcai straightened up, confidently throwing the accusation at Jiang Zhou.
He had no recordings. He hadn’t even heard the full conversation.
But as long as he kept denying it, people would believe him!
But then…
Ding!
Someone’s phone chimed.
Then more and more notification sounds followed. [Official Website Update: Welcome Gala Program Released!]
Song: “The Anthem of the Foodies”
Performed by: Han Rou, Huang Qi, Su Nan
Creative Director: Jiang Zhou
Ding!
The Welcome Gala received a 50,000 yuan sponsorship from freshman Jiang Zhou of the Business School
Ding!
Backstage photos from rehearsal released: the dancing girl trio!
Ding!
Freshman Jiang Zhou, founder of ganfanren.com, awarded the “Entrepreneurial Rising Star” certificate. A handsome and outstanding student!
People stared at their screens, stunned.
Jiang Zhou’s name appeared over and over again, and not once was it about him being punished or expelled.
Then things started to click: ganfanren.com was Jiang Zhou’s startup.
Han Rou, Huang Qi, and Su Nan had a show called “The Anthem of the Foodies.”
Jiang Zhou was the creative director.
Buzz!
It finally made sense.
Jiang Zhou had launched a startup and advertised heavily on campus.
People often received his flyers.
And the site? Super useful. Even seniors found new places to eat using it.
So that was what the dinner was about. They weren’t on some shady date. They were planning a performance. Or maybe Jiang Zhou was simply thanking them for helping out.
This was absurd.
The same people who called themselves righteous and moral had just attacked a rising star entrepreneur.
Someone who’d already made a name for himself as a freshman.
The title “Entrepreneurial Rising Star” was no joke.
Just last year, a student with the same title got 2 million yuan in angel investment from a single pitch.
And them?
All they ever did was gossip, make noise, follow the crowd.
Always looking for drama. Always ready to stir the pot.
And now, just like that, they’d been publicly humiliated.
Above their heads, it felt like two glowing words had appeared: “Dumbasses.”
They weren’t even in the same league as Jiang Zhou.
Naturally, everyone turned their anger toward Fang Youcai.
He was the one who’d posted rumors and lies on the forum, dragging them into this mess.
In the end, Jiang Zhou proved he wasn’t a scumbag.
And they were left like fools who just wanted the ground to swallow them up.
…Also, why did the official site emphasize that he was handsome?
They glanced at the now pale and terrified Fang Youcai.
Yeah, side by side… Jiang Zhou really was good-looking.
“So, now you understand what our relationship is?” Jiang Zhou looked at them, his expression full of scorn.
Everyone began murmuring.
“It was all just a big misunderstanding…”
“Yeah, we were victims too! We were tricked!”
“Sorry, Jiang Zhou. We really shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
“We’ve learned our lesson. We won’t let ourselves be manipulated again.”
Once one person apologized, others quickly followed suit.
Jiang Zhou nodded. “I only ask one thing. Go back and post a clarification. Lay out the facts clearly.”
Han Rou added coldly, “If you refuse, we won’t hesitate to call the police.”
Everyone quickly agreed.
It wasn’t that big of a deal.
Why risk getting reported when writing a post cost nothing?
Even Fang Youcai sighed in relief.
“Just an apology? Phew… I thought they were really going to report me.”
But Jiang Zhou stepped up to him and said, “You. Call your family and explain everything you’ve done.
“And because of you, I developed depression and felt suicidal.
“I want 500,000 yuan in compensation for psychological damage and treatment.”
“I’ve saved all the evidence. If I don’t see your parents within three days, I will report this.
“Whether you settle it privately or legally, that’s between you and your family.”
Fang Youcai turned completely pale.
He had never imagined that making up stories would come at such a high price.
Five hundred thousand yuan?!
His parents couldn’t make more than 200,000 yuan a year even if they neither ate nor drank!
All he did was like a girl. What was so wrong about that?
Didn’t people always say that love knows no bounds?
At the same time, the crowd of onlookers, just about to leave, was stunned.
500,000 yuan, just like that? The price of spreading rumors was this high?
He didn’t look like someone with depression at all!
He didn’t seem like someone about to jump off a building!
Right now, he looked more like a damn war god than a victim!
This guy is terrifying.
Even if they all teamed up, none of them could play against him and win!
That guy, Fang Youcai, took his photo and made up stories.
Now he was dragged out for public humiliation, shamed in front of everyone, and even had to pay compensation in the end!
Shangjing Academy has really produced someone you absolutely cannot mess with.
They couldn’t stay there anymore.
If they did, they’d end up bled dry.
With a whoosh, the crowd swarmed off the field.
At the same time, Jiang Zhou turned to the three girls behind him.
Ads by PubRev
“Let’s go. I’ll take you to get something good to eat. This time, we eat together. Let’s see who dares try giving me money again.”
Han Rou couldn’t help but laugh. “I think after today, a lot of people are going to avoid you like the plague.”
Huang Qi also shuddered. “I’d never want to go against you. You’d ruin me.”
“And Su Nan? Don’t you have anything to say?”
“Boss, from now on I’ll work without pay. Just don’t bully me, okay?”