"Hey, who's inside? It's so noisy! Open the door!"

Just as Gu Zihan was about to press Jiang Mianmian's head into the pool, the voice of the cleaning lady came from outside.

The woman was a large, burly woman with a louder voice than others. When she came to this floor while cleaning, she saw students gathered there, and heard noises of fighting coming from inside. She knew that someone must be bullying someone again.

In this elite school, some children are not really "expensive" at all. They act recklessly because their families have some money, and school violence occurs all the time.

The auntie was a straightforward person and couldn't stand this kind of thing, so she grabbed a mop and broom and started hitting her hard!

Gu Zihan was still a little scared and slowly let go of her hand. The moment she let go, Jiang Mianmian suddenly stood up, grabbed her wrist, and twisted it hard!

Gu Zihan let out a painful scream.

Jiang Mianmian took the opportunity to escape.

Even after running downstairs, the shouts of "little bitch" from Gu Zihan's group could still be heard behind them.

Jiang Mianmian bit her lip, a resolute stubbornness flashing in her beautiful eyes.

...

Since she had no classes in the afternoon, Jiang Mianmian simply invited her best friend Xia Zhi to the beach.

The sea in Jiangzhou has a delicate, refined charm. The sand is fine and smooth, almost pale white, and its cleanliness is captivating. After being bathed in the sun for most of the day, the sand is soft, warm, and comfortable to walk on.

Jiang Mianmian hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled softly.

"You still like the beach so much?" Xia Zhi sat down next to her and took a deep breath, just like her.

Jiang Mianmian looked at her and smiled, "Yes, I don't know why either. Actually, I'm very afraid of water and dare not go into the sea. But sitting by the sea is different... looking at the sea makes me feel much better."

"Central City is over there," Xia Zhi pointed into the distance, "on the other side of the sea. I definitely want to go there someday!"

"You're not going to school anymore?"

"There's nothing good about this school..." Xia Zhi pouted, "It's better to leave Jiangzhou as soon as possible. My home... sigh, out of sight, out of mind!"

Jiang Mianmian patted her shoulder, unsure how to comfort her.

Jiang Mianmian and Xia Zhi are both girls from ordinary families, but they were both sent to this prestigious school by their families, where they are like outcasts.

Xia Zhi's parents said that if they wanted to marry a rich man, they had to first get into the circle of wealthy people, so they were willing to sell everything they owned to get her in. This was their investment, and they expected to reap even greater returns from Xia Zhi in the future.

However, Jiang Mianmian's parents were different.

They didn't have much formal education and spent their lives running small supermarkets. Although they weren't extremely wealthy, they were doing alright.

Her parents hoped she could study more and attend the best schools. In their view, you get what you pay for, and that applies to education as well.

Rather than just getting into an average university, it's better to spend a lot of money to get into a top-tier university right away.

This prestigious school offers two years of study in China and two years abroad. Students with excellent academic performance can even be sent abroad for postgraduate studies. That's why they gritted their teeth and sent Jiang Mianmian there.

But now that she's a sophomore and about to go abroad to study, Jiang Mianmian has offended the Gu family...

"Xia Zhi," she drew circles in the sand with her hand, her face still throbbing from the injury, "tell me, have I caused trouble for my parents?"

"Are you talking about boycotting the Gu family?"

Xia Zhi thought she was very courageous. "Mianmian, you did the right thing. Gu's beverage has already been exposed for having quality problems and containing harmful ingredients. If they continue to sell it, it would be irresponsible to consumers!"

“But the Gu family is so powerful. Even after being exposed, they didn’t make any changes. Instead, they came to suppress us…” Jiang Mianmian pulled her hair in frustration. “I’m not afraid of anything else, I’m just afraid of implicating my parents and my brother.”

Xia Zhi gently took her hand.

The Gu family is highly influential in Jiangzhou's business circles, a veritable wealthy and prestigious clan. The beverage company under the Gu Group has been the top-selling brand for many consecutive years, gradually establishing a monopoly in this market.

Some out-of-town brands have been squeezed out, leaving Gu's family with a monopoly, and they are becoming increasingly lax in terms of quality.

The recently exposed "rose dew" was advertised with exaggerated claims, touting its health benefits and beauty effects. However, not only did it lack natural ingredients, but it also contained artificial fragrances, colorings, and industrial components, which are harmful to the human body and have been widely criticized online.

When Jiang Mianmian saw that her family's small supermarket had this drink in the most conspicuous place, she hurriedly took it off the shelf.

Then, in a moment of impulsiveness, he filed a formal complaint and even wrote a letter urging merchants to unite and boycott the Gu family.

Then, Gu Zihan targeted him at school.

Jiang Mianmian sighed, feeling somewhat regretful. This kind of thing couldn't be done so hastily; a careful plan was always necessary.

Xia Zhi put her arm around her shoulder and advised her not to think so much, but to think about her own safety first.

"Gu Zihan will definitely not let you off the hook," Xia Zhi said. "You two see each other all the time at school, she might drag you into the girls' restroom again next time!"

“She didn’t get away with it today, so she probably won’t choose the women’s restroom next time.” Jiang Mianmian smiled. “If I’m careful normally, nothing should happen.”

Xia Zhi nodded, there was nothing she could do about it.

Actually, no one wants to stand up for something like this, but this Miss Jiang is born with a chivalrous heart and always has to speak up when she sees injustice.

However, Jiang Mianmian is considered both brave and resourceful. She usually thinks things through before she shouts, but this time, when it involved the interests of her own small supermarket, she became a little impatient.

...

The two girls chatted for a while and then went home separately.

It wasn't dinner time yet, so Jiang Mianmian went to the store first and happened to run into the driver unloading the goods.

A tall, burly man was carrying boxes and boxes of things into the store. She went over to take a look and found that they were "rose dew"!

"Hey, what are you doing!" Jiang Mianmian rushed forward and blocked the shop entrance.

The man looked up.

The face beneath the baseball cap was sharply defined, its features seemingly sculpted by God. Jiang Mianmian paused for a moment. During her middle school years, she often secretly read romance novels, and the male protagonists in those novels frequently used the phrase "sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes."

She often wondered if such a description was too unrealistic, and if it was just the author's wishful thinking!

But today, at this very moment, she suddenly felt that the phrase "sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes" truly existed.

The man was very tall, probably around 1.9 meters, and the petite Jiang Mianmian had to look up at him. His chest muscles were faintly visible under his white short-sleeved T-shirt, and his arms had clearly defined, strong muscles.

He also possesses a unique aura, an innate sense of oppression.

Jiang Mianmian couldn't help but take a step back.

"Miss," the man's deep, magnetic voice was like a cello, "don't you want these boxes of goods?"