Chapter 25 I thought poor academic performance was due to a lack of intelligence…

Jiang Miaomiao: "Tu Jiaojiao, I thought you were bad at studying because you lacked intelligence, but now I realize you're lacking brains!"

Tu Jiaojiao: "Jiang Miaomiao, I kindly wanted to help you escape this misery, don't bite the hand that feeds you!"

Jiang Miaomiao: "I'm not a dog, and I treat you as a person, so I suggest you improve your literary skills before quoting allusions, so as not to make a fool of yourself."

After speaking, she looked around at everyone, her eyes deep and serious: "I mentioned to Tu Jiaojiao before that she was not intelligent enough to set up a trap, but today she dared to do it anyway? Is this a case of many hands make light work? With everyone cooperating so much, what are you trying to do to me?"

The question was asked so bluntly that none of those present dared to admit they were there to cause trouble or watch the spectacle.

But there is no denying that Jiang Miaomiao's aura is as strong as ever!

Jiang Miaomiao was recruited by their high school alma mater. Everyone knows that she was able to receive a 7,000 yuan scholarship because she ranked in the top three in the monthly exam.

For these wealthy and privileged individuals, seven thousand yuan might not even buy a pair of sneakers. For them, high school is simply a period of growth, a time for free expression: some study what they like, others don't.

No one is as diligent and hardworking as Jiang Miaomiao. She never misses a day of morning reading or evening self-study, wears her school uniform every day, and ranks in the top three in her grade every month.

This made her stand out, making people want to tease her: some deliberately threw her backpack, only to be given a hard over-the-shoulder throw; others stuffed cockroaches and spiders into her desk drawer, only to be chased all over the school by her with a mouse in hand.

...

They had used most of the bullying tactics that exist in school life on Jiang Miaomiao, but the result was always that she retaliated.

They couldn't help but fall into a life puzzle: so many poor but gifted students recruited by the whole school with huge sums of money, almost all of them were timid and cowardly, so how could Jiang Miaomiao, who was poor, stingy and unpopular, dare to rebel against them so arbitrarily?

They can't understand.

Just as Jiang Miaomiao couldn't understand why those poor but gifted students felt they had to be timid and cowardly, even though they didn't steal, rob, or curry favor with others.

So much so that later on, these people were at their wits' end and unwilling to give up.

Just then, a campus youth drama was released, which tells the story of a poor girl's love-hate relationship with four handsome and domineering men.

They boasted of their sudden enlightenment and conspired with the once incredibly handsome young master Han Cuo to seduce Jiang Miaomiao into a relationship, deceive her feelings, and then cruelly abandon her!

In a scenario meticulously crafted by various bored individuals, Jiang Miaomiao and Han Cuo unexpectedly grew closer.

Just when they thought Jiang Miaomiao was about to fail, she suddenly distanced herself from Han Cuo, saying that Han Cuo's talkativeness was affecting her studies and her chances of winning the prize money.

These words dealt a heavy blow to the arrogant young master of the Han family. Unwilling to admit defeat, he followed Jiang Miaomiao around all the time during his senior year of high school, becoming more courageous with each setback, and even attempted to fake suicide to force Jiang Miaomiao to choose between him and her studies.

...

Considering the past, most people still have some reservations about her.

Someone chuckled, "Jiang Miaomiao, don't take it so seriously. We just haven't seen each other in a long time, so we're having a meal to liven things up."

The others quickly echoed, "Yes, yes, yes," and then invited her to sit down and start eating: "Don't talk while eating or sleeping, everyone is hungry."

But Tu Jiaojiao, as if injected with adrenaline, insisted on digging into Jiang Miaomiao's past. She bossed her friend Xiao Luolin around, "Tell everyone what you saw her doing with that old man that day!"

Jiang Miaomiao casually picked up a piece of bamboo shoot and ate it, just like the other onlookers, watching Xiao Luolin who looked hesitant.

Tu Jiaojiao urged, "Hurry up and tell me, or I'll tell your dad again!"

"I'll tell you then." Xiao Luolin was determined to go all out, preferring to wrongly accuse someone rather than be caught by his own father.

He said, "I saw Jiang Miaomiao get out of the car of Jiang Zhengye, the famous playboy from the Jiang Group. Because of the distance, I could only tell from his gesture of poking Jiang Miaomiao with a cigarette that he was cursing her. Later, when I got closer, I heard the security guard advising her not to take advantage of her youth and beauty to try to hook up with a rich man and take shortcuts."

Tu Jiaojiao feigned curiosity and asked, "What was Jiang Miaomiao's reaction to the security guard at the time?"

Xiao Luolin honestly stated, "She didn't deny it, and even said 'Okay, thank you' to the security guard."

"Did you hear that? Jiang Miaomiao didn't deny it!" Tu Jiaojiao emphasized this point. Moreover, "Didn't everyone notice today that she was representing the Jiang Group during a layoff interview and was called 'Miss Jiang'? That title makes people think she's the heiress of the Jiang Group, but my family, Shaoyuan's family, and Jiang Zhengye's family live in the same villa district. Shaoyuan knows Jiang Bainian and has never heard of him having an older sister! Besides, according to age, Jiang Miaomiao and Jiang Bainian are the same age..."

So I suspect this so-called "Miss Jiang" title is just because Jiang Miaomiao happens to have the surname Jiang. She's clearly climbed the social ladder by clinging to Jiang Zhengye's coattails, engaging in shameless dealings, yet she still tries to act high and mighty and be called "Miss"? It's truly laughable.

An uproar ensued.

The people at the three banquets were all in an uproar.

Tu Jiaojiao spoke with such conviction that they were almost convinced, but then they saw Jiang Miaomiao reaching out to pick up a piece of cake and stuffing it into her mouth, and they felt uneasy, as if the matter might take a turn for the worse.

Tu Jiaojiao glanced at Jiang Miaomiao with a mocking smile: "I can give you a chance to explain." But her smug expression made her certain that Jiang Miaomiao couldn't explain.

Jiang Miaomiao replied, "Call me 'Grandma,' and I might be willing to waste my time talking to you."

"Jiang Miaomiao!" Tu Jiaojiao grabbed a cup and was about to smash it when Han Cuo, who was watching the scene, quickly stepped in and held her down. He turned his head slightly and said, "Tu Jiaojiao, this is going too far."

“But she bullied him.” Tu Jiaojiao seemed to have been transformed, blinking her eyes and leaning against Han Cuo with a pitiful expression, seeking comfort in her weak state.

Han Cuo dodged to the side.

Tu Jiaojiao suddenly fell down and cried out in pain.

Jiang Miaomiao silently stuffed another bite of mung bean cake into her mouth, and everyone else held back as well!

It was very awkward. Tu Jiaojiao still had some self-awareness and awkwardly got up.

She glared at Han Cuo with a look of resentment, trying to vent her anger on Jiang Miaomiao: "I know this restaurant is not a place for ordinary people to enter, and I can understand how you feel. After all, you may not be able to eat these expensive and delicious things again in the future, so you want to take advantage of the opportunity to eat as much as you can now, but you should pay attention to your image in front of everyone."

Jiang Miaomiao said, "You can empathize with this feeling? Have you experienced it yourself?"

Tu Jiaojiao gritted her teeth: "What a joke! How could I possibly have experienced hunger? You're just like a reincarnated starving ghost, only caring about eating and not caring about anything else? Where's your manners?"

Jiang Miaomiao looked up: "You're all polite? Aren't you funny? You don't have my high IQ, how could you possibly know what I'm thinking?"

"Jiang Miaomiao, are you beating around the bush because you don't dare admit you're being a mistress to an old man?!"

"You're the one who's the third party, aren't you? You've been going into hotels with so many men in the middle of the night."

The crowd erupted in uproar again.

There are too many melons; we can't finish them all.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Tu Jiaojiao asked angrily, raising her hand to slap Jiang Miaomiao.

However, Han Cuo surprisingly did not stop him this time.

Jiang Miaomiao then hooked her right foot around the table leg, leaning back with the chair.

The slap landed squarely on Xue Shaoyuan, making a loud "smack" that lingered long afterward. A clear five-finger mark was even visible on Xue Shaoyuan's wheat-colored cheek.

Only Jiang Miaomiao laughed heartily: "Although it is said that beating is a sign of affection and scolding is a sign of love, Tu Jiaojiao and the others should also pay attention to their image in front of everyone."

Tu Jiaojiao was both shocked and furious: "You still want to throw your filthy thoughts at me?"

Jiang Miaomiao pulled her legs back to her seat, brushed off imaginary dust from her shoes, and slowly said, "Wasn't it you who first threw dirty thoughts and actions at me? If you can't win an argument, you resort to violence. Can I understand that you're just angry and embarrassed?"

"Again?" Xue Shaoyuan disregarded his own safety and quickly stood between Jiang Miaomiao and Tu Jiaojiao with Xiao Luolin.

Xue Shaoyuan didn't forget to pull up her skirt, which had been lifted up when she kicked, to straighten her appearance. "What kind of fight is this, wearing a skirt?"

Xiao Luolin also advised, "Even if you wear battle armor, you still can't beat her!"

When Xue Shaoyuan tried to persuade her, Tu Jiaojiao still knew to consider her status as a rich young lady, but Xiao Luolin's words only provoked her further, completely enraging her: "Aren't there still the two of you? She can take on us one-on-one, or we can gang up on her!"

Everyone: "..."

With Tu Jiaojiao's level of skill, she thinks she can mess with Jiang Miaomiao?

Jiang Miaomiao sighed, "This is so boring. I'm going back now. I'm not interested in playing your monkey show anymore."

Unable to break free from her two companions blocking her way, Tu Jiaojiao jumped up and down, shouting, "I have more evidence! You'd never guess, I photographed Jiang Zhengye's family household registration book. It even has Jiang Jiezhi's eloped stepmother's household registration on it, but your name, Jiang Miaomiao, isn't on it! So you're not a member of the Jiang family at all! You're a fake 'young lady'!"

"Hey, you two, let me go! I really do have photos." She told Xue Shaoyuan and the other man to release her quickly, then took out her phone and looked at the photos. The photos were a list of members from the Jiang family's household registration book: a father, a mother, and three sons.

Just as Tu Jiaojiao was about to show Han Cuo her phone for the first time, and Han Cuo was also about to look at it, Tu Jiaojiao suddenly pressed the phone to her chest and glared at him with unusual toughness: Who told Han Cuo not to help her up just now, and even made her fall and lose face?

Tu Jiaojiao skipped over Han Cuo, raised her hand to draw a circle so that only others could see the picture, and finally fixed it in front of Jiang Miaomiao.

She smugly retorted, "Let's see how you try to argue now!"

Jiang Miaomiao's expression indeed froze.

Because her household registration had been with Grandpa and Grandma Jiang since she was a child, there was naturally no record of her with Jiang Zhengye.

So, she raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, "Where did you get this household registration book from?"

Tu Jiaojiao said arrogantly, "I won't tell you. Now that there are witnesses and physical evidence, it's no use being stubborn."

Jiang Miaomiao couldn't help but laugh: "Do you believe I can Photoshop you into the 'married couple' section of Jiang Zhengye's household registration book?"

"This isn't photoshopped! This is a genuine photo!" Tu Jiaojiao blurted out, "I went through a lot of trouble to get this from Jiang Bainian."

So it's related to Jiang Bainian?

She paused, a half-smile playing on her lips: "Those of you here are all wealthy and powerful. You should be well aware of the unimaginable consequences that would result from the exposure of your household registration information. So how could Jiang Bainian possibly show it to you so easily, let alone let you take pictures?"

Jiang Miaomiao's words were clearly loaded with traps, so Tu Jiaojiao's first reaction was always to explain, "Who told me to be friends with him?" Then she fell into Jiang Miaomiao's second trap: "Does being friends mean you can get someone else's household registration book?"

At this point, Jiang Miaomiao seemed to suddenly realize something: "You just said that you went through a lot of trouble to take the photos? So you actually sacrificed yourself for me and went to such lengths with Jiang Bainian... Tsk tsk, that's quite a sacrifice of your body."

Xue Shaoyuan quickly realized his mistake and immediately retorted, "Jiang Miaomiao, you can't just say things without evidence! You're ruining my reputation!"

Those present were involuntarily swept into a lewd storm by Jiang Miaomiao's "tsk."

Jiang Miaomiao said, "The authenticity of this evidence is uncertain, and its source is even more unclear. How can Tu Jiaojiao spread it so widely? Isn't this also ruining my reputation?"

Tu Jiaojiao exclaimed urgently, "This photo is absolutely real!"

Jiang Miaomiao replied sarcastically, "Then you must have worked really hard selling yourself."

Tu Jiaojiao roared, "I have no intimate contact with Jiang Bainian! My family is rich, and I don't need to be a gold digger like you!"

Jiang Miaomiao paused, then glanced at someone with a half-smile: "You're more like a gold digger, aren't you?"

Having her thoughts exposed, Tu Jiaojiao looked at Han Cuo in alarm.

The latter, however, remained nonchalant, unmoved by Jiang Miaomiao's piercing glance and Tu Jiaojiao's look.

Even though Han Cuo had always acted this way, Tu Jiaojiao felt as if she were being pricked by needles, her pupils contracted again and again, and she felt extremely cold.

Xue Shaoyuan, who was standing to the side, hurriedly said, "Jiang Miaomiao, please shut up! We all know that Jiaojiao speaks frankly and without thinking, but you are different, Jiang Miaomiao. You have always been very cautious in your actions, so you must think carefully before you speak and not make baseless accusations against her reputation."

Jiang Miaomiao said indifferently, "Tu Jiaojiao spoke without thinking, yet I don't tell her to shut up? Just because I'm cautious in my actions, does that mean I have to endure humiliation and consider things carefully? Being lenient with oneself and strict with others, Xue Shaoyuan, how dare you say that? You're really good at playing the double standard."

Xue Shaoyuan knew he was in the wrong and didn't want to argue further: "But you just fabricated a relationship between her and Jiang Bainian. They are completely innocent."

Jiang Miaomiao retorted, "Did you see with your own eyes that they were innocent?"

Before Xue Shaoyuan could speak, she launched into a series of questions: "So, were you innocent even when you couldn't bear to look?"

"And what about when you're not even looking at it?"

"Are you glued to Tu Jiaojiao 24/7?"

"..." Xue Shaoyuan was also speechless when asked.

Xiao Luolin wanted to stand up for Tu Jiaojiao, but before he could even speak, he was immediately silenced by a glare from Jiang Miaomiao.

Tu Jiaojiao's eyes narrowed: "Jiang Miaomiao, I'll call Jiang Bainian over right now for a face-to-face confrontation!"

Jiang Miaomiao tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying, "Can you even call them all? I've seen how he treats his casual sex partners; he forgets them as soon as he wakes up, and the novelty wears off in just a week."

"I have nothing to do with him!" Tu Jiaojiao said angrily, quickly rummaging through her bag for her phone.

Jiang Miaomiao replied casually, "Didn't we just say we're friends?" Then, she picked up her chopsticks and started eating as if nothing had happened.

The others didn't wait either; they grabbed chopsticks and spoons and joined in the feast.

Anyway, they can just watch the show; there's no need to make any arrangements.

.

Time passed little by little.

Tu Jiaojiao's WeChat messages to Jiang Bainian went unanswered, making her angry, upset, and a little flustered.

Xue Shaoyuan and Xiao Luolin were also helping to spread the word; otherwise, after the meal, who knows what would happen next—whether it was rumors that Jiang Miaomiao was a mistress or that Tu Jiaojiao was selling herself for photos?

Han Cuo couldn't help but lower his head, chuckle silently, and try to suppress the thumbs-up he wanted to give Jiang Miaomiao.

Then, he looked up at Jiang Miaomiao and raised his glass in a toast.

Although Jiang Miaomiao still ignored him, Han Cuo didn't care. He arrogantly and wishfully toasted and drank, thanking her for letting him learn from Tu Jiaojiao's extremely embarrassing experience: even if you come prepared, don't let Jiang Miaomiao lead you by the nose with just a few words, lose your composure, and then forget that your original purpose was to prove your innocence!

Next time it's his turn to strike, he'll definitely hit the enemy in one hit.

***

By the time Jiang Bainian finally replied, half of the food on the table had been eaten.

However, Xue Shaoyuan and Jiang Bainian were not close friends. It would be impolite to call someone at the last minute for a dinner party. Common sense would prevent most people from coming, let alone the arrogant Jiang Bainian.

In a moment of panic, Tu Jiaojiao snatched the phone and said, "Come here right now!"

"Tu Jiaojiao?" Jiang Bainian on the other end of the phone was stunned.

He and she don't seem to have much of a relationship, do they?

The only contact was a few days ago when I was discharged from the hospital and returned home. The Tu family, whom I was not familiar with, sent Tu Jiaojiao to visit me.

Did she fall in love with him at first sight? Did she have her eye on him? Did she want to use Xue Shaoyuan to arrange a meeting between them?

Oh no, he hasn't had enough fun yet, he has no interest in entering the grave of love, and even less interest in getting involved with this spoiled rich girl he can't shake off.

Jiang Bainian finished his mental exercise and hung up the phone!

Unaware of the situation, Xue Shaoyuan and Tu Jiaojiao continued their call, only to discover they had been blacklisted. Under their persistent stares, Xiao Luolin also called Jiang Bainian, thus becoming the third person blacklisted.

"Don't look at me, I don't know what to do either," he said timidly.

But Jiang Bainian on the other side wanted to say: I'm even more timid! So many people suddenly came to see me, it's undoubtedly a forced marriage.

.

Xue Shaoyuan looked at Jiang Miaomiao, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

Tu Jiaojiao struggled and said, "Jiang Miaomiao, since you said you live in the Jiang family, you can also call Jiang Bainian over."

Jiang Miaomiao chuckled: "You set up the trap, you provided the photos, and now you want me to find someone to verify their authenticity? Even a TV drama editor wouldn't write such an absurd plot. You just make it sound so natural. But I don't care anymore. After all, even if I really became the acting director of the Jiang Group by relying on Jiang Zhengye, it's still more worthwhile than you being Jiang Bainian's casual sex partner just to take a casually deleted photo of your household registration. Compared to me, Tu Jiaojiao, you're really cheap..."

Some people couldn't help but laugh.

Immediately, some people in the room looked over, and that person was forced to save face: "Excuse me, my nose is itchy."

But after a while, more and more snickers began to ripple outwards, as if someone had finally snapped and couldn't hold back any longer. Even Han Cuo's shoulders trembled slightly. Since Han Cuo had taken the lead, the others didn't need to hold back and burst into laughter.

They were clearly laughing at Tu Jiaojiao.

Tu Jiaojiao was furious: "Shut up, all of you! What are you laughing at? Are you laughing at your mother?!"

Someone who had been smiling suddenly turned angry and said, "Tu Jiaojiao, who are you cursing? Putting aside Jiang Miaomiao, none of us here are inferior to your Tu family in terms of social standing, are we? You said you wouldn't eat just now, and now you say you can't laugh, and we're all willing to cooperate with you out of consideration for our acquaintance. But you're not as skilled as others, yet you casually insult our elders! That's going too far!"

The speaker was Ren Ziwei.

Once someone started it, others echoed their anger.

Tu Jiaojiao instinctively covered her mouth, and Xue Shaoyuan hinted that she should apologize quickly and ask everyone not to take it personally.

Ren Ziwei was still frustrated and got up to leave when he suddenly heard Jiang Miaomiao say, "Tu Jiaojiao, go to hell!"

Ren Ziwei and the others: "?!"

Even Tu Jiaojiao was a little stunned: "Jiang Miaomiao, do you have the guts to say that again?"

Jiang Miaomiao nodded, as she wished: "Go to hell."

"Sorry, I'm sorry." Jiang Miaomiao interrupted, then quickly raised her foot to block Tu Jiaojiao's chest. No matter how long Tu Jiaojiao's arms were, they couldn't hit Jiang Miaomiao, whose legs were even longer!

Jiang Miaomiao said very seriously, "I've already apologized. Ren Ziwei won't hold it against you, so why should you hold it against me?"

In terms of rhetoric, who can rival her?

In the end, Xue Shaoyuan, the one with the highest emotional intelligence in the trio, took the blame for everything. He once again sacrificed himself to pull away the relentless Tu Jiaojiao.

In fact, at this point in the Feast at Hongmen, the advantages and disadvantages of both sides were obvious.

At this crucial moment, Jiang Miaomiao pointed out: "If Jiang Bainian doesn't come, tonight's show won't be as enjoyable as it could have been."

Ren Ziwei then sat back down and called out to her, who was sitting across the table, "Class beauty, what's your idea?"

Jiang Miaomiao smiled and said, "There are many ways to do things; it just depends on whether you can motivate me."

Tu Jiaojiao called it a trap, but in her eyes it was just a feast of whole chickens delivered to her doorstep. Most of the people present were weaklings!

"Tu Jiaojiao, did you hear that? We can talk if there's something in it for us," Ren Ziwei shouted, clearly indicating that his stance had already shifted.

Tu Jiaojiao's anger intensified: She was expected to fawn over Jiang Miaomiao? This was going too far!

Tu Jiaojiao didn't believe that she could call out Jiang Bainian's name, and she didn't believe that she was the only one who could. Wasn't Han Cuo here?

She then called out, "Han Cuo, just make a call for me. Even if Jiang Bainian doesn't know you personally, he knows who you are. He won't disrespect the Han family."

Han Cuo's eyelashes were half-closed, and he finally dared to speak: "Reason."