Chapter 3
The watch was practically right in front of him, and Ji Zhixing glanced at it. It looked strangely familiar – he'd seen it just a month ago, and it was because of it that he'd lost all his savings. He wasn't particularly knowledgeable about luxury watches, but he remembered the crack on the dial clearly; it looked like a crooked "y".
What a coincidence! The suspicion that he had been framed a month ago resurfaced in Ji Zhixing's mind.
Ji Zhixing turned to Chen Yan and said, "Director Chen, I want to call the police. I suspect that it was Liu Shihui who slipped the watch into my bag while I was getting water." He then briefly recounted what had happened a month ago.
"Is that so?" Chen Yan also felt that there must be something wrong here.
As a counselor, Chen Yan didn't actually want to escalate the situation to the point of calling the police, as it would negatively impact the school's reputation regardless of the truth. Moreover, comparing Ji Zhixing and Liu Shihui's reactions with their usual behavior, he actually felt that Ji Zhixing was innocent.
However, even if reporting the incident to the police clears Ji Zhixing's name, it might take a considerable amount of time to uncover the truth without surveillance footage. A few days would be enough for Ji Zhixing's reputation to be severely damaged, especially since so many people witnessed the watch being found in his backpack. Even if the truth is revealed and the rumors are publicly refuted, such matters are often a case of "it's easy to spread rumors, but incredibly difficult to refute them."
Therefore, he hoped to resolve the matter on the spot. He looked at Liu Shihui and asked, "Shihui, do you have anything to say?"
Liu Shihui was inwardly cursing his bad luck. How could the person his aunt was extorting be Ji Zhixing?
Actually, the watch belonged to his aunt. His cousin had broken it before, and his aunt felt it was a pity. She devised a clever plan to extort money from a tutor for repairs, but the watch couldn't be fixed after being sent for repairs. When he found out, he felt it was a waste that a watch worth over 100,000 yuan was being wasted, so he decided to find a sucker at school to exchange it for some money.
He spent several days searching the library before finally choosing Ji Zhixing, who had a grudge against him and no family to back him up. Little did he know that even the best-laid plans can have gone awry; if only he had asked the tutor's name beforehand! But now he was in a bind; admitting in front of so many classmates that he had framed and blackmailed Ji Zhixing was absolutely out of the question! Liu Shihui looked up and glared hatefully at Ji Zhixing.
Ji Zhixing looked back calmly.
The tense atmosphere was broken by a deep male voice: "Excuse me, does Mr. Ji Zhixing live here?"
"I am." Ji Zhixing looked in the direction of the voice, and the students gathered at the entrance of 310 squeezed to both sides to make way for the uninvited guest.
Three people filed in, led by a refined-looking man in his thirties. Compared to the students around him, dressed in T-shirts and shorts, he seemed completely out of place in the dormitory. In this sweltering heat that made one want to run around naked, he was wearing a suit and tie, making anyone who saw him feel like they were about to break out in heat rash. The man and woman behind him were also dressed in neat suits.
"Mr. Ji, hello. My surname is Li. I am the manager of Patek Philippe's provincial headquarters." Manager Li extended his hand politely.
Ji Zhixing shook hands with him blankly. He didn't recognize this person at all; he had never even seen him before.
Manager Li, a man of many experience, naturally noticed Ji Zhixing's confusion. He sighed enviously to himself, thinking, "Another lucky rich kid. His family spends lavishly on expensive watches for him, and he's completely unaware."
In fact, during those few steps he took in, he had already subtly scanned Ji Zhixing from head to toe. Coming from humble beginnings himself, he immediately and accurately judged that this wealthy second-generation heir, who seemed to be highly regarded by his family, couldn't possibly have an outfit worth more than a hundred yuan. However, as the regional manager for Patek Philippe, he had heard countless stories of the intricacies of wealthy families, so he showed no surprise and explained with his standard smile, "Your family ordered a Patek Philippe watch for you and arranged for it to be delivered today."
The students gathered at the entrance were in an uproar. Patek Philippe! The undisputed number one watch brand in the world. But wasn't Ji Zhixing's family very poor?
Chen Yan was also somewhat surprised. As a counselor, he knew perfectly well that Ji Zhixing was the only person left on his family's household registration. Where did this family member come from?
Ji Zhixing touched his nose. Actually, he had already guessed it. Perhaps the "gift" mentioned by the system was a Patek Philippe watch. But did the manager really need to deliver it personally? Making it so formal made him feel a little embarrassed.
Seeing that Ji Zhixing had no objection, Manager Li turned his head to signal to the person behind him, and the man in the suit stepped forward and carefully placed the large box he was carrying on the table.
Manager Li gestured, "Please check and verify the contents."
"Oh, oh," Ji Zhixing untied the ribbon of the large box, lifted the lid, and inside were ten small boxes. So many accessories?
Ji Zhixing picked up the first box, which was wrapped in blue silk, opened it, and sure enough, it contained a watch.
Manager Li introduced at the opportune moment: "This is Patek Philippe's new Rebirth series platinum model this year. The movement has 866 parts, which make up 12 watch functions. Each one takes thousands of hours to make and is limited to twelve pieces worldwide."
"Wow, this one costs over 40 million!" Zhang Biao exclaimed from the doorway.
Manager Li nodded reservedly, and the murmurs at the door grew louder.
What a waste! Ji Zhixing thought with a heavy heart, why spend over forty million on a watch! It's neither food nor clothing, what's the use of it! Although he was the one who received this gift, it was his great-grandson's money that was spent! The ancestor Ji Zhixing was deeply worried about his great-grandsons' ability to maintain the family business.
He closed the lid and put it back. Hmm... I wonder if I can return it? He glanced at Manager Li, who gestured for him to continue opening the box.
Ji Zhixing looked at the remaining nine boxes. Could it be...?
He opened the second cover, and sure enough, it was another watch.
Manager Li interjected with a timely narration: "This is the Century series rose gold model, set with 365 diamonds and equipped with the Caliber 4SC automatic movement."
The crowd at the door looked at Zhang Biao, who, as expected, quoted a price of "over thirty million," which caused another gasp.
When Ji Zhixing saw Manager Li nod affirmatively, he felt so heartbroken that he could hardly breathe. He wished he could immediately lie down in front of his great-grandchildren, ask them to carry him to get oxygen, and then grasp their hands with his dying hand, leaving behind the last words, "Be diligent in serving the country and frugal in managing the household," as a family motto.
Fortunately, the next eight watches were only in the "mere" million-dollar range, but the total price still amounted to more than 20 million.
After the woman in the suit finished unpacking, she brought over a tablet and asked Ji Zhixing to sign it.
Ji Zhixing's mind went blank when he saw the numerous zeros on the bill. One hundred million! Just like that, it was gone. He suddenly remembered something: when he was taking care of his grandfather in the hospital, the aunt in the next bed received a bouquet of flowers from her daughter on her birthday. The aunt was not only unhappy, but also very angry, scolding her daughter for wasting money. At the time, he couldn't quite understand it.
Even today, Ji Zhixing seems to have a vague understanding of the differences in thinking between the two generations caused by different consumption concepts, as well as the desire of elders not to let their juniors spend money recklessly on them.
Ji Zhixing has never been interested in luxury goods, nor can he understand the act of wearing a house on his wrist. But for his great-grandchildren, perhaps this is just normal consumption?
Even so, 100 million is no small sum anywhere. As a man of principle, Ji Zhixing could accept a few hundred yuan a day in help, but he would prefer that 100 million be used for his child's own benefit, or perhaps for something more practical.
Ji Zhixing glanced at Manager Li and led him to the balcony.
"Um, well... cough... can I return it?" Ji Zhixing asked tentatively in a soft voice.
Manager Li smiled apologetically and shook his head gently. The watch cases were already engraved.
Ji Zhixing knew that this was asking the impossible, but it was the children's wish, and it was not appropriate to sell it if it could not be returned. His question was just a last-ditch effort.
Seeing that Ji Zhixing wasn't difficult to deal with, Manager Li couldn't help but say, "Excuse my bluntness, but your family loves you very much."
"I know..." Ji Zhixing's voice was barely audible. It was this love that was too heavy, making him look decades older in an instant.
According to the system's previous statement, the money couldn't be refunded. Ji Zhixing had no choice but to accept this heavy gift, and he made up his mind that he would work hard in the future and strive to ensure that his great-grandson would be born into a wealthy family for five generations. The ancestor, who was being spurred on in the opposite direction, thought with mixed feelings of joy and worry.
After Ji Zhixing signed his name, Manager Li and his entourage took their leave.
For a moment, no one spoke; everyone was processing the shock of the 100 million yuan.
That's a hundred million! Even though people nowadays often use "a small goal" to jokingly refer to this unit, and even though the endless entertainment and legal news has made this unit seem ordinary, it is still a fortune that many people cannot accumulate in their entire lives.
Ji Zhixing stared at the ten watches, unsure what to do. A glance at the dumbfounded Liu Shihui reminded him that there were still unresolved matters.
Ji Zhixing looked at Director Chen: "Director Chen, may I call the police?"
"Oh, oh." Chen Yan snapped out of his daze. "Shihui, do you still stand by your original statement?"
"Does Zhixing really need to steal a watch worth over 100,000 yuan?" Xu Dongyang interjected. Although he didn't understand how Ji Zhixing suddenly had such wealthy family members, the more important thing now was obviously to borrow the watch and make a purchase.
Xu Dongyang's words were echoed by the onlookers.
"Bullshit! Does that mean rich people don't steal?" Liu Shihui was now in a bind, so he could only resort to sophistry. "That so-called manager was probably just hired by Ji Zhixing to put on an act, and those watches are definitely fake!"
Seeing that Liu Shihui was still insisting that Ji Zhixing had stolen his watch, Chen Yan had no choice but to let Ji Zhixing call the police.
What happened next was quite simple. Liu Shihui's refusal to change his story at school was simply because he was certain that there were few people around, it was a blind spot for surveillance cameras, and he was moving so quickly that no one would notice. However, at the end of the day, he was just a student who was still in school and had little experience in such matters. When faced with police questioning, he couldn't handle it and even tried to shift the blame onto his aunt.
The school has always tried to smooth things over in such matters, with the main goal of not affecting the school's reputation. Therefore, Chen Yan was instructed to persuade Ji Zhixing to issue a letter of understanding, which would allow them to obtain a higher amount of compensation for emotional distress.
Liu Shihui's gray-haired grandparents knelt before Ji Zhixing, weeping and kowtowing repeatedly. Ji Zhixing couldn't help them up. Thinking of his deceased grandfather, he finally softened. Therefore, Liu Shihui was only given ten days of administrative detention and a fine for disturbing public order, while Guangling University gave him a demerit and placed him on probation.
Aunt Liu was also summoned to the police station. Although the sentence was not yet determined, the money she had extorted from Ji Zhixing was returned to him.
Ji Zhixing was fairly accepting of the result.
On his way back to school, he mentally asked the system, "Was it a coincidence that they chose an expensive watch as a gift and specified that it should be delivered on that day? Or...?"
[Sorry, host. The system must adhere to security and confidentiality regulations and may not disclose excessively detailed information about the future.]
Ji Zhixing didn't press the matter further. In any case, with the system's help, his life would surely lead him to a bright future, allowing him to follow his dreams and live towards the sun!
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