Chapter 19
Afternoon sunlight streamed through the swimming pool's tall glass dome, casting shimmering golden light across the water. The faint scent of chlorine permeated the air, occasionally punctuated by the gentle sound of ripples lapping against the pool's edge.
The four of them stood by the pool, some distance from Fu Yanzhi, who was not far away. So Fu Yanzhi naturally didn't hear Qin Shuyi's question, otherwise he would have stopped her as soon as she asked such a stupid question.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Minghua slowly raised her eyes. The sunlight fell perfectly on her face, outlining her strikingly beautiful features. The corners of her eyes were slightly upturned with a hint of mockery, and the corners of her lips curved into a half-smile.
"Oh? Who told you that?"
Liu Qingya took a small half-step forward. As the class beauty, she had a gentle and lovely face, and at this moment, she wore a confident expression:
"It was Li Xiangjun, who just transferred, who told me. He is the godson of Jiang, the richest man, so his words are naturally credible."
So far, Li Xiangjun hasn't told the truth, nor does he dare to. If he does, then his lie about being Jiang the richest man's godson will fall apart.
As she spoke, she unconsciously pinched the hem of her swimsuit, then added, "He said you're just relying on your family's wealth..."
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Minghua felt a pang of pity for the silly beauty in front of her, and her voice unconsciously softened:
"Did he tell you why he suddenly lost his admission?"
"Because he didn't do well on the last test. The richest man in the family, Mr. Jiang, is strict with him, which is why he sent him abroad for further studies."
As Jiang Minghua listened to Liu Qingya recount Li Xiangjun's story, she almost applauded his ability to distort the truth. The lie was so convincing that even she, the person directly involved, was nearly convinced.
However, a surge of anger welled up in Jiang Minghua's heart. Why did the novel have to set up the original owner being deceived by such a person, ending up in such a state, and finally being given to the second male lead who was pitied by the readers, without asking the original owner's own opinion?
So, were the female supporting characters in these old-fashioned tragic novels really all portrayed as beautiful but brainless puppets?
The thought pierced her heart. Why is it that in so many stories, the female characters seem to exist only to highlight the male protagonist's charm? They are forced into the flat shells of "vicious female supporting character," "white moonlight," and "naive and sweet," fighting over a man, as if they can find no other support for their existence except to depend on men and engage in endless female competition.
The wisdom, talent, and independent personality that they could have possessed were quietly stolen away in this distorted narrative, ultimately reducing them to pale, dispensable footnotes under the male protagonist's halo.
Jiang Minghua suddenly thought of a meme: the end point for male protagonists in male-oriented novels is the starting point for male protagonists in female-oriented novels. Female protagonists look at male protagonists in male-oriented novels and think: "You're not happy with this either."
Thinking this, the pent-up frustration in Jiang Minghua's chest suddenly ignited into a raging fire. Since she had transmigrated into this discontinued, angsty novel, and the core rule of this world was cruelty, why could only women be cruelly abused? Why couldn't men be?
Upon considering this possibility, she immediately asked the system in her mind:
[Jiajia, could this novel be adapted into a male-torture story? All the female characters in the story eventually have their own growth paths, and since the endings are all happy, the process doesn't matter, as long as it's angsty.]
Plus sign: [! Why didn't I think of that? It's fine, it's over since the story is over anyway. As long as there's some angst in the process, it doesn't matter who gets angst, as long as the ending is a cliché dumpling-making plot.]
After receiving the plus sign, Jiang Minghua turned her attention to the two girls in front of her. What she needed now was to divert their attention from the boys to herself.
She took out her phone, tapped the screen with her fingertip, and then turned the screen to face the two girls opposite her.
She showed them Li Xiangjun's miserable state, saying as she did so:
“Li Xiangjun is the son of my family’s driver. I was blinded by greed before and was completely devoted to him. I was even willing to give up my father.”
When they heard her say that she would give up her father, Qin Shuyi and Liu Qingya felt a chill run down their spines, and had a bad feeling.
Seeing the sudden change in their expressions, Jiang Minghua tilted her head slightly and deliberately dragged out her words:
"Let's get to know each other again. I am the biological daughter of the richest man in the country, and his only one."
She paused, her gaze shifting between Qin Shuyi and Liu Qingya, the smile on her lips deepening:
"Oh, by the way, it seems my family has partnerships with both the Qin and Liu families. You probably don't want our misunderstanding to affect your family business, right?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Shuyi and Liu Qingya's expressions instantly became quite varied. Resentment and embarrassment intertwined in their eyes, but Jiang Minghua's mention of family cooperation firmly suppressed all their dissatisfaction and arrogance.
The two bit their lips, exchanged a frustrated look, and finally managed to squeeze out a barely audible utterance through gritted teeth:
"Feel sorry."
After saying that, they turned around and prepared to leave, their backs showing a hint of panic.
"etc."
Jiang Minghua called out to them. Her cool gaze landed precisely on Liu Qingya:
“Student Liu, there’s one more thing. All the money and gifts that Li Xiangjun spent on you in the name of my Jiang family’s godson were, in the end, resources of my Jiang family.”
She took a step forward, her voice softening:
"I hope you can settle and return this money within this week. After all, it's money my father worked hard to earn, not money to give to a swindler."
Liu Qingya turned around abruptly, her gentle and beautiful face instantly drained of color, turning ashen. Her lips trembled, as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't utter a single word. She could only clench her fists tightly, her nails almost digging into her flesh.
He said slowly, "I understand."
As Qin Shuyi left, her gaze fell on Wen Chuqing, and a fleeting, almost imperceptible ruthlessness flashed in her eyes.
Suddenly, she lost her footing, and with a seemingly unintentional but actually precise, forceful push from behind—
"ah!"
With a splash, water sprayed everywhere!
Caught off guard, Wen Chuqing was pushed and fell directly into the icy swimming pool.
"Oh dear! Wen!"
Qin Shuyi immediately exclaimed in surprise, her face instantly filled with anxiety and worry. She squatted down by the pool, stretched out her hand, and called out repeatedly:
"How could you be so careless as to fall! Quick, grab my hand! I'll pull you up!"
Although her hand had already reached out, she didn't extend it any further. Her almond-shaped eyes, which resembled Wen Chuqing's, flickered with feigned anxiety.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Jiang Minghua's eyes sharpened, and she was about to step forward.
"Splash—!"
The sound of water was heard, and Wen Chuqing, who had fallen into the water, struggled to stand up. She wiped the wet hair from her face, and water droplets slid down her beautiful cheeks. When their eyes met, Qin Shuyi suddenly froze on the spot.
It was because she finally remembered why Wen Chuqing gave her a familiar feeling. It wasn't because the two of them looked alike, but because she was the little girl who saved Fu Yanzhi back then, but was threatened by her and had her credit stolen!
What is she doing here?!
Qin Shuyi hurriedly turned around to look for Fu Yanzhi. Fortunately, his gaze was still on her, and she breathed a slight sigh of relief. However, she was instantly overwhelmed by fear again. Without thinking too much, she suddenly stood up and hurriedly walked towards the door.
She knew that as soon as she left, Fu Yanzhi would follow. If she could keep them from having any contact, perhaps Fu Yanzhi would never discover the truth.
Liu Qingya was stunned by this sudden turn of events. Seeing Qin Shuyi's unusual escape, she could only suppress her doubts and humiliation and hurriedly followed after her.
The poolside was temporarily calm again.
Jiang Minghua glanced thoughtfully in the direction Qin Shuyi had fled, and suddenly thought of the plot in old novels where the male protagonist only recognized the token and not the person. According to the melodramatic plot of this novel, could there be such a scene?
Jiang Minghua suppressed her doubts and prepared to find an opportunity to provoke her.
"Chuqing, can you swim?" Jiang Minghua squatted down and looked intently at Wen Chuqing in the water.
Wen Chuqing opened her mouth, but the simple word "yes" stuck in her throat, unable to come out. Suddenly, a memory flashed through her mind:
When she was sixteen, she rescued a boy who had fallen into the river. She pulled him ashore with all her might. The boy had choked on water and was in a daze. His pale face still showed signs of shock. But when he regained a little clarity, he struggled to take off the necklace from his neck and put it into her wet hand, saying thank you.
The necklace had barely warmed her hands when a girl rudely snatched it away! After the snatch, the threats and intimidation escalated. That girl brought people to her and her grandmother's small home, where they wantonly vandalized it. It was around that time that her grandmother fell ill.
And that girl even threatened and warned him:
Listen up, it was me who saved them! It's always been me! If you dare mention what happened today to anyone, if you dare let anyone know you can swim, I guarantee that you and your grandson will never be able to live in Xi'an!
Unfortunately, the trauma from that incident was so great that she forgot what the girl looked like. Because of this, whenever she was hurt, even if it was painful to recall, she would force herself to remember so that she wouldn't forget the perpetrator's face again.
When Minghua asked if she could swim, Wen Chuqing shook her head, indicating that she could not.
Jiang Minghua was somewhat surprised. Wen Chuqing couldn't swim? Had she misunderstood?
The ward was unusually quiet at night when Wen Chuqing's phone screen suddenly lit up with a message from Fu Yanzhi.
Looking at that familiar name, she felt a tightness in her chest. Remembering how he abandoned her halfway through the journey, and how he had deliberately distanced himself from her since Qin Shuyi's return, it would be a lie to say she wasn't sad. Especially during today's PE class, when he was clearly there, he allowed Qin Shuyi to bully her.
Thinking of this, Wen Chuqing felt a pang of sadness and simply threw her phone aside, refusing to reply in a fit of pique.
Time ticked by, and then there was a knock on the ward door. Afraid of disturbing her grandmother, Wen Chuqing quickly whispered a few words of reassurance, and only after confirming that the old woman hadn't been woken up did she quietly get up to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, Fu Yanzhi was seen standing outside.
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