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墨書 Inktalez
"Hello, here is the receipt for your medication, please confirm." The receptionist handed a small bag of medicine along with a receipt to Miao Chengmin.
"Hiss..." Miao Chengmin looked at the bill, his eyelids trembling in panic, but he still pretended to be calm as he tucked the receipt into the bag and took out his phone.
Ming Juan watched Miao Chengmin with a helpless expression and decisively pressed down on his hand that was sliding into his pocket. "I'll do it." Ming Juan seized the opportunity while Miao Chengmin was still unresponsive and quickly pulled out her phone, which was adorned with dark rose gold patterns, from the water bottle compartment of her backpack.
"Hey!" By the time Miao Chengmin took out his phone, Ming Juan had already pointed hers at the machine and completed the payment.
"All done." Ming Juan showed the receptionist the electronic payment receipt, her eyes sparkling like a month ago when she had dragged Yu Feiyao along, pulling Miao Chengmin's arm as they walked back.
"Wait a minute." Miao Chengmin was not someone Ming Juan could just pull along; he stood still. "There's no need for this, I'm the one who should pay."
Ming Juan was taken aback—was he really unhappy that someone else was paying for him? "You’re arguing with me about this?"
Taking a deep breath, Ming Juan turned around and said kindly, "Oh come on, you've helped me so much..."
"But..."
"Can you let me finish?!" Ming Juan glared with her phoenix eyes, instantly clenching her fists and rubbing her lips together.
"Ah..." Miao Chengmin immediately shrank back; the aura of a furious young lady was indeed different.
Seeing Miao Chengmin's restrained demeanor, Ming Juan realized she might have treated him too much like family. She awkwardly turned her head slightly. "Um, anyway... the wound on your chest was caused by me biting you, so it's only right that I pay for your medical expenses. Plus, you saved my life; from a human perspective, I should repay you in some way, right?"
The corners of Miao Chengmin's mouth only lifted slightly.
"I'm still saying there's no need." Miao Chengmin walked beside Ming Juan's shoulder but only glanced at her. "It takes great courage to be willing to return to being an ordinary person and accept a life that has been completely overturned. All of us who have helped you are very happy for you. But if you're choosing to lower yourself just to repay a debt of gratitude, you'll never be able to let go of that burden and will always live under others' scrutiny."
Ming Juan lowered her head in disappointment.
"I'm just someone who likes to meddle without seeking compensation. I just hope you can recover quickly; your growth is the best medicine for healing my wounds." After saying this, Miao Chengmin patted Ming Juan on the shoulder, intentionally squeezing it lightly before walking out of the school clinic in the direction opposite to where Ming Juan was facing.
"I!" Ming Juan thought Miao Chengmin would wait for her, but when she mustered up the courage to turn around, Miao Chengmin had already disappeared.
"But I don't want you to be just a passerby in my life." Ming Juan stood in the empty hall, gazing at the light that had already spilled onto the floor by the entrance. The morning light flickered between the leaves, causing Ming Juan to lose herself in thought.
Dormitory 305
The five roommates all slung their backpacks over their shoulders and prepared to head out for their first class at eight in the morning.
"Should we call again?" The chubby guy asked everyone.
"Call? I've already called him seven times and he hasn't picked up! Who knows if he's jumped into a river or something," Li Tao replied irritably.
Seven calls without an answer was indeed a bit disrespectful.
"I'm back!" Miao Chengmin pushed open the door, holding a bag containing medication.
The Dormitory Leader didn't ask where he had been first but immediately stopped Li Tao with his hand. "I... I went to buy medicine; I couldn't sleep anyway," Miao Chengmin looked at his silent roommates. "Oh... fine, I also went for breakfast—had some savory pancakes and tofu pudding. The soy milk wasn't ready yet, so I specifically bought a small box of sweet soy milk from the convenience store. Is that detailed enough?"
"What about your phone?" Li Tao crossed his arms with an expression that seemed eager for him to fail. "Explain yourself."
"Huh?" Miao Chengmin opened his phone and saw that this guy had called him seven times while he was getting checked in the clinic. He had forgotten to turn off silent mode from last night; it would have been truly bizarre if he had answered.
"Ah! Sorry about that," Miao Chengmin said with a sheepish expression, too lazy to explain himself further to Li Tao.
"Enough chit-chat," the Dormitory Leader called out. "Check if the power strip is plugged in; if we don't leave soon, we'll be late."
Today was the last day of classes before self-study week began—a week dedicated to independent review leading up to final exams. Generally, classes during this time were very important as teachers would highlight key points from textbooks for students.
So securing a good spot was a goal all third-year veterans would think about.
"Old Zhang!"
"Yes, young master!"
Wang Ruihu spat out his cigar and tossed his nearly empty bag to his follower.
"Catch it properly!" Wang Ruihu shouted as he saw the follower almost drop it. "If it gets dirty, you won't be able to afford it!"
"Yes, yes." After steadying himself, Old Zhang asked, "May I ask, young master, what do you need?"
"Go save me a spot; our Logistics College is still quite far from there." Saying this, Wang Ruihu pointed towards the Agricultural and Forestry College Area to the east. "I have something to take care of and will be there soon. Make sure to secure a good spot, understood?"
"Got it, young master." Old Zhang immediately turned and hurried into the college building.
"Oh dear..." Wang Ruihu stretched lazily, waved his hand, and the three followers immediately straightened up and followed him, carving a wide path through the crowd and the clustered electric bikes.
Outside the College of Agriculture and Forestry's parking area for electric bikes, a sky-blue bike suddenly caught the eye among the more common colors. Many passersby curiously glanced at the two girls sitting on it.
"That's Starry Moi," a boy who liked vehicles quietly said to his friend beside him. "It's just an electric bike; does it really need to be that expensive?"
"You get out first, Fei," Ming Juan said from the driver's seat, nudging Yu Feiyao with her elbow.
"Oh." Yu Feiyao looked around anxiously as usual before getting off the bike.
It was as if their roles had reversed; Ming Juan didn't look at anyone at all. Naturally removing her helmet, she tossed her head back to shake out her hair and pushed aside the messy strands with her hand. Her jade-like smooth cheeks and slightly squinted eyes needed no embellishment or deliberate charm; under the sunlight, she already appeared exceptionally captivating.
"Miss Ming!"
Immediately, someone stopped in their tracks, gazing dreamily at Ming Juan as she got off the bike before pulling Yu Feiyao along like nothing was amiss into the college through a path that people instinctively cleared for them.
"Isn't she from the Ming Family..." some began to murmur.
"Right, from the Ming Family!"
"Isn't she that Young Master Wang's crush? But Young Master Wang is still scolding her?"
"Yeah, rich people's world is strange."
"She really looks amazing!"
...
In everyone's eyes, it seemed that the image of a young lady still needed beauty to maintain it. This was indeed vulgar, but from a certain perspective, Ming Juan's exceptional beauty did protect her; people's tendency to cherish beauty combined with her extremely indifferent attitude towards the turmoil of the past few months spared her from suffering a tragic fate like that of her family members.
"Juan'er?" Yu Feiyao kept looking back at those gossiping people until they could no longer be seen after entering the building before turning to ask Ming Juan.
"Huh?" Ming Juan looked at her. "What's wrong?"
"You are... really impressive now," Yu Feiyao praised. She had witnessed Ming Juan gradually shedding her burdens and stepping into the world of ordinary people. Moreover, she adapted much faster than she had expected.
"Oh dear, I haven't let go at all," Ming Juan said. "If I truly had a completely calm mindset, I wouldn't have bought such an expensive electric bike."
"Eh... is it expensive?" Yu Feiyao's mouth twitched slightly. "If I were as rich as you, it wouldn't just be about buying one..."
Yu Feiyao's adorably naive expression made Ming Juan immediately cover her mouth and squint her eyes into slits while bending down and giggling softly.
"What a pity; you'll never be as wealthy as a young lady from the Ming Family in your lifetime..."
As they reached the corner on the second floor and were enjoying their sweet moment together, a proud and cold voice suddenly reminded them of someone.
Yu Feiyao lifted her head and immediately reddened her eyes in anger as she glared at Wang Ruihu standing on the third floor watching them.
"And you won't ever be as beautiful as her," Wang Ruihu added his last hidden remark when he saw her raise her head.
"You bastard!" Yu Feiyao exploded in rage and rushed up in three quick steps.
"Fei!" Ming Juan wanted to grab her but was already too late.
"Wha?" Wang Ruihu crossed his arms and raised his head slightly when a big man emerged from a corner beside him, grabbing Yu Feiyao by the back of her neck and lifting her up effortlessly. Yu Feiyao struggled but could only let him throw her mercilessly onto the concrete ground behind them.
"You guys!" Ming Juan recalled all sorts of rumors Wang Ruihu had posted on Weibo, and an intense anger surged within her heart instantly.
"What else do you want from me?!" Ming Juan glared fiercely at Wang Ruihu and cursed, "Let me tell you, Wang Ruihu, people like you will eventually face divine retribution!"
"So that means it's karma, huh?" Wang Ruihu looked up, spreading his hands as he stared at the ceiling. "Karma? Bring it on! Hehe, it seems like we're not the ones facing karma here, are we, the Wang family?"
"Stop wasting time with them!" Yu Feiyao shouted from the ground, clutching her knee that had hit the floor. "Run!"
"You can't make a scene in the teaching building, miss." The burly man who had just knocked her down turned around, fingers interlocked, making a menacing cracking sound as he glared darkly.
Ming Juan glanced at the frightened Yu Feiyao and looked at Wang Ruihu with pleading eyes. She knew that with her small stature, she couldn't save Yu Feiyao. The only way was to go downstairs and find help. But where could she go for help?
"Forget it." Ming Juan steeled herself and turned to run downstairs.
The layout of each teaching building was the same, with staircases on both the far left and far right. To ensure they caught Ming Juan, Wang Ruihu's group had split into two; Wang Ruihu and the burly man were on the far right while the other two were on the far left.
"Ming Juan has gone downstairs," Wang Ruihu said into his phone.
The two followers immediately rushed downstairs. Since Ming Juan was still a whole corridor away from them, once she ran down, she wasn't blocked and dashed out of the teaching building like a madwoman.
At the same time, Ming Juan reached back with her arm, rummaging through her backpack.
"Excuse me, excuse me! Coming through!" In the crowded throng, Ming Juan felt like a piece of foam floating in the ocean; no matter how she tried to navigate through, she could only let the crowd jostle around her on the path filled with electric scooters.
The two burly men behind her were even more exaggerated than an icebreaker; they plunged straight into the sea of people without slowing down at all!
"Oh no! This..." Ming Juan glanced back at the two men getting closer. With a forceful tug, she pulled her phone out from among various small items in her bag.
But unless she walked, there was no way to look at her phone while running; not to mention crashing into someone—she would probably trip after just a few steps. Helplessly holding her phone, Ming Juan found herself at a loss.
A cornered rabbit will bite, and when Ming Juan is pushed to her limits...
"Hey!" Ming Juan could no longer tolerate those swaying people blocking her way or the boys who were deliberately pushing against her.
"I'm a young lady! Is it going to kill you to make way?!" Ming Juan shouted sharply.
This shout actually worked—quite effectively. The four girls chatting ahead immediately panicked and cleared a path; there was suddenly much more space in front of her. The people on either side were startled; some even exclaimed "Oh my!" as they hurriedly moved aside.
With this one shout, Ming Juan felt much better as if her insides were functioning smoothly again. The entire path opened up for her; what had been a dense crowd now squeezed into every nook and cranny filled with parked electric scooters.
It seemed that the title of "young lady" still had its uses; perhaps it didn't mean much to others, but Ming Juan was a nationally recognized wealthy beautiful woman. In front of so many boys her age, even if Ming Juan asked them to kneel and kiss her shoes, they would feel honored—let alone making way for her. As for those girls, they simply feared provoking someone from the Ming family.
"Really can't die without social embarrassment," Ming Juan rolled her eyes and relied on her memory from earlier when she rode around with Miao Chengmin in the college district to turn and run in what she believed was the right direction.
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