Chapter 331: Wanting to Cheer Up the Little Rich Girl

“We’ve arrived. That’ll be nineteen bucks.”

“Here’s twenty. Keep the change.”

Jiang Qin pulled a bill from his wallet, handed it to the driver, and got out of the car.

Linchuan is a small place, also an industrial city with substantial industrial accumulation, and its economic development is slow. Without any accidents, this type of city would definitely be left behind by the new situation of the internet era.

But who would have thought, in this period of imminent change, the businessmen of Linchuan were very forward-thinking and quietly launched an attack on the national market.

In another four to five years, when traditional marketing is completely replaced by internet marketing and domestic industries are disrupted and reshuffled, many people will be shocked to realize, “Damn, how is it that everything I use comes from a second or third-tier city?”

All made in Linchuan?

That’s pretty absurd.

By then, Jiang Qin will definitely be dug out by the media and become the focus of the internet industry.

And Jiang Qin was very modest, saying, “It’s nothing, I just did what I should for Linchuan.”

That’s how Boss Jiang enjoyed the later highlights first and then leisurely returned to the campus of Linchuan University.

Passing the main road of the campus, Jiang Qin heard continuous energetic sounds from the sports hall and, intrigued, took a closer look, discovering that a banner had been hung up at the entrance of the gymnasium.

[Linchuan University School of Finance · National Day Celebration and Freshmen Welcome Party]

Fireworks are strictly forbidden inside the gymnasium, the current chairperson of the School of Finance, Ma Jiangming, was squatting at the door, in a huddle with a few other student council members, guarding an ashtray made from half a Coke bottle, puffing away intensively.

“Is the welcoming party starting now?” Jiang Qin paused in front of the banner and looked.

Only then did Ma Jiangming notice it was Jiang Qin and quickly stood up, patting him twice, “Not yet, bro Jiang. How could we start without calling you? Tonight is just a full rehearsal; every performance needs to go up once. Wanna come in and watch?”

“What’s so good about a rehearsal?”

“It’s pretty good, this is a full-dress rehearsal and a lot of freshmen girls are dressed in cool outfits.”

“I’ll go have a look at the legs, the feet, the chests, and the feet.”

Inside the gymnasium, across the empty rows of seats, a senior was singing a song that had been very popular for the last two years, “I Believe,” with a great style, high pitch, and a voice even richer than the original singer.

“I believe I am who I am, I believe in tomorrow, I believe I can touch the sky just by reaching out my hand.” The theme of the song was very inspirational, indeed suitable for the physique of college babies, and considering he was an amateur, his level was quite good.

But Jiang Qin wasn’t interested.

He looked around the gym and spotted three familiar faces not far from the stage.

Cao Guangyu, Zhou Chao, and Ren Ziqiang.

Old Cao stood proudly, one hand behind his back, the other stretched forward, critiquing the performance on stage as if he were more professional than a talent show judge.

Zhou Chao held a big transparent plastic bag full of chips, showing off wildly.

Looking at Ren Ziqiang, there were several girls standing beside him; from Jiang Qin’s angle, it looked like a scene of bustling beauty, like a poor scholar trapped by a female demon, his face showing a mix of nervousness and embarrassment.

Besides these people, Jiang Qin also saw Zhuang Chen and Zhang Guangfa.

Zhuang Chen came with Jian Chun because she, along with Song Qingqing and Jiang Tian, had a dance number, while Zhang Guangfa came for a junior named Sun Na.

Jiang Qin walked over and grabbed a handful of chips from Zhou Chao’s bag, “How come you guys are here, too?”

“We’ve come to watch the freshmen welcome show.”

“Even the rehearsal is this much fun to watch?”

Cao Guangyu waved his hand, “The show isn’t big, the seats will definitely be reserved for the freshmen first. Whether we can get seats tomorrow is uncertain, so it’s worth coming to watch it once beforehand.”

While they were talking, Ren Ziqiang suddenly called Jiang Qin over, “Bro Jiang, let me introduce you. This is… Wang Linlin and her roommate.”

Wang Linlin was the delicate and lovely type, not exceptionally beautiful but quite charming and comfortable to look at, her face had a bit of baby fat which did not detract from her attractiveness but added a bit of cuteness instead.

Looking at her expression, she was somewhat blushing, not so bold, but her eyes were very bright, similar to Pan Xiu’s feeling. It seemed Ren Ziqiang was quite faithful to this type of girl.

“Hello, junior sister.”

“Hello senior, I saw your news a few days ago. Very handsome.”

Jiang Qin glanced at Ren Ziqiang, “You rascal, how did you find such a discerning girlfriend?”

Suddenly, Ren Ziqiang’s face turned red, “Jiang… Brother Jiang, don’t talk nonsense, Linlin and I are just friends!”

“?”

Jiang Qin paused for a moment, then looked down at Wang Linlin, noticing her eyes dimmed significantly, looking disappointed and frustrated, “Yes, senior, Ren and I are just friends.”

“Really? Then why does Old Ren keep yelling ‘my Linlin, my Linlin’ at the dorm, gets super happy when you message him, and even calls your name in his dreams? I thought you two were dating, but it turns out you’re not.”

With a mocking tone, Jiang Qin made Wang Linlin across from him blush again, and her eyes brightened up.

In his heart, Ren Ziqiang said, “I never said ‘my Linlin,'” his face flushed, just about to argue, but Jiang Qin covered his mouth, saying to himself, “Stop making excuses, or you’ll lose your future wife.”

Dating is like this: you need restraint when it’s time for restraint, and you absolutely must not hold back when it’s not time. You’ve already brought her to meet a friend as handsome as Yan Zu, and you still say there’s nothing between us, this will only backfire.

Why?

Because bringing a girl to meet your friends itself has a certain implication. You wouldn’t bring her if you had no intentions, and she wouldn’t agree to meet if she wasn’t willing.

Frankly speaking, everyone knows you’re about to date, and you both know it too. Under this unspoken agreement, suddenly saying ‘just friends’ won’t anger the girl only because she’s giving you face.

“We’re at this stage and still pretending to be just friends? Are you kidding me? Break the ice and then treat us to a meal.”

“Bro Jiang, isn’t pretending to be just friends a high-end strategy? I learned all this from you.”

Jiang Qin was stunned for a moment, then his expression turned fierce, “Don’t talk nonsense, what do you mean ‘pretend’? Those were real friends.”

“Bro Jiang, don’t you want to treat us to a meal?”

“Get lost, go find your Linlin, stop damn bothering me.”

Jiang Qin pushed Ren Ziqiang away and then looked towards the stage, finding that the song “I Believe” had finished and was replaced by Xu Song’s “What’s Not Okay.”

The School of Finance isn’t an art department, and the talents they can showcase aren’t plentiful, so the show still mainly focused on singing; the standards couldn’t be too high but at least, it was much better than the spring festival gala.

It looks like it’s about to rain. It feels like I live next to you. Standing foolishly under your building, looking up, counting the dark clouds…

I sing this song for you, it’s not stylish. It simply represents that I want to make you happy…

The person singing this song is a freshman who seemed a bit nervous, his vocal cords weren’t fully relaxed, and there were some non-technical tremors in his tail tone, but it was this nervousness that beautifully interpreted the youthful considerations.

“You have to admit, Xu Song is truly a gem of a singer. His song ‘Why Not’ delicately captures the nuances of friendship. How else could he consistently imagine a little rich girl running through his thoughts?”

“Senior Jiang is so handsome, even more than on TV.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, he seems less stern than on TV but more approachable, absolutely no airs about him.”

Wang Linlin, Qi Qi, Guan Wensi, and Sun Na, all from the same dormitory, talked openly the other day when Ren Ziqiang mentioned ‘her roommate,’ referring to Qi Qi and the others.

After the contract signing event broadcasted in the cafeteria, these junior girls hadn’t seen Jiang Qin since, so seeing him now, they viewed him through a rose-colored lens.

“Qi Qi, why don’t you take this chance to ask Senior to watch the evening show with you tomorrow?” Guan Wensi suddenly slapped her friend encouragingly.

After pondering for a moment, Qi Qi approached Jiang Qin, “Senior, are you coming to watch the evening show tomorrow?”

High-end tea art requires only a simple phrase like her current one. Asking “Do you want to come watch the evening show?” versus “Do you want to come and watch the evening show with me?” holds different implications.

The difference is, Qi Qi’s current line is more of a casual inquiry than an invitation, thus preserving a girl’s modesty while giving him a reason to invite her.

Normally, the guy would then ask, “Do you want to come with me?”

That would mean I initiated, but not fully. Ultimately, you’re inviting me.

Jiang Qin didn’t catch her hint as he wasn’t focusing on Qi Qi, but he considered her inquiry reasonable.

“The little rich girl must be bored these days, or she wouldn’t keep watching the meeting videos. There’s an evening show, so I’ll bring her along to cheer her up.”

Yes, this is simply meant to make you happy.

Jiang Qin gave Qi Qi a positive response but didn’t extend an invitation himself. Instead, he looked back and called, “Brother Ma, could you come over? I need a little help.”

Ma Jiangming hurried over, “Brother Jiang, why suddenly call me Brother Ma? You are the main sponsor of this event, I can’t accept such a title.”

“It’s not about being the sponsor or a leading young entrepreneur in Linchuan. These titles are all nominal and don’t convert to cash which I don’t care about. However, you are the Student Council President, and with all these juniors around, I must make you shine, making your future student work easier.”

Moved, Ma Jiangming responded, “Right, you mentioned needing help? What is it?”

“I need you to save two seats for tomorrow, somewhat towards the front but not too close. I’m bringing someone to the show.”

“That’s absolutely no problem, don’t worry.”

Jiang Qin thanked him with a nod, grabbed some more of Zhou Chao’s chips, then said his goodbyes to the crowd, turning to leave the rehearsal. After all, he had already decided to bring the little rich girl to enjoy the show tomorrow, preferring not to spoil the surprise by watching the rehearsals.

Qi Qi, seeing Jiang wave goodbye, couldn’t help but pause.

Did he just invite me?

It must count as an invitation, right?

Because I just asked him about attending the evening show and he mentioned needing two spots, and he said it right in front of me. That must be an invitation, right?

Yes, that’s right. Senior Jiang is a big boss; he surely has his pride and wouldn’t ask a girl out directly like other ordinary guys. Perhaps this is just his way.

Crafty men always have their tricks, don’t they?

Qi Qi convinced herself, but something still felt off, though she couldn’t pinpoint what.

Perhaps it’s because the man she’s trying to ‘hunt’ this time is too outstanding, causing her some nervousness.

Yes, that’s exactly it.

Qi Qi went back to her roommates, casually sharing the good news, and immediately, the room erupted in giggling and cheers.

“President, the newcomer evening is meant for freshmen. It’s unreasonable to reserve such front-row seats for Jiang Qin. People will accuse you of abusing your power.”

“Don’t forget, we, the Student Council, have a duty to maintain strict impartiality in our work, right?”

On the stage’s right rear, Zhuang Chen stood before Ma Jiangming, his tone filled with stern righteousness.

Jiang Qin had spoken loudly to Ma about the seats, mainly to address him as ‘Brother Ma’ and to boost Ma’s image a bit among the freshmen, since Jiang himself had just appeared on TV and carried some influence.

Such favor, costing nothing, why not do it?

Although Ma Jiangming is just the president of the School of Finance, who knows when he might come in handy, like for dorm checks or class checks. Even if Jiang didn’t need it himself, it could be useful for Old Cao and the others.

Jiang Qin never looked down on anyone, nor did he feel anyone was above him. As long as it’s a favor that doesn’t cost money, he believed in reciprocity.

However, such actions didn’t sit well with Zhuang Chen, who prided himself on being a ‘righteous gentleman,’ hence the current situation.

“President, I suggest you not reserve any seats for Jiang Qin.”

Zhuang Chen spoke righteously, “Look at me, I’ve been helping with the show’s rehearsal for a week, moving props, arranging schedules, and I didn’t even dare to ask for a seat. And he just outright asks for two? Is that fair?”

Ma Jiangming looked puzzled, “What are you on about?”

“Am I wrong?”

“The whole event is sponsored by Jiang Qin. Without him, where would you get the chance to move boxes or schedule anything? Isn’t it reasonable to save him a seat as the sponsor? Talk about abuse of power, why don’t you call the dean and ask if this counts as abuse?”

Zhuang Chen swallowed hard, “The evening was sponsored by him?”

Ma Jiangming, exasperated, “Otherwise, who? You? Just help out backstage more, and stop worrying about trivial things, aren’t you tired?”

“……”

Seeing Ma turn to leave, Zhuang Chen fell silent for a long while, suddenly feeling as if he had just slapped himself.

But then, Ma suddenly came back, “There’s one more thing I forgot to tell you. The dean has also arranged for Jiang Qin to give a speech at the end of the show. And it’s the finale. You understand what that means?”

Zhuang Chen: “……”