Chapter 19: Don’t Show Off for Your Godfather, Okay?

"See? I told you I wasn't lying."

Guo Zihang's final words plunged the entire group chat into silence.

No one spoke anymore—not even Qin Ziang, the idiot who once shouted "I'll pay for everyone" in the cafeteria dared to say another word.

To be honest, at this moment, they'd rather believe their eyes were playing tricks on them than accept that what Guo Zihang, Huang Ying, and Yang Shuan said was true.

Three hundred thousand yuan—that wasn't a number high schoolers could even fathom.

Having ten yuan in their pockets could send them over the moon; three hundred thousand would launch them out of the galaxy.

But then again, Guo Zihang bragging for Jiang Qin made sense—he'd always been Jiang Qin's little shadow, following him around school like a loyal puppy. But Huang Ying and Yang Shuan had no reason to hype him up.

So, did that mean Guo Zihang was telling the truth?

They'd hesitate over spending a few bucks on a QQ Yellow Diamond membership, yet Jiang Qin, that sly dog, was tossing around three hundred thousand?

Were they even from the same high school?

Among them, Chu Siqi was the most shocked. She could never have imagined Jiang Qin had been up to so much over the summer—each feat more unbelievable than the last.

While everyone else was still at home chatting online, grinding for QQ status levels, stealing crops in Happy Farm, or agonizing over puppy love, Jiang Qin was out there making deals worth hundreds of thousands.

Yet he'd never bragged about it, as if a few hundred grand wasn't worth showing off.

The thought hit Chu Siqi hard, making Jiang Qin feel suddenly distant in her mind, stirring a panicked sense of untouchability.

So he wasn't hiding because he was embarrassed about losing face.

He was genuinely busy doing business.

While others wasted time, proving their maturity with drinks, he'd transformed into the class's dark horse.

After a moment of daze, Chu Siqi felt a surge of anger.

Something this big, and Jiang Qin hadn't told her? Even Guo Zihang knew, but he'd kept it from her specifically. That was too much! He used to share everything with her!

"Guo Zihang, be honest—where'd his money come from?"

"I told you at the last hangout—he's been doing business. He must've earned it that way."

"What kind of business makes three hundred thousand?"

"No clue. If I knew, wouldn't I have made three hundred thousand too?"

"But didn't you say his business was selling boxed lunches? I saw you guys selling them before!"

Guo Zihang sent a string of ellipses. "Laoganma started with wontons—did that stop them from building a company?"

Qin Ziang couldn't sit still anymore. "Impossible! Even I don't have three hundred thousand—where'd he get it? Bullshit!"

Guo Zihang replied with a smirk emoji. "Don't compare yourself to Jiang Qin. Relying on your dad isn't a skill."

"What are you guys talking about?" Wang Huiru suddenly popped up from lurking.

Chu Siqi: "Huiru, they're saying Jiang Qin spent three hundred thousand to rent half a bar!"

"Huh???"

"Don't you think that's unbelievable too?"

Wang Huiru hesitated for a moment before replying, "It's alright, I guess. A few days ago, I saw something even more unbelievable with Jiang Qin."

Chu Siqi instantly sent a shocked emoji. "What else happened?"

"…"

"Huiru, did you disconnect?"

"No, no, I was just kidding."

Wang Huiru wavered but ultimately didn't spill the beans about Jiang Qin and Feng Nanshu.

Three hundred thousand was shocking, sure, but it was just a number. People would gasp, but only at the size of it. Feng Nanshu, though? She wasn't just a number—she was a living, breathing goddess. If that got out, the group would explode, and by morning, the whole school would know.

At that moment, Jiang Qin was also peeking at the group chat. The QQ notifications were too annoying, and he couldn't figure out how to mute them—maybe the 2008 version didn't have that feature yet.

If he were Qin Ziang, he'd have jumped in by now, flexing hard.

Oh yeah, that's right, I did it! I'm just that awesome!

But Jiang Qin had no interest in that and lacked the urge to show off.

Jump in to flex and end up handing out a dozen free bar seats? Was he bored out of his mind?

Plus, he figured he needed to have a word with Guo Zihang. I don't flex because I think it's childish—can you stop playing the hype man for your godfather?

Better turn off the phone.

Otherwise, he'd keep checking.

And, well, having someone else flex for him did feel a little satisfying.

Jiang Qin held down the power button until the screen went dark, then grabbed a bag of snacks and headed to the Jezhou City Library.

Half a month had flown by since the hot spring town trip. He hadn't seen the little rich girl since, and they'd barely chatted on QQ. With the bar not yet open for the day, he decided to drop by.

On the second floor of the library, he spotted her right away.

Today, she wore a white lady-like dress with a small black bow tie—quiet, well-behaved, and proper. She held a thick book, but her gaze wasn't on the pages—it was out the window.

Since returning from the hot spring town, Feng Nanshu had come to the library every day to finish the final volume of Magic-Eye Girl Peggy Sue.

This installment was supposedly the most interesting of the series.

It told of a terrifying disaster on the planet Kandata.

A monster, asleep underground for billions of years, awoke. With thousands of tentacles, it frantically searched through crevices, snatching sleeping children from their rooms.

As time passed, the creature grew larger, splitting asphalt roads and collapsing cities one by one.

After Peggy Sue and her team investigated, they were stunned to discover the planet itself was an egg—one that had been incubating in the universe for billions of years. The life that had accidentally sprung up on it? They were the outsiders.

In the past, Feng Nanshu would've been hooked.

A 396-page book like that? She'd finish it in three afternoons.

But…

But half a month had passed, and she hadn't even gotten through half.

Even the parts she'd read felt hazy when she tried to recall them.

Feng Nanshu gazed out at the sunlit window and the lush, leafy trees, suddenly noticing an inexplicable tinge of loneliness in her heart.

Just then, the chair across from her was pulled out.

Snapping out of her daze, she saw Jiang Qin sit down silently, gently placing a bag of snacks on the table.

"These past few days have been crazy busy. Finally got a moment to rest. Little rich girl, how've you been?"

"Jiang Qin, I think I might actually be a little lonely."

A flicker of confusion passed through Feng Nanshu's cool, clear eyes.

Reading alone had always been her default state. Jiang Qin's appearance was just a blip in her life—like a peanut mixed into a jar of rice. Pick out the peanut, and shouldn't it still be a jar of rice?

But she couldn't figure out why that life suddenly felt lonely now.