Chapter Sixty-Six: The Loneliness of Masters

Jiang Xiwen chuckled and said, "Come on, big brother, I’m the one giving you trouble now. When did you get so cocky?"

Gao Jie, provoked by Jiang Xiwen’s taunt, could barely hold back his anger, but just as his temper was about to flare, he forcibly suppressed it and replied with a faint smile, "What exactly do you want?"

Jiang Xiwen responded, "If I could have whatever I wanted, then could you at least drop that smug smile? Don’t act like you’re all gentlemanly—honestly, it’s just unpleasant to look at."

Gao Jie remained unruffled. "Listen, kid, I won’t stoop to your level. Just say it—are you after money?"

"Who doesn’t want money? But if you’re going to give it, why not wait until Sister Ziqing changes her pants, and hand it to me in front of her?"

A slight twitch crossed Gao Jie’s face, but he quickly composed himself and said in a low, harsh voice, "When Ziqing comes out, we’ll settle everything. If you dare mess this up for me, you’ll regret it."

After Yu Ziqing changed into the new style of pants, the golden proportions of her long legs were immediately revealed—she looked stunning.

Gao Jie’s gaze was appreciative, devoid of lust. He strode up, nodded, and said, "Ziqing, this style really suits you. It’s not expensive either—why not choose a top to go with it? Consider it a gift from me..."

Yu Ziqing, standing before the mirror, normally dressed plainly, but she was still a young woman at heart. Once someone encouraged her, her desire to look beautiful quickly surfaced. ‘Encourage’—that was the word that first popped into Jiang Xiwen’s mind, though he quickly corrected himself from ‘tempt.’ He didn’t know why, but since his rebirth, his mind wandered far more than before when seeing beautiful women.

Still, Yu Ziqing was Yu Ziqing—her individuality shone through the commonality of all young women. Hearing Gao Jie offer to buy her a top, she hurriedly replied, "No need, Gao Jie. I appreciate it, but I believe I’ve told you before—I won’t accept any gifts from you."

Gao Jie didn’t seem offended at all. "It’s fine; it was just a suggestion. If you don’t want it, forget it. You seemed to be in a hurry today, so I’ll cover the pants for now. You can pay me back when you have the chance."

Before Yu Ziqing could refuse, Jiang Xiwen cut in, "Great. Since Brother Gao is being so generous, Sister Ziqing, you shouldn’t refuse. Actually, if Brother Gao likes you, buying just a pair of new pants is too plain—there are plenty of winter clothes here. Why not pick a few more sets and buy them all together?"

Gao Jie was perplexed by Jiang Xiwen’s words. His sole purpose today was to get Yu Ziqing to accept his first gift. Jiang Xiwen had uncovered his collusion with the tricycle boss and the taxi driver, so surely he knew Gao Jie’s intent. Why was he helping now? What exactly was this kid’s relationship with Yu Ziqing—was he really just her student?

Plagued with doubts, Gao Jie nevertheless maintained his cultured demeanor, smiling as he looked at Yu Ziqing and waited for her response.

"Xiwen, what nonsense are you talking about? If you keep this up, I’ll get angry," Yu Ziqing frowned.

"Sister Ziqing, what are you worried about? Brother Gao is such a nice guy. Can’t you see it? Even I can tell—he’s trying to pursue you," Jiang Xiwen said with a cheeky grin. That Gao Jie was pursuing Yu Ziqing was beyond doubt. If he was genuine, that was one thing; but if he had ulterior motives, that would be far more dangerous.

Although Yu Ziqing always acted distant toward Gao Jie, the subtleties of love were hard for outsiders to decipher. If he told Yu Ziqing everything he knew directly, she might not believe him. It was better to drop hints and let her judge for herself.

If Gao Jie wasn’t a bad person and sincerely cared for Yu Ziqing, Jiang Xiwen wouldn’t stand in their way.

"Xiwen, can’t you keep quiet for a moment?" Yu Ziqing snapped, then turned to Gao Jie. "Gao Jie, you promised. I won’t accept a single cent from you."

Gao Jie waved his hand. "Fine, I respect your choice. But I’ve already paid for the pants. Just pay me back next time—it’s two hundred yuan."

Yu Ziqing frowned slightly. She had no sense of brand-name clothing prices, and two hundred yuan for a pair of pants was exorbitant to her. But she was already wearing them, and most of the clothes in the store cost far more. She could only nod in acquiescence.

Jiang Xiwen didn’t expose anything, and instead said, "Brother Gao, Sister Ziqing is supposed to help me with spoken English today. If you don’t mind, why not call a taxi and give us a ride back to Normal University?"

Yu Ziqing quickly interjected, "Xiwen, let’s just go back on our own. No need to trouble Gao Jie."

Gao Jie insisted, "It’s no trouble, Ziqing. I actually have business at Normal University myself. Let’s go."

"That’s right, Sister Ziqing. I don’t have any money on me, and walking back would be exhausting. Our lessons start this morning, so we don’t have much time."

"If you don’t have money, I still have some. We can take the bus..." Yu Ziqing was puzzled. Jiang Xiwen had just given the driver fifty yuan and even offered to buy her clothes, though she was sure she would refuse. But now that Gao Jie was here, Jiang Xiwen claimed he had no money. She hadn’t known him long, but Jiang Xiwen didn’t seem like the type to covet others’ money.

Before Yu Ziqing could finish, Jiang Xiwen cut her off. "Since Brother Gao is heading the same way, you’re a woman and I’m just a kid—let’s not be polite."

Gao Jie nodded as well. "Ziqing, don’t be stubborn. We’re all going the same way. Even if you don’t ride with me, I’d still take a cab. Why waste a spot?"

Yu Ziqing glanced at Gao Jie’s eager expression—refusing again would just seem petty. She shot Jiang Xiwen a glare. This little rascal must know I don’t like Gao Jie, so why is he helping him? What’s going on in that head of his?

Once they left the store, Jiang Xiwen looked around and saw that the taxi was still there. Earlier, he’d noticed the driver signaling to Gao Jie at the door, and he knew there was still a "financial" matter to settle between them. Otherwise, the driver would have left after helping, rather than sticking around to sabotage Gao Jie’s courtship.

"Brother Gao, Sister Ziqing, let’s take that car," Jiang Xiwen said, climbing into the taxi without waiting for a reply.

Of course, Gao Jie recognized the taxi and cursed inwardly. Damn this little brat, playing along just to mess with me now.

Yu Ziqing noticed his hesitation. "What’s wrong, Gao Jie? If it’s inconvenient, we’ll just head back ourselves." She’d always kept her distance from Gao Jie whenever possible.

"No, it’s fine," Gao Jie forced a smile and opened the door for Yu Ziqing.

"Mr. Gao..." The driver started to speak as soon as he saw him, but Gao Jie quickly cut him off. "Driver, take us to Yangjiang Normal University. I’ll pay you extra." He emphasized the word ‘extra’—subtle, but Jiang Xiwen caught the hidden meaning, knowing exactly what was going on.

"Alright," the driver nodded. "Get in."

Once the car was moving, Jiang Xiwen suddenly started speaking in English. "Sister Ziqing, let’s begin our lesson now. Practicing spoken English requires immersion. If you set up a special classroom for it, the effect isn’t as good."

His fluency astonished Yu Ziqing. Almost reflexively, she replied in English, "Your spoken English is excellent—most high schoolers couldn’t reach this level. Why do you need a tutor?"

Jiang Xiwen put on a pained expression. "That’s exactly why, Sister Ziqing. My teachers can’t teach me anymore—so I came to you."

Yu Ziqing was amused by his tone, and broke into a laugh. "You little rascal, you’re certainly confident. Fine, let’s start our lesson now. Let me ask you, didn’t you say you’d buy me a set of clothes? Why did you later ask Gao Jie to buy them? You’ve only just met him, but you’re already helping him? Or did you run out of money? I don’t like Gao Jie—best if you don’t get involved with him. Don’t do it again, understand?"

With four years of English study, Yu Ziqing knew the importance of real conversational context. Artificial settings didn’t work as well as natural ones. She asked in English, knowing Gao Jie wouldn’t understand a word.

"So does that mean you like me, Sister Ziqing?" Jiang Xiwen replied with a grin.

Yu Ziqing answered, "You cheeky child, always trying to take advantage—if I didn’t know your character, I’d have thought you were a little hooligan. But I do quite like you—smart and kind."

The two carried on their conversation in English in the back seat, while Gao Jie sat in front, nerves on edge. He was afraid Jiang Xiwen would expose everything. He’d been pursuing Yu Ziqing for a month, but she never accepted him. Gao Jie was a well-known playboy, a master in the art of wooing women. No matter how unattainable, he’d always found a way to succeed. Yu Ziqing’s repeated rejections only made him more determined.

All his drinking buddies knew that if this guy put as much effort into business as he did into chasing women, he wouldn’t have wasted all the connections his father kept setting up for him. But they were drinking buddies, so none of them tried to talk him out of it. Instead, they egged him on, betting that if he could win over Yu Ziqing within three months, they’d all acknowledge him as the boss.