103: Chapter 104 Must Reveal Oneself in Public

Jiang Jing noticed that Li Xue's expression was a bit strange. She lowered her head slightly, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes, as if she were hesitating whether to continue speaking.

"Xue'er?" Jiang Jing reached out and gently lifted her chin, gazing into her eyes, "What's wrong? Is there something you haven't told me?"

Li Xue bit her lip, her eyes flickering, but in the end, she sighed, leaned into Jiang Jing's embrace, and whispered, "Actually..."

Jiang Jing held her tighter, gently stroking her back, patiently waiting for her to continue.

"Do you remember me telling you before that there was a girl in college who was always targeting me?" Li Xue's voice sounded a bit muffled.

"Yeah, I remember," Jiang Jing nodded, "What's wrong? Is it because of her?"

"Yes, that girl named Lin Ya." Li Xue looked up, a flash of complexity in her eyes, "She... actually didn't just target me for no reason; she once almost ruined my college life."

Jiang Jing frowned slightly, "What happened?"

Li Xue took a deep breath, as if organizing her thoughts, and then said slowly, "When I first entered college, I was actually quite popular. You know, back then..." She smiled a little shyly, "I looked decent enough, so many boys would take the initiative to approach me."

Jiang Jing pinched her cheek and laughed, "What do you mean 'decent enough'? You're at the level of a campus beauty; you don't even know how many people you captivated back in high school."

"And I was one of them back then!"

Li Xue gently slapped his hand away and chided, "Don't interrupt!"

She paused and continued, "Lin Ya was in our class, and she was actually quite pretty too. If it weren't for me, she probably would have been the most popular girl in the class, but..."

"But as soon as you appeared, everyone's eyes were focused on you?" Jiang Jing finished her sentence.

Li Xue nodded, her eyes complex, "Yes, especially regarding a guy she liked. Their relationship was actually quite good initially. I heard they had feelings for each other back in high school, just one step away from making it official."

"But then one time he came to find Lin Ya and saw me, and things started to go wrong. That senior started frequently trying to talk to me, and even asked me out to eat right in front of her."

"Because of this, they had a huge fight and eventually broke up on bad terms."

Jiang Jing snorted, "Why blame you for their relationship not being solid?"

"Exactly," Li Xue smiled bitterly, "From then on, she hated me. At first, it was just gossip behind my back, things like 'Li Xue is pretending to be pure,' or 'She must be really good at seducing men.' Later... things got worse and worse."

Jiang Jing could feel her body tense up slightly; clearly, that memory was not pleasant.

He gently took her hand, silently offering his support.

Li Xue took a deep breath and continued, "She started spreading rumors on the school forum, in class group chats, and even on social media, saying I was being kept by a rich man, saying I went out to 'sell myself' on weekends, and even forged chat logs, claiming I took money under the table to go out to dinner with people..."

Jiang Jing's eyes instantly turned cold, his fingers tightening unconsciously, "She dared to slander you like that?"

Li Xue smiled bitterly, "She didn't just dare, she was very successful at it. During that time, whenever I walked around school, people would always point and whisper about me. Some boys would even look at me with such strange eyes, as if I had really done something shameful."

Jiang Jing felt a tightness in his chest. He couldn't imagine how much pressure Li Xue had been under at the time.

Indeed, rumors are just like that—it only takes one mouth to start a rumor, but you have to run your legs off to debunk it.

How many people in reality have been deeply harmed by this? Keyboard warriors wave their hands, spreading news wildly without caring if it's true or false, recklessly disseminating it under the belief that the law won't punish the masses.

Even worse, some people distort facts and fabricate lies just to gain traffic!

Little do they know what immense harm their actions cause to the people involved.

"Why didn't you clarify it?" Jiang Jing asked in a deep voice.

"I tried," Li Xue shook her head, "But once a rumor spreads, explaining only makes people think I'm covering it up. And... Lin Ya is very smart. She wouldn't say it directly, but used hints, letting others 'connect the dots' themselves."

Jiang Jing sneered, "Heh, playing psychological games?"

"Yes," Li Xue sighed, "That period was really painful for me, and I even thought about transferring schools. Until..."

"Until what?" Jiang Jing pressed.

Li Xue's eyes suddenly brightened, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, "Until my best friend—Ruonan—found out about this."

"What did she do?" Jiang Jing raised an eyebrow, vaguely guessing the answer.

Li Xue couldn't help but laugh out loud, "She stormed straight into Lin Ya's dormitory and beat her up in front of everyone."

Jiang Jing was stunned, then immediately laughed too, "That fierce?"

"Super fierce!" Li Xue's eyes sparkled, "Ruonan has been practicing Taekwondo since she was a kid, she's at a black belt level. She grabbed Lin Ya by the collar, exposed her rumors in public, and warned her that if she dared to spread rumors again, next time it wouldn't be as simple as just getting a beating."

Jiang Jing couldn't help but applaud, "Well done!"

She truly is a little wildcat; such behavior fits her personality perfectly.

Li Xue nodded with a smile, "From then on, Lin Ya never dared to talk nonsense again. However..." Her smile faded again, "The impact of those rumors lasted for a long time. Even until graduation, there were still people who held prejudices against me."

Jiang Jing was silent for a moment, then cupped her face and said seriously, "So, for this class reunion, you want to..."

"I want everyone to know that I'm doing very well now," Li Xue looked directly into Jiang Jing's eyes, her voice firm, "I want Lin Ya to see with her own eyes that the person she went to such lengths to slander back then is not only unaffected now, but has instead achieved a life she will never be able to attain."

Jiang Jing gazed at her and suddenly laughed, "So that's why you were so serious about picking out clothes, and even told me to make sure I remember?"

Li Xue blushed and gave him a light punch, "Yeah, I want her to know that my boyfriend is not only handsome but also a hundred times richer than hers!"

Jiang Jing laughed heartily and pulled her into his arms, "Alright, tomorrow I'll accompany you to 'show off' properly and make her shut up for good."

Li Xue leaned against his chest, a mischievous smile curling the corners of her mouth, "But... brother, you have to cooperate with me."

"How should I cooperate?" Jiang Jing raised an eyebrow.

Li Xue leaned close to his ear, lowered her voice, with a hint of playfulness, "Tomorrow, you need to act especially 'doting' towards me, preferably enough to make her jealous to the point of going crazy."

Jiang Jing chuckled and pinched her waist, "No problem, mission guaranteed to be accomplished."

The two of them looked at each other and smiled.

Showing off in public—everyone loves that, after all.