142: Chapter 142 Jealousy

"Thank you, President Jiang!"

The five men responded in unison, their voices low and crisp. They each took the cash with both hands and tucked it away securely.

Even though they were excited, they all restrained their emotions in front of Jiang Chen.

Their faces only showed a hint of restrained joy, without any loss of composure, maintaining a respectful and professional demeanor throughout.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen added another instruction, "Lu Zheng, you take Zhao Yiming's share for now and hand it over to him once he's finished. Although he wasn't here this time, he was busy with other matters and deserves credit too, so count him in."

"Yes, President Jiang, I'll make sure of it."

Lu Zheng immediately responded, carefully putting away the extra cash without the slightest carelessness.

"Alright, let's head to the university first."

Jiang Chen raised his hand to check his watch, his brow furrowing slightly. "I have a full day of classes today. If we don't go now, I'll miss them."

"Understood."

Zhang Heng responded steadily and started the car, driving smoothly toward the university Jiang Chen attended.

The car was silent. All five men sat upright, not daring to make a sound. Even though they held the heavy cash and their hearts were surging with excitement, they always maintained their boundaries and never disturbed Jiang Chen.

After a smooth drive, they arrived at the school gates before long.

Jiang Chen pushed open the car door and turned to the group inside. "You guys go back and rest. No need to wait for me."

"Yes, President Jiang! Take care, sir. Stay safe, and let us know if you need anything."

The five men all rose and respectfully watched Jiang Chen leave, their voices filled with reverence.

Once Jiang Chen turned into the campus and his figure completely vanished from the entrance, the previously silent car instantly erupted with long-suppressed joy.

"My god, it really is ten thousand yuan! President Jiang is way too generous!"

Liu Wei clutched the cash in his hands, unable to contain himself any longer. He spoke excitedly in a low voice, his face full of unrestrained smiles.

Zhang Heng gripped the steering wheel, his mouth splitting into a wide grin. He said gruffly, "Following President Jiang was definitely the right move! This treatment is more than ten times better than what we had before!"

"President Jiang is young and promising, treats people kindly, and is so generous. It's our blessing to follow such a boss." Sun Yi pushed up his glasses, his tone full of admiration.

He Hai usually didn't talk much, but he couldn't hide his joy now. He nodded slightly. "Sending this money home will make things a lot easier for my family."

Lu Zheng looked at everyone's uncontrollable excitement, a gratified smile appearing on his lips as he said in a deep voice.

"President Jiang trusts us and gives us such generous treatment. From now on, we must give our all to ensure his safety and handle everything he assigns us perfectly. We must not let his high regard go to waste."

"Don't worry! From now on, if President Jiang tells us to go east, we won't go west!"

"We'll follow President Jiang wholeheartedly, with no second thoughts!"

Everyone nodded, their faces filled with determination. Joy and gratitude intertwined, and they became increasingly certain that following Jiang Chen was the best choice they had ever made.

Zhang Heng started the car again and drove away smoothly, the joy in the cabin lingering for a long time.

Meanwhile.

Jiang Chen walked onto the university campus with a tall and straight posture. The early morning sunlight filtered through the leaves like scattered gold onto the walls of the teaching buildings, reflecting a vibrant youthful energy.

He was now worth a fortune, holding billions in assets. His aura had long since undergone a complete transformation, shedding the naivety of an ordinary student and carrying a naturally noble and aloof air.

He walked through the tree-lined path and straight into the teaching building. Just as he reached the classroom door, he heard a familiar loud voice calling him in a low shout.

"Chenzi! Over here!"

Wang Hao, sitting in the front row by the window, waved vigorously at Jiang Chen. He had even used his backpack to save the exclusive seat next to him.

This was Jiang Chen's regular spot whenever he came to class. It was spacious with good lighting, and Wang Hao always managed to save it for him without fail.

Seeing Jiang Chen approach, he immediately stood up to help him put down his backpack, his tone familiar and filled with concern.

"You finally made it! The Professor for this major is strict with attendance today. If you hadn't shown up, even with the paperwork filed, you'd still get nagged. By the way, what have you been busy with lately? I haven't seen you around at all."

"Just handling some private matters."

After a few words of small talk, the class bell suddenly rang, and the classroom instantly fell silent.

The Professor walked onto the podium holding a lesson plan. After the routine roll call, they began explaining the course content in an orderly fashion.

Jiang Chen sat upright, listening attentively throughout the lecture, occasionally lowering his head to take notes, being low-key and well-behaved.

Throughout the entire class, he did nothing out of line; everything was calm and peaceful.

Soon, the bell rang, and the Professor packed up the lesson plan and left the classroom. The previously quiet room instantly became lively, with students gathering in small groups to chat and play around.

Wang Hao was leaning toward Jiang Chen, complaining that the points covered in the last lesson were too difficult.

Suddenly, a sarcastic voice filled with hostility came from behind. It wasn't too loud or too soft, just enough for the surrounding circle to hear clearly. The speaker was Zhao Jiahao from their class.

"Some people really have it easy. Skipping class for four or five days and getting away with it every time without even a harsh word from the teacher. Us ordinary people who show up on time every day and don't dare to be late or leave early really can't compare to someone so capable."

These words were clearly aimed at Jiang Chen. The surrounding students immediately sensed something was wrong and stopped their conversations, their gazes shifting toward the two of them. The atmosphere instantly became subtle.

Zhao Jiahao stared intently at Jiang Chen's back, the jealousy in his eyes almost overflowing, and the resentment in his heart could no longer be suppressed.

This jealousy hadn't come out of nowhere; it had been building up for a long time.

In the past, Jiang Chen's family background was poor. To scrape together living expenses and tuition, he spent almost all his spare time delivering food.

Exposed to the elements and living frugally, his life was even more constrained than that of an ordinary student, and significantly worse than Zhao Jiahao's.

During that time, Zhao Jiahao was too lazy to go to the cafeteria and always ordered takeout in the dormitory. Several times, it was Jiang Chen who delivered the food to his door.

Every time Jiang Chen, drenched in sweat and wearing his delivery uniform, handed the food to him, Zhao Jiahao would always put on a superior air.

His eyes were filled with disdain and contempt, and he would frequently mock Jiang Chen, saying that studying was useless and he could only rely on delivery to make a living.

Sometimes when the food was slightly delayed or the containers were slightly bumped, he would intentionally find fault, mocking and making things as difficult as possible for Jiang Chen.

He even maliciously gave Jiang Chen bad reviews several times, causing his already meager delivery fees to be docked.

He wanted to maintain his pitiful and ridiculous sense of superiority by suppressing Jiang Chen when he was down.

Seeing Jiang Chen's endurance, he would feel an inexplicable sense of self-satisfaction, feeling that he was always superior.

In the past, looking at Jiang Chen who was inferior to him in every way, he felt completely at ease, finding total psychological comfort in the thought that even if everyone was ordinary, he lived a more dignified life than Jiang Chen.

But starting from this recent period, Jiang Chen had completely changed.

Not only did he no longer worry about living expenses, but his aura became increasingly noble. His already sharp features, nurtured by wealth, became even more outstanding. He was handsome and dazzling, drawing attention wherever he went.

Not only were the girls in the class always secretly paying attention to Jiang Chen, but girls from other departments even came over specifically to ask for his WeChat.

Even the Professors showed him special favor. Even if he skipped class for four or five days, as long as the paperwork was in order, they would never make things difficult for him. Instead, they would often proactively ask if he needed help catching up on his studies.

Why?

The former Delivery Boy classmate, whom he had mocked and suppressed at will, was now transformed, glamorous and dazzling, favored by everyone.

While he remained that same unremarkable, ordinary student.