143: Chapter 143 A Clown

As Zhao Jiahao finished speaking, the classroom became so silent that a pin drop could be heard.

The surrounding students' gazes shifted back and forth between Jiang Chen and Zhao Jiahao.

Some were looking for entertainment, some secretly worried for Jiang Chen, and others waited quietly to see how Jiang Chen would respond to this deliberate provocation.

Wang Hao immediately lost his temper, slammed the table, stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and was about to snap back.

However, Jiang Chen lightly pressed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a steady look that signaled him to suppress his anger and sit back down obediently.

Jiang Chen slowly turned around, his expression remaining calm and indifferent, without a hint of anger in his eyes—only total apathy.

His gaze fell directly on Zhao Jiahao, and a sense of pressure silently spread, causing Zhao Jiahao to instinctively shrink back.

But the jealousy and resentment surging in his heart forced him to stiffen his back and grit his teeth, refusing to show cowardice.

"Are you talking to me?"

Jiang Chen spoke, his voice cold and deep, his tone steady yet carrying an unquestionable presence.

With just those few words, he drowned out all the minor noises in the classroom, becoming the sole focus of everyone's attention.

Zhao Jiahao forced himself to look up and snorted with false bravado, pretending to be indifferent as he said, "I didn't name any names. If someone is quick to take it personally, it only means they have a guilty conscience."

"A guilty conscience?"

Jiang Chen chuckled softly and took a steady step toward Zhao Jiahao.

With every step, the surrounding air pressure seemed to drop; his tall, upright posture and innate noble air stood in sharp contrast to Zhao Jiahao's awkwardness and panic.

"My absence from class followed all the proper procedures and fully complied with the school's regulations. Since the professors haven't questioned it, it's not the place of others to gossip or point fingers here."

He stood before Zhao Jiahao, looking down at him with eyes as sharp as blades, directly exposing the other's petty and sordid intentions.

"The jealousy in your heart is written all over your face. It's nothing more than the fact that I used to have an ordinary background and made a living as a delivery driver, being suppressed and mocked by you at every turn."

"Now that I've undergone a complete transformation, your pitiful and ridiculous sense of superiority has nowhere to go, so you can only rely on sarcasm and gossiping behind my back to find a sense of existence."

Having his true feelings exposed, Zhao Jiahao's face instantly turned the color of pig liver. He shouted in a fit of rage, "I'm jealous of you? Jiang Chen, don't be so conceited! Who knows if the source of your sudden wealth is even clean!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a collective gasp echoed through the classroom.

Baselessly slandering the source of someone else's assets was already going too far; this had moved beyond a mere argument into malicious defamation.

Jiang Chen's eyes suddenly turned cold, and the slight sense of detachment around him instantly transformed into a sharp pressure, sweeping toward Zhao Jiahao like a tide.

Zhao Jiahao felt his whole body stiffen, cold sweat instantly broke out on his back, his face turned pale, and his legs trembled uncontrollably—he didn't even have the courage to look Jiang Chen in the eye.

"My sources of funding are legal and compliant. Every account is clearly traceable and can withstand the audit and supervision of any department."

Jiang Chen's voice was resonant, every word clear and powerful as it rang through the classroom. "If my funds were truly illegitimate, the law would punish me, and relevant departments would come to investigate. It is not for you to make groundless speculations, spread rumors, or maliciously slander me here."

He swept a cold, indifferent gaze over Zhao Jiahao, his tone full of disdain: "Instead of wasting time slandering others behind their backs, you should focus on studying hard and improving yourself."

"Rather than acting like a mad dog barking at the sun, trying to cover up your own incompetence and shallow jealousy by slandering someone more successful than you."

"You! You!"

Zhao Jiahao was left speechless, his chest heaving violently. His face flushed between red and white as shame, anger, embarrassment, and fear intertwined, making him wish he could vanish into thin air.

Jiang Chen's words were entirely reasonable, and his presence completely overwhelmed him. The strange, mocking, and expectant looks from his classmates felt like needles in his back, making it impossible for him to endure any longer.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

Under Jiang Chen's cold and indifferent gaze, he lowered his head in disgrace, clenched his fists, stiffly turned to grab his bag from the desk, and fled the classroom without looking back.

His panicked retreat was the picture of embarrassment, prompting a flurry of whispered discussions in the classroom.

Seeing this, Wang Hao laughed heartily and clapped Jiang Chen on the shoulder with admiration: "Chenzi, you're amazing! You shut him up without even breaking a sweat. That guy is just bitter about the rich; his mind is twisted. He needed to be cured of that nasty habit long ago!"

Jiang Chen withdrew his gaze, his expression returning to its usual calmness as if he had just dealt with an insignificant matter. He said casually, "He's just a buffoon; there's no need to get upset and waste energy on him."

The two didn't dwell on the matter, chatted for a bit, packed their books, and headed to their next classroom.

The day's classes concluded successfully. As the sun set and night gradually enveloped the city, the streetlights flickered on one by one, casting a warm yellow glow.

Jiang Chen slowly walked out of the campus gates. Just as he stopped, the lexus lm pulled up smoothly in front of him, and the door slid open.

Lu Zheng had been waiting inside. Seeing Jiang Chen approach, he immediately got out and respectfully opened the door for him: "President Jiang."

Jiang Chen nodded and leaned in to sit. The interior was spacious and comfortable, with the air conditioning set to a perfect temperature.

Lu Zheng closed the door, returned to the driver's seat, skillfully started the car, and merged smoothly into traffic.

"President Jiang, I've arranged a quiet private restaurant for tonight. The ingredients are freshly harvested today. Would you like to go there directly, or return to your residence to rest first?"

Lu Zheng reported in a low voice while driving steadily.

Jiang Chen leaned back against the soft seat, his fingertips lightly pressing against his brow as he rested with his eyes closed. He spoke softly, "No need for special arrangements, go straight to the restaurant. By the way, what specific progress has Zhao Yiming made regarding Zhou Wanquan?"

Mentioning official business, Lu Zheng's expression immediately became serious, and he replied in a rigorous tone: "President Jiang, Zhao Yiming has been monitoring him since early this morning. He hasn't let Zhou Wanquan out of his sight, and every movement is synchronized to me in real-time."

"As we previously understood, Wantai Real Estate is currently facing a massive financial crisis."

"Over the past two days, several construction projects under Wantai Real Estate have run into cash flow problems. Construction has stalled, letters from suppliers demanding payment have been arriving one after another, and the banks have tightened credit limits, collecting loans without issuing new ones."

"Zhou Wanquan is now overwhelmed and is putting all his energy into financing, traveling between various investment institutions and partners every day."

"He's visiting people with a low profile, trying to fill the funding gap through various channels. He's so busy that he's handed over the company's daily affairs entirely to the vice president; he's completely tied up."

Lu Zheng paused and added more detail: "Zhao Yiming observed that Zhou Wanquan has reached the point of desperation, turning to anyone for help. The backgrounds of the investors he's contacting are uneven, even involving some overseas capital of unknown origin."

"Anyone can see that he's only looking to get funds quickly to alleviate the crisis, with no time to worry about subsequent risk management."

"Additionally, he seems to have sensed that someone is investigating him in secret. He's acting more cautiously, choosing to hold discussions in private locations, but this still can't hide the current decline of Wantai Real Estate."

"Zhao Yiming is still watching from the shadows, recording every person Zhou Wanquan meets and the core details of their discussions. Once he organizes the complete chain of information, he will report to you in person immediately."

"Currently, Zhou Wanquan is too busy saving himself to have any energy to target us in the short term."

Hearing this, Jiang Chen slowly opened his eyes, a cold light of understanding flashing through them. He lightly tapped the armrest of his seat in a steady rhythm.

"Zhou Wanquan's pace is exactly as we predicted."

His tone was flat, yet it carried a sense of certainty from his strategic planning.

"Tell Zhao Yiming to keep a close watch. He must remain hidden and not alert the target. Record every investor he contacts and the core terms of every negotiation in detail, with a focus on the background information of that overseas capital."

"Yes, President Jiang! I will relay the instructions immediately and ensure they are carried out perfectly. We won't let any key clues slip away."

Lu Zheng responded immediately with a firm tone.

The lexus lm wove smoothly through the nighttime traffic. Outside the window, neon lights were vibrant, but inside the car, it was quiet.