14: Chapter 14 Mid-level? You think you're worthy of chasing me?

Shen Muyan didn't even let her gaze linger on the movie tickets; she stepped back half a pace and stood shoulder to shoulder with Tang Luochuan. "No need."

Zhou Ziyu still possessed a bit of an indomitable spirit; he had been rejected by Shen Muyan countless times already.

Except for that pack of crispy noodles she gave him the first time they met, which he remembered vividly.

"Don't be in such a rush!" Zhou Ziyu felt much more confident with a porsche backing him up.

He looked at Tang Luochuan: "Brother, if you're going to rent a car, you have to rent something decent. Don't you know girls like porsches?"

"Huh? I haven't really looked into it." Tang Luochuan was bewildered; he could tell the other guy wanted to show off in front of him.

But... he couldn't bring himself to care enough to slap his face.

This guy's car was obviously rented. If a dog bites you, you can't bite the dog back, right...

Zhou Ziyu also knew that he couldn't keep up the act for long! He wasn't afraid of people knowing he had rented the car, but how many people could afford to rent a 911?

Besides, both he and Tang Luochuan were renting cars; neither had the right to look down on the other.

"No class this afternoon, want to go for a spin?" Zhou Ziyu walked to the front of the car and opened the door: "Want to come sit for a while?"

Tang Luochuan scratched the back of his head: "Me? I think I'll pass."

"..."

Zhou Ziyu frowned slightly, while Shen Muyan covered her mouth to hide a smile.

"I meant Shen Muyan! Shen Muyan, I have a lot to tell you. Yes, I did rent this car! I just wanted to tell you that if he can afford to rent one, I can too! Also, I'm a local of Magic City; if you're with me, you can get a local household registration directly! I have two apartments in Magic City... my parents live in the 110-square-meter one, and the other one, 120 square meters, is being saved as our marital home..."

"Ziyu..." Shen Muyan felt a bit embarrassed hearing such blunt words.

"Speak!" Zhou Ziyu heard that her tone wasn't as decisive as before, and he felt like he had a chance.

Shen Muyan felt it was better to be straightforward, so she said: "Actually, you're not bad!"

Zhou Ziyu smiled slightly: "That goes without saying."

Shen Muyan hurriedly explained: "I meant as a person; you're not a bad person! But you're just too pretentious, aren't you? You're not that outstanding at all, so why do you act like you're the best in the world all day long... And, you're really not handsome, at least not compared to Tang Luochuan—uh, no, you two can't even be compared! Even in your own class, you wouldn't be considered handsome."

She took a deep breath, speaking faster and without holding back at all: "Besides, among the people pursuing me, there are several with Magic City household registrations, and tons who are more handsome and better off than you, and I haven't been moved by any of them! Among those pursuing me, you're at best mid-tier! Stop trying to puff yourself up by renting a car. Hurry up and ask if you can return it; wouldn't it be better to save some money?"

Shen Muyan finished in one breath.

The surrounding air instantly fell silent. Everyone was watching the show, their excitement evident.

It was the first time they had seen such a blunt, merciless reply.

Was Shen Muyan not even giving out 'nice guy' cards anymore?

This couldn't be blamed on Shen Muyan; Zhou Ziyu had received at least a dozen, if not dozens, of 'nice guy' cards from her.

But this guy wouldn't change!! And he was getting worse; in private, he even lied to his friends, claiming she was his girlfriend.

He even incited his friends to call her 'sister-in-law'. Shen Muyan had had enough.

"That's going too far!"

A low voice suddenly rang out. It was Tang Luochuan.

He felt completely uncomfortable at this moment, so awkward that he didn't know where to put his hands and feet.

Shen Muyan's tone was clearly so gentle and sincere, yet every word she spoke was piercing, with maximum lethality. Even as a bystander, he felt embarrassed for Zhou Ziyu.

If Shen Muyan's tone had been harsher or snobbier, it would have been fine; at most, people would call her a gold-digger or snobbish.

But instead, her demeanor was genuinely thinking of Zhou Ziyu, as if she were advising a misguided friend. This "sincerity" actually made the scene even more awkward and hurtful.

Both Zhou Ziyu and Tang Luochuan felt uneasy.

The former's face instantly flushed red.

The latter bit his lip, his heart filled with mixed emotions: wanting to laugh, feeling awkward, pitying Zhou Ziyu, but also feeling a sense of satisfaction!

It was like having a pimple on the sole of your foot; the more you scratched, the itchier it got, and the itchier it got, the more you scratched.

Zhou Ziyu stood next to the porsche 911, the flush on his face spreading from the base of his neck all the way to his ears, the veins on his hand gripping the car door bulging.

He opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but realized that every one of Shen Muyan's words had hit the mark like a nail—the car rental was true, the showing off was true, and his average appearance was even more true.

But he refused to admit it. He had been immersed in this enjoyment, and having it suddenly punctured made him feel terrible.

"I... I... I didn't say I was that great, and I wasn't showing off! I was just being myself!"

"Then I don't like you! Not even a little, never have! And!!"

Shen Muyan couldn't help it anymore; she felt annoyed just thinking about those things, so she raised her voice: "Please tell your friends that I have absolutely no relationship with you! And we have never had any special relationship... Stop looking at me with that 'they understand everything' look all day! It's not that I'm shy or embarrassed to say it; it's because I think it's too shameless!!!"

Now that it was all out in the open, Shen Muyan's emotions exploded.

She poured out all those frustrating things that had happened over the past year.

Zhou Ziyu jerked his head up, his eyes a mix of shame, anger, and astonishment.

Tang Luochuan kept his head down, not daring to speak, his toes curling tightly into the ground.

If something like this happened to him, he would want to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Quite a few people had gathered around. Some passing students had stopped, others were peeking out from the teaching building, and a few people who had been playing badminton were standing there with their rackets hanging in their hands, their gazes all fixed squarely on him.

Those gazes held curiosity, mockery, and schadenfreude, but the only thing they lacked was the envy he had been expecting.

"Shen Muyan, you..." Zhou Ziyu's voice trembled. "Do you have to be so ruthless?"

"It's not me being ruthless; it's you forcing my hand." Shen Muyan's voice had calmed down. "I've given you face, many times. But you didn't want it; you only doubled down."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over that rented porsche 911, her anger having vented.

Being a girl, she was still a bit soft-hearted; her tone softened again: "Hurry up and return the car, see if you can get some money back. It probably wasn't cheap to rent for a day."

"Then why don't you say that to him!!!" Zhou Ziyu slammed the movie tickets in his hand onto the ground and pointed at Tang Luochuan, shouting: "He also rents! Why are you only targeting me??"

Tang Luochuan rubbed his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed: "No... that was..."

Shen Muyan: "Luochuan is different from you; at the very least, he is sincere! And the car wasn't rented by him. The clothes are real too! It's just some people talking nonsense online."

Zhou Ziyu, as if he had found a handle, roared: "Not rented? The school even punished him by sending him home to reflect! You're saying this wasn't rented?"

"Huh? How do you have news so fast?" Tang Luochuan was bewildered, but then he realized.

One of those two Student Union cadres must have sent him the message.

At the very least, Counselor Wang Jianguo, as a teacher, wouldn't be so base.