9: Chapter 9: The Whole School Spreads Rumors, I Remain Unperturbed

Li Jiaqi lifted that Prada jacket up to the light again, squinting as she examined it for a long while. A look of certainty gradually spread across her lips.

"Shen Muyan, you've misjudged this time." She gave the clothes a shake. "These stitches, this hardware, it's clearly a high-end knockoff from the Baiyun District in Guangzhou."

As she spoke, she handed the clothes back to Wang Fangfang.

Wang Fangfang was stunned. "That can't be right... That freshman looks pretty wealthy, he drives a BMW X7..."

"The car?" Li Jiaqi scoffed, jumping off the bed and walking over to Shen Muyan in her slippers. "Shen Muyan, young boys nowadays are very cunning; they just pay to rent a car! Who would know? I just checked the group chats; someone confirmed that this freshman rented the car!"

In reality, Li Jiaqi didn't know anything about luxury goods; she just frequently looked at them online or in physical stores.

The few boyfriends she had dated had bought her some affordable luxury items, either a useless silk scarf or a lipstick from a big brand.

When she was with her wealthiest boyfriend, she had asked for a Chanel bag worth over 20,000, which had immediately scared him off.

Although she couldn't tell the authenticity of the clothes at all, she knew how to put on a show. She just mimicked the actions she saw in short videos.

However, she was indeed the 'expert' on luxury goods among the girls, because the others were even more clueless.

If they encountered someone who could bluff for a while and throw out a few technical terms, they would naturally believe it was true.

If it were before, Shen Muyan might have truly believed her. But today, there was another person who had identified the authenticity of the clothes, and that was Jiang Jinyue...

Two liars? That couldn't be! If Jiang Jinyue had also misjudged it, was she pretending to understand? But what would she gain from that? She didn't chat with others, and she didn't have any friends.

Wang Fangfang blinked, feeling somewhat incredulous. She quickly opened her phone to check the campus news. Indeed, many groups were discussing this matter. Some were even demanding that the school provide a course of action and punish the student for renting a car to show off wealth.

"Shen Muyan, should we tell Tang Luochuan?" She handed the phone to her.

Shen Muyan took a look, and her heart churned. How long had it been, and so many people already knew? It was almost as if they had made a PowerPoint presentation about him.

Various versions of the story had already surfaced, and there was even a backstory for Tang Luochuan:

[Screenshots from major campus group chats]

[Version 1: The Struggling Student's Counterattack] According to informed sources, Tang Luochuan comes from a poverty-stricken county in Quanshui City. Both of his parents are laid-off workers living on welfare. He had excellent grades in high school and completed his studies with the help of poverty subsidies. After entering university, his mindset became unbalanced; in order to fit into the circle, he didn't hesitate to take out loans to rent a car and buy knockoffs, already owing over 100,000 in online loans!

[Version 2: The Professional Con Artist] Warning to all girls! This person, Tang Luochuan, is a professional emotional con artist! He had a criminal record in high school, specializing in pretending to be a rich second-generation heir to deceive girls. After succeeding, he would find various excuses to borrow money. Three girls have already been victimized! He has now drifted to our school; please keep your eyes peeled!

[Version 3: The Kept Man (This version is the most widely circulated)] Shocking news! Tang Luochuan's BMW X7 was actually gifted by a wealthy woman! According to unreliable sources, he worked at a club during the summer vacation and caught the eye of a 40-year-old female boss, becoming her "godson." The car and clothes were all gifts from the female boss, and the money used to treat people to dinner today was also pocket money given by the female boss!

[Shanghai Jiao Tong University Confession Wall]

Admin, I want to submit a post! Regarding that freshman driving a BMW X7 today, my brother works at a BMW 4S dealership, and he checked his purchase records—that name isn't there at all! The car is definitely rented! Also, that Prada jacket—my cousin is an appraiser, and it's fake at a glance! Everyone, don't be fooled!

Comment section:

"I knew it, what freshman drives an X7? Is his dad Jack Ma?"

"Shen Muyan is so unlucky, getting targeted by a guy like this on the first day."

"Already forwarded to the counselor; this kind of trend must be stopped!"

"Looking for the car rental channel, I want to show off too."

Shen Muyan looked at these group chat records, her brows furrowing tighter and tighter.

"This... this is too ridiculous, right?"

"There's no smoke without fire!" Li Jiaqi said, looking like a seasoned veteran. "Shen Muyan, keep your eyes open! Some of the information here might look fake, but flies don't bite seamless eggs! If he really didn't have something going on, people wouldn't be saying anything... He definitely has some issues, though maybe not to this extent! These boys are just like that, they love to exaggerate!"

"Then what should I do?" Shen Muyan was also getting a bit panicked; this matter had already reached the school. This couldn't go on!

Li Jiaqi said, "Give him the clothes tomorrow and part ways! After a while, everyone will forget about it!"

"That would be decent, but..." Shen Muyan still had some doubts in her heart; at the very least, Tang Luochuan didn't look like that kind of person. If he were really driving a car to trick girls into sleeping with him, shouldn't he be more attentive?

...

At this moment, inside the boys' Dormitory.

Zhang Ming and Zhou Qi were anxious. But Tang Luochuan didn't seem to care at all, lying on his bed frame, scrolling through short videos.

"Let me give you a tip!" Seeing a beautiful woman posing flirtatiously, Tang Luochuan didn't hesitate to tip a few little hearts. A successful transaction of 50 cents.

He had money, but he wasn't a sucker, and he certainly wouldn't go looking for female streamers online. You don't even have to think about it—those entertainment streamers, the ones with a bit of popularity and a bit of good looks, could they really be clean??

Why do boys tip streamers? Isn't it just for that one thing?

"Luochuan, aren't you anxious or angry?" Zhang Ming asked, leaning over his bed.

Tang Luochuan continued to stare at the screen. "What should I be angry about?"

"The school might get involved! They're saying it's a bad trend."

"What kind of bad trend is me buying a car?? But you say... will they expel me? If they do, does that mean I don't have to go to school anymore?"

Thinking of this, Tang Luochuan smiled; then it wouldn't be his fault. Buying a car, and the school wants to expel him! Even if they eventually proved he didn't rent the car to show off and asked him to come back to school, he wouldn't even look back.

The vast world was waiting for him. Thinking of this, he opened a travel app to plan where to go and have fun after he was expelled.

Early the next morning, Tang Luochuan was shaken awake by Zhou Qi.

"Get up, eat some breakfast, and go to study!"

Tang Luochuan checked the time; it was only 6:30. A new day, and 100 million had already arrived in his account.

It was still raining outside the window, and the rain was getting heavier. Just after getting up and washing up, two messages arrived on his phone.

One was a friend request from 'Jiang Jinyue.' The other was a message from Shen Muyan: I'll give you your clothes later; I washed them yesterday and they haven't dried yet.

Tang Luochuan accepted Jiang Jinyue's request and replied to Shen Muyan: "Okay."

...

After heading out, Tang Luochuan didn't drive this time. The three boys walked side by side under umbrellas, chatting and laughing.

Zhang Ming and Zhou Qi didn't believe the information online—not because they were brainless, but because they weren't blind. Just last night, they had seen with their own eyes Tang Luochuan playing a mobile game and topping up 100 of the 648-yuan gift packs. A full 60,000-plus yuan.