Jiang Qingqing sent me another message, asking which day of the week I'd be back.
So I asked her, "You're so beautiful, there must have been male students who liked you, right? Did any of them confess to you?" Jiang Qingqing replied that yes, there had been some, and she'd even received a few love letters. She added that she wasn't interested in those little brats.
Jiang Qingqing also said she really wanted to see what I looked like and asked if I could send her a photo. I told her I'd be back soon, and she'd know who I was when we met. She sent a sad emoji and said, "Alright then, I'm really looking forward to the day we meet."
I said I also wished time would hurry up. Later, she asked me, "If we end up together after meeting, will you treat me well and love me?" I replied, "Absolutely, I'll cherish and spoil you for the rest of my life." She said, "I can't see your heart, so I don't know if you're being sincere." I told her, "I don't want to make empty promises—actions speak louder than words." She agreed, saying she'd met plenty of playboys who made grand promises but turned out to be worse than scum, which disgusted her.
Then I thought about it and asked her, "I'm just an ordinary guy with an average family background and a modest salary. If we end up together, I won't be able to give you a luxurious life. Would you still want to be with me then?" Jiang Qingqing replied, "As long as I like you, I'll be with you. I don't care if you have money or not—love is what matters."
I sent her a surprised emoji and said, "Most women nowadays are materialistic. I have quite a few friends who've been on blind dates, and as soon as the other party hears they don't own a car or a house, they lose interest—especially if there's no house. Some just walk away on the spot." I added, "With my salary, I probably won't be able to afford a house in my lifetime."
Jiang Qingqing replied, "I'm not materialistic. As long as it's true love, going through hardships together is fine. That kind of relationship is worth cherishing." I asked her, "So you'd be okay with renting for the rest of your life?" She said, "Renting isn't a big deal. Besides, if we really end up together, we could save up for a down payment with our combined salaries and buy a house."
I replied, "But then we'd have to pay a mortgage, and you wouldn't have money left for nice bags or shoes." She said she didn't mind and that she was already used to buying simple things.
When I read that, I scoffed internally. "Buying simple things? Who are you trying to fool?" Even though I didn't have a girlfriend, I'd spent enough time with Yan She to recognize expensive bags and shoes. I'd seen Jiang Qingqing's bags before—they weren't luxury brands like LV or Hermès, but based on the leather quality, they had to cost at least five or six thousand, maybe even ten thousand yuan. And her shoes and clothes were all branded too. How could a teacher earning a few thousand a month afford that? I'd always suspected she had a sugar daddy, especially after seeing her with the Mercedes guy. That only confirmed my suspicions.
I thought to myself, Jiang Qingqing is putting on a good act, saying she doesn't care about cars or houses. It's all a lie.
Of course, I didn't call her out on it. After all, I was lying to her too. Mutual deception—wasn't that the golden rule of online dating? Later in the conversation, I tried to trick her into sending me another photo. I sweet-talked her for a while until she finally relented and said she'd send one. I was so excited I couldn't take my eyes off my phone, waiting for her to send it.
After about five or six minutes, Jiang Qingqing sent it over. To my disappointment, she was careful enough to crop out her head, so I couldn't use the photo to blackmail her.
Finally, she asked if I'd confirmed my exact return date. I told her the company hadn't finalized it yet and that I'd need another two or three days to know for sure. She said okay and asked me to tell her as soon as I knew.
We chatted a bit more before going to bed.
The next morning, during the flag-raising ceremony, things unfolded exactly as Jiang Qingqing had said. Both Li Dehai and I were publicly criticized. First, the vice principal in charge of discipline called us out by name in front of the entire school and lectured everyone on the dangers of fighting. Then, when it was the principal's turn to speak, he sternly ordered Li Dehai and me to go up on stage. Jiang Qingqing, standing nearby, gave me a look, signaling me to go up. I had no choice but to obey. Li Dehai seemed just as intimidated, keeping his head down and avoiding the principal's gaze.
The principal jabbed his finger at our heads and warned us that if we ever gathered people to fight again, we'd face serious consequences.
And just like that, I became an overnight celebrity. The love letter incident had already made my name notorious—everyone knew about Zhang Cheng, the guy who plagiarized Tsangyang Gyatso's poetry for a love letter. But back then, most only knew my name, not my face. Now, my appearance was exposed to the entire school.
This ended up causing me even more trouble.
Gou Mao warned me to be careful, saying I'd made too many enemies. Li Dehai might not let it go and could even ask his older brother, Li Delong, to teach me a lesson. On top of that, Li Da might set a trap for me. Finally, Gou Mao said the person I needed to be most wary of was Zhao Lin—she was especially vindictive, and I should watch my back every time I left school.
Gou Mao's words gave me a headache. I'd been keeping a low profile since starting high school, and the previous semester had been peaceful. But ever since the love letter incident with Xia Shi, everything had spiraled out of control.
Gou Mao scolded me, saying that while the conflicts with Li Dehai and Li Da were unavoidable, the situation with Zhao Lin could have been avoided. "Now look what happened—you played the hero to save a beauty and ended up provoking the one person you shouldn't have."