NOVEL WEB Chapter 55 - Where Are You? I’m Coming.
Chapter 55: Where Are You? I’m Coming.
On the way back from the administrative office, the sky was already completely dark.
Jiang Zhou checked the time. It was just past 7 p.m.
He was supposed to go on a lake outing with Feng Siruo earlier that morning.
But with everything that blew up on the forum, she probably wouldn’t show up now.
Still, he hesitated… and couldn’t help but swing by the lake.
As expected, all along the lakeside were couples snuggling up to each other.
Feng Siruo was nowhere in sight.
After the disgusting forum rumors, plus Ding Yue’s embellishments, it’d be surprising if the girl did come.
She had always been a bit scared of him, and now, probably even more so.
Jiang Zhou sighed and turned back toward his dorm.
He figured it was just a matter of time before the person behind the post showed up.
Once the misunderstanding was cleared, everything could be resolved.
Meanwhile, over in the girls’ dormitory, Feng Siruo quietly got out of bed.
—
She opened her wardrobe and reached toward her school uniform…
But after a moment’s hesitation, she pulled out an icy blue waist-tied dress instead.
She slipped off her fuzzy bunny slippers, put on sheer crystal socks, and stepped into her white Adidas sneakers.
After fixing her hair and taking a deep breath, she put on a face mask.
Right before leaving, she grabbed a handful of milk candies from her desk.
Just then, Ding Yue came back from the library.
Her expression showed both surprise and suspicion.
“You’re heading out?”
Feng Siruo nodded.
“Where to?”
“Just… out for a walk.”
Ding Yue sighed. “Jiang Zhou’s nothing but a liar. Don’t let him get to you. He’s not someone who can truly care about anyone.”
Feng Siruo nodded gently. “Mm. I know.”
“You want me to go with you?”
“No, it’s fine…”
“You’re going out alone? Aren’t you afraid someone might recognize you?”
Feng Siruo just nodded again, then quickly slipped out of the dorm.
She wasn’t good at socializing, and even worse at lying.
So instead of trying to explain, she ran, afraid Ding Yue might keep pressing and see through her.
Yes, she was going to find Jiang Zhou.
Even after seeing all those posts Ding Yue showed her, she still wanted to see him.
Because she had promised to meet him at noon.
And that promise had nothing to do with the gossip or the drama.
She didn’t like socializing, and her thinking was always straightforward: if something was planned and not canceled, then she would follow through.
But the sky was already dark.
There were still people out strolling around, and the wind howled through the streets.
Feng Siruo clutched her jacket tighter, nervously hurrying beneath the streetlights.
—
Back at the boys’ dormitory…
When Jiang Zhou walked in, he saw his three roommates huddled together like scared kittens.
The moment he stepped in, they rushed over.
“Dude! You’re alive? Still intact?!”
“Unbelievable! You came back in one piece!”
“I thought they’d tear you apart out there!”
Jiang Zhou rolled his eyes. “What are you talking about? You guys nuts?”
Xu Haodong took a deep breath.
“You know how many people came banging on our door this afternoon?!”
“Why?”
“Because your ‘three-dates-in-a-night’ scandal blew up! Everyone’s out for blood!”
Jiang Zhou didn’t really care.
“Let ’em come. I’ll be sitting here waiting.”
Zhang Guangfa clicked his tongue. “Maybe you should lay low for a while?
It’s not safe here, man.”
“No need. Truth always comes out.”
“Truth? Pfft. You even know how to spell that?”
Jiang Zhou casually grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled two words.
The guys leaned over. He’d written: “Handsome guy.”
“Bro, that’s ‘handsome,’ not ‘innocent’!”
“I’m this good-looking, so how could I not be innocent?”
He flicked his hair dramatically and went to grab his shower slippers.
Just then, his phone lit up.
A familiar ding ding from QQ.
It was Feng Siruo.
“Are you here yet?”
Jiang Zhou froze, then quickly typed back.
“Where?”
“The lake.”
“You really went?!”
“You’re the one who told me to come…”
Staring at that line of text, Jiang Zhou’s heart trembled.
The whole campus hated him right now. He was branded a scumbag by everyone except her.
And yet, this girl… still came to the lake. Alone. At night.
He glanced at the time. 8:00 p.m. sharp.
Typical Feng Siruo.
She always arrived exactly on time, never early or late.
In his past life, every date with her had been like that.
But what he’d come to learn was that she always arrived early and only showed up right at the appointed time.
“Stay right there. Don’t move. I’m coming.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Zhou threw on a jacket and headed for the door.
The three roommates tackled him.
“Where you going?!”
Xu Haodong looked worried. “People are literally camping outside our dorm!”
Jiang Zhou patted his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. If I don’t make it back, you can inherit my QQ account.”
“Oh, then bring me a duck blood vermicelli soup on your way back, I’m still hungry.”
“Same, but no spice!”
“Me too.”
“…” Jiang Zhou rolled his eyes and walked out.
Sure enough, the hallway was packed with angry guys.
Some of them even held table legs like weapons.
He didn’t flinch.
“Y’all here to serve justice or what?” he said coolly. “Come on, let’s see how many second-generation rich kids we’ve got.
“If you’re from a regular family, don’t bother. One swing and your parents can’t afford the lawsuit.
“If your folks work government jobs, don’t get involved, you’re adults now, and you’ll go to jail. Don’t ruin their careers.
“But if you’ve got money, nothing to worry about, come at me. Someone’s waiting for me.”
His words stunned the crowd.
They suddenly realized that not a single one of them dared to actually do anything.
Jiang Zhou quietly let out a breath.
Truth be told, he’d been scared stiff inside.
If even one guy rushed him, he’d be in serious trouble.
Still, he walked forward with confidence.
“You know why no rich kids are here?
“Because they’re off somewhere, changing girlfriends every day, living their best lives.
“And you guys? Fighting over a so-called goddess you’ve never even talked to?
“Come on, what year is it? Why let yourselves be used like tools?
“Whether I’m a scumbag or not, does that actually affect your life?
“If you beat me up, what do you get? A moment of self-righteousness? Some clout?
“You go shout down the street that you beat up a scumbag. Sure, a few girls might look at you. But then what?
“Who’s paying for the lawsuit? Your parents, who bleed for every penny they earn!”
His words hit like a truck.
The crowd froze.
Why had they come here to beat someone up?
Because they were mad?
Because they thought they were standing up for justice?
But now that they thought about it… what the hell did it have to do with them?
Had they just gotten swept up by the negativity online?
Why were they blindly jumping in to play the hero?