QTIMP -Chapter 106 Character Persona – Money Loving (Part 16)

Hearing her say that, Pei Jingzhou reached out and pinched her cheek.

“Your gold mine will be in your hands soon; it won’t be long before it starts yielding. Why imagine it’s going to be so miserable? Besides, those things don’t count anymore. I don’t think I’ve treated you badly, so why are you thinking of relying on others?”

“Metaphor… metaphor works better. I mean, Sister Yalan seems domineering, but she values loyalty the most. On the other hand, Hua Mingzhu and the others seem all warm and cozy, but they actually care most about profit.”

“Not completely foolish.”

Si Qiu turned on the lights in the room. “I don’t feel like chatting. You two, go to the study and work. I’ll go cut some fruit for you. Tea or coffee?”

“Coffee, coffee. My stomach doesn’t take tea well, and I’m not used to it,” Shen Xuan quickly answered.

“Alright, go ahead and get to work!”

Once the study door was closed, Pei Jingzhou said in a sarcastic tone, “You might be giving orders.”

Shen Xuan reacted immediately, raising both hands. “Boss, don’t accuse me wrongly. I’m just borrowing some of your light. Besides, aren’t you like me—can’t get used to tea, only like coffee?”

Pei Jingzhou sat in the chair behind the desk. “Who told you I don’t like tea and only like coffee?”

Shen Xuan was stunned. Both during school and after formally taking over the company, who had been keeping him alive with coffee? He had even suggested tea for Pei Jingzhou’s health.

Back then, Pei Jingzhou said he didn’t like it, that it had no flavor. And now he could just change his mind on a whim!

“Alright, alright, it’s all my fault. Let’s just quickly finish merging the project proposals from the government!”

Every move Pei Jingzhou made was like the scent of a shark in the water—one after another, people came to inquire about cooperating with the Guo family’s gold mine.

It wasn’t until they received definite news that the contract was for Si Qiu that some of them finally relaxed.

They only thought that Si Qiu was coaxing Pei Jingzhou, buying herself some gold mine shares from her best friend’s husband as a safeguard.

What they didn’t know, not even Si Qiu herself, was that the Pei family was using this opportunity to expand into the Soviet Union, seeking even greater profits. Pei Jingzhou, personally groomed by Lord Pei as the heir, could not be described as merely “strategically minded.”

The next day, Si Qiu went to class. In the university, where plain attire was the norm, she had once worn patched clothes when she first started.

Now she drove to campus, naturally attracting attention. Rumors spread everywhere, and some even sent letters of complaint to the academic office.

But everyone was surprised—there was no response from the school, and even her classmates had been warned. It was only then that people realized her so-called partner was truly capable.

Other students at school didn’t care too much after speculating. After all, students were competitive at this stage. But her own classmates—since she was in the same major and class, and most courses were shared—would see her every day.

Seeing her daily, hearing different rumors from them every day, was likely why the school issued a separate warning.

Si Qiu, clutching her books, hurried into the classroom. Liang Caixia, her roommate, waved as soon as she saw her. Si Qiu sat in the empty seat beside her and took out a handkerchief to wipe the thin sweat that had formed from rushing over.

“Don’t be anxious, the teacher hasn’t arrived yet.”

“Why are you late today?” asked a classmate who was close to Liang Caixia, resting her head on the desk.

Si Qiu opened her book. “Don’t mention it… I’ve been swamped, and I misread a bit.”

A voice nearby chimed in, “Don’t you have a car? And yet you’re rushing around like this? Girls should maintain some dignity. Money gained through shady means is never clean.”

“Men! Always reaching too high, not knowing their limits. You should accumulate virtue in your words; otherwise, those sharp tongues will get you in trouble.”

Si Qiu shot back sarcastically, and the man immediately felt defensive. “Si Qiu, what do you mean? I’m the class vice president! Everything I said was for your own good…”

“You’d better calm down. ‘For my own good,’ huh? You act like a giant baby—relying on your parents at home, depending on your partner outside. Your face is as thick as a city wall, yet you have the nerve to lecture me. At least I’m in a proper relationship. And you? Senior Zhao from the Economics Department, Junior Li from Physics, and even Zhang Qiqi from our department—relying on these ‘good sisters’ to support you. Zheng Jizong, you’re the type selling your sisters’ favor to study abroad while juggling half a dozen girls outside. And you have the audacity to talk to me like that?”

Zheng Jizong, stunned by her words, stood up, trembling as he pointed at her. “You… you… you’re spreading rumors! This is defamation! I’m going to sue you!”

Si Qiu also stood, arms crossed, chin raised toward the door. “The teacher’s here. Go ahead and sue! The school can investigate and see whether what I said is true.”

At that moment, a girl wearing a beige dress with a hairpin in her hair hurried over and slapped Zheng Jizong across the face.

“Zheng Jizong, I’m warning you. It better be false. If I find out it’s true, I’ll make you go back to your rural hometown and farm the fields.”

The girl turned and started walking away, only to bump right into the arriving teacher. Just as the teacher was about to speak, Zheng Jizong jostled him, causing the teacher to stagger.

Zheng Jizong, of course, was desperate to chase after her. Zhang Qiqi’s uncle was on the Education Committee. While the other girls had decent backgrounds too, local officials outrank county ones. He absolutely could not be expelled.

So he hurriedly ran after her, determined to smooth things over with Zhang Qiqi.

After sitting down, Si Qiu’s gaze swept to her left, where her four roommates were sitting. She looked at them with a faint, knowing smile.

“You really need to watch your mouth. Sometimes, the small arm can’t beat the big leg,” she said, twirling her sapphire bracelet on her wrist.

In dramas, that pose usually belonged to the antagonist.

The four girls dared not lift their heads. Luckily, the teacher reached the podium and began the lesson, forcing Si Qiu to turn her head.

They each let out a long, quiet breath of relief.

After all, they had indeed made a lot of guesses behind Si Qiu’s back. After being warned at school, they knew better than to provoke her now.

So when faced with her disdainful warning, none of them dared to argue.

Liang Haixia excitedly tugged at her clothes. “How did you know he was juggling so many girls?”

Si Qiu glanced at the teacher, then lowered her head to share the gossip. “It’s partly luck. Whenever these girls were with him, I happened to run into them intentionally or unintentionally. At least Zhang Qiqi is in our class. I even reminded her once, but with her ‘love-struck brain,’ she listened to that idiot and actually suspected me of eyeing Zheng Jizong.”