Chapter 213: Worst Case, I’ll Just Marry Her

September 11, 2001.

A day unlike any other.

Many things changed because of it.

Jiang Ning, having been reborn, had never intended to meddle with something like this.

Mainly because she didn’t have the power to.

And frankly, there was no need to.

Yes, many lives were lost.

But what did that have to do with her?

Fast forward a decade or so, and countless events—big and small—would unfold.

Was she supposed to intervene in every single one?

Miss Jiang wasn’t some bleeding-heart saint.

As long as it didn’t involve her or anyone she knew—

Let the sky fall.

Let the floods rise.

What did it have to do with her?

But now…it did involve her.

Miss Jiang was starting to get anxious.

She held the letter tightly in her hand, standing in front of the phone booth at the post office.

“International call?”

“To where?”

“Oh, that red phone over there. Three yuan per minute.”

Hearing that, Jiang Ning didn’t even bother complaining about the outrageous price.

She walked over to the red phone, punched in the number from the letter, and waited.

It took a while.

Only after a long pause did the dial tone finally come through—“beep… beep…”

As she waited for the call to connect, Miss Jiang suddenly remembered something.

In her previous life, during a class reunion, a friend who had studied abroad once vented to her.

He said he rarely dared to call home.

Because whenever he touched on certain sensitive topics—

Someone would show up at his door the very next day for a “chat.”

At the time, the big scandal hadn’t broken yet, so Jiang Ning had just laughed it off as a joke.

But later, when the news exploded—

More and more evidence came to light.

It turned out that nearly every call connecting the Eastern and Western hemispheres passed through a special department for review.

If there was nothing suspicious, it would go through.

If there was—

A visit was standard. Being taken away? Not unheard of.

So.

If she told Mature Woman Du over the phone not to go to New York on the 10th—

Given how seriously Du Xinrui took the study tour, she’d definitely ask why.

And then what would Jiang Ning say?

Tell the truth?

Great.

Forget Du Xinrui getting taken away—

She herself might be dragged off by the authorities too.

Locked in some pitch-black room, interrogated word by word…

So.

How could she warn Mature Woman Du in the safest way possible?

She was so deep in thought—

She didn’t even realize the call had connected.

“This is Queen’s Bedroom, who are you looking for…”

“Hello?”

“Hello?”

Two greetings in a row finally snapped her out of her daze.

Queen’s Bedroom?

Ahem.

“Hi, Miss Betty, could you get Du Xinrui for me?”

There was a noticeable pause on the other end.

Then—

“Honey~ Honey~”

“You’ve got a call~”

Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that the voice was clearly a woman’s—

Miss Jiang might’ve thought Mature Woman Du was cheating on her.

That level of intimacy?

Tsk tsk tsk.

Not long after, a familiar voice came through the receiver.

“Hello, this is Du Xinrui.”

“Teacher Du, it’s me—Jiang Ning~”

That clear, spring-like voice traveled across the ocean through electric currents, reaching a certain dorm room at Berklee College of Music.

The mature woman in silk pajamas holding the phone lit up with joy the moment she heard it.

“Jiang Ning?!”

However—

Her joy didn’t last long.

“My mom?”

“She came looking for me?”

“About the house?”

“Alright, I’ll be back soon.”

After hanging up, Du Xinrui closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Just then, a slender blonde beauty—wearing nothing but a shirt barely long enough to cover half her perky butt—walked over barefoot, carrying a plate of salad. She sat cross-legged on the bed nearby, curiosity written all over her face.

“What’s wrong, darling?”

Du Xinrui sighed.

“I might not be able to go on the study tour next week.”

“Why not?”

“Something came up at home. I need to fly back.”

As she spoke, Du Xinrui casually explained what she considered a minor issue.

But when Betty heard that Du Xinrui’s estranged mother had suddenly shown up after ten years to demand ownership of the family property—

Her expression turned to utter shock.

She couldn’t help but exclaim:

“Oh my God!”

“What kind of terrifying mother does that?!”

Exactly.

Back when Miss Jiang first heard that Du Xinrui’s mother had come knocking for money—

Her reaction had been just as stunned.

Later, after a little digging from that nosy girl Tang Tu, the truth came out.

Turns out, Du Xinrui’s parents had separated when she was very young, and she’d been raised by her father.

Throughout her schooling and even after graduation—

Her mother had barely been in the picture.

The few times she did show up, it was always to ask the father for money.

After her father passed away from illness, Du Xinrui inherited the house and lived there alone.

For a few years, things were fine.

But in the past year or two, somehow that awful mother managed to track down the villa.

Every so often, she’d show up under the guise of “checking in.”

But really, she just wanted Du Xinrui to give her a share of the house.

And every time, Du Xinrui turned her down.

Word is, this was one of the reasons that pushed Du Xinrui to pursue traditional Chinese music abroad.

So Miss Jiang simply borrowed Du Xinrui’s mom’s name.

First, lure her back—then figure out the rest.

After all, Mature Woman Du’s mother had been here before.

If it really came down to it…

Ahem.

Worst case, she’d offer herself up as compensation.

When Jiang Ning returned to school, the morning military training for the new first-years had just wrapped up.

Looking at the sea of green uniforms, Miss Jiang couldn’t help but think back to a year ago—when she was still limping around on a bum leg.

She hadn’t stood in formation for a single day. Instead, she spent the entire training period under the Phoenix Tree, watching everyone else sweat it out.

“Hi, Senior!”

“Senior Jiang Ning!”

Blending into the crowd of new students, Miss Jiang kept getting greeted out of nowhere.

“Ah, hello.”

“Yep, yep.”

The enthusiastic juniors were a bit much for her to handle.

She quickened her pace toward the teaching building.

She was just about to reach the entrance when—

Suddenly.

A figure in green stepped right into her path.

“Senior Jiang Ning, may I get to know you?”

After enduring so many greetings, Miss Jiang almost reflexively replied “Sure.”

But the words caught in her throat, and she swallowed them back down.

She looked up.

The boy in front of her was at least a head taller, with decently handsome features.

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

“And you are?”

“Class 7, Grade 10. Ge Hanwen.”

As he spoke, the boy extended his hand for a handshake.

But Miss Jiang sidestepped it and lightly patted his arm instead.

“Focus on your studies.”

“Stop wasting your time on silly things.”

With that, she didn’t wait for a reply.

A faint fragrance lingered in the air as Miss Jiang disappeared into the stairwell.

But love is blind.

The boy, unwilling to give up, shouted toward the stairwell:

“Senior Jiang Ning!”

“I was the top scorer in the Jiangzhou high school entrance exams!”

“I gave up Ningzhou No. 14 Middle School for you!”

“Can’t you give me a chance?!”

But no reply came.

All he got were strange looks from the students passing by.

And a few second-year seniors giving him mysterious thumbs-ups.

As the saying goes, good news travels slow, bad news travels fast.

It didn’t take long for the story to spread: the top scorer of the entrance exams gave up Ningzhou No. 14 Middle School for some enchantress.

Soon, students all over the school were whispering about it.

Some wondered if the school would step in.

Others speculated whether Jiang the Enchantress would finally be “taken down.”

But most just treated it like juicy gossip.

After all, too many boys had already fallen at the feet of Jiang the Enchantress.

At lunch break, the Sister Group was lounging under the Phoenix Tree by the field as usual.

“Jiang Jiang~”

“Where’s Wenwen?”

Luo Shanshan tore open a bag of spicy strips and held it out toward Jiang Ning.

Leaning against the base of the Phoenix Tree, Miss Jiang plucked one out and popped it in her mouth.

Chewing, she replied:

“She’s at dance practice.”

“Getting ready for the school anniversary in October.”

Ah, that makes sense.

Luo Shanshan nodded, then sighed.

“Our class still hasn’t decided on a performance.”

“Probably going to end up doing a group chorus.”

“So annoying.”

Yeah, chorus was annoying.

You couldn’t really get out of group activities like that.

And even if you went up there, no one could tell if you were singing well or not.

All pain, no gain.

“Well, your class has so many people and not a single one with real talent,” Sun Qian said, making Luo Shanshan scowl.

She snorted.

“Sure.”

“What about your class?”

“Smashing rocks on your chest, right?”

“Oh, perfect. That act suits you.”

“You don’t even need a tray for the rocks.”

Just like that, the two started bickering again.

Miss Jiang sighed helplessly.

Just then—

Zhu Hui suddenly handed her a sketch.

Jiang Ning took it and looked.

It was a drawing of a fox lounging under a tree in the sun.

Next to it, a puppy trotted over with a bone in its mouth, offering it like a treasure.

“What’s this supposed to mean?”

Jiang Ning didn’t quite get it.

But then Luo Shanshan and Sun Qian leaned in from either side, flanking her head.

“A fox?”

“A dog?”

In an instant—

Luo Shanshan burst into laughter and nudged Jiang Ning’s lower back teasingly.

“Top scorer, huh~”

Then Sun Qian chimed in with a mischievous grin:

“Tall and handsome too~”

Finally—

Zhu Hui pushed up her glasses and added shyly:

“Give him a chance~”

MMP!

One day without a beating,

And they’re climbing the roof and tearing off the tiles!

You three little brats!

Drop dead already!!!

(End of this chapter)