C5 The Start of School

The following day marked the start of the new school year at Xiao Nan's university.

Xiao Nan, who had been fretting over tuition fees just days prior, strode onto the Su Hang University campus with newfound confidence. Coming from a poor family in an urban village, he had to juggle work and studies, which lent him a maturity beyond his sophomore peers.

Upon entering the classroom, Xiao Nan's eyes immediately found Su Xiaoyan, radiant as ever. She was immersed in her reading, exuding a quiet grace that made her stand out.

Su Xiaoyan was Xiao Nan's childhood friend from the same village. Her beauty had always attracted admirers, and together, they had lived up to everyone's expectations by getting into Su Hang University, a feat celebrated by their former school with banners for days.

Xiao Nan cherished his girlfriend deeply, having invested so much in their relationship. When Su Xiaoyan looked up from her book and caught sight of him, she hesitated before saying, "Xiao Nan, there's something I need to talk to you about."

However, Xiao Nan was taken aback by the new purse Su Xiaoyan was carrying. Just yesterday, he had splurged on a designer LV bag for her, spending a hefty 100,000 yuan, and had tucked it away in his backpack for a surprise. Yet there she was, sporting another brand-new LV bag.

"Hey, Xiaoyan, did you get a new bag? Where's it from?" Xiao Nan inquired.

"I bought it myself. Is that a problem?" Su Xiaoyan replied, her voice tinged with frost.

Puzzled, Xiao Nan pressed on, "But that's an LV bag, certainly out of your price range. How did you manage to buy it?"

"It's none of your concern. Anything else? If not, I need to head inside," Su Xiaoyan responded, her demeanor turning icy.

A sense of unease gripped Xiao Nan. The LV bag he had so carefully chosen for her was still hidden in his backpack, and now he was at a loss for how to present it.

Before Xiao Nan could gather his thoughts, a young man approached and wrapped an arm around Su Xiaoyan.

Upon spotting the individual, Xiao Nan's expression immediately turned grim.

The man was Zhao Fei, a notorious playboy in their class, rumored to come from a wealthy family in the real estate development business.

He rarely interacted with average students like Xiao Nan.

With a furrowed brow, Xiao Nan demanded, "Zhao Fei, what do you think you're doing? Get your hand off my girlfriend, now!"

Zhao Fei, however, just smirked with satisfaction and retorted, "Su Xiaoyan is my girlfriend now. What's the big deal if I hug her?"

Your girlfriend?

A jolt shot through Xiao Nan's heart at those words!

He had been toiling away to scrape together enough money for a surprise gift—a bag for Su Xiaoyan. But now she was Zhao Fei's girlfriend?

Was this not the ultimate betrayal?

Struggling to come to terms with this revelation, Xiao Nan's complexion turned ashen. His jaw clenched with the urge to lash out.

Meanwhile, Su Xiaoyan nestled into Zhao Fei's embrace and coldly taunted, "You wanted to know where this bag came from, right? Zhao Fei bought it for me. And not just the bag, but my clothes and my Burberry bracelet too. Are you happy now?"

"Xiao Nan, we're just not cut from the same cloth. It's over between us."

Given Zhao Fei's financial resources, splurging on such luxuries was no issue, which explained the drastic change in Su Xiaoyan's demeanor.

With a dark look, Xiao Nan shot back, "Don't you realize he's nothing but a womanizer?"

Su Xiaoyan shrugged off the concern, "So what? Xiao Nan, I know you care for me, but you're struggling to make ends meet. How could you possibly provide the kind of material life I'm after?"

Despite Xiao Nan's attentive care, he fell short of providing the lifestyle she craved.

Since childhood, Su Xiaoyan had yearned for a life free from financial worries. In college, surrounded by peers flaunting designer labels, she felt like an outcast, unable to hold her head high.

Gradually, Su Xiaoyan's perspective shifted, and it was during this time that Zhao Fei began his relentless pursuit.

Swept up in the allure of designer clothes and handbags, Su Xiaoyan found herself losing touch with who she was.

To cope, she distanced herself from Xiao Nan, eager to erase her humble beginnings in a poor village and embrace the glittering world of high society.

Zhao Fei sneered, "Enough with the loser. Tonight, I'm taking you to a party where the host is one of Summerwood's elite entrepreneurs. It's not just anyone who gets to rub shoulders with him. Some might go their whole lives without exchanging a single word."

That barb was clearly aimed at Xiao Nan.

Yet, Su Xiaoyan's face lit up with longing at Zhao Fei's words.

She realized such an exclusive event was beyond her reach, but Zhao Fei's invitation was a clear signal—it was time for Xiao Nan to let go and for her to align herself with Zhao Fei's world.

"You, you, you!" Xiao Nan, pointing at them, was about to retort when he was abruptly shoved aside by one of Zhao Fei's cronies.

As they strutted away, Xiao Nan seethed with anger.

"Su Xiaoyan, I never thought you'd be this kind of person! You're going to regret it!"

"From now on, you live your life, and I'll live mine."

Tossing his LV bag and a heap of presents into the trash, Xiao Nan felt a sense of growth. The recent windfall had given him a bitter taste of the world's true nature.

"Maybe I've truly grown up. Life's a journey, and it's inevitable to encounter a few dogs along the way."

While Xiao Nan consoled himself with the thought of better women out there, his WeChat notification sounded.

To his surprise, it was a message from Ai Xiaohan, the buyer of the jade pendant from the day before.

"My grandfather loved the jade pendant and wants to thank you personally for securing it. He's invited you to his birthday banquet tonight. Where are you? I'll pick you up this afternoon!"

Fresh from his breakup with Su Xiaoyan and in no mood for celebration, Xiao Nan was initially uninterested in the banquet.

But Ai Xiaohan's persistent invitations on WeChat, coupled with his newfound single status and a free evening, left him with little choice. He reluctantly sent her his school's address.

Upon receiving the message, Ai Xiaohan promptly responded, "Let's meet outside the school gates after class."

The message was brief, with no further explanation.

Just then, a system notification suddenly materialized before Xiao Nan's eyes.

"Random System Task Initiated: An auction will be held tonight at the mansion in the eastern suburbs. Purchase a raw stone for five thousand and sell it for five hundred thousand."

Included was a holographic projection and detailed description of the raw stone.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Nan's first encounter with a random system task coincided with his breakup with Su Xiaoyan!