CH 13

Chapter 13: First Arc [12]

Song Juyao stopped at the pet supplies store adjacent to the veterinary clinic before heading back to her apartment.

Since many students in her dormitory kept pets, the store had a wide selection of pet supplies. Having become a cat owner, Song Juyao had hastily purchased cat food and a litter box the day before, and was now in search of other essential items.

"I should just get what's necessary to avoid the hassle of moving when I return to the research institute," Song Juyao made up her mind.

As it turned out, Ming Shu and Li Zhao were outside the store, observing as Song Juyao gathered various snacks, canned food, and cat toys, filling an entire basket at the checkout counter. Her posture of being conquered by the cat couldn't have been more obvious.

"Isn't this too much?" Li Zhao scrutinized the price of the canned food, feeling momentarily blinded by the steep cost. As a commoner, she couldn't fathom what kind of cheap goods could be found at an aristocratic school like theirs. Why was she even bothering to check the price?  She was burned by the luxury of capitalism!

Song Juyao appeared distressed. "I just can't help but think of how adorable Song Wanwan is and want to get everything for her..."

"Mm, Song Wanwan? That's the name the Senior Sister gave the cat, right?" Ming Shu inquired.

"Yes, isn't it a lovely name?"

"Yes, "It's a nice name."

"Your total comes to 4210.9 yuan," the cashier announced with a smile.

Song Juyao reached for her phone to make the payment, but her movement suddenly paused, and her cheeks turned slightly red as she looked up with a slightly embarrassed expression. "I'm sorry, I only need a few of these."

"Sure."

She selected a few items and paid for them.

Observing Song Juyao's behavior, Ming Shu couldn't help but wonder what had caused her to react like that. Did she not have… enough money?

But that couldn't be true. Song Juyao was supposed to be very wealthy. She had started making money from variety shows at a young age, and her value skyrocketed as she grew older and became famous overnight. She didn't have many expenses as a child, and even after entering the prestigious Jinke Duola Academy, she received a 500,000 yuan entrance bonus and had all her tuition fees waived. She was also awarded the highest level of scholarship and was now a member of the Olympiad team. Therefore, Song Juyao should be a rich woman.

......

Before Tang Kai could get out of the blow of "old father", he was called to the student union by a student.

Carrying his medicine box, he knocked on the office door of the president of the student union. A girl who looked like a secretary opened the door and invited him in.

Inside, he was surprised to see a grand and opulent room that resembled a rich family's living room rather than an office.

On the gorgeous dark red carpet, two aristocratic figures, who looked nearly identical but with opposing temperaments, caught his attention. One sitting and the other standing, looked over at the same time.

"Please attend to the wound on his hand," the standing figure's voice was cold and metallic, giving him an even more ruthless demeanor. Even the thin-framed glasses he wore reflected a cold metallic luster.

Jin Yao seemed annoyed as the bite mark on his thumb began to feel hot and itchy. "It was just a rabbit bite."

"That's precisely why you should be cautious about rabies. Doctor," Jin Yu stated.

Tang Kai understood that these two individuals were the top figures, not only in the school hierarchy but even outside the school in the virtual world. Ming Shu's recent lesson echoed in his mind, so he dutifully and quietly approached to treat Jin Yao's wound.

The appearance of the two handsome men caused a surge in Tang Kai's live stream popularity, which had recently dropped considerably.

Upon seeing the wound on Jin Yao's thumb, Tang Kai was taken aback. It had stopped bleeding, but the tooth mark left by Song Juyao's bite was deep and would probably be there for the rest of his life.

Despite the injury, Jin Yao allowed Tang Kai to treat him while he absentmindedly stared at a certain point, his hand holding his cheek in annoyance.

"That woman, when I see her again..." he muttered to himself.

【He's thinking about Song Juyao! I knew it!!】

【It wasn't in vain that I rushed over here. The atmosphere of idol dramas has become even stronger. I'm so excited to think that this is a 'real' occurrence and not just a scripted TV drama!】

【I came to see the accused being tortured and tested, not to watch a Cinderella campus idol drama!】

【Ahhh, Jin Yu is my type! I love this refined scum feeling! He's exactly my type!】

Jin Yu: "Sure enough, the special enrollment is the rat shit of our school, and it should all be cleaned up."

The secretary asked, "President, if special admissions are eliminated, what will happen to the enrollment rate?"

"When the police select police dogs and society chooses to train guide dogs and other working dogs, they require that the dog's ancestors for several generations have no record of biting, injuring, or going mad. Why? Because any inferior behavior is brought about by genes. In this school, every family, except for specially admitted students, has undergone a certain degree of bloodline purification, accumulating excellent genes and eliminating some inferior genes. Do you think that students from wealthy families with superior genes, under targeted training, will be inferior to merely specially admitted students?" Jin Yu's tone was composed, and his words sounded ordinary, but his message was exceptionally conceited.

"Understood. I was mistaken. I will make arrangements immediately," the secretary replied.

The young lady turned and left.

Tang Kai was stunned; it was, indeed, quite arrogant. However, upon reflection, there should be quite a few individuals in the real world with this kind of aristocratic mentality.

Jin Yu aimed to eliminate specially admitted students, and Tang Kai had a hunch that this school was about to usher in a storm.

......

As the apartment door opened, Song Wanwan darted out, meowing excitedly. Song Juyao bent down to scoop her up, and the two of them nuzzled each other fondly.

"You both should rest now," Song Juyao said. Both girls had been through an emotional ordeal that day.

They entered a spare room to rest.

Song Juyao cradled Song Wanwan in her arms, sitting in the living room and rummaging through her purse. She withdrew a 100 yuan bill, two 10 yuan bills, and three 1 yuan coins.

Gazing at the 123 yuan, Song Juyao let out a deep sigh, as if she was holding her last possession.

Just then, her phone buzzed on the table, and Song Juyao stretched over to answer it. The caller ID read "Umbrella."

"Sister Yulin?"

A loud and irate woman's voice greeted Song Juyao on the phone. "You turned eighteen last week. Why haven't you canceled your bank card or transferred your household registration yet? Do you know that your salary that just arrived yesterday was taken away just like that?"

"I forgot......"

Ren Yulin's voice boomed with anger. "Are you trying to piss me off?! Could it be that if I hadn't remembered that your research institute paid your salary yesterday, so I went to take a special look at it, would you not want even the next payment?"

"Don't be angry. I'll handle the paperwork in a couple of days, okay?"

"A couple of days? You go tomorrow, and my brother will speak with the authorities to expedite the process for you." Ren Yulin's tone softened.

"Mm-hmm, thank Brother Jiaqi for me."

After hanging up, Song Juyao stuck out her tongue in a childish manner, then opened her silent mailbox and clicked on a notification from the bank.

She had only three cents left in her account. Luckily, she had a few hundred yuan in her mobile payment wallet, or she wouldn't have been able to afford even a can of cat food.

Song Juyao stared silently for a while before murmuring to herself, "Fortunately, I accepted the headmaster's invitation to stay at the school; otherwise, I would have to sleep on the streets."

【I have a bold guess, is Song Juyao's money with Liu Yan?】

【Song Juyao has only recently become an adult, so before she turned 18, her money was probably with her legal guardian, right?】

【So Song Juyao didn't kill or get rid of Liu Yan at all, and even Liu Yan took away all of Song Juyao's money, making her almost unable to afford food?】

【Are you really eager to help a murderer wash their hands clean with just one phone call? Who knows who the person on the other end of the phone was? What if the money isn't with Liu Yan? If you think logically, with Liu Yan's personality, it's impossible to be so dominant.】

【The lottery company has launched a new round of betting, this time betting on whether the person who took Song Juyao's money is Liu Yan or not. I'll take a step ahead!】

【Yulin? Is it Ren Yulin? The foul-mouthed woman who participated in 'I am the Big Winner' with Song Juyao?】

Tang Kai had previously watched the episode where Song Juyao first appeared as a challenger on 'I am the Big Winner'. Some viewers had switched to Tang Kai's perspective to watch it together. In that episode, there was a very annoying female challenger who was the common enemy of the virtual world audience. She had a sharp tongue, an extremely arrogant attitude, and everyone was unable to deal with her until Song Juyao challenged and defeated her, taking her place.

The ultimate PK between Song Juyao and Ren Yulin could be said to be the most classic and exciting battle in the history of "I'm the Big Winner". The two fought until the question bank was emptied twice, and in the end, that thin, dark-skinned little girl who was only 10 years old won. The moment the girl won, not only the audience in the virtual world but also the audience in the real world felt thrilled and exhilarated.

After watching the show, they thought that Ren Yulin was just a passerby. But who would have thought that Ren Yulin would actually make another appearance and have a good relationship with Song Juyao.

【Ah ah ah ah, I'm so curious! What has Song Juyao been through in the past few years?】

【I always feel that Song Juyao's growth experience is like a legend.】

【Being friends with someone like Ren Yulin proves that Song Juyao is not necessarily a good person either. Ren Yulin obviously got some issues if she can be so disliked by so many NPCs.】

【......】