Saying goodbye to Leng Feiyan, Lin Jichen intended to bid farewell to Nangong Yue before heading to Thunder Marsh.
As soon as he reached the mountain where the old man Tianyuan resided, he was promptly chased away.
He didn't even get a chance to speak.
It was clear the old man still held a grudge against him for taking away an Iron-Eating Beast and trying to court his granddaughter. Not beating him up was already a favor considering the Sect Master's face.
With nothing said, Lin Jichen went to the branch halls to inquire with other elders and learned that Elder Nangong Wu had not yet returned.
This meant that Nangong Yue was also not back.
Lin Jichen had no choice but to leave the Sword Sect for now.
Before heading to Thunder Marsh, he needed to attend the auction.
The auction was starting today.
Seeing that there was still time, Lin Jichen decided to temporarily log out of the game and go out for some exercise.
Without Ren Lan's supervision, he had already developed the habit of daily exercise.
After persisting in exercise these days, Lin Jichen found that his physical fitness was gradually improving.
Previously, running one or two kilometers would exhaust him, but now one or two kilometers only made him breathe heavily. Although still weak, it was a significant improvement.
His body was also starting to take shape. He wasn’t fat to begin with, just lacking muscle.
After these days of exercise, Lin Jichen felt that his abdominal muscles had become noticeably firmer.
However, it would still take some time to develop a six-pack.
Lin Jichen had also started to enjoy exercising and the feeling of sweating.
To speed up the process of getting a six-pack, Lin Jichen decided to run an extra five kilometers today.
Unexpectedly, he ended up running to the entrance of his university.
Lin Jichen didn't pay much attention and was about to head back home.
Suddenly, he heard some cursing and a woman's crying from outside the gate.
"What kind of lousy university is this! How dare they expel my daughter!"
"Saying my daughter's behavior is inappropriate, just because she dated a few boyfriends?"
"This kind of lousy university isn't worth attending! There are plenty of rich second-generation kids chasing after my daughter!"
"Xiao Jie, let's go. Call your rich boyfriends to come pick you up in their sports cars and show off at their school gates."
"My daughter is destined to marry a dragon among men!"
Lin Jichen stopped in his tracks, finding the voices very familiar.
He looked towards the school gate.
Three people were walking out, carrying large bags.
Two of them seemed to be a couple in their forties or fifties.
Following them was a young woman dressed in designer brands.
The one crying was the young woman.
Lin Jichen recognized them immediately.
It was Guo Jie and her parents.
Lin Jichen was very familiar with her parents, having met them many times in his previous life.
He had a deep impression of them because Guo Jie's parents were extremely snobbish.
They had often looked down on him for being poor, mocking and making things difficult for him.
Those sneering faces were still fresh in his memory.
Now, seeing them making a scene in public, Lin Jichen wasn't surprised at all because that was just how the couple behaved.
What puzzled Lin Jichen was that Guo Jie seemed to have been expelled.
He remembered that in his previous life, Guo Jie had never faced any disciplinary action at school. The student council president even had an ambiguous relationship with her.
How could she suddenly be expelled?
The first person Lin Jichen thought of was Ren Lan. Could it be that Ren Lan had her father step in to avenge him?
But thinking about it, it seemed unlikely. Without substantial evidence of serious misconduct, the school wouldn't expel a student.
Unless the student had done something illegal.
But Lin Jichen knew Guo Jie well. During her student years, she wouldn't have dared to do anything illegal. At most, she was just a gold-digger and a manipulative girl.
Such behavior alone shouldn't be enough to get her expelled, right?
Unable to figure it out, Lin Jichen chose to hide in the shadows and observe.
Guo Jie seemed very upset about being expelled, crying continuously.
Based on his understanding of her, Lin Jichen didn't believe she was so sad just because she lost her academic credentials.
There must be another reason.
After leaving the school, Guo Jie's mother asked her, "Daughter, quickly call your rich boyfriend to come pick you up. Rich people have wide connections. They can ask around and get you into another university."
Guo Jie continued to cry, even more heartbroken.
"Stop crying. It's just an expulsion, nothing serious. You have so many suitors. Are you afraid of suffering in the future? Without a degree, you can still live a life of luxury by marrying a good man and becoming a rich wife."
Guo Jie's father comforted her, dreaming of becoming in-laws with wealthy people.
Guo Jie finally spoke, sobbing uncontrollably.
"They all broke up with me, boohoo..."
"What? How could they break up with you? Did they find out you were two-timing?" Guo Jie's mother was shocked.
Guo Jie's father angrily clapped his hands and said, "I've told you many times, just pick the richest and best boyfriend. But you insisted on playing around and keeping spares. Now you've been exposed."
Guo Jie, with a bitter face and tears in her eyes, said, "That's not the reason. I wasn't found out. I don't know why, but all those rich second-generation kids who used to surround me have disappeared. I heard several of their families even went bankrupt."
"They might think I'm a jinx and are all avoiding me. No matter how I try to contact them, they ignore me, boohoo..."
The more Guo Jie spoke, the sadder she became.
These past few days had been the most tormenting for her. She had planned to go to a car show with a rich senior who promised to buy her a car.
Guo Jie was thrilled, but just before the car show, the senior's family suddenly went bankrupt.
The senior couldn't even keep his own car, let alone buy her one.
One spare tire down, Guo Jie didn't mind and continued to flirt with other rich spares.
But she found herself like a jinx; whoever she flirted with ended up in trouble, either bankrupt or in debt.
Soon, no one wanted to be around her. Those rich kids avoided her like the plague.
Then, the school expelled her.
Guo Jie felt like she had never been so unlucky in her life, as if she were possessed by a god of misfortune.
Lin Jichen had already turned back. He didn't need to watch any longer.
If he stayed, he might not be able to resist taking action.
On his way back, Lin Jichen was deep in thought.
He didn't believe this was all a coincidence. Such absurd coincidences couldn't happen.
And they all happened to Guo Jie.
Could it be that Guo Jie had offended someone?
That seemed to be the only possibility.
Maybe she had two-timed a powerful and influential young master, who then discovered it and started to take revenge on her.
Lin Jichen couldn't have guessed that all of this was orchestrated by Jiang Luoyu. He only knew that he was in an exceptionally good mood!
He had thought he would have to wait five years to get his revenge, but karma had come so quickly.
Someone dealing with her was fantastic. He hoped she would remain miserable, and in five years, it would be his turn for revenge.
In high spirits, Lin Jichen returned home, took a comfortable shower, and lay down in the gaming pod.