Chapter 147 Rebelling Against Words

Although Li Wenxin was merely muttering under her breath, Jiang Zheng had sharp ears and naturally caught every word she said.

Zhao Qi’s expression flickered slightly, and she said, "I actually quite like drinking mineral water."

Li Wenxin pouted and said nothing more.

Jiang Zheng pretended not to have heard, but his impression of Li Wenxin had already plummeted to the bottom.

Earlier, when he went to buy water, he had specifically asked what they wanted to drink. If you state your preference, it's not like he wouldn't buy it, yet she chose to remain silent. Then, once he bought it back, she complained that it was just plain mineral water.

In contrast, Zhao Qi was much more pleasant.

Of course, since the two were best friends, Jiang Zheng couldn't say much and simply pretended to be oblivious. Once Liu Hua finished training, his duty would be fulfilled anyway.

After resting for a bit, the two girls resumed walking.

The campus was vast, and despite walking for so long, the three of them hadn't even covered half of it.

Ever since the incident with the bottled water, Li Wenxin had harbored a subtle resentment toward Jiang Zheng.

Along the way, she kept muttering unpleasant remarks.

Whether she thought Jiang Zheng couldn't hear her or was deliberately trying to make him hear was anyone's guess.

Zhao Qi spent the entire journey trying to smooth things over.

By this point, Zhao Qi was starting to regret bringing Li Wenxin along.

She had originally brought Li Wenxin with the intention of introducing her to her cousin. Li Wenxin was quite pretty, had no shortage of suitors, and held a great fondness for boys who played basketball.

Coincidentally, Zhao Qi’s cousin was on the school team and didn't have a girlfriend yet, so Zhao Qi wanted to introduce them, thinking Li Wenxin might eventually become her sister-in-law.

However, when she contacted Liu Hua, she learned he had training.

Later, Liu Hua told her to have someone show them around first and promised to meet up with them once his training was over.

Zhao Qi had no choice but to agree.

Never did she expect that Li Wenxin, who had been perfectly fine at the beginning, would spend the entire time nitpicking and complaining about everything.

It gave Zhao Qi a massive headache. One was her best friend, the other was her cousin's roommate, and being caught in the middle put her in a terribly awkward position.

Jiang Zheng checked the time, estimating when Liu Hua's training would wrap up, plotting his escape the moment it did.

Even though he pretended not to hear, it didn't mean he lacked a temper. It was purely because Li Wenxin was Zhao Qi's friend, and he had given his word to Liu Hua to host them properly. Otherwise, he would have torn off the pleasant facade long ago.

"Senior!"

Just as Jiang Zheng was calculating when Liu Hua's training would end, a call of "Senior" interrupted his thoughts.

Jiang Zheng looked over, and as expected, it was Pei Xin.

She was dressed in a JK uniform, skipping and bouncing as she ran over.

Pei Xin cast an evaluating gaze at Zhao Qi and Li Wenxin, her eyes full of scrutiny.

"Senior, who are these two?" Pei Xin asked.

"Oh, this is my roommate's cousin, and this is her friend. They're both visiting our school," Jiang Zheng replied.

He then turned to the two girls and introduced them, "This is a junior of mine."

Pei Xin smiled with her eyes curving into crescents. "Hello, I'm Pei Xin. Both of these big sisters look so mature."

Hearing this, Li Wenxin's face darkened. Calling her mature wasn't that just a polite way of calling her old? The implication was far too obvious for her to miss.

Zhao Qi felt rather awkward, but she didn't know what to say.

Jiang Zheng spoke up, "Alright, what are you doing here?"

Pei Xin answered, "Just hanging out. I never expected to run into Senior; what a coincidence."

Pei Xin wasn't entirely lying; she and Jiang Zheng had indeed run into each other by chance—though it was a chance encounter from quite a distance away.

From far off, Pei Xin had spotted Jiang Zheng and sprinted all the way over.

"Senior, I don't have anything to do right now anyway. Why don't you let me tag along?" Pei Xin requested.

Jiang Zheng hesitated slightly. "That might not be appropriate."

His main concern was that Pei Xin and Li Wenxin might clash. He knew Pei Xin quite well.

Despite her innocent and cute exterior, she was actually extremely shrewd and sharp-tongued.

If Li Wenxin continued her endless muttering along the way, the two of them would probably end up in a physical fight. The crucial point was that if a fight broke out, Li Wenxin wouldn't even be able to beat Pei Xin.

"It's fine, let her join. The more, the merrier," Zhao Qi chimed in.

Pei Xin smiled and said, "Thank you, big sister. See, Senior? This big sister is so understanding."

Jiang Zheng rolled his eyes and muttered softly, "Fine, tag along then, but keep it down."

"Got it, guaranteed silence!" Pei Xin suddenly gave a crisp salute.

Just like that, the group gained an extra member.

Li Wenxin was deeply displeased by Pei Xin's addition, though she didn't voice her discontent loudly, resorting instead to more muttering.

Suddenly, Pei Xin spoke up, "Senior, where did this fly come from?"

"A fly? Where is there a fly?" Jiang Zheng asked, momentarily startled.

"Didn't you hear it? It's been buzzing endlessly. If that's not a fly, what is?" Pei Xin said.

Jiang Zheng instantly understood what Pei Xin was referring to. His expression turned solemn as he said, "You must have misheard. What flies would be around in this season?"

"But I really heard it. Maybe something around here is just unclean," Pei Xin retorted.

Li Wenxin’s face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. How could she possibly fail to realize that the "fly" was a jab at her?

Pei Xin caught Li Wenxin’s expression and looked toward Jiang Zheng as if seeking credit.

Jiang Zheng kept his expression neutral. Although he felt immensely gratified inside, he couldn't let it show on his face.

He had endured Li Wenxin for a long time, but as the host, it was hard for him to snap at her directly. He never expected Pei Xin to show up and vent his pent-up frustration for him.

That Li Wenxin had indeed been buzzing like an annoying fly with her continuous complaining.

Li Wenxin felt profoundly furious, yet she had no grounds to retort.

The girl was talking about an actual fly without naming anyone directly. If she kicked up a fuss about it, wouldn't she be admitting in disguise that she was the fly?

Zhao Qi wasn't stupid either. She suddenly felt that it might have been better if she hadn't understood the hidden meaning.

She grew even more regretful for inviting Pei Xin to join them; this young lady clearly wasn't someone to be trifled with.

If things continued this way, a direct confrontation would likely erupt before long.

Thinking of this, Zhao Qi quickly spoke up, "Brother Jiang Zheng, do you know where my cousin is training? I'd like to go see him practice."

Jiang Zheng replied, "I know. He's at the sports field over there. I'll take you right now."

Zhao Qi nodded repeatedly. "Alright, alright, sorry to trouble you, Brother Jiang Zheng."

"No trouble at all," Jiang Zheng said.

Pei Xin glanced at Zhao Qi and let out a soft huff, but said nothing further.

On the way to the sports field, Li Wenxin didn't mutter a single word more. However, she remained dead silent, her expression looking as grim as if someone owed her millions.

With the peace restored, Jiang Zheng found the quiet quite refreshing. Otherwise, having to listen to Li Wenxin's endless whining, he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep his temper in check.

Now that Pei Xin had swiftly put her in her place, Li Wenxin had finally shut up, which was marvelous.

Guiding them to the sports field where Liu Hua was practicing, Jiang Zheng pointed ahead and said, "Look, Third Brother is training right over there."

"Oh, right there! Then let's just watch from here. What do you think, Wenxin?"

"Whatever you want," Li Wenxin replied coldly.