On the other side, Jiang Chen glanced at the talisman in his hand. When he touched it with his demonic energy, he felt a burning heat—clearly, this was a high-quality item.
"Surely this thing isn't cheap… and she just gave it to me like that?"
After a moment of thought, memories came back to him. The town he'd lived in as a child had been remote and had poor public security. Once, he'd seen human traffickers on a motorcycle grab Lin Youwei and try to drag her away.
Jiang Chen had never liked meddling in other people's business, and he'd only been 11 years old at the time. But the soul inside his body had belonged to an adult—he couldn't just sit by and watch a little girl be abducted like that.
So he'd acted. He'd pounced, pulled her free, and shouted to attract a crowd. The traffickers had run away, but Jiang Chen had also scraped his head badly while pulling her back.
To him, it had just been a trivial incident—he never thought she'd remember it all these years later.
"This talisman… it seems there really are many powers in this world that ordinary people don't know about. They can deal with supernatural incidents, but they're probably short-staffed. Otherwise, they wouldn't have to use the news to warn ordinary people."
"Oh right—Jiuzhou doesn't make the existence of ghosts public. That must be related to what the system said earlier."
A realization suddenly dawned on Jiang Chen.
*Ghosts feed on human qi; demons feed on ghostly qi.*
That must have been why the Knocking Ghost hadn't broken down the door directly to kill—instead, she'd built up fear step by step. That way, she could continuously absorb the living's qi.
And if the existence of ghosts were made public, and everyone fell into panic… that would surely lead to a catastrophe!
"No wonder Lin Youwei seemed torn earlier about whether to tell me about the ghosts. In the end, she chose to give a vague warning."
Jiang Chen shook his head, set the thought aside, and walked back to the classroom.
As soon as he entered, a chorus of teasing broke out.
"Whoa! Pulled aside for a private chat by Belle Lin—Old Jiang, nice one!"
"Badass, Jiang Chen!"
"Ugh, Jiang Chen's our love rival now!"
"Old Jiang, our friendship's over!"
Before Jiang Chen could speak, a loud bang cut through the noise—someone had slammed their hand on the desk.
*Thud!*
"What's all this ruckus? Roll call's starting soon—keep quiet!"
A boy sitting in the front row, dressed head to toe in designer clothes, turned around with a dark expression. Every classmate he glared at silently lowered their heads.
In an instant, the entire classroom fell dead silent—no one dared to say another word.
The boy was the grade president of the student union, but that position alone wouldn't have made anyone fear him. His other identity was Zheng Shaoming, the son of the Zheng Group—a top-five financial conglomerate in Jiangbei City.
The influence behind someone like him was unimaginable. Even a group of college students who hadn't entered society could sense it faintly. After all, a year earlier, two students in the department who'd crossed Zheng Shaoming had dropped out for unknown reasons.
After scolding the class, Zheng Shaoming turned to Jiang Chen. His eyes still held a cold glint, but a smile had crept onto his face. "Heh, Classmate Jiang Chen—so you know Youwei too? Her family background is no ordinary one; she's recognized as one of the 'belles' in Jiangbei's second-generation elite circle."
"My father and hers are old acquaintances. There's a gathering in a few days, and Youwei will be there. Would you like to come, Classmate Jiang?"
Hearing this, Jiang Chen froze—he barely held back a laugh. He saw right through Zheng Shaoming: he was definitely a sycophant. If their families were really that close, Zheng Shaoming wouldn't have stood at the classroom door without even saying a greeting to her.
"Hmm," Jiang Chen replied with a noncommittal hum, not bothering to engage with someone he saw as a child.
Seeing his indifferent attitude, Zheng Shaoming's expression darkened further. A hint of mockery crept into his voice. "Heh, but I forgot—you might not have time. I saw you working at a milk tea shop last time. How diligent of you, Classmate Jiang. Is your family situation not great? Do you have to earn your own tuition?"
This time, Jiang Chen glanced at him.
He himself felt no anger, but if he'd been a truly poor student working to pay his way through college, being mocked like this in front of the entire class would have made it hard to hold his head up ever again.
"Sometimes I really envy people like you," Zheng Shaoming continued. "You wake up every day thinking about how to struggle—your life must feel so fulfilling."
He wasn't like those mindless rich kids who'd immediately bark, "Do you know who my dad is?" Instead, he knew exactly how to use his advantages—every word stabbed at the other person's sore spots, leaving them humiliated.
As for why he was targeting Jiang Chen? The reason was simple: the circle of second-generation elites in a single city wasn't large, and most of their future spouses would come from within that circle. In Zheng Shaoming's eyes, Jiang Chen was like a lowly pig eyeing the best cabbage in his circle—and that made him seethe with anger.
"I should be the one envying you, Young Master Zheng," Jiang Chen said with a chuckle.
Zheng Shaoming froze, then a sneer tugged at his lips. *This guy's finally come to his senses.*
"All you have to do is act coquettishly and wag your tail at your dad every day, and you get everything handed to you—food served right to your mouth, clothes laid out for you. What a comfortable little life that is." Jiang Chen's next words made the atmosphere in the classroom freeze instantly.
Acting coquettishly and wagging his tail—wasn't that just calling Zheng Shaoming a dog?
The last person who'd called Zheng Shaoming an "idiot" had dropped out over a year ago. According to classmates who'd known him, that person's parents had lost their jobs, their house had been repossessed, and his parents were now getting a divorce.
But Jiang Chen's words were a hundred times more mocking than "idiot."
The entire classroom fell so silent you could hear a pin drop. Everyone knew Zheng Shaoming was about to blow a fuse.
"Oh right, Young Master Zheng said you know Youwei. But just now, she didn't even glance at you. That girl's so rude—I'll have to have a talk with her about that later." Jiang Chen kept smiling, casually adding fuel to the fire.
He'd always lived by this rule: *If no one provokes me, I won't provoke anyone. But if someone crosses me, I'll hit back twice as hard.*
"Jiang Chen!" Zheng Shaoming ground out the name through clenched teeth, his face turning livid.
He'd never expected this quiet nobody in the department to be so sharp-tongued—every word cut him to the quick and left him humiliated.
At that moment, a few boys in the back row exchanged looks, then stood up and walked over. They were all members of the basketball team—tall and burly. They surrounded Jiang Chen, staring at him coldly.
"Do you know who you're messing with?"
"Country bumpkin with no sense—one day you'll learn that some people are way out of your league!"
"Hurry up and apologize to Young Master Zheng! Crushing someone like you is as easy as stepping on an ant for him!"
Jiang Chen flexed his joints slightly.
He didn't want to bully kids unless he had to—but if they came looking for trouble, he didn't mind playing the role of a "life coach" and giving them a taste of harsh reality.
"What's going on here!"
A man in a suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and with neatly combed hair, walked in.
It was Sun Zhibing, the counselor for the School of Economics.
"Jiang Dahai, Yan Hu, Jiang Chen… get back to your seats!" Sun Zhibing snapped, his face stern. When he turned to Zheng Shaoming, his expression softened slightly. "Shaoming, you sit down too."
"Roll call starts now!"