The autumn wind swept down a cascade of yellow leaves, leaving the bare branches resembling the sparsely haired scalps of middle-aged men—no future in sight, no happiness, just heaps of worries and troubles.

Lin Baici didn’t smoke, but at that moment, he suddenly felt like having one. “Squad leader!”

Ji Xinyan ran over: “You’re early!” “You’re earlier.”

Lin Baici nodded in greeting.

Hearing this, Ji Xinyan wanted to roll her eyes. Squad leader, do you even know how to socialize?

But considering Lin Baici’s height and good looks, she figured there must be plenty of girls willing to throw themselves at him, so she held back her comment.

Even she had a soft spot for Lin Baici. “Xinyan, who is this?”

A male student asked Ji Xinyan, his tone warm as if they were old friends. “Don’t call me that, are we that close?”

Ji Xinyan’s attitude was cold.

She was having coffee in Feilengcui Town when this guy named Tan Songlin came over to chat her up. Ji Xinyan was bored, and since he looked a bit like Lin Baici, she entertained him to pass the time. But after finishing her coffee, the guy kept pestering her.

Tan Songlin had a thick skin and didn’t feel embarrassed at all: “Didn’t you want to go to Xiangzhang Mountain in the western suburbs to see the fiery red maple leaves? I can take you there now, and after that, we can go to ‘Nile Holiday’ for Western food!”

Tan Songlin took out a car key and twirled it on his finger, the BMW logo conspicuous. Nile Holiday was a popular Western restaurant, with many people checking in on social media.

Ji Xinyan felt disgusted immediately. Do I look like a woman who can be seduced by money?

A lousy BMW, showing off for what?

And Nile Holiday, an average restaurant costing 800 per person, does she look like she can’t afford it?

Honestly, the guy in front of her was somewhat handsome, and with money in his pocket, a college girl with a bit of vanity might not be able to resist his advances.

But Ji Xinyan’s standards were too high.

His eagerness alone was enough for Ji Xinyan to pass on him. A good hunter knows patience.

‘If you were as handsome as Lin Baici, even if a bit shallow, I might have agreed!’ Ji Xinyan thought to herself, her acting skills bursting forth.

She smiled, glanced at Lin Baici, then wrapped her arm around his, boasting loudly: “My boyfriend, how about that, handsome, right?”

Ji Xinyan’s behavior was obviously to find a shield to fend off the guy, so Tan Songlin smiled arrogantly and began to size up Lin Baici.

Ordinary shoes, jeans, and sweatshirt, not even a digital watch on his wrist, let alone a luxury one. Handsome, yes, but clearly not knowing how to present himself, just a typical freshman.

Not a concern.

When Lin Baici heard Ji Xinyan’s words, he raised an eyebrow. He had thought before that if he got together with Ji Xinyan, he might not have to take responsibility.

Although the thought was somewhat playboy-ish, Ji Xinyan gave him that impression, and he had been wanting to solve his single status, so he casually wrapped his arm around Ji Xinyan’s waist.

And it was quite soft.

Seeing this, Tan Songlin chuckled and crossed his arms. Your girlfriend?

That’s great!

I love the challenge of pursuing someone who’s taken. “Eh?”

Ji Xinyan was surprised. Lin Baici’s move was unexpected because from their interactions over the past month, he didn’t seem to be the aggressive type.

To put it simply, if a girl didn’t chase him, Lin Baici probably wouldn’t dare to even hold her hand. Did something happen to him during the National Day holiday?

Tan Songlin looked at Lin Baici, his posture clearly waiting for him to prove he was worthy of pursuing Ji Xinyan. Beep! Beep!

Lin Baici’s phone rang with a message. He took it out to look. It was a notification from ICBC about a deposit of one million yuan.

It must be the reward for killing a stray dog and purifying the pollution in the Bosuo community.

After reading it, Lin Baici glanced at Tan Songlin and showed him the message on the phone.

“What’s this kid doing? Trying to hypnotize me?”

Tan Songlin was puzzled, but when his eyes fell on the phone screen and he saw the string of zeros, he shivered.

How many zeros is that?

One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand… Holy shit,

One million?

Tan Songlin was stunned. He counted again, no mistake, one million yuan, just deposited.

Damn it!

What kind of family is this? Giving their kid one million yuan as pocket money? He looked again.

Your card ending in 6012 received an income of 1,000,000.00 yuan from ICBC on October 15th at 1:28, with a balance of 21,836,723.25 yuan.

Wait!

Tan Songlin looked further, and the balance seemed even more frightening.

Before Tan Songlin could count again, Lin Baici had already put down the phone, locked the screen, and pocketed it. Lin Baici smiled slightly, without a hint of mockery, but to Tan Songlin, it was like a lion on the savannah laughing at a delusional hyena.

Excuse me!

Tan Songlin left awkwardly, glancing at Ji Xinyan with regret. Can’t compete!

In terms of looks?

Tan Songlin considered himself somewhat handsome, and with his light luxury attire, he stood out among ordinary college students, not to mention the “rich” filter, which made him irresistible to girls who hadn’t seen much of the world.

But today, he met his match. A balance of over twenty million? No comparison!

Tan Songlin knew his limits. With that kind of money, even if Lin Baici turned into a fat pig, someone would want him. “Why did he leave?”

Ji Xinyan was surprised: “What did you show him?” It wasn’t a threat, was it?

“I just told him you’re too beautiful, and he’s not worthy of you!” That’s the power of money, Lin Baici was satisfied.

When it came to competing for a woman, Lin Baici had no experience, so on a whim, he showed off his bank balance, not expecting Tan Songlin to back off.

Actually, Tan Songlin liked to use money to chase women, so he fell for it. Otherwise, if a stubborn guy came along, he would definitely tell Lin Baici, “My love for Ji Xinyan is true, even if you have a billion, it’s not as sincere as my love.”

“Squad leader, you’ve learned to be bad, huh? Where’s the innocent Lin Baici from the start of school? Give him back to me!” Ji Xinyan said, playfully punching Lin Baici.

It must be said, Ji Xinyan really knew how to do it.

Coquettish, charming, sweet, she displayed it all at that moment.

Lin Baici let go of Ji Xinyan’s waist, but she leaned in again, familiarly reaching into Lin Baici’s pocket.

“What exactly did you show him? You scared him away? Let me see, or I won’t be able to sleep all night!”

Honestly, reaching for the phone was a bit over the line, but Ji Xinyan made it seem flirtatious, naturally closing the distance between them.

Lin Baici let Ji Xinyan take his phone. He was just an 18-year-old fresh out of high school, and he had his vanity, letting a beautiful girl know he was formidable, no problem.

“OMG!”

Ji Xinyan had seen Lin Baici wearing a Rolex and being given a sports car worth two million by a kimchi girl, so she guessed his family wasn’t poor.

But seeing the one million yuan just deposited, Ji Xinyan wasn’t surprised, but the balance made her curse.

“Squad leader, can you introduce me to your gigolo ways? I’ll go to Korea for surgery right now, and tomorrow we’ll be brothers.”

Ji Xinyan went to hug Lin Baici’s shoulder, posing like a buddy.

It must be said, Ji Xinyan was just like that, no matter what she did, it felt natural, not vulgar, easily bridging the gap between them.

【Flaunting money to show superiority failed, this is not a female easily corrupted by money, your hunting vision needs improvement.】

Gourmet God’s commentary.

Lin Baici was taken aback. What does that mean? Ji Xinyan isn’t a girl who can be floored with money?

Looking closely, Ji Xinyan was indeed shocked for a moment, but quickly regained her composure, and her treatment of him didn’t change much.

Ji Xinyan, seeing Lin Baici sizing her up, didn’t feel shy but posed confidently like a model.

“Want a photo?” Ji Xinyan asked with a smile.

Lin Baici didn’t know how to respond.

“Don’t mind the red envelope, I send them when I’m happy!”

Ji Xinyan finished speaking, hesitated, but still asked: “You don’t think I’m being so forward because I saw your bank balance, do you?”

“No!”

Lin Baici actually hoped Ji Xinyan would think so, so he could have a “temporary girlfriend” without responsibility.

Damn!

Why do I feel so scummy?

【The top predator naturally enjoys the finest and most abundant prey, survival, reproduction, it’s the instinct of the species.】

Bang!

Ji Xinyan punched Lin Baici again: “Let’s go, buy a milk tea!”

Ji Xinyan hummed a tune, hands behind her back, walking ahead as if nothing had happened.

【Sigh, you’ll get hunted like this!】 Gourmet God lamented. Go hold her hand!

The two bought milk tea and returned. Soon, Fang Mingyuan and Hu Wenwu arrived. Seeing Lin Baici and Ji Xinyan together, they didn’t come over.

“What are you guys doing?” Lin Baici walked over.

“Damn, if you’re not alone, who is?”

Fang Mingyuan was impressed: “You had the chance and didn’t use it!”

He knew that Xu Daguan and Liu Yu both liked Ji Xinyan,

although Hu Wenwu never talked about it, he also had a bit of a crush.

After all, Ji Xinyan really knew how to dress, and many girls looked like mere maids next to her.

It was almost 2 o’clock, and everyone gradually arrived.Since it was the weekend and a class gathering, everyone dressed up impressively. The girls, though not made up, donned their pretty new clothes.

Bai Jiao was in blue jeans and a black hoodie, which made her look even fairer. A black Mercedes pulled up at the school gate, and Qian Jiahui stepped out. “I borrowed a car, so let’s drink to our heart’s content today!”

Qian Jiahui patted the roof of the car: “It’s a gift!”

“Brother Qian, you’re always messing around. Who’d dare to ride in this car if they’re drunk? What if someone throws up in it?”

Zhang Zhixu shouted out. Even those who knew nothing about cars had heard of BMW and Mercedes—these were luxury cars. Throwing up in one would surely cost a fortune.

“Just throw up, it’s my friend’s car, no worries!”

If this were in Shangjing, Qian Jiahui would have driven his own car and wouldn’t need to borrow one. Besides, if it got dirty, he could just buy it.

Although it had not been long since their freshman year started, everyone knew Qian Jiahui was a rich and generous guy. Several boys who loved cars immediately ran over to admire the Mercedes.

It was 2:10 PM, and Pei Fei counted the number of people.

“What’s Xu Daguan doing? Why hasn’t he arrived yet?” “Can someone call him to hurry him up?” “Didn’t he oversleep, did he?”

Everyone was annoyed by the absence of just Xu Daguan.

Qian Jiahui took out his phone and immediately called Xu Daguan.