Chapter 55 – Exclusive Sweet Romance: The Battle to Save the Campus Heartthrob (17)
Jian Haoqing glanced at Huo’s father with open disdain. What a joke. Since when had outsiders been allowed to trample on her people like insignificant bugs?
Bai Mo shrank behind Jian Haoqing and whispered at a volume only the two of them could hear, “That signature isn’t Haocang’s. Sister, don’t fall for it~”
Feigning fear, the young man clung to Jian Haoqing from behind. “Sister, I saw a lot of people outside. We’re surrounded.”
Jian Haoqing raised an almost imperceptible eyebrow. Mo Mo’s observations are quite sharp. As expected, you couldn’t judge a person by their appearance alone.
Under the table, the woman’s hand reassuringly patted the back of the boy’s hand, signaling him not to worry.
Now taking a closer look, Jian Haoqing confirmed that the signature on the document was indeed a forgery. Her initial unease faded, and she quickly adjusted her strategy—deciding to play along with President Li for now.
President Li’s demand was simple—and completely delusional. He wanted Jian Haoqing to marry him.
His sleazy, predatory gaze swept past the woman and landed on the young man behind her. He licked his lips. What a pity. That one had already been reserved by his assistant.
The document had been obtained by Huo’s father, who had leveraged it to become President Li’s assistant. In exchange, he had only one request—he wanted Bai Mo.
As for what he intended to do with Bai Mo, he hadn’t said. Smart people never reveal all their cards in a negotiation. As long as Huo’s father could bring him benefits, President Li wouldn’t ask too many questions.
Businessmen always chase profit. Since Huo’s father had specifically requested Bai Mo, he must have had a reason. Having been the Bai family’s neighbor for years, he might not have known them completely, but he had at least understood half of their nature.
The two families had started from the same point, yet while the Bai family climbed higher and higher, his own had fallen into the dust. How could Huo’s father accept such a disparity?
President Li’s offer promised short-term wealth, but what Huo’s father wanted was endless wealth. The Bai family’s small company was the perfect target—not large, but consistently profitable.
And Bai Mo? He was the bargaining chip.
“President Li, forced transactions don’t work in today’s society. If you want to marry me, you’ll have to take a number. Plenty of people are already in line.” Jian Haoqing casually handed out an imaginary queue ticket, as if saying: “You want to pursue me? Get in line.”
“Hahaha, Jian, you’re still too naïve. The one with power makes the rules. Right now, you don’t have a choice. Unless, of course, you’d rather have your brother…”
President Li dragged a finger across his throat in a sinister gesture.
At the same time, Huo’s father pulled up a digital transfer request—an authorization to move Jian Corporation’s liquid assets, signed under Jian Haocang’s name. The financial department had already approved it.
Jian Haoqing shot up from her seat, her gaze narrowing. “He’s one of yours?”
She hadn’t expected that someone in Jian Corporation’s financial team had been bribed.
Bai Mo remained silent, deliberating countermeasures with Xiao Bobao in his consciousness.
“The male lead’s signature is also fake. The only good news is that the transfer amount is large—moving it all at once takes time. If Jian Haoqing personally intervenes now, she can block them from withdrawing the money in batches.”
“If she wants to stop it, she has to go now. Any later, and it’ll be too late.” The system added.
Bai Mo turned his head, glancing through the glass window. Outside, several tough-looking men loitered around—all of them well-trained, hired specifically to deal with Jian Haoqing.
If persuasion didn’t work, they were ready to use force.
“Sister~” Bai Mo whispered, “You can’t agree to this.”
Jian Haoqing had no intention of agreeing, of course. She had already noticed the people outside. She could fight her way out, but President Li’s assistant was eyeing Bai Mo with a disturbing gaze. If Bai Mo were left behind, he would be in danger.
“Sister, I can handle this.”
Jian Haoqing turned back and met Bai Mo’s determined gaze.
“Trust me this once, Sister~”
“What a touching sibling bond.” President Li sneered. “But I don’t believe you alone can take down all my men.”
He clapped his hands, and the hired thugs filed in through the door.
He only mentioned Jian Haoqing—completely ignoring Bai Mo!
Bai Mo shot President Li a furious glare. “Who do you think you’re looking down on…?”
Without hesitation, he grabbed the pepper spray he had exchanged earlier through the live feed system and made the first move.
His agile figure leaped onto a chair, dodging effortlessly. Everyone who tried to grab him fell one by one—clutching their faces, their eyes burning red from the sting of the pepper spray.
Even those who managed to avoid the spray were swiftly taken down by Jian Haoqing from behind.
“Ah—!”
“Aaaah—!”
“My eyes…!”
The room was a scene of chaos—bodies sprawled across the floor, groans of pain echoing throughout.
Bai Mo and Jian Haoqing high-fived in celebration.
Now, only two people remained standing—President Li and Huo’s father.
“Now, it’s your turn.” Bai Mo smirked, tilting his chin up proudly.
Just as Huo’s father attempted to run, Bai Mo grabbed a fallen tablecloth, rolled it into a ball, and hurled it forward.
With a “thud”, Huo’s father and President Li tumbled down the entrance ramp—rolling and crashing into the steps outside.
Bai Mo squinted at them, wincing slightly at the sound of their painful cries.
“Mo Mo, don’t feel guilty. They’re the bad guys…” Xiao Bobao tried to console him.
To its surprise, Bai Mo simply muttered, “So ugly. They’re ruining the view.”
The system fell silent. Maybe its perspective had been too narrow.
Jian Haoqing hadn’t expected Bai Mo to be so skilled—his combat techniques even surpassed hers. Not bad. He usually kept a low profile, never flaunting his abilities, but now she was sure of it—he was a perfect match for her brother.
Meanwhile, Jian Haoqing’s assistant called for reinforcements.
Bai Mo grabbed Jian Haoqing’s hand and ran.
“There’s no time. We’ll talk on the way. Assistant Sis, we’re leaving this to you!”
Bai Mo’s voice drifted away with the wind. The female assistant turned to look—only to catch a glimpse of the Lamborghini speeding off into the distance.
Goodness, was he a cheetah in his past life? How could he move so fast?
“Ugh…”
Unlike how he dealt with the thugs, Bai Mo hadn’t finished off President Li.
With a pained groan, President Li clutched a chair for support, struggling to reach his phone on the table.
They must be heading to stop the transfer!
He had to warn his people.
Just as his fingers brushed against the phone, a sudden blow struck his stomach.
“Aaaah—!”
The female assistant’s fist landed squarely in his gut, sending the greasy, middle-aged man crashing to the floor for a second time.
She casually blew on her knuckles and sneered at the man groaning beneath her.
“Look down on women? You think you’re worthy?”
If there was one type of man she despised the most, it was the ones with no real skills yet an inflated sense of self-importance.
Unfortunately for President Li, he was exactly that type.
“Almost forgot about you. Equality for all, no exceptions.”
She grabbed Huo’s father, who had been trying to quietly slip away, and landed a punch in the exact same spot on his stomach.
“Don’t say I’m playing favorites.”
Both men howled in pain, rolling on the floor. Their phones were swiftly confiscated.
Run? Keep dreaming.
Now that they had fallen into her hands, she wasn’t letting them off easy.
The final showdown was in full swing. Jian Haocang stepped onto the stage to present on behalf of the team, yet for some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.
In the audience, Ran Yunyun was also visibly distracted. She kept glancing toward the backstage area, as if something unspeakable was hidden there.
And in fact, there was.
After all the design teams had taken the stage, the backstage was almost empty—except for Huo Wen, who was currently hiding there despite having been sent home on leave.
Two days earlier, Huo Wen had secretly approached Ran Yunyun.
Since being dragged back by their design mentor, the team members had been put under strict supervision, with all their attention demanded for the Qing Design Competition. They were told that any other concerns should be put on hold until after the competition.
Because of this, no one had any idea what had happened with Huo Wen afterward.
When Huo Wen suddenly appeared, Ran Yunyun was startled and immediately pulled her into her room.
Luckily, the team accommodations were twin rooms.
The number of female participants was odd, which meant that one girl had to share a room with the mentor.
Ran Yunyun, ever the considerate one, volunteered to room alone, giving up her spot to the weakest performer on the team. That girl, deeply grateful, had thanked her profusely.
Sharing a room with the mentor wasn’t the scary part—losing the competition was.
They had already made it to the finals.
If she messed up at this stage and caused the team to fail, the weight of responsibility would crush her.
That girl felt indebted to Ran Yunyun, who had graciously reassured her that she didn’t mind at all—earning herself even more admiration from those around her.
And so, when Huo Wen came looking for her, Ran Yunyun was alone in her room. If she hadn’t been, Huo Wen’s presence would have been exposed.
“Wenwen, why are you here?”
At first, Ran Yunyun was delighted to see Huo Wen, but her joy quickly turned to worry.
Had that situation been resolved? Was Bai Mo involved?
Huo Wen’s expression was dark, and Ran Yunyun didn’t dare ask any questions. Instead, she poured her a glass of water.
“Yunyun, you have to help me this time.”
Before Ran Yunyun could even respond, Huo Wen suddenly dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
“Wenwen, what are you doing? Get up!” Ran Yunyun was startled and hurried to help her up.
But Huo Wen stubbornly shook her head, refusing to rise.
“Wenwen, are you refusing to help me…?”
“I’ll help, I’ll help, okay? Just get up first. Let’s talk properly,” Ran Yunyun sighed, unable to bear seeing her best friend in such a pitiful state.
She agreed immediately—even without knowing what Huo Wen was asking for.
Despite all the wrongs Huo Wen had committed.
Seeing Ran Yunyun relent, Huo Wen wiped her tears and stood up with her support. Then, she slowly revealed her true request.
“What? You want me to help you sneak into Jian Haocang’s room?!”
Ran Yunyun gasped in shock. Huo Wen quickly covered her mouth.
“Keep your voice down! I have no other choice.”
She let out a long, sorrowful sigh, her face full of grief.
“You don’t understand. I was framed—set up by someone. And that person was Bai Mo. I know I made mistakes before. It’s only natural that Bai Mo hates me. Maybe this is his revenge. But now, because of this, both of my parents have lost their jobs. I just want to beg Bai Mo to have mercy and let me go, but he won’t even answer my calls.”
Huo Wen grasped Ran Yunyun’s hands, pleading,
“I found out that Jian Haocang was the one helping Bai Mo get my parents fired. If I want those people to stop harassing my family, only Jian Haocang can make it happen. I don’t want much—just for him to send a message in his name, telling them to stop. My parents… they are innocent…!”
Huo Wen sobbed, and Ran Yunyun couldn’t help but pity her.
Yes, Wenwen had made mistakes.
But did she really deserve this?
Besides, her grudge against Bai Mo had started because of her.
That guilt weighed heavier than her moral compass. With a slight nod, she agreed.
“Alright, I’ll help you this time. We all have to attend a meeting in our mentor’s room later, so I’ll get the room key for you. Use your time wisely.”
Huo Wen smiled. “Thank you, Yunyun.”
But when she turned away, her fingers played with Jian Haocang’s room key, a manic glint flickering in her eyes.