After breakfast, Jiang Chen went to school with the two campus belles—Lin Yuechan and Qin Yanyan.
Neither of them had a driver's license yet, so naturally, they wouldn't dare drive to school. The three of them caught the morning bus like ordinary students.
Even though his cultivation was gone, Jiang Chen's mood was surprisingly good.
Going to school?
What a lighthearted thing that was.
And going to school with two absolute beauties? Now that was the kind of mundane bliss even Immortal Emperors might envy.
As they boarded the bus, the ever-diligent Lin Yuechan pulled out a thread-bound edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms from her backpack, flipping it open with a serious expression.
She was engrossed in reading when she nudged Qin Yanyan, who had been quietly staring out the window—clearly daydreaming.
"Yanyan, look! The depth of Huaxia culture is just… amazing!"
"Huh?" Qin Yanyan blinked and looked over in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Yuechan grinned and pointed at the book. Her dimples flickered like cherry blossoms in bloom. "Just look at the names! Like, Liu Bei had two sons—Liu Feng and Liu Chan. Put them together, 'Feng Chan' means 'Imperial Tenure'—proof that Liu Bei had ambitions for the throne!"
"Sun Jian also had two sons—Sun Ce and Sun Quan. That's 'strategy and power.' Pretty fitting for a family that thrived on military brilliance."
Qin Yanyan nodded along as if she understood, though her confused eyes said otherwise.
Jiang Chen, sitting behind them, was doing everything he could to suppress a laugh. His shoulders shook from the effort.
He couldn't help but join in: "So what about the Cao family? Cao Cao, Cao Ren, Cao Zhen, Cao Shuang… What were they aiming for?"
Lin Yuechan immediately turned around and glared at him. Her fair face flushed slightly as she rolled her eyes. Qin Yanyan giggled and lightly punched Jiang Chen on the arm.
Before long, the bus rolled to a stop.
As the three stepped off, a familiar—and unwelcome—figure was waiting at the gate.
Liu Ziqiang, the school's infamous sports student, stood with a sheepish grin and a massive bouquet of 99 red roses.
His eyes lit up the moment he saw Yuechan. "Yuechan, you're so beautiful today! These are for you!"
Liu Ziqiang was a known troublemaker. Son of a school board member, he used his background to bully freely and act like a young master. Recently, he'd become obsessed with Lin Yuechan—shamelessly blocking her at the school gates every single morning with gifts and confessions.
Today was no different.
Yuechan's expression immediately darkened. She looked around in frustration—until her gaze met Jiang Chen's.
He got the message loud and clear.
Jiang Chen stepped forward, a smirk curling on his lips. He plucked the roses right out of Liu Ziqiang's hands.
"These are way too tacky," he said with a mock sigh. "Totally unfitting for someone as elegant as Miss Lin."
Liu Ziqiang's mouth hung open. "Jiang Chen?! Who the hell do you think you are?! Give those back!"
He clenched his fists and began puffing up like a gorilla. "You better stay away from Yuechan! Otherwise, I'll pound you every time I see you!"
Jiang Chen didn't even blink. "You're welcome to try, Ziqiang. But do bring a stretcher next time."
Just as things were about to escalate, Lin Yuechan stepped forward in a huff.
"Liu Ziqiang!" she shouted, glaring daggers. "Even if I were blind, I still wouldn't date you! So give it a rest!"
Then, as her eyes flicked toward Jiang Chen, she suddenly declared—
"And besides, Jiang Chen is my boyfriend! So watch your mouth when you talk to me!"
A beat of stunned silence followed.
Jiang Chen stood there frozen.
Wait… what? Since when did I become her boyfriend?!
Liu Ziqiang looked like someone had just poured cold water over his head. Even Qin Yanyan's jaw dropped.
As for Jiang Chen?
He blinked twice… then slowly smirked.
He wasn't sure if Yuechan said it to shake off the pest or if she meant it.
But one thing was certain:
This school year just got a whole lot more interesting.