Chapter 33: The Enchantress and the White Flower! A Savior Descends!
[Location: Modu University – Female Dormitory Building 6, Room 301]
"Linlin! Oh, my silly Linlin, have you heard the news yet? It's practically set the campus forum on fire!"
A clear, sweet voice rang out, breaking the lazy afternoon silence of the dormitory. It was a voice that dripped with honey, contrasting sharply with the sultry image of its owner.
Inside Room 301—a room famously dubbed "A Man's Ultimate Dream" by the desperate male population of Modu University—a scene of breathtaking beauty was unfolding.
Liu Mi, twenty years old, lounged on her chair with the lazy grace of a Persian cat. She propped a pair of long, exquisitely shapely legs up onto the desk, her skin gleaming like porcelain under the fluorescent lights. She wore a pair of silk shorts that barely contained her curves, revealing thighs that were perfectly proportioned—not too thin, not too thick, simply lethal.
She scrolled through her phone, her eyes dancing with amusement. Her face was exquisite, with fox-like eyes that seemed to naturally hook the soul of anyone who looked at her. She possessed the rare, paradoxical charm of a "Little Vixen"—a body made for sin, but a voice as sweet as candy.
"Yesterday afternoon," Liu Mi continued, giggling as she read the comments, "a top-tier handsome and wealthy man appeared at our school gate. He was driving a red Lamborghini—a global limited edition, one of only three in the world! They say he was so handsome that girls were fainting left and right. The entire forum is trying to find out who he was picking up."
Sitting across from her was a stark contrast in style, but an equal in beauty.
Jiang Linlin sat by the window, organizing her textbooks.
If Liu Mi was a fiery red rose, Jiang Linlin was a resilient white lily blooming on a cliff's edge. Her face was pure and incomparable, devoid of makeup yet radiating a clean, touching beauty. Her figure was graceful and slender, hidden beneath simple, inexpensive clothes, but hinting at a softness that made men want to protect her.
She was the "Girl Next Door" archetype perfected—fragile yet incredibly strong.
Hearing Liu Mi's gossip, Jiang Linlin only offered a faint, weary smile. Her clear eyes were clouded with worry, a shadow that seemed permanent these days.
"Mi Mi... I think you should put on some more clothes," Jiang Linlin said softly, glancing at her friend's exposed skin. "I'm about to start my live stream. If the camera catches you like that, the platform will ban my channel for 'excessive exposure' again."
Liu Mi pouted, lowering her legs but not looking the least bit ashamed. "Let them ban it. Those platform admins are just jealous."
Jiang Linlin sighed, adjusting the cheap ring light on her desk. Her mind wasn't on handsome billionaires or sports cars. It was occupied by a much darker, heavier reality.
Grandma Zhong.
The image of the lonely old cleaner who had raised her flashed in her mind. Grandma Zhong was over eighty years old now. Her body, worn down by decades of hard labor, was finally failing. She was bedridden, suffering from a multitude of old ailments that flared up with the changing weather.
Her monthly pension was a pittance, barely enough to buy rice, let alone cover the mounting medical bills.
Money. It all came down to money.
The living expenses for two people in a city like Modu, plus Jiang Linlin's tuition and art supplies, were a crushing weight on her narrow shoulders. She needed at least ten thousand yuan a month just to keep their heads above water.
Jiang Linlin looked at her hands—rougher than a student's hands should be. She had worked as a waitress, carrying heavy trays until her arms shook. She had worked as a supermarket cashier, standing for twelve hours straight.
But those jobs only paid three or four thousand a month. It was like trying to fill a bottomless pit with a spoon. It was useless.
More than once, wealthy men had approached her. Some were subtle, offering "scholarships." Others were blunt, offering a "monthly allowance" of 100,000 yuan just to keep her in a golden cage.
Jiang Linlin had refused them all.
Every single time.
Although she was poor, she had her spine. She had her integrity. She would not sell her dignity, not even for Grandma Zhong. Because she knew Grandma Zhong would rather die than see her granddaughter become a plaything.
"I have to work harder," she whispered to herself.
It was Liu Mi who had introduced her to live streaming. With her natural beauty and high appearance score, she had gained a small following. It wasn't much, but it paid better than washing dishes.
Liu Mi watched her friend's back, sensing the heavy atmosphere. She put down her phone, her playful expression softening into genuine concern.
Liu Mi came from a wealthy family. She had money, connections, and freedom. She streamed for fun—working three days, resting two—yet she had over a million followers simply because she was lively, generous, and visually stunning.
Jiang Linlin, despite working every day, only had two hundred thousand followers. She didn't know how to flirt, didn't know how to dance provocatively, and was too shy to beg for gifts.
But Jiang Linlin never felt jealous. She knew her own personality. She wasn't built for the spotlight like Liu Mi.
"Linlin..." Liu Mi leaned forward, her voice unusually serious. "Why don't I support you? Just for a while? I have plenty of pocket money. You can pay me back after you graduate. Or never. I don't care."
She hated seeing her best friend suffer like this. It broke her heart.
Jiang Linlin paused. She turned around, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She knew Liu Mi meant it. Without Liu Mi covering the bulk of the rent, she wouldn't even be living in this nice dorm.
She owed Liu Mi so much already.
Jiang Linlin shook her head firmly, a gentle but stubborn smile appearing on her face.
"No, Mi Mi. Thank you, but no. I'm already a sophomore. I'll grit my teeth and persevere for two more years. Once I graduate and become a designer... I'll work two jobs. I'll definitely be able to support Grandma Zhong and myself. I will pay for her medical treatment and give her a comfortable old age!"
Her voice trembled slightly, but her conviction was like steel.
Liu Mi sighed, resting her chin on her hand. She looked at Jiang Linlin with a mix of frustration and admiration.
"Linlin, you are so good to Grandma Zhong. Most people would have abandoned an unrelated old woman by now. You're a saint."
"She's my mother," Jiang Linlin corrected softly. "My biological parents were killed by bad people when I was a baby. If Grandma Zhong hadn't picked me up from the trash... I would be a pile of bones by now."
Her eyes looked distant, recalling memories she didn't actually possess but felt deeply.
"They say a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring. She gave me life. I will repay Grandma Zhong for a lifetime! As long as I breathe, she will not suffer alone."
Liu Mi's beautiful eyes softened completely. This was why she protected Jiang Linlin. In a world full of plastic faces and fake hearts, Jiang Linlin was real.
"Alright, alright, you stubborn little flower," Liu Mi stood up and stretched, her curves distracting even the air in the room. "I'm going to start streaming too. But be careful! Those men online are all greedy cats. Don't let them see anything they shouldn't!"
"I know," Jiang Linlin laughed, the mood lightening. "I'm wearing a turtleneck!"
Liu Mi snorted. "Boring! But safe."
Just as Jiang Linlin sat down and prepared to click 'Start Streaming,' her phone buzzed violently on the desk.
Zzzzt! Zzzzt!
She glanced at the screen. It was a text message.
As she read the contents, her pupils dilated. Her breath hitched in her throat.
Her face, previously pale with worry, flushed with a sudden, intense excitement. Her hands shook as she clutched the phone to her chest, unwilling to let go as if it were a lifeline.
She stood up abruptly, knocking her chair back.
"Mi Mi! I have an urgent matter! I need to go out immediately!"
Jiang Linlin grabbed her bag, her movements frantic.
"Please help me ask for leave for this afternoon's classes! And tomorrow's! I might not be back tonight!"
"Wait, what? Linlin?" Liu Mi stared, bewildered. "Where are you going? You never skip class!"
But Jiang Linlin was already gone, the door slamming shut behind her, leaving Liu Mi blinking in confusion at the empty room.
[Location: Outskirts of Modu – Old Residential District]
The taxi navigated through the narrow, potholed streets of the old district. The buildings here were gray and crumbling, a stark contrast to the neon splendor of the city center.
Jiang Linlin paid the driver and practically sprinted up the stairs of the dilapidated apartment building.
Her heart was pounding in her chest like a drum. Could it be true? Could the message be true?
She reached the familiar rusted metal door and pushed it open, breathless.
"Grandma!"
The scene that greeted her made her freeze in the doorway.
The small, dimly lit living room, usually smelling of medicine and old age, felt different today. It felt... lighter.
A handsome young man was sitting on a wooden stool.
He wore a tailored suit that looked wildly out of place in this poverty-stricken apartment, yet he sat there with a natural elegance, as if he were sitting on a throne. His profile was sharp, his demeanor calm and noble.
He was talking to Grandma Zhong.
And Grandma Zhong...
Jiang Linlin's hands flew to her mouth to stifle a sob.
Grandma Zhong was sitting up. Not lying in bed, groaning in pain, but sitting up in her old armchair.
Her face, usually pale and gaunt with the grayness of impending death, was now flushed with a healthy, rosy color. Her eyes were bright. She looked as if she had aged backward by ten years.
She was laughing.
"Grandma Zhong?" Jiang Linlin whispered, her voice trembling. "Your... your complexion? You can sit up?"
Grandma Zhong turned, her eyes lighting up when she saw her granddaughter.
"Linlin! You're back!" She waved her hand with surprising vigor. "Look at me! I feel like I can run a marathon!"
She gestured excitedly to the handsome young man beside her.
"It's all thanks to this Divine Doctor Shen! He came knocking on the door, saying he was a traveling doctor. He used acupuncture—just a few needles!—and then brewed some traditional Chinese medicine for me right here in the kitchen."
Grandma Zhong took a deep breath, patting her chest. "The pain is gone. The tightness is gone. I feel... I feel alive again. I think I can even go downstairs and plant vegetables tomorrow!"
Only then did Jiang Linlin turn her full attention to the man.
He stood up and turned to face her.
Jiang Linlin felt her breath hitch. He was incredibly handsome—tall, with eyes like the deep ocean and a faint, confident smile that made her heart skip a beat.
But more than his looks, it was what he had done. He had saved her world.
Tears spilled from her eyes, hot and fast. She didn't care about dignity or reserve. She rushed forward and bowed deeply, her body bending almost ninety degrees.
"Thank you... Thank you, Divine Doctor Shen!"
Her voice broke.
"Jiang Linlin is endlessly grateful! You saved my grandmother... you saved my life. I will remember this kindness for as long as I live! I will repay you... I will repay you even if it means picking grass and carrying rings like a beast of burden!"
Shen Anyu looked down at the weeping girl.
Her "White Moonlight" aura was blinding. Her gratitude was pure, unadulterated by greed or calculation.
[Ding! Detected destined heroine Jiang Linlin's favorability +60!]
[Ding! Plundered +180,000 Destiny Points!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Wei Yun's main emotional line fluctuated violently! Plundering +80,000 Destiny Points!]
Shen Anyu smiled internally.
The trap was set. The savior had arrived. And the protagonist's childhood sweetheart... was already half-conquered.
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