Peerless Immortal Emperor in City

Chapter 571 - 570: 5,000,000! For one night!!

Renmin University, one of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning. While it couldn't quite compare to Beijing University overall, Renmin University possessed advantages in certain aspects that even surpassed those of its more famous counterpart. Consequently, many scions from prestigious families—often those whose family influence was more conventional rather than rooted in the Martial Dao—would also choose to attend Renmin University.

These families were not necessarily Martial Dao families. More often, they were powerful families in secular society or major financial conglomerates that sent their younger members to Renmin University to be cultivated as successors.

Especially among this year's freshmen, there was an unusually large number from prominent and even top-tier families!

Xia Shuang, within the university, felt this very keenly: among this year's freshmen, students from ordinary backgrounds like hers were actually in the minority!

This was a stark departure from previous years, a situation that would have been simply unimaginable back then. After all, even if there had been students from various influential families in the past, ordinary students had always constituted the majority. A situation like the present one had rarely, if ever, occurred.

Usually, however, this demographic shift didn't cause any significant disruptions.

After Xia Shuang finished her military training and officially began her studies, she immersed herself completely in her coursework, even becoming the class study monitor. She spent most of her time holed up in the library and had practically no interaction with these scions of prestigious families.

In her mind, she might go through her entire university life, right up to graduation, without any significant interaction with any of them.

But now, she realized she was mistaken.

Even if she didn't want to make contact, these supremely confident children of prestigious families would take the initiative to pester her. Even when she clearly rejected them, they wouldn't give up.

At this moment, standing beside Xia Shuang were two teenagers, about eighteen or nineteen years old, who looked like students.

One of them, a young man in a red short-sleeved shirt, was about 1.75 meters tall. He wasn't exceptionally tall but was well-proportioned, with handsome features. A smile on his face, he said, "Xia Shuang, I heard the ancient artifact exhibition at the Beijing Expo Center is being hosted by your uncle? I have a great interest in ancient artifacts and have done some research on them. Let's go together."

"No, thank you. I already have plans with someone," Xia Shuang replied, her delicate eyebrows knitting slightly. She hadn't expected that something she'd merely mentioned in passing during class—that she was going to the Beijing Expo Center tonight for the exhibition—would actually reach this person's ears, and that he would even pursue her here.

This young man in the red short-sleeved shirt was named Lin Tan. He hailed from Xilong Province, and his family was quite affluent—rumored to be the son of a CEO whose company was valued in the tens of billions.

During military training, Lin Tan had set his sights on Xia Shuang. After the training concluded, he began to pursue her. However, since Xia Shuang was entirely focused on her studies and frequently visited the library, he hardly ever got a chance.

Having finally caught an opportunity when Xia Shuang was planning to go out, he naturally wouldn't let it slip by.

Upon hearing that Xia Shuang had plans with someone, a glint flashed in Lin Tan's eyes. He smiled and said, "No problem! My roommate is also going alone. If you've made plans with a girl, it would be perfect for us to go as two guys and two girls. How fitting, hahaha."

He subtly probed with the comment.

"Exactly!" the boy beside Lin Tan chimed in. He looked quite ordinary and was clearly Lin Tan's lackey. With a smile, he added, "Two guys and two girls, that's a perfect setup!"

This was the entrance to Renmin University, bustling with students coming and going.

Lin Tan had quite a reputation among the freshmen, and even some upperclassmen had heard of him. Now, seeing him standing next to Xia Shuang, they immediately understood what was happening.

College years are always rife with gossip, especially concerning romantic affairs, which interested many. Witnessing this scene, quite a few students couldn't resist stopping to watch, eager to see how things would unfold.

"Lin Tan is quite a catch, you know. I heard his family has assets in the tens of billions. Xilong Province might be a bit remote, but with tens of billions, buying a house in Beijing would be a piece of cake!"

"Many junior girls in our faculty have their eyes on Lin Tan and want to pursue him. But it seems he only has eyes for Xia Shuang. A lot of them are quite disappointed."

"I don't know what Xia Shuang is thinking, always avoiding Lin Tan. Is she playing hard to get? But I reckon it's about time. Xia Shuang will probably accept Lin Tan's invitation this time."

"I think so too. Xia Shuang's family background is only average. How could she possibly withstand Lin Tan's advances? She's bound to give in soon. Sigh, beauties always get won over by rich second-generation heirs!"

Many people whispered amongst themselves, sighing and lamenting.

"I'm sorry, but the person I'm meeting is a guy," Xia Shuang suddenly stated, flatly rejecting Lin Tan. Then, glancing at her watch, she added indifferently, "Lin Tan, my friend will be here soon."

Silence! An absolute, deafening silence fell!!

With that one sentence, Xia Shuang shocked everyone around her. Nobody had anticipated that the person she was meeting was actually a guy—she had actually arranged to meet a guy!!

Many first-year male students felt their hearts shatter, overcome with utter desolation. After all, Xia Shuang was quite famous among the freshmen. She was lively and cheerful, with outstanding looks and excellent academic performance; her reputation as the 'top student and beauty' of their year had already spread.

As for Lin Tan, his face immediately darkened. He stared at Xia Shuang in disbelief, his teeth clenched as he growled, "Xia Shuang, are you joking with me, or are you just trying to fob me off? How could you possibly be meeting a guy!?"

He didn't believe it! He couldn't believe Xia Shuang was telling the truth! Rejecting him, a rich second-generation heir whose family assets were in the tens of billions, just to meet some other guy? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!! Moreover, as far as he knew, among the freshmen at Renmin University, there were hardly any whose family fortune surpassed his own and who weren't inferior to him in looks! Even among the upperclassmen, there weren't many!! Where could some guy have possibly appeared out of thin air to compete with him for a woman?!

"You're being ridiculous," Xia Shuang said, a hint of impatience in her voice. Being naturally direct, she didn't mince words with people she disliked. "Who I want to visit the ancient artifact exhibition with is none of your business, is it?"

"How can it not be my business!" Lin Tan roared, his gaze fixed intently on Xia Shuang. "Xia Shuang! You are the woman I, Lin Tan, have set my eyes on! Whoever dares to snatch you from me is making an enemy of the Lin family of Longxi!"

"You! Are you insane!?" Xia Shuang took a small step back, frightened. She looked at Lin Tan in panic and said, "This is a society governed by law! What are you trying to do!?"

"A society governed by law?" Lin Tan sneered. "But there are always people who are above the law! Xia Shuang, I'm tired of playing these childish courtship games with you. Let's cut to the chase: five million! Come with me to a hotel tonight!"

The offer hung in the air: Five million! For one night! So direct! So—rich!

The surrounding students were all stunned, watching Lin Tan in disbelief as whispers erupted. They were unsure whether to be more astounded by his audacity or his extravagance.

"Holy crap! He's got some nerve! To openly declare he'll pay to have Xia Shuang for the night!!"

"Five million! This is five million we're talking about! Even in Beijing, that could buy you an apartment! And Lin Tan is actually willing to pay that much just to sleep with Xia Shuang for one night!!"

"That's insane! Truly insane!!"

Five million!!

Faced with such a huge temptation!!

What choice would Xia Shuang, who didn't come from a very affluent family, make? Many people desperately wanted to know!!