Chapter 1: The Poor Nobleman?

This is Jinling City, the National NanYang University's Media Studies department, where a group of freshmen are gathering.

The dishes on the table had not yet been fully served, and the girls sitting opposite Chen Ming took out their phones to browse Weibo. All of them were iPhones, being played with in their fair hands, fitting well with the high-end restaurant's decor.

Chen Ming's gaze swept over the faces of these girls, and he shook his head with a bitter smile, muttering softly, "All just common powder."

"Oh, the gold iPhone 5s, this Xu Lingfeng is really rich."

At this moment, a boy called out softly, immediately drawing the attention of the girls opposite.

The gold iPhone 5s in Xu Lingfeng's hand, which was almost worth ten thousand yuan online, instantly became the focus of the party. Naturally, Xu Lingfeng, who was playing with the phone, also attracted the attention of many girls.

"Mr. Xu is indeed impressive... This phone just came out, and you already have it." A boy dressed simply praised while putting his domestic smartphone into his pocket, his face full of envy.

"Not really, it's not worth much. The meal I'm treating everyone to today could buy a few of these." Xu Lingfeng said with a self-satisfied air, his face radiating a sense of superiority. Clearly, he was the center of attention at this gathering.

Xu Lingfeng's family owned the largest pharmaceutical group in the city, Da Ji Pharmaceutical, with a net worth of at least tens of millions. This made him stand out even among the already wealthy students.

However, this didn't mean much to Chen Ming, who was sitting in the corner.

Chen Ming's father was the chairman of the Jiangsu Chen Group, and his uncle was the deputy commander of the Central South Military Region. With such a background, Chen Ming could basically do as he pleased at a place like National NanYang University, which was akin to the Imperial Academy.

Although there were no one here who could crush him, Chen Ming couldn't be completely carefree. After all, in a place like the Imperial Academy, people with formidable backgrounds were as numerous as fish crossing a river. Some people, if provoked, could cause a bit of trouble.

Moreover, in Chen Ming's view, being low-key was the most impressive way to show off. These few unimportant girls weren't worth him showing off.

So, for over a week since the start of the semester, Chen Ming had been very low-key. No one knew about his background.

"Pipa... Pipa..."

At this moment, Chen Ming's phone in his pocket rang. He quickly answered; it was his adopted sister, Luo Shui.

"Hello... Is this Brother Chen Ming..."

Luo Shui's voice was light and melodious, like a nightingale.

"Brother Chen Ming, Luo Shui will be attending a party later... Luo Shui is very shy, so Brother Chen Ming has to come and accompany Luo Shui... Okay, that's all. The roommates are still urging Luo Shui to try on clothes, so I'll hang up... beep beep beep..."

Luo Shui's voice on the phone was sweet and soft, each word spoken gently. However, it was clear that someone on the other end was urging her, causing her to hang up quickly.

"This girl..."

Chen Ming held his phone and smiled, his lips curling. The Vertu Signature Platinum Edition straight phone in his hand, with its arrow-shaped keyboard and a faint red gemstone light beneath, was indeed a bit outdated compared to the iPhones the girls were using.

"Oh, Chen Ming, why are you still using a straight phone? Did you get it when the school gave phones to new students who topped up their phone credit?" At this moment, a girl sitting next to Chen Ming laughed sarcastically, half-jokingly and half-seriously asked.

"No, it's an old one my dad used. I didn't have a phone, so I picked it up. Ha ha." Chen Ming smiled faintly, revealing a row of white teeth.

This was actually the truth. His father had bought this luxury Vertu Signature Platinum Edition for 4.8 million yuan years ago, and it had been left in a drawer in the study until Chen Ming found it when his phone broke.

"Oh, so Chen Ming is still using such an outdated phone... How about I give you my iPhone 4? I just got a 5s, so I don't need it anymore." Xu Lingfeng smiled warmly, speaking loudly, clearly not just to Chen Ming but to all the girls present.

"Sure."

Chen Ming's face didn't show the embarrassment everyone expected, but rather a harmless, matter-of-fact smile.

"By the way, this phone of yours is quite flashy, Chen Ming. It looks like it's made of diamonds, ha ha ha..." The boy who had put his domestic phone in his pocket earlier examined Chen Ming's phone carefully and said casually, "It doesn't look like something your dad used and gave you. It looks brand new."

"Ah, ah..." Chen Ming laughed bitterly, shaking his head helplessly, thinking to himself, "I really can't believe these nouveau riche kids... The 'Sapphire Crystal Sea' surface of the Vertu Signature is processed in a furnace at 2000 degrees Celsius for over two weeks. This material doesn't easily show scratches, only diamond can scratch it... In their eyes, it's just a phone given for topping up credit... sigh..."

National NanYang University, a comprehensive university in the central and southern part of the country, was founded in 1902 by Zeng Guofan when he was the governor of Zhili. Originally, it was only a mid-level 211 university, but in recent years, it has quietly risen to become a super university almost on par with Peking and Tsinghua.

The Media Studies department of this university has become a gathering place for the children of the wealthy, after all, a tuition fee of over 50,000 yuan per year is not something a poor family can afford.

At the entrance of a high-end restaurant outside the university, a group of Chen Ming's classmates had just finished their meal and were preparing to leave.

Although the restaurant was not far from the university, the wealthy Xu Lingfeng, Mr. Xu, still drove his car.

"My car is parked outside. Do you girls want a ride back to the university?" Xu Lingfeng walked out of the restaurant with a credit card in his hand, having volunteered to pay for the meal.

"Sure, sure." A few girls with better looks were somewhat excited, their long eyelashes, painted with mascara, trembling stiffly in the air.

"Ah... I thought the girls in the Media Studies department would be of higher quality... Who knew they would be this kind of stuff, not more than 4 points." Chen Ming put his hands in his pockets and walked out alone.

He hadn't walked far when he saw an Audi A5 slowly drive up to him, then beeped sharply.

This was clearly a show of superiority in front of Chen Ming.

Then, the window of the Audi A5 rolled down, and Xu Lingfeng's head appeared, looking quite pleased. Several girls from the same class with better looks were sitting inside. Xu Lingfeng waved at Chen Ming and said, "Bro, I'm off. See you in class tomorrow. It's quite a distance to walk back to the dorm from here... Why don't you take a taxi?"

Indeed, Wangfujing was not far from NanYang University, but it was a distance to Chen Ming's dorm.

"Take care, no need to see me off." Chen Ming smiled harmlessly.

"Uh-huh." Xu Lingfeng's window rolled up, his face darkening, thinking to himself, "This guy... He's so timid, yet he can still smile... Every guy in the department is respectful and tries to flatter me... Only this guy... Hmph, it's peak dining time, I'll see how you manage to get a taxi back."

Watching the Audi A5 drive away, Chen Ming shook his head speechlessly and said, "What a prodigy..."

"Indeed, not recognizing a 400,000 yuan Vertu Signature Platinum Edition, only recognizing iPhones, what a prodigy."

"You are..." Chen Ming turned his head and saw a tall, beautiful woman walking over, with a good figure, but in Chen Ming's eyes, she was just slightly better-looking.

She didn't have the kind of charm that attracted him.

"My name is Qin Qin, I'm Xu Lingfeng's girlfriend. I arrived late, so you didn't notice me." The tall woman said.

"Oh. Hello." Chen Ming nodded expressionlessly, raised his hand, and said, "I was talking about your boyfriend. With so many seats in that Audi A5, why didn't he have a seat for his girlfriend... Tell me, where can you find such a miraculous boyfriend?"

"He..." A hint of sadness flashed across Qin Qin's face.

"Alright, you don't have to tell me. I'm not interested."

Chen Ming waved his hand lightly and turned to leave. Before Qin Qin could react, he had already opened the door of a Bentley Flying Spur that was slowly approaching.

Qin Qin stared at the low-key yet luxurious Bentley, shaking her head and muttering to herself, "Those Media Studies girls... Their horizons are really narrow..."

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