The Revenge of the Reborn Supreme Sovereign

「Outside Wanda Square.」

Xu Jiayi, who had followed them all the way to Wanda Square, stopped at a distance. Her slender eyebrows suddenly sharpened. It was because, just behind Qin Fan and Jiang Yino, a young man with a remarkably distinguished air had frozen mid-stride. His sharp gaze was fixed intently on Jiang Yino’s back. Seeing this, Xu Jiayi waited until Qin Fan and Jiang Yino disappeared from view before quickly running toward the young man.

"Do you know Jiang Yino?" Xu Jiayi asked, her aloof and proud demeanor on full display.

"Who are you?" Du Tiancong frowned.

It wasn’t quite a fated meeting between enemies, but it was a messy encounter all the same. The two most unlikely people had just stumbled into each other at the most inopportune of times.

"Who I am doesn’t matter. If you know Jiang Yino and have... designs on her, then perhaps we should talk. If you’re interested, follow me. If not, piss off!"

Having arrogantly thrown out those words, Xu Jiayi, whose demeanor was far from that of an ordinary student, gave a small scoff and walked into the plaza.

"Tsk, tsk... Interesting." Watching Xu Jiayi’s graceful figure, Du Tiancong licked his lips with a mischievous smirk and followed after her. Few people dared to provoke him, let alone a woman. Xu Jiayi’s haughty, cold words had directly piqued his interest.

「Inside a coffee shop.」

With her legs crossed, Xu Jiayi watched Du Tiancong as he followed her in. She tapped the table. "What are you drinking?"

"A Blue Mountain, no milk, no sugar. Thanks," Du Tiancong said to the nearby waiter with a polite smile before taking a seat.

Smiling at Xu Jiayi, he said, "Alright, state your purpose."

"You have a thing for Jiang Yino?" Xu Jiayi asked directly, a sinister smile on her face.

"What’s that supposed to mean? Your purpose is to dig into my private life?" Du Tiancong shook his head, unimpressed.

"Jiang Yino is my rival in love. I want to get rid of the menace. Is that a sincere enough opening for you?" Xu Jiayi stated frankly, making no effort to hide her intentions. Her cold face was an open book of scheming.

"What’s your relationship with Jiang Yino?" Du Tiancong asked, a corner of his mouth curling playfully.

"We’re classmates and roommates," Xu Jiayi admitted without reservation, seemingly having already lost the upper hand in the conversation.

"Oh? What is this, some cheesy palace drama?" Du Tiancong chuckled, his laughter dripping with mockery.

"Shut up! Stop being a smartass and answer my question. Do you like Jiang Yino? Do you want her?" Xu Jiayi shook her head disdainfully at him. Stirring the coffee the waiter had just delivered, she snorted coldly.

"I have to say, you’re the first woman who’s dared to speak to me with that tone and attitude. Tsk, tsk... for that alone, I think I’m finding myself more interested in you," Du Tiancong said smoothly, raising his eyebrows. As he spoke, he reached for his coffee, his gaze sweeping over Xu Jiayi with predatory aggression. The naked lust in his eyes was entirely unconcealed.

"I’m warning you! Don’t test my patience. And don’t mistake my sincerity for an opportunity to be a creep!" Xu Jiayi snapped. Her hand stopped its stirring motion, and her gaze turned sharp and frigid as she met the fire in his eyes. The powerful aura she had cultivated in the circles of Jiangzhou’s elite scions was unleashed in full against Du Tiancong.

This, however, took him by complete surprise. "An official’s kid?" Du Tiancong blurted out, his eye twitching.

"You don’t need to know that. I’ve laid my cards on the table. Now, I expect you to answer my questions," Xu Jiayi said coldly.

"Fine. Ask away," Du Tiancong nodded with a smile.

"You have some history with Jiang Yino, don’t you? The look in your eyes when you saw her just now was telling."

"That’s right. She’s from Shanghai, and so am I. I met her by chance last year in Shanghai and thought she fit my standards for a partner, so I figured I’d have some fun with her. But the girl’s got too strong a personality; she wasn’t an easy target. I was hung up on it for a long time. I never expected to see her here after all this time, and it looks like she even has a boyfriend now. Heh. I’d almost forgotten she existed, but seeing her again seems to have rekindled that old fire. So, Miss, does that answer satisfy you?" Du Tiancong asked with a frivolous smile after taking a sip of coffee.

He paused, then added with a quizzical look, "Wait a minute. How could she be your rival? That can’t be right. Honestly, if I had to choose between the two of you, I’d definitely choose you!"

"If I created a situation where she was drunk, what would you do?" Hearing his words, a grim smile spread across Xu Jiayi’s face.

Du Tiancong, however, stared at her, his eyes wide with disbelief at what he had just heard. After all, at this point, Du Tiancong was nowhere near the depraved monster he would become by the end of Qin Fan’s previous life.

He said, "Hey, classmate, isn’t that going a little too far? You two are classmates, even roommates! Could you really do something like that?"

"Is that your problem to worry about? You just need to tell me what you would do," Xu Jiayi retorted.

"I have a principle: I always get what I want. I had almost forgotten about her, but then she just had to show up in front of me again, and with a boyfriend, no less. It seems even heaven doesn’t want me to live with any regrets. If you can create the opportunity, then without a doubt, I’ll do what a man has to do," Du Tiancong finished with a lewd grin.

"Suppose—and I’m just saying suppose—something goes wrong. Can you handle the fallout? Will you drag me down with you?" Xu Jiayi asked, her slender brows furrowed and her expression growing far more solemn.

"You can rest easy on that. If it were you, I might have trouble cleaning it up. But with her family background? Even if the whole thing blows up, I can smooth it over with just a few words."

"Good. When it happens, get me a copy of the video." After a brief pause, a flicker of struggle on her face was instantly replaced by cold hatred. She had spoken the words through clenched teeth.

Though they didn’t speak plainly, their meaning couldn’t have been more obvious.

"A pleasure doing business with you! Haha—cheers!" Laughing heartily, Du Tiancong raised his coffee cup toward Xu Jiayi.

"Cheers," Xu Jiayi smiled, raising her cup to gently clink against his in response.

After taking a sip of his coffee, Du Tiancong pulled a pen and paper from his handbag. He swiftly scribbled down a phone number and pushed it across the table toward her. "This is my contact info."

Concentrating, she scanned the number twice and committed it to memory.

Xu Jiayi pulled out two hundred-yuan bills, placed them under her cup, and then, without another word, elegantly rose to her feet and strode out of the coffee shop.

"Interesting. Damn interesting." Watching the empty seat where Xu Jiayi had been, Du Tiancong stroked his chin with a strange chuckle. He didn’t linger. He quickly stood up and followed her out.