Chapter 83: Is This Reason Truly Convincing?

Jiang Yu shook his head with a smile. "I have a thousand and one reasons—how could I possibly list them all?"

Seeing that he was still being stubborn, He Bing grew angry, her face frosted over. "Jiang Yu, if you can't give me a reason today, then you will go to school for me."

Kong Xi also spoke up at the right moment. "Brother Jiang, if you don't want to go to school, you can come work at my company. The position I promised before is still yours, with a monthly salary of thirty thousand."

Everyone could tell that Kong Xi was giving Jiang Yu a way out. As long as he agreed, he would have a justification. Faced with such a generous job offer, surely even He Bing could find no fault with his decision.

After all, even graduates from Peking University might not find a job starting at thirty thousand a month.

All eyes turned to Jiang Yu—this was the second time Kong Xi had invited him. Zhao Xiaoqian, in particular, pouted with her cherry lips, cheeks puffed out, eager to hear Jiang Yu's answer.

Although Jiang Yu had helped Kong Xi and the others out of a jam on the bus, no matter how much one owed, two invitations were more than enough to settle the debt. To refuse again would be nothing but ingratitude.

Sure enough, just as everyone suspected, Jiang Yu slowly shook his head. "I told you before, I won't work at your company. Leave that position for someone who truly needs it."

To others, Jiang Yu's decisive refusal seemed completely oblivious to social norms.

Zhou Die remarked sarcastically, "Jiang Yu, do you think the salary Kong Xi offered isn't high enough? One must know when to stop. If you accept, you'll be ahead of ninety percent of your peers."

Was this guy always the sort who would rather lose than admit defeat?

Zhou Die shook her head and fell silent. She was just standing up for Kong Xi. Whether Jiang Yu accepted or not was his own business. If he let this opportunity slip by, he might live to regret it.

He Bing's face grew gloomier by the moment. She'd worked so hard to get Jiang Yu a Peking University admission letter, and he wouldn't even look at it before bluntly saying he wouldn't go.

She was so angry she could burst.

Yang Duoduo's opinion of Jiang Yu plummeted as well—such an unromantic fellow, making both Kong Xi and Teacher He so upset.

After a moment's hesitation, Kong Xi spoke softly, "Brother Jiang, if you think the salary is too low, you can tell me. I can go back and ask my grandfather—I believe he'd agree."

By now, even Kong Xi was starting to suspect that Jiang Yu was feigning humility after taking advantage. To be honest, she was a little upset—she'd invited him again and again out of goodwill, but he rejected her outright every time.

Of course, Jiang Yu could see what they were all thinking. After refusing so many times, he could feel the shift in their gazes.

If he were just an ordinary person, such a generous job offer would have left him ecstatic.

"My mind is made up. There's no need to say more," Jiang Yu replied calmly.

He Bing took a deep breath, lost for what to do next. In her heart, she still didn't want to give up on Jiang Yu, who had such great potential. His performance in the recent mock exams had astonished many.

Tan Li wore a gloating smile. This kid really wouldn't give up until he hit a wall—did he have any idea just how many opportunities he was throwing away?

"Kong Xi, are you convinced now? He doesn't care about your kindness at all."

Zhao Xiaoqian glared helplessly at Kong Xi. Kong Xi pressed her lips together, her mood sinking, and said nothing more.

Afterward, Jiang Yu accompanied everyone to the Human Resources Department of Sifang Group. He hadn't wanted to go, but Kong Xi had extended the invitation. If he refused again, even he would feel he was being unreasonable.

Because everything had already been decided in advance, Zhou Die merely handed her contract to the manager, smiling as she said, "Hello, my name is Zhou Die."

The manager glanced at Tan Li, nodded, and said warmly, "Miss Zhou, you have all the qualities our company is looking for. When can you start work?"

Unable to hide her joy, Zhou Die nodded eagerly. "I can start right after the graduation ceremony."

The manager barely glanced at her résumé. If Tan Li hadn't put in a word for her beforehand, he wouldn't have bothered to look at someone like Zhou Die—he would have tossed her résumé straight into the trash when no one was looking.

In other words, just picking a discarded résumé out of the trash would yield someone more qualified than Zhou Die.

The other students looking for jobs cast envious glances at Zhou Die, but when they saw Tan Li, the sharp ones immediately realized what was going on and looked disdainful.

Tan Li was notorious at school as a playboy, with ties to many attractive girls. Still, he had a reputation for keeping his promises.

"Oh, I thought it was something impressive, but it turns out she just latched onto Tan Li," a few girls whispered, pointing at Zhou Die.

Zhou Die's expression darkened, her fingers unconsciously clenching.

Yang Duoduo retorted decisively, "Well, someone's jealous! Why so sour? Unlike some people, who throw themselves at others and don't even get a glance. It takes something to hold onto a golden thigh. Honestly, some of you have neither looks nor figure—you look like sacks of rice!"

Jiang Yu shook his head, amused—Yang Duoduo's way with words was truly unmatched. She didn't use a single curse, yet her barbs were sharp enough to leave faces flushed with anger, desperate to rush over for a fight.

"Duoduo, what about you?" Zhou Die asked gratefully.

Yang Duoduo grinned foolishly. "I'll handle my own job—no need for résumés. My dad works at Liuyang Enterprises; he'll take care of it for me."

At that moment, a black Mercedes S600 business car slowly entered the campus.

The sight of the luxury vehicle drew many stares. Everyone thought it belonged to some rich kid, but when Tan Li saw the license plate, his brow furrowed. "Isn't that the car of the CEO of Yun City Tianwang Pharmaceuticals? I didn't hear that Tianwang was coming to our school to recruit."

Kong Xi cried out as well, "That's right, that car definitely belongs to the CEO of Tianwang Pharmaceuticals. What on earth is he doing here?"

Coming from an ordinary family, Zhou Die had no idea what Tan Li and the others were talking about. She asked curiously, "Tan, is the CEO of Tianwang Pharmaceuticals very rich?"

Tan Li nodded and explained, "Tianwang Pharmaceuticals is a big company, with annual profits from medicine in the hundreds of millions. Most importantly, in 2009 they launched a health product that took the whole country by storm, earning a fortune. Conservatively, his net worth is approaching a couple of billion—he'd be the richest man in any small county."

Zhou Die fell silent, realizing that was a level far beyond her reach.

Everyone was baffled. Why would the CEO be here instead of relaxing in his office? That Mercedes only came out when the boss himself was driving, so it couldn't have been the chauffeur using it privately.

"Jiang Yu, what are you spacing out for? Have you made up your mind?" He Bing clicked toward Jiang Yu in her high heels.

Jiang Yu smiled. "Didn't you say that as long as I gave a convincing reason today, you wouldn't force me to go to Peking University?"

He Bing nodded. "Of course—as long as the reason isn't made up and can convince me."

Jiang Yu nodded. "You'll soon find out what that reason is."

With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and looked toward the Mercedes S600.

Everyone was utterly confused—what was Jiang Yu up to?

Zhao Xiaoqian sneered, "I'm curious too—let's see what reason you'll come up with."

Tan Li and the others were growing more and more curious. They all knew that Jiang Yu, who even needed He Bing to pay his living expenses, couldn't possibly have a good answer. But seeing his air of confidence, they couldn't help but want to see what he would do.

If he couldn't produce a reason today, he'd truly become a laughingstock. Zhao Xiaoqian, for some reason, was looking forward to seeing this stubborn guy make a fool of himself.

"Jiang Yu, say something! Weren't you going to give us a convincing reason?" Zhao Xiaoqian jumped in front of Jiang Yu, waving her hand in front of his face. "Are you still thinking up a story?"

Jiang Yu smiled. "You'll know soon enough."

The Mercedes S600 stopped at the sports field, and a middle-aged man in a suit, radiating authority, stepped out from the back seat. His hair was slicked back in a powerful style, and his polished shoes gleamed.

He scanned the field, and finally his gaze settled on their group.

"Wang Yuanshan—it really is the chairman of Tianwang Pharmaceuticals," Tan Li's heart skipped a beat.

Then, Wang Yuanshan picked up his pace, nearly breaking into a jog toward them.

"Could he be here for us?" Not only Tan Li, but Yang Duoduo, Zhou Die, Kong Xi, Zhao Xiaoqian, and He Bing all had the same thought.

Moments later, Wang Yuanshan stopped in front of them.

Under countless stunned gazes, Wang Yuanshan bowed deeply to Jiang Yu. "Tianwang Pharmaceuticals—Yuanshan pays his respects to Master Jiang. At last, I've found you."

Jiang Yu grunted nonchalantly.

"Teacher He, does this reason convince you?"