A Gilded Cage of Love - Chapter 12

When Jiang Qin first started seeing me, it was like keeping a pet.

We met quite frequently, two or three times a week.

He loved buying me clothes and bags, dressing me up the way he liked, and then taking me out to meet people.

I didn’t know many luxury brands-only picked up a few names from my part-time jobs.

I knew some bags could cost hundreds of thousands or even millions, and were still hard to get in rich circles, which left me in awe.

He liked seeing my naive, surprised expression.

It was the same in bed.

The sheets were damp; I really enjoyed doing that with him.

The day I went astray, I never expected that straying itself could be addictive.

He worked me up until my voice trembled with tears: “Turn off the light.”

But Jiang Qin’s voice was husky as he chuckled softly in my ear.

“You look beautiful, Yaoyao.”

…He’s the one who looks good.

I gazed drowsily at the man in front of me.

There was no need to mention his face-he was the man the girls in Gangcheng’s wealthy second-generation circles most wanted to marry, according to online gossip.

I also got to see his well-toned body, the result of years at the gym, muscles perfectly distributed-not like me, thin and pale from poor nutrition.

My hands were still marked by ugly chilblain scars and calluses.

Looking back, I always felt like I was the one getting the better end of the deal.

I wasn’t keen on luxury goods, and knew clearly those things were beyond my means.

I only knew they were expensive, and never dared to bring them to school.

Luckily, I’d always been a loner and often worked part-time jobs, so before I returned from Jiang Qin’s place, I always changed back into my own clothes.

But accidents happen.

One time, Jiang Qin drove me back.

At my request, he parked a little way from campus; I couldn’t very well change clothes in front of him.

He neither admitted nor denied it, but now he acted coy: “Am I that unpresentable?”

“No…”

“Then give me a kiss before you go.”

Even though we’d done much more intimate things, this line still made me blush.

I hurriedly leaned in, pecked him, and dashed out of the car as Jiang Qin laughed behind me.

When I reached the classroom, it was still early. Everyone was sluggish before the first afternoon class, some still sleepy.

My roommate Youyou perked up the moment she saw me, tugging at the rich girl Xia Xiao beside her, her gaze scanning my outfit like an X-ray.

“Is that real? Miu Miu’s latest?”

I played dumb: “…What’s Miu Miu?”

Youyou stared at me for a while, then clicked her tongue impatiently, her gaze reverting to its usual contempt.

“As if you could afford that. Never mind… But where’d you get it? It’s a pretty good knock-off…”

I didn’t reply, just looked up and met Xia Xiao’s meaningful stare.

After class, I went back to the dorm to get some materials.

Only Xia Xiao was there.

She had a face mask on, and at some point had walked up behind me.

“The person last night was you, wasn’t it?”

I froze.

“Got out of a black Maybach, went into a top-tier suite at Yuyuan… The elevator Jiang Qin took you in is the VIP Exclusive Passage-only goes to the 88th Floor.”

I kept busy with my hands, my voice very soft: “You’re mistaken.”

Xia Xiao snorted coldly. “You know perfectly well whether I’m mistaken or not. Don’t think you can climb up by latching onto someone like him. His family would only play around with you.”

She turned and sat down, turning her TV show up loud.

Hugging my materials, I sighed quietly.

I looked decent, always ranked in the top three of my year, and had won the highest scholarship last year.

To earn extra credits, I often took part in activities.

So in the eyes of the freshmen and sophomores, I’d become some kind of campus celebrity.

Xia Xiao was pretty and came from a good family, though her grades were average.

But since we lived in the same dorm, it was easy for others to compare us, intentionally or not.

Because of my background and my habit of observing people as a writer, I could always sense Xia Xiao’s hostility toward me-

In the past, her hostility would fade whenever she saw me struggling with my shabby clothes and part-time jobs.

But this time, I keenly sensed something was different about Xia Xiao’s mood.

Still, I didn’t think much of it.

Who could’ve guessed that just a couple of days later, a post would explode on the campus forum.

The post said that a star student with the Ruan Surname from the Chinese Department, who often worked part-time, was being kept by someone.

It included several secretly taken photos of me. Although my face was unclear, the outline was obvious, and details of my clothes from that day were carefully compared and posted as well.
The comments below were far from pleasant.

“How inspiring is it to say that it’s hard for a poor family to produce someone distinguished? Isn’t it still no match for the temptations of reality?”

“Can you please stop tarnishing the image of women? I’m really speechless…”

“I’ve had my eye on her for a while, but I was a step too late… If the rich guy ever dumps you, remember to come find me. I’ll give you money, just want to try it out.”

“Don’t be so filthy, at least you’re a university student…”

“What’s filthy is selling yourself.”

“Could she be fat and ugly? How does this girl even manage to eat?”

…

At first, I didn’t pay much attention.

But things escalated.

It got to the point that when I entered the classroom, everyone’s conversations would suddenly quiet down.

I started to feel restless.

I no longer felt as much shame as I did in secondary school.

But the heavy feeling deep inside was impossible to ignore.

I had struggled so hard to leave that impoverished little town and arrive at this bright, promising school.

It was as if I had brought shame to my life.

I wanted to tell the Counselor about this, but then realized I had no standing.

After all, was there anything factually wrong with what was said in those posts?

It was her who came to talk to me.

“Ruan Yao, I’m aware of your family situation. You have excellent grades and you work very hard. In this era, teachers can’t simply give you the toxic chicken soup of ‘as long as you work hard, you will succeed,’ but you need to consider the impact on the school.”

I tried hard not to let the tears in my eyes fall.

I was not so shameless as to enjoy the benefits while still crying about my misfortunes.

But I hadn’t expected Jiang Qin to find out about this.

By then, the post had already been deleted.

Some of the screenshots, however, continued to spread.

The reason he noticed was because, although there were no photos of Jiang Qin in the marketing account’s post, one of the cars shown belonged to the Jiang Family.

Rumors about Jiang Qin keeping a Hong Kong University female student began to circulate in a small circle, and were picked up by people monitoring public opinion at the Jiang Corporation.

He pinched the flesh at my waist, his tone rather casual.

“Is this why you’re upset?”

“…No.”

He gave a faint laugh.

“I thought it was something serious.”

His words were light and airy, but I couldn’t help but feel a deep sadness.

Who could have expected that, within a week, Jiang Qin would show up at our school?

Every year, the Jiang Corporation awards scholarships, and this time Jiang Qin himself came to the ceremony.

Backstage at the event, he stood across from the Counselor, with a few students standing nearby.

Xia Xiao was the host of the event, so she was there as well.

She was wearing a custom-made evening gown, her eyes filled with admiration as she looked at Jiang Qin.

But the next moment, the smile at the corner of her mouth collapsed.

After Jiang Qin finished speaking with the vice dean, he waved at me from a short distance away: “Ruan Yao, come here.”

I hesitated for a moment, then walked over.

Jiang Qin took my hand, smiled, and said, “Dean Liu, Ruan Yao is my girlfriend. On your university forum, our relationship is described as ‘kept mistress’-isn’t that a bit much? She may not want to press charges, but I can’t just stand by. There are still some posts that haven’t been deleted. If the school doesn’t deal with it, I’ll have the Jiang Family’s lawyers handle the matter.”

I froze, unable to believe what he had just done.

But all I saw was the side of his face with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

Another winter arrived.

The streetlights on campus were bright. The leaves had not all fallen yet, but the cold wind made everything seem desolate.

All around us were students coming and going.

Jiang Qin had driven himself here.

Cars weren’t allowed on campus, so he parked just outside the boundary line.

He took my hand and put it in his coat pocket, strolling unhurriedly in that direction.

A sweet, creamy aroma drifted from a dessert shop that hadn’t closed yet. The festive decorations snapped me back to reality.

Christmas Eve was coming soon.

Jiang Qin stopped walking, turned me to face him, and took my other hand, his tone puzzled: “Why are your hands so cold?”

The streetlight cast his shadow to the side, his eyes lowered.

The way he warmed my hands was so natural, just like any ordinary campus couple.

But he was Jiang Qin.

This scene brought tears to my eyes.

All my life, no one had ever asked me,

Are you cold? Why are your hands so cold.