Read Novel Full Chapter 163 Part 1 – The End (I)
Chapter 163 Part 1 – The End (I)
The year she graduated from university, Jiang Li was already twenty-three, well past the legal age for marriage. Although she wasn’t planning on tying the knot any time soon, receiving a wedding invitation from a high school classmate still stirred a small wave of excitement in her.
Pang Ju wasn’t just her classmate; she had also been her deskmate in high school and her roommate for three years. Their relationship had been quite good.
In Jiang Li’s memory, Pang Ju had always been a quiet, reserved girl who spent nearly all her time studying. After evening study sessions, she’d return to the dorm and often stay up reading late into the night. The very model of a hardworking student.
After graduation, Jiang Li and Pang Ju didn’t really stay in touch, but every year during the New Year holiday, Pang Ju would send her a greeting message, and Jiang Li would always respond. So their connection was never completely broken.
She was actually quite curious about what kind of guy Pang Ju would end up marrying.
Once she arrived in the town, Jiang Li went straight to the hotel that Pang Ju had booked beforehand. The moment she saw Pang Ju, she almost didn’t recognize her. The girl who greeted her didn’t look anything like the deskmate she remembered from high school.
Jiang Li recalled Pang Ju having a rounder face and a slightly chubby figure. Because she often stayed up late studying, she usually looked tired and frequently had breakouts on her face.
But the girl in front of her now had a slender figure, and while her facial features hadn’t changed much, her hairstyle and makeup made her look completely different, like a different person altogether.
Jiang Li was genuinely stunned by Pang Ju’s transformation, but she quickly recovered and smiled. “You’ve become so pretty! I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Pang Ju warmly held her hand. “You haven’t changed much. Still as beautiful as ever.”
After exchanging greetings with Tong Yi, she introduced Jiang Li to her husband, then began reminiscing about their high school days, especially emphasizing how much help Jiang Li had given her back then.
Jiang Li laughed. “Just a bit of tutoring—nothing as big a deal as you make it sound.”
Pang Ju looked at her gratefully. “Before I met you, I was called ‘Fatty Ju’ for three years. If you hadn’t stopped Zhang Qingqing, that nickname might’ve stuck with me all through three years of high school.”
To Jiang Li, that might have been just a trivial moment, but to Pang Ju, it was something that truly mattered.
Jiang Li hadn’t expected Pang Ju to remember that. Back then, she had intervened because she could tell Pang Ju cared a lot about that nickname, but didn’t have the courage to speak up for herself.
Looking at the Pang Ju of that time, she was reminded of the original ‘Jiang Li.’ In the novel, she had also endured a humiliating nickname for three years.
‘Jiang Li’ had matured early and was taller than average, which led to a slight hunch. After being taken in by the Jiang family, her self-esteem took a huge hit, and her posture got even worse.
In high school, other students would gossip about her behind her back and even gave her the nickname “Ostrich.” They all knew she was sensitive about it, but didn’t care—in fact, some even called her that to her face. Every time they did, it was a blow to her.
Just like ‘Jiang Li,’ Pang Ju must have also felt that same sting. So Jiang Li just couldn’t stay quiet and do nothing.
Seeing Jiang Li lost in thought, Pang Ju smiled. “If it hadn’t been for you, I would’ve been so much more self-conscious those three years. Even though it’s all in the past now, I’m still really grateful.”
During the first semester of high school, Pang Ju had felt like she couldn’t keep up with the teachers, while the city kids around her handled everything with ease. They all had their own special talents, while she struggled with even the basics. All of this struggle hit on her self-esteem, causing her to feel inferior.
But Jiang Li, the top student in the entire school, had never looked down on her. Every time Pang Ju asked a question, Jiang Li would patiently explain, no matter how simple it was. She never made Pang Ju feel dumb.
For those three years, Jiang Li had been her guiding light. And as for her other source of light… that had been her secret crush, something she had never dared to confess. But that was all in the past now.
Jiang Li was warmly welcomed by the Pang family, and that night, she and Tong Yi stayed at the hotel to attend the wedding the next day.
On the day of the wedding, Jiang Li noticed that not many high school classmates had shown up. But all the girls who had shared the same dorm with her back then were present.
Wang Simin was especially excited to see Jiang Li. But she no longer teased her about sharing her “academic halo.” Instead, she chatted quietly about amusing stories from daily life, vented a little about the struggles of being a corporate worker, and said she was jealous of Jiang Li being a big shot in the academic world.
Shen Mian and Zhang Qingqing were as loud and animated as ever. They had gone to the same university and now worked at the same company. They still seemed close. At first, their conversation was normal, but it soon devolved into mutual roasting.
Zhang Qingqing said Shen Mian had poor judgment and once got cheated on, after which she chased the guy down five streets with a knife. The incident caused such a stir that the police got involved, and she became infamous on campus. Afterward, no guy dared to date her again.
Shen Mian fired back that Zhang Qingqing didn’t know how to maintain boundaries with guys, which led to a messy “three guys fighting over one girl” situation that lit up the school forum for a whole month.
Jiang Li and Wang Simin exchanged glances, both visibly surprised. They hadn’t expected these two to have such dramatic lives. But then again, given their personalities, it probably was inevitable.
Wang Simin glanced at the bride on stage, then leaned close to Jiang Li and asked quietly, “Do you know which boy from our high school Pang Ju used to have a crush on?”
Jiang Li looked stunned, then confidently replied, “She was all about studying. If she had a crush, it was probably on Planck.”
Tong Yi couldn’t help chiming in, “Why not Einstein?”
Jiang Li grinned. “Because young Planck was the most handsome guy in physics.”
Tong Yi raised an eyebrow. “More handsome than me?”
Jiang Li nodded solemnly. “Of course.”
Ahem, it was just a photo anyway. In real life, living and breathing Commander Tong was clearly more attractive.
Tong Yi didn’t mind. He simply smiled and asked, “More handsome than your Third Uncle?”
Jiang Li ignored him and turned to Wang Simin. “So was it Planck or not?”
Wang Simin laughed and shook her head. “Nope. It was someone you were actually pretty close to.”
Jiang Li blinked in surprise. “There was a real person?”
Wang Simin leaned in and whispered, “Qin Zheng.”
Seeing her so shocked, Wang Simin couldn’t help but laugh. “She always hid it really well. I didn’t notice at first either, but during a class reunion after graduation, we were playing truth or dare. Someone asked if she had ever liked anyone, and she glanced at Qin Zheng before quietly opting out of the game.”
Jiang Li: “…”
She’d always considered herself pretty observant, but clearly, she was nowhere near Wang Simin’s level.
Wang Simin patted her shoulder. “You’re always slow when it comes to romance. You barely pay attention to your own love life, let alone anyone else’s.”
Jiang Li raised an eyebrow. “Who told you I’m slow in that area?”
Wang Simin blinked. “Then did you ever notice that my brother used to have a thing for you?”
Before Jiang Li could respond, Tong Yi frowned. “Isn’t it a bit rude to be talking about this right in front of me?”
Wang Simin immediately said, “It’s ancient history. My brother’s been married for two years now. You don’t need to worry about any surprise love rivals popping up.”
Tong Yi clicked his tongue. “Me? Worried about love rivals? Don’t you kn—”
Catching Jiang Li’s dangerous smile, he quickly changed his tone: “Even if there were a hundred rivals, our Jiang Xiao Li wouldn’t spare them a glance. I’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Wang Simin couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Back then, my brother just talked to Jiang Li a few extra times, and you were already dripping sour! You were totally insecure!”
Images of past interactions with Wang Simin’s brother surfaced in Jiang Li’s mind. After a few seconds, she turned to look at Tong Yi and grinned. “I never realized you had such potential to act like a jealous little green tea.”
Tong Yi: “…”
These old stories didn’t need to be brought up again, really!
He decisively changed the subject. “Wait here, I’ll go grab the bouquet for you!”
After Tong Yi left, Shen Mian leaned over to Jiang Li and whispered, “Do you know who Jiang Ruo is dating now?”
Jiang Li thought for a moment and said, “Well, definitely not Qin Zheng.”
“Of course not Qin Zheng. But it’s someone you know. Want to guess?”
Jiang Li shook her head. “No idea.”
Seeing she wasn’t particularly interested, Shen Mian stopped being mysterious. “I never would’ve guessed either, but she’s with Zhou Li.”
Worried Jiang Li might not remember who that was, she helpfully added, “The guy who sat in front of you in junior high. The only one in our class who didn’t make it into a top high school.”
Jiang Li was surprised. “Then?”
Shen Mian’s eyes sparkled with gossip. “They’ve been dating for years, but Zhou Li’s parents were completely against them getting married. So he stole the household registration book and secretly registered the marriage with Jiang Ruo. It pissed his dad off so much that he had a stroke. Really dramatic.”
Jiang Li: “…”
Jiang Ruo was indeed very capable, she admitted that. But since it had nothing to do with her, she didn’t intend to comment.
Shen Mian, however, kept going. “The worst part isn’t that—Zhou Li turned out to be violent. After his dad’s stroke left him disabled, he started taking his anger out on Jiang Ruo. She tried to divorce him, but he refused. Total scumbag.”
Tang Rou murmured, “Didn’t you use to be pretty close with Zhou Li back in junior high?”
Shen Mian immediately waved her hands. “That was a hundred years ago! How could I have known he’d turn out to be such a psycho? Abusive trash like him should be dealt with by the police.”
Listening to them, Jiang Li felt a bit of complex emotion. Who could have expected the novel’s sweet female lead to end up in a domestic abuse situation?
She knew this was the butterfly effect caused by her transmigration, but she didn’t feel sorry for Jiang Ruo. If she hadn’t been here, the original ‘Jiang Li’ fate would’ve been far worse than Jiang Ruo’s.
While she was lost in thought, Tong Yi returned, bouquet in hand. He shoved it into her arms with a grin. “I heard that if you catch the bouquet and give it to the one you love, you’ll be the next to get married. No idea if it’s true.”
Jiang Li looked at him, smiling. “Don’t tell me you’re planning to propose with this bouquet?”
Tong Yi immediately shook his head. “Of course not. I’d at least have to wait until your Third Uncle gives his blessing.”
Jiang Li: “…”
She was only joking, but Tong Yi took it seriously.
But really, if her Third Uncle were against their relationship, he would’ve broken Tong Yi’s legs the moment he moved into her villa.
Since that never happened, it was basically a silent approval. But asking for a verbal blessing? That might be a bit too much.
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