The Power of Money: Turning the Campus Belle into a Simp

After a long while.

Su Bai leaned against the window, holding the fragrant shoulder of the beauty in his arms.

In the past, when he came across descriptions like "fragrant shoulder" in literature, he never felt any connection—after all, he had never experienced it firsthand.

But now, he realized how fitting the phrase truly was!

A wave of happiness and excitement rose in his heart.

Was this what it felt like to have a girl’s wholehearted, first love?

It was wonderful.

As Su Bai rested, Zhou Jialu suddenly got up.

"What’s wrong?" Su Bai asked. "Not going to lie down a bit longer? It’s still early for lunch."

"You naughty junior, you’ve smudged my makeup! I need to fix it now, or else we’ll be in a rush when we get hungry and want to go out later," Zhou Jialu said, shooting him an exasperated yet charming glare before heading to the bathroom.

Su Bai couldn’t help but recall the earlier scene.

...

Caught off guard, Zhou Jialu’s makeup had ended up ruined.

After about half an hour, Zhou Jialu finally freshened up and returned to sit on the edge of the bed.

Seeing Su Bai about to misbehave again, she quickly chided him, "Let’s think about what to eat for lunch first, or maybe go out for a walk. Doing that all the time isn’t good for your health, junior."

"You care so much about me, senior?"

"Of course! You’re my future support—of course I want you to stay healthy."

Zhou Jialu said it playfully, but her words carried genuine sincerity.

She wasn’t the type to live recklessly for momentary pleasure; she intended to stay by Su Bai’s side for the long haul.

Pleased, Su Bai gently kissed her smooth forehead and made plans. "Then help me move. After that, we’ll find a place nearby to eat."

"Move? Did you find a long-term place?" Zhou Jialu’s eyes lit up.

"Yeah, a serviced apartment not far from campus."

They got straight to it.

Su Bai packed up his things from the hotel, and the front desk called two staff members to help load everything into the car.

There wasn’t much—mostly Zhou Jialu’s clothes and the ¥100,000 computer, along with some daily essentials Su Bai had brought from his dorm over the past few days.

Now that he’d be living off-campus full-time, the dorm would just be an occasional stop.

This was where the practicality of an SUV came in—perfect for hauling things.

One trip was enough to move everything.

Why was the famous Porsche Cayenne so popular among contractors and factory owners?

Because of its spacious interior and load capacity—it could even double as a makeshift pickup truck in a pinch.

The Mercedes GLE was also a solid choice. For Su Bai, at least, it would be more than enough for trips and camping.

On the way, Zhou Jialu looked up the apartment’s pricing and asked curiously, "Junior, this place can’t be cheap, right? How much is the monthly rent?"

"I paid for the whole year upfront—¥1.33 million, all-inclusive."

"..."

"What, senior? Does it seem strange that I’d rent despite having money?"

"Not strange at all! But your idea of ‘renting’ is completely different from ordinary people’s!" Zhou Jialu stuck out her tongue.

¥1.33 million was enough to buy a modest starter home in Jiangcheng’s suburbs—what people called an "entry-level" property for newlyweds.

Sure, the location might not be prime, and the space might be tight, but it’d be enough for a young couple to settle down in the city.

Yet for many fresh graduates, even scraping together a down payment was a struggle, often requiring parental help.

But for Su Bai? This was just a year’s worth of living expenses—pure indulgence.

A single year of comfortable housing cost as much as a frugal couple might save over a decade.

And he’d made the decision so casually, without a second thought.

Once again, Zhou Jialu’s heart was struck with awe.

Her understanding of Su Bai deepened...

The duplex spanned 300 square meters, with exquisite decor and premium services included.

Zhou Jialu immediately grasped the appeal.

Given Su Bai’s standards, if he ever bought property, it’d have to be a top-tier development with custom renovations.

Ordinary homes wouldn’t cut it—better to rent than settle.

But scouting locations and overseeing renovations took time.

For now, the Ascott’s luxury duplex was the perfect choice—effortless convenience.

The rest of the morning was spent settling into the new "home."

This was Su Bai’s first proper residence in Jiangcheng—calling it a home wasn’t wrong.

The Marriott didn’t count; it was too businesslike. As Xia Lin had said, staying there too long made you feel untethered, like you were floating.

Meanwhile, Zhou Jialu embraced her role as the lady of the house, exploring every corner of the 300-square-meter space.

"Senior, I’m having lunch with someone else later. Do you want to order delivery, or...?"

Once everything was in place, a message came from Xia Lin—she’d finished her errands and was driving over to the Ascott.

So Su Bai asked for Zhou Jialu’s preference.

A flicker of surprise crossed her face, but she quickly smiled. "No problem, I’ll just order something. I’ll wait for you to come back~"

With that, she wrapped her arms around Su Bai’s neck, stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, her eyes brimming with reluctant affection.

Su Bai smirked. "Aren’t you going to ask who I’m eating with?"

"If you’re not telling me, it’s because you don’t want to. It’s fine—like I said before, I don’t expect to monopolize your love life. As long as I have a place in your heart, that’s enough~"

"Good girl."

Su Bai couldn’t resist praising her, ruffling her hair.

Was this the power of money? To make a campus belle act like an infatuated, devoted admirer, willingly lowering her pride and turning a blind eye to his other romantic entanglements?

"Actually, I don’t mind telling you. It’s just our class advisor, Xia Lin. She helped me check out this place earlier. Seems like her family’s pretty well-off—she knows her stuff about high-end living."

"Xia Lin? I know her." Zhou Jialu grinned mischievously. "She was a campus belle back in her undergrad days—tons of guys chased her, but she turned them all down. If she agreed to let you treat her to lunch, she must really like you, junior."

"...Cut it out. It’s just to thank her for the help."

"Sure, sure. Junior’s such a gentleman—never has any ulterior motives with the girls around him!"

Seeing Zhou Jialu’s teasing, Su Bai was both amused and exasperated.

Had she gotten cocky right after being praised for her maturity?

Punishment was in order—definitely.

Only then did Su Bai set off to meet Xia Lin for lunch.