Initially, Li Qingshuang and Kuang Yuan had nearly reconciled.
However, they had another major falling out today.
The reason was their part-time job. Li Qingshuang had finished her shift first and used the money she earned to treat her roommates to dinner. Upon finding out, Kuang Yuan began a silent cold war.
Li Qingshuang assumed she was angry because she hadn’t waited for her. But she had sent a message on WeChat! What was there to be so angry about?
While one person stormed ahead in a fit of pique, Kuang Yuan could only follow silently behind.
In the past, Kuang Yuan would certainly have comforted her best friend. But now, she was uncharacteristically quiet. Perhaps after the argument with Xiao Yang, her emotions had become so turbulent and irritable that her personality had shifted; she no longer could be bothered to pay attention to others.
Wei You leaned against a tree, watching their push-and-pull with a mocking smile.
When Xu Youzhi arrived at the classroom, she saw Li Qingshuang and Kuang Yuan looking ashen-faced, ignoring each other. There was an empty seat between them.
It looked like they were saving it for Xu Youzhi, but in reality, neither wanted to sit next to the other.
Xu Youzhi felt bewildered. Another fight?
Even though Xu Youzhi was naive, she knew that Li Qingshuang treated Kuang Yuan far too well. Every time they went out for part-time work, she always gave her money to her. Yet, Kuang Yuan was incredibly generous toward Xiao Yang.
Kuang Yuan might appear gentle to everyone, but she could precisely manipulate any of Li Qingshuang’s emotions. The only person she ever argued with was Li Qingshuang. Thinking about it carefully, it was actually quite terrifying.
Yet, Li Qingshuang only seemed to sink deeper after every argument, showing no signs of waking up.
Xu Youzhi shrugged and headed out to the restroom.
As she left the classroom, she happened to see Wei You standing by the corridor, watching the beautiful girls dancing below. He suddenly looked up and met her eyes.
“Classmate.” Wei You wasn’t a student at Zhe University. The fact that he could come and go as he pleased meant he had his methods. Knowing he was definitely there to find her, Xu Youzhi decided to meet him in a nearby empty lecture hall for a talk.
“What do you want with me?” Xu Youzhi asked quietly.
“How did you and Sister Xun meet?” For many days, Wei You couldn’t figure out what type of person Jiang Ruoxun actually liked—male or female, old or young.
But from the first moment he saw Xu Youzhi, he understood a lot.
She liked the innocent ones, those easy to control. Wasn’t that what the entertainment industry called a “canary”?
Wei You looked intently at her face. It wasn’t breathtakingly stunning, but it was comfortable to look at. Her every frown and smile was gentle, like the vast tides of a spring river. And those innocent eyes—she was lethally pure.
“It’s a pity a face like yours isn’t being used to become a star.” Wei You stepped forward to touch Xu Youzhi’s face, but she dodged him.
Xu Youzhi frowned. To brazenly touch the face of an unfamiliar member of the opposite sex—this rich second-generation heir must be sick.
“What a pity. I can’t even call you a canary yet. You’re just a dog Jiang Ruoxun is keeping!” Wei You said resentfully. “I told you before, but you wouldn’t listen. Be careful not to be tricked and cry like a fool before you realize how truly despicable that woman is.”
“I won’t allow you to slander Sister.”
“Oh? Your relationship is so good you’re calling her ‘Sister’ now? She’s certainly thick-skinned. Isn’t she afraid of becoming a laughingstock for seducing a young girl?”
Although Wei You and Jiang Ruoxun both came from wealthy families, their values were worlds apart. Jiang Ruoxun’s philosophy was: if she couldn’t have it, she must find every way to get it. Wei You’s philosophy was: if I can’t have it, I’ll destroy it.
Jiang Ruoxun’s arrogant attitude had left him feeling suppressed for days. He had assumed she was like that toward everyone, which had eased his mind, but then he saw her walking hand-in-hand with a young girl, even sharing the same cup of milk tea.
Jealousy can drive a madman to total insanity. He could accept not having Jiang Ruoxun, but he absolutely would not allow anyone else to have her.
“Have you ever considered that the ‘Sister’ you like is actually someone’s mistress? She looks cold and noble, playing the part of a pure and lofty goddess, but in reality, behind the scenes, she’s like a dog selling smiles to men. She’ll even stick her rear up and wag her tail.”
Xu Youzhi didn’t show any anger. She looked at Wei You with a look of pity and burst out laughing.
“What are you laughing at?”
“Aren’t you just jealous because Sister and I can hold hands, eat together, and even sleep together? I forgot—you’ve never had those things, so you want to drive a wedge between us, right?” she questioned. She already loathed the arrogance of certain men, and her dislike for Wei You deepened.
She didn’t understand how a man could break down like this just seeing two women together. He was nothing but a clown.
“Xu Youzhi, shut the fuck up!” Wei You wanted to strike her, but Xu Youzhi easily dodged.
Though she was sometimes slow and blunt in her thinking, she was, after all, a student at a prestigious university. She had intelligence. Against someone like this, a bit of verbal output was enough to make them lose their mind.
“What? Why are you so angry? Is it because you can’t get Sister, so you’re taking it out on me? A grown man in his twenties picking on a college student who hasn’t even graduated—do you really think of yourself as a child?”
“Xu Youzhi, fuck your mother!!” Wei You had been pampered since childhood. He could get whatever he wanted, yet he had repeatedly stumbled over a girl younger than himself. For an arrogant young master, it was profoundly embarrassing.
Watching the person before her turn red in the face, the veins in his neck bulging with rage, Xu Youzhi smiled with a sense of triumph for the first time.
Just as she was about to turn and leave, Wei You suddenly calmed down and spoke from behind her: “Kid, I advise you to be smarter. Stay away from that woman. Otherwise, you’ll be cheated, bullied, and sold out without even knowing it. Don’t find yourself crying in bed when you finally realize.”
“You’re really good at slandering people.”
“As a student of Zhe University, how have you not heard the stories about her here? Even though there’s an age gap, with Jiang Ruoxun’s fame, those rumors should still be around.”
Xu Youzhi didn’t like listening to gossip. To her, rumors were just air.
“Childish,” Xu Youzhi said, mimicking Li Qingshuang’s tone and casting a contemptuous glance at him.
“Why don’t you guess why someone as cold as Jiang Ruoxun is getting close to you? She just wants to play with a naive college student. She played with so many people back in university, both men and women. You’re just an inexperienced child; she has plenty of ways to keep you in the palm of her hand. You are her plaything!”
By the time he finished his last sentence, Xu Youzhi had already walked away, but every word reached her ears clearly.
Xu Youzhi didn’t take the subway; she took the bus home. After the evening class, the lights outside were blurred and colorful.
Sitting by the window, she couldn’t help but lean her head against the glass. Her sighs were carried away bit by bit by the flow of traffic.
Was what he said true?
She checked Weibo and found news about Jiang Ruoxun. It mentioned her being in close contact with a “mysterious woman” and living in the same complex, implying a non-ordinary relationship.
Wasn’t that “mysterious woman” herself?
Watching the toxic fans begin to attack her style and appearance with vicious words, Xu Youzhi felt a sense of revulsion. This was the first time she had been spoken of so horribly.
As someone who desperately didn’t want public exposure, Xu Youzhi felt a wave of annoyance and panicked fear.
When she got home, she had a new friend request. It was from Wei You. He knew she wouldn’t accept it, so he added a note: I have something here you really want to know.
For some reason, that short sentence made Xu Youzhi’s heart skip a beat and pound incessantly.
After she accepted, Wei You sent several photos. Over a dozen were chat logs, and the last two were photos of his own upper body.
Wei You wasn’t trying to flirt by showing his body as leverage. Rather, there were hickeys and bruises on his skin—clear marks left from lovemaking.
Xu Youzhi’s heart jumped.
Below the photos was Wei You’s text:
— Do you see clearly now? — These are hickeys, kid! — Care to guess how they got there? — Naturally, our Best Actress Sister left them on me personally. — She used so much force, even grabbing my neck. — She said, “Puppy, why are you so obedient!”
Xu Youzhi’s heart pounded so hard she felt choked, unable to breathe, and her chest ached dully.
In her eyes, Jiang Ruoxun was a gentle sister who didn’t seem to belong to the mortal world. She couldn’t imagine her sleeping with someone. Now, with Wei You’s “evidence” torn open and placed before her, it felt as if Jiang Ruoxun’s image had collapsed, making it impossible to accept.
She scrolled through the chat logs. They were between him and Jiang Ruoxun. The timestamps were from two or three months ago. Jiang Ruoxun’s profile picture hadn’t changed; it didn’t look like Wei You had found someone to impersonate her.
The content shocked Xu Youzhi. Jiang Ruoxun’s subtle flirtation drove the “young wolf” into a frenzy of pursuit. It was like ambiguous whispers, an atmosphere filled with…
It was too explicit.
She never imagined that beneath that gentle exterior lay such a persona.
Xu Youzhi took a deep breath and turned toward Unit 902. Unfortunately, Jiang Ruoxun was still out at an event and hadn’t returned.
Xu Youzhi could only stand at the door, looking at her chat interface with Jiang Ruoxun. Her conversations with Jiang Ruoxun were completely different from the ones Wei You sent. Her Jiang Ruoxun was gentle and considerate, telling her to be careful, to rest, asking if she had eaten. But Wei You’s Jiang Ruoxun was seductive, arrogant, and played hard-to-get.
It had nothing to do with gentleness.
After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly walked back into her own home.
Ever since that time at the white sand beach, Jiang Ruoxun seemed to have someone deeply engraved in her heart.
Even though she was busy with advertisements now, she still wondered what Xu Youzhi was doing, what she ate, and if she was studying well. Normally, she never concerned herself with such things and rarely initiated chats, but this time, she was so enthusiastic it even felt strange to herself.
But what was even stranger was that Xu Youzhi didn’t seem very willing to talk to her. The reply times grew slower, and the messages consisted of only a few words.
Jiang Ruoxun had an uneasy feeling, but she felt awkward waiting at the door for Xu Youzhi to return just to ask for clarification. Every time she thought about it, she would eventually let out a disdainful scoff.
She’s just a kid; she doesn’t deserve my constant thoughts. Why should she be so preoccupied with one person?
That was, until she saw Xu Youzhi post a Moment on WeChat:
Out with Senior Sis! She bought me strawberry tanghulu; it’s delicious
The accompanying photo showed the tanghulu and a cute smiley face.
Seeing this, Jiang Ruoxun took a deep breath, her body feeling half-numb.
She actually has such a close “Senior Sis”?
As for this Senior, she was Tang Heng’s roommate. She had gone to the club to find Tang Heng and saw Xu Youzhi. Perhaps thinking the girl was very pretty, she wanted to get closer. Over time, they became friends.
When Tang Heng went shopping with his girlfriend, he would bring them along. Since the Senior had a good personality and spoke gently, Xu Youzhi liked her very much.
Xu Youzhi rarely posted on Moments; the only post involving someone else was about this Senior.
This left Jiang Ruoxun bewildered. She also realized that Xu Youzhi’s Moments didn’t feature her at all, even though the girl had said she liked her very much.
Jiang Ruoxun didn’t dare think further, but her mind wouldn’t obey. She stayed awake all night. When she went to Kaixin to sign a contract, Xu Ling was startled to see her rare dark circles.
“Did you not sleep well last night?” she asked.
Jiang Ruoxun acted as if she hadn’t heard: “Give me whatever work comes next. I need to distract myself.”
Xu Ling smiled: “It’s good that you think that way.” But she thought it was bizarre—did she have a fight with that girl?
In the afternoon, she drove her to a plaza for an event. Fans had heard the Best Actress would be appearing in person, and they packed the massive plaza until it was completely congested.
Jiang Ruoxun maintained her smile, speaking with the host and greeting the fans. Even though she knew Xu Youzhi wasn’t in the crowd, she still searched like looking for a needle in a haystack.
The next second, she tossed her head pridefully. This brat wasn’t worth her worrying.
But when she reached the backstage, she saw the staff for this event.
Taking a part-time job for a celebrity required confidentiality. Xu Youzhi didn’t know the celebrity for this event was Jiang Ruoxun; she was just bored over the weekend and came to work with her Senior.
She picked up a crate of mineral water. Seeing this, the Senior helped her lift it and smiled gently: “Youzhi, are you tired? Let me help you.”
Xu Youzhi smiled at her. Unintentionally, after just a few steps, they came face-to-face with Jiang Ruoxun and Xu Ling.