On the dimly lit playground, Kong Yinmeng stood impatiently, waiting for Hao Bin to pass by. It had taken her a long time to finally muster the courage to confess her feelings to him again.
But instead, she saw *them*. He walked right past her with a girl from the next class, the two of them chatting so happily that they didn’t even notice her presence.
In that instant, she suddenly and completely abandoned her plan to confess. Perhaps being a silent admirer wasn’t so bad after all.
Her luck had always been good; she could get whatever she wanted. Yet Hao Bin was the one thing she could never have. In everyone else’s eyes, he was nothing special just an ordinary guy.
No one knew why she couldn’t forget him, nor why she found it impossible to date another man while he still held a place in her heart.
The morning sun spilled across the earth as Kong Yinmeng woke from her dream, her eyes moist. In her sleep, she had returned to her school days, reliving the humility of her past.
She could now be certain that she truly loved Hao Bin. The love of youth was pure and unadulterated. It was only later that she learned the art of letting go, knowing that this love would never bear fruit.
She could only bury her feelings deep in her heart and slowly let them fade, until now, when she could finally accept another man’s kindness.
“Hey, Mengmeng, why are you calling so early?” Lu Fangcao felt Kong Yinmeng had been acting very strange lately, constantly waking her up from her dreams.
Yesterday, she had rushed over like a fool, only to be told that the person was just getting some fresh air on the roof and had no intention of doing anything reckless. She had overthought the whole thing.
The incident had inexplicably brought them back together. She dragged herself out of bed, walked into the living room to answer the phone, and couldn’t stop yawning.
“I’ll transfer fifty thousand yuan to you. Find a trustworthy classmate to forward it to Hao Bin. Don’t tell him it’s from me. Just consider it… a way to bring closure.” Closure for all those years of disturbance she had caused him.
Lu Fangcao wanted to give her a piece of her mind, but then she thought about how hard Kong Yinmeng had it all these years. She had finally made some progress with Zheng Yi.
“I can help you with this, but you absolutely cannot tell Zheng Yi. From my years of experience, men are creatures who absolutely hate it when their women have dealings with other men. Your relationship isn’t strong enough yet. The slightest breeze could send your cooked duck flying away!”
Lu Fangcao had waited so long for a chance to get close to her idol; she couldn’t let it go to waste.
“What if he finds out later?” Kong Yinmeng had no intention of keeping this from Zheng Yi. She planned to tell him the next time they chatted.
She wasn’t giving this money because she still harbored feelings for Hao Bin; she just wanted to make a clean break from her past. Although she didn’t care for Xiao Ya’s personality, the child she was carrying was innocent.
At this moment, Kong Yinmeng felt like the reincarnation of a saint.
“If you don’t say anything and I don’t say anything, how is he ever going to find out? Just deny it to the death if he asks. Alright, send the money over, and I’ll get you the contact person.”
Lu Fangcao hung up the phone the instant she saw Xi Pingzhi standing in the bedroom doorway.
“You’re awake? Why didn’t you make a sound? Hurry up, get your stuff and get lost. I’m going back to sleep.”
She could never sleep well with a man around. Her skin had been looking terrible lately, which was why she’d been so quick to bring up breaking up she just wanted a good night’s rest.
“Are we back together?” Xi Pingzhi walked over and hugged her, his voice so low it was almost heartbreaking.
But… was Lu Fangcao the kind of woman who would fall for the same trick twice? She had gradually realized that Xi Pingzhi was a “black-bellied” wolf in sheep’s clothing. He looked like a sunny, sweet little puppy, but in reality, his schemes ran deep.
“You’re overthinking this. At most, we’re just fuck buddies, not boyfriend and girlfriend. So you have no right to control who I see. Xi Pingzhi, the thing I hate most in this world is being restrained. If you’re trying to use your status as my boyfriend to make me submit, you’re dead wrong. I’m not giving up the whole forest for you!”
She still couldn’t figure out why this kid had set his sights on her. Love? What kind of love does a barely-legal kid even know?
He’s probably just attracted to my looks, she thought.
Xi Pingzhi slowly withdrew his hand, his lips pressed together in a conflicted line. “Then call me the next time you need anything. No matter when, I’ll come to you.”
The passion of young love was so intense it felt suffocating. Lu Fangcao watched him leave, then let out a seemingly carefree laugh. After contacting her old classmate to send money to Hao Bin, she burrowed back into her covers and fell asleep.
“Liu Zhi, tell me the truth where did you get this money?” Hao Bin called Liu Zhi immediately after receiving the transfer, demanding to know the source.
He had lent Liu Zhi money before, but everyone was struggling, so he’d only given him 10,000. Now, Liu Zhi had suddenly sent him 50,000. This definitely wasn’t his own money.
“She doesn’t want anyone to know, so just use it for now. When you have the money, give it back to me, and I’ll return it to her.”
Liu Zhi and Lu Fangcao had been good friends since their school days, getting along well but never feeling any romantic spark. Because their relationship was purely platonic, they had stayed in touch, though their busy lives meant they rarely saw each other anymore.
“Did Kong Yinmeng ask you to give this to me?” Hao Bin guessed the source of the money, not knowing how. He had dealt with many people recently, but Kong Yinmeng was the only one who could afford to lend him such a sum.
Liu Zhi remained silent for a few seconds, which Hao Bin took as confirmation. While Liu Zhi was close with Lu Fangcao, he was also Hao Bin’s good buddy.
“Brother, take my advice,” Liu Zhi said. “Don’t dwell on what’s passed. Just focus on living a good life with your wife. The fact that she can lend you money is already a blessing. Don’t overthink it.”
Liu Zhi was worried Hao Bin might harbor ulterior motives. Many of their classmates had rushed into marriages only to end up divorced, and he couldn’t stand by and watch Hao Bin head down the same path.
Though he didn’t particularly like Xiao Ya either she didn’t seem to care much for Hao Bin, and her reputation was far from spotless it felt more like Hao Bin had been trapped by her.
The wedding and the apartment alone had cost nearly 500,000 yuan. The apartment wouldn’t even be ready for another six months. In the meantime, Xiao Ya, pregnant and living at Hao Bin’s parents’ house, bossed them around relentlessly.
Liu Zhi knew that if he had married a woman like her, he would never have tolerated her behavior.
After hanging up, Hao Bin stared blankly at the transfer notification on his phone, so absorbed that he didn’t even notice Xiao Ya approaching from behind.
She suddenly snatched the phone from his hand. “Fifty thousand yuan! Who’s being so generous? I’ve gained weight lately and none of my old clothes fit anymore. Transfer it to my account—I need to buy some new clothes.”
Hao Bin snatched the phone back, his face darkening. “That money is for your hospital bills and the baby’s formula. It’s safer if I keep it.”
“Hao Bin, what’s that supposed to mean? Are you accusing me of wasting money?” Xiao Ya chased him, trying to start another argument, but Hao Bin ignored her completely. She had developed a habit of throwing tantrums lately.
His mother always said all pregnant women were like this and that he should just bear it, but he knew better. This was just her true nature, only amplified by the pregnancy.
The thought of spending the rest of his life with a woman who constantly picked fights drained him of all motivation.
The 50,000 yuan caused turmoil in Hao Bin’s household for days. Xiao Ya tried several times to transfer the money to her own account, but she never succeeded.
However, she learned the truth about the money while Hao Bin was out drinking. Xiao Ya, heavily pregnant, finally understood why she wasn’t allowed to spend it.
Kong Yinmeng was waiting at her computer for the second episode to air. The show released one episode every Saturday, and the previous one had far surpassed its competitors in ratings.
Rumor had it that the production team had increased their budget several times over. Otherwise, Xiao Wu wouldn’t have been so happy to treat everyone to a meal.
The episode was scheduled to air in half an hour. She had just returned from the restroom and was about to sit down when her phone rang.
“Mom, did you miss me?”
“Mengmeng! Your mother was attacked! She’s being rushed to City Hospital right now. You need to get there immediately!”
Kong Yinmeng recognized Aunt Ma’s voice on the other end. Without even taking the time to shut down her computer, she grabbed her keys and ran out. As she hurried downstairs, she asked, “What happened?”
“Hao Bin’s wife has gone mad or something. She suddenly burst into your house, smashing things and screaming that you’re a shameless woman who seduced her husband. Your mother tried to reason with her, but the woman pushed her. She fell right down the steps and hit her head. She’s bleeding a lot. Mengmeng, are you driving? Please drive slowly. The nurse said it’s not serious, so don’t rush and get into an accident yourself!”
Hearing the car horn, Aunt Ma remembered that Kong Yinmeng was driving. Older people knew all too well that panicking in a crisis often led to accidents.
“I’m okay, Aunt Ma. Thank you for telling me. I’m on my way to the hospital now.” Kong Yinmeng’s heart was pounding. Her mother had high blood pressure and had retired early to recover at home.
The traffic was congested. She honked her horn several times in frustration. While waiting at a red light, she called Lu Fangcao.
“Help me find out what’s going on with Hao Bin. Why did his wife run to my house and attack my mother? If he can’t explain this clearly, I won’t hesitate to call the police and have his wife arrested!”
Kong Yinmeng cursed her own “Saint Mother” complex. If she hadn’t impulsively lent the money, that woman wouldn’t have gone mad.
She had just arrived at the hospital and was waiting for the ambulance at the entrance when Lu Fangcao sent her a video. Without a second thought, she tapped it open and learned just how invincible a person could be when they shed all shame.
In the video, Xiao Ya accused her of destroying someone’s family, using her wealth to force her husband to divorce her while she was pregnant. She claimed that when she went to confront Kong Yinmeng’s mother in a fit of rage, the mother, knowing she was in the wrong, deliberately fell to the ground to extort her.
The phone rang. “Damn it! How can anyone be this shameless? Mengmeng, where are you? I’m coming to find you. We’ll figure this out together we can’t let that bitch bully us!”
The last time Lu Fangcao had been this angry was years ago. As she grew older, fewer things could truly infuriate her.
Xiao Ya’s actions had struck a nerve. Even if Kong Yinmeng decided to drop it, Lu Fangcao would pursue this to the end!