The girl holding the paintbrush lifted her delicate chin, revealing a beautiful and fragile face.
Her moist eyes resembled dew-soaked grapes, with a rounded shape and a slight upward tilt at the corners.
Even her flawless complexion was like a lightly sketched peony—though she wore no particular expression, it was enough to evoke pity in anyone who saw her.
Song Yanshi, in her high heels, stared straight at her.
She had just lied—she had known all along who Jiang Youwan was.
After all, who at S University didn’t know Jiang Youwan’s name?
During the freshman orientation, Jiang Youwan had worn a light beige linen dress, her makeup-free face like a newly bloomed lotus, dragging a large suitcase under the sun.
The moment she stood outside the freshman reception area, the seniors manning the booth were stunned. Soon, upperclassmen from nearly seven or eight nearby college reception desks swarmed over. The scene was captured by the photography club and remains legendary to this day.
But appearances can be deceiving. In just one night, Jiang Youwan’s past spread like wildfire across the university forum—
Old photos of her, stories of how she seduced married men, how she broke up families and was confronted by scorned wives.
According to the posts, Jiang Youwan led a chaotic private life, using her pretty face to ensnare countless people. Anonymous rumors like these were always questionable, but Jiang Youwan’s popularity was simply too high.
That night, the thread climbed thousands of replies, filled with a mix of true and false revelations. Some claimed to have known her before, others said they attended the same school, and a few even insisted they witnessed her being beaten by a scorned wife.
Accompanied by secretly taken photos, the frenzy of exposés reached its peak.
The freshman who had captivated everyone during the day had her image completely shattered overnight.
Shattered utterly, despised by all.
A flawless piece of white jade was smashed into pieces, splattering into foul-smelling mud.
No one would pick it up, and no one cared whether it was real or not.
The curiosity of onlookers had been satisfied. They gleefully spat on it, hurling vulgar and malicious words, and before leaving, made sure to stomp on it one last time.
After all, they had witnessed the lofty flower fall into the mire with their own eyes.
They would even whisper in midnight conversations, using a disgusting and vulgar tone:
“Wearing a white dress on the first day—who was she trying to seduce?”
“With a face like that, she’s probably been passed around already.”
“Exactly, who’d want to chase her? I don’t want second-hand goods!”
“Just for fun, then. I’ll take my turn tomorrow…”
“So provocative, she’d be easy to get…”
Countless scrutinizing gazes, countless explicit stares and suggestive whispers.
They looked down from their high horses, revealing their sense of superiority:
“Who would want someone like you?”
“Why not just date me obediently?”
“Stop pretending! So fake and aloof…”
“Just another gold-digging trick…”
Men slandered her yet desired to possess her, and the rumors grew increasingly vile.
Later, even the girls who had once been close to her began to keep their distance.
After all, no one wanted their photo taken with Jiang Youwan and then posted on confession walls and anonymous forums, to be fantasized about by countless men hiding behind human facades.
Jiang Youwan’s reputation was utterly ruined.
It wasn’t until a certain day in the second semester of freshman year, when the school strengthened information supervision, that those posts completely disappeared.
Song Yanshi snapped back to reality, her gaze falling on Jiang Youwan’s face.
She and Jiang Youwan were in the same grade and had witnessed the entire incident unfold.
Her boyfriend was the student council president and a top student in the software engineering department. He had once told her—
These posts that vanished overnight, along with the subsequent comments about “Jiang Youwan” that could no longer be posted, were something the school administrators absolutely could not have managed.
Who knows what method Jiang Youwan used.
Probably she had latched onto some wealthy and powerful big shot again. After all, when it came to being a homewrecker, Jiang Youwan was already an old hand.
Song Yanshi kicked away an eyesore of an easel in the art studio. The wood collided with her high heels, sending a dull pain through her, jolting her awake and preventing her from being bewitched by Jiang Youwan’s top-tier innocent face.
Everyone was right—Jiang Youwan only looked pure and pitiful on the surface, but in reality, she was thoroughly rotten inside.
“Jiang Youwan, is trampling on other people’s sincerity really that fun?”
The crisp sound of high heels echoed on the floor as the tall girl stood before Jiang Youwan, her expression grim.
“It’s true that Mu Jia’en has been pursuing your boyfriend, and her behavior is wrong. But hasn’t your boyfriend been rejecting her all along?”
“You can dislike Mu Jia’en, and you can criticize her, but if you have a problem, face it head-on. Stop pretending not to care on the surface while secretly resorting to so many vicious tricks!”
The girl being questioned slightly lifted her pretty little face, her soft voice exceptionally calm.
“What tricks have I used?”
“What tricks have you used?!”
Song Yanshi was so angry she laughed, thinking of how Mu Jia’en had come to her drenched and crying. Her bright face darkened further.
“This is still on campus, and you dared to physically attack Mu Jia’en! Her face was red from your slaps, you pushed her to the ground and got her covered in dirty water, and she was soaked all over! There’s a cut over ten centimeters long on her arm—dare you say it wasn’t you who did it with a craft knife today?”
“If you dared to use a craft knife on her today, would you dare to stab her with a kitchen knife tomorrow?”
The delicate and beautiful girl standing before her slightly furrowed her brows. Perhaps Jiang Youwan was just too beautiful—even this expression looked exceptionally elegant. Her rosy lips parted, uttering a few words coolly and calmly.
“It wasn’t me.”
“If it wasn’t you, then who was it? Stop pretending here! I warn you—”
Song Yanshi reached out and pinched Jiang Youwan’s chin. Her cat-eye-effect manicured nails pressed against the girl’s slender, fair skin, the softness under her fingertips feeling almost too tender, like freshly set soft tofu.
Song Yanshi froze, the words she hadn’t finished suddenly stuck in her throat.
In her daze, Jiang Youwan had already slapped her hand away.
“I already said, it wasn’t me.”
“Think whatever you want, but everything requires evidence. If you say I did it, then go check the school’s surveillance footage. Do whatever you want, but come back when you have proof.”
Long after Jiang Youwan had finished speaking, Song Yanshi, still in her high heels, remained stunned.
She even stared somewhat uncharacteristically at the hand that had just been swatted away, while her bright and beautiful face gradually flushed red.
“Yanshi-jie?”
The group that had followed Song Yanshi in called out to her from behind. Song Yanshi snapped back to reality instantly, her face flushed as she looked at the young girl before her.
“What did you say?”
The girl’s beautiful eyes gazed at her calmly, even with a hint of exasperation.
Song Yanshi’s words caught in her throat. With a reddened face, she blurted out, “No one leaves, wait for me here,” then quickly fled in a fluster, her high heels clattering as she rushed away.
Her lackeys exchanged bewildered glances, rooted to the spot—
Weren’t they supposed to come in with a fierce attitude, ready to teach Jiang Youwan a lesson and stand up for their junior? Was that it??
The stunned lackeys stood in the art studio, with only the one closest to Song Yanshi following her out—
Song Yanshi had absolutely no resistance to soft, pretty girls. She must have gone out to vent and calm down.
At the stairwell corner.
“She’s so adorable! How can she be so beautiful!”
Song Yanshi shook her lackey’s shoulders, wildly praising:
“Holy crap, you have no idea how soft her face is! Ahhhhh, I couldn’t even bring myself to scold her—”
The lackey wore a complicated expression, her body swaying back and forth like a wave from all the shaking.
But before she could finish her lament, another familiar voice rang out,
“Yanshi-jie, come quick!”
“They’ve already started fighting!”