Shen Jinyao didn’t think twice—she lifted her foot to run, but the strap of her bag was seized tightly from behind, and she was hoisted up like a baby chick.
Xie Zhiyi?
“Bro, you two… what are you two doing?”
Shen Jinyao gritted her teeth. “He’s having a fit of madness.”
Xie Zhiyi looked at He Zongye, who merely gave him a faint glance.
Xie Zhiyi rubbed the back of his head. “Well, I won’t meddle in whatever’s going on between you two. I’ll go check on Xie Zhiyu.”
The group pretended not to see anything and filed into the private room in a rush.
Shen Jinyao deflated, resignedly turning around to glare at him. “What do you want?”
He Zongye raised an eyebrow, hands in his pockets, exuding an air of aristocratic nonchalance. “What do you think?”
Shen Jinyao clutched her canvas bag strap tightly. “So petty. It was an accident—I just happened to glance at you. Are you really going to make a fuss over that?”
He Zongye’s lips curved upward at her brazen confidence. “Is my body something anyone can just look at?”
Shen Jinyao: “…”
What was he playing at, acting like some virtuous maiden? Besides, who even wanted to look at him?
“Honestly, I didn’t see anything at all. And it’s been so long, I don’t even remember it. Don’t worry—I definitely won’t let your precious body leak out, Young Master He.”
He Zongye’s dark eyes narrowed slightly, and he suddenly stepped closer. Shen Jinyao backed away defensively.
Those big, beautiful eyes glared at him. “What are you doing? I’m telling you, there are cameras here. If you dare lay a hand on me, I’ll have my parents beat you to death.”
He Zongye’s face was expressionless, his cold, handsome features looking rather intimidating in that moment.
She was backed into a corner, watching him slowly lower his head. The scent of mint and cedarwood enveloped her from every angle, and the memories she had deliberately buried came flooding back like a raging tide.
Her face flushed crimson in an instant, the heat spreading to the tips of her ears.
The gentle, lingering face of the boy from her dreams appeared right before her eyes. Shen Jinyao pressed her back against the cold wall, her lashes trembling uncontrollably.
He Zongye suddenly let out a soft laugh, staring at her. “Sure you don’t remember?”
Shen Jinyao’s eyes darted away, biting her lip in silence.
She really wasn’t good at lying. Every flustered glance and expression betrayed her, especially in such a hopeless situation.
He Zongye propped one hand against the wall beside her ear, his usually stern face breaking into a roguish grin. “Your face is so red. Looks like you’ve been fantasizing about my body quite a bit in secret.”
Exposed, Shen Jinyao panicked. “Who’s fantasizing about you?!”
Her voice was so loud it echoed down the hallway. A few passersby overheard and couldn’t help but glance over, despite trying to mind their own business.
In a high-end club like this, rich young men fooling around with women was nothing new—everyone was used to it—but this remark was certainly intriguing.
The moment the words left her mouth, Shen Jinyao wanted to die.
Wuwuwu, she didn’t want to live anymore. She wanted to escape this world.
Her head sank lower and lower as she hugged her bag to her chest, her chin resting on it, revealing the fair, delicate nape of her neck with a few stray strands of hair falling over it. Her small earlobes were flushed cherry-red, making her look gentle and obedient.
He Zongye’s gaze deepened, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “If you didn’t, then you didn’t. Why get so worked up?”
“Why won’t you look at me?”
“Did I hit the mark?”
Shen Jinyao looked up, glaring at him with shame and indignation, and said in a low voice, “He Zongye, don’t go too far.”
He Zongye tilted his head to look at her. “I’ve always gone too far.”
Shen Jinyao: “…” He certainly wasn’t modest.
He Zongye leisurely pulled out his phone and tapped on it. “What do you think would happen if I spread this video around? Little princess, your reputation would be just as ruined as mine.”
Shen Jinyao stared at the surveillance footage on his phone, her eyes widening in disbelief. “You’re a pervert! You installed cameras in your bedroom?”
“I’m always cautious. What’s wrong with having cameras in my own room? It’s not like it’s your room—does it bother you?”
Shen Jinyao was as frantic as an ant on a hot pan. “What good would it do you to send it out? Aren’t you afraid?”
“I can blur myself out.”
Shen Jinyao was too shocked to speak.
How could his skin be so thick? To actually say something like that.
Shen Jinyao clenched her teeth in humiliation, speaking one word at a time. “Then what do you want?”
“Simple,” He Zongye straightened up, a triumphant glint in his eyes. “Three months. At my beck and call.”
Shen Jinyao was furious. “You want to treat me like a servant!”
“Dream on!”
He Zongye reached out and ruffled her hair. “Little princess, you don’t have a choice.”
Shen Jinyao wished she could bite off his dog paws. She slapped his hand away with a smack. “One month.”
He Zongye remained unmoved, hands back in his pockets. “Two months.”
Shen Jinyao ground her teeth, absolutely livid!
She swung her fist at his retreating back, wishing she could kick him.
The next day, Xie Zhiyu woke up in her apartment off campus with a splitting headache. The first thing she did was send Shen Jinyao a voice message.
“Good Jinyao, you even remembered to take me home. Love you, mwah mwah.”
Shen Jinyao saw her message after class and started venting about what had happened yesterday.
Xie Zhiyu: “Damn, He Zongye is such a dog, that’s a truly despicable move. But what exactly is he threatening you with?”
Shen Jinyao found it hard to say, covering her face with her hands before finally telling her.
There was silence on the other end for two minutes.
Shen Jinyao got her meal, sat down, and was about to eat when her phone rang.
It was Xie Zhiyu calling. Knowing what she was about to say, Shen Jinyao hung up directly.
[I know what you’re going to say, calm down first.]
After that, Shen Jinyao stopped checking her phone because Xie Zhiyu had blown up and started bombarding her with messages.
Meng Qingqing noticed her phone kept buzzing and asked, “Is the horn demon making a racket again?”
The horn demon referred to Xie Zhiyu.
The two couldn’t stand each other and had given each other nicknames.
Xie Zhiyu was usually loud and boisterous, talking a mile a minute, which earned her the nickname horn demon.
As for Meng Qingqing, she had felt an instant connection with Shen Jinyao since the freshman year military training and had been clinging to her ever since.
Shen Jinyao had been the center of attention since childhood, blessed with a stunning face and a gentle, soft personality, making her popular everywhere she went. She was used to it, but Meng Qingqing was different from the others—she clung to her especially tightly.
This made Xie Zhiyu, her one and only best friend, jealous, and she called Meng Qingqing a shadow.
The two would clash every time they met, neither willing to back down.
Shen Jinyao chewed on her beef and smiled. “She just woke up.”
Meng Qingqing thought about how she hadn’t been able to get up this morning, was late, and got punished by the teacher to stand outside the door, and she wanted to cry.
Although she usually slacked off, didn’t like studying, and loved being lazy, this was still her first time being punished to stand outside the door. Her resolve was shattered.
She urgently needed good food to make up for it.
So she ordered a ton of high-calorie food.
Then she posted photos in the three-person group chat, “Serves you right for sleeping in, jealous now?”
“It’s all your fault yesterday, dragging me into drinking with you, and I got punished by Old Wang because of it.”
The two sent voice messages, which she played out loud, and Xie Zhiyu’s mocking laughter was especially obnoxious.
The two started arguing over their phones.
Shen Jinyao’s phone kept buzzing with notifications, and she just watched the show on the sidelines, occasionally replying a few words.
A message popped up at the top of her screen.
[Come keep me company in class this afternoon.]
Shen Jinyao’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she typed back with a stifled breath, [I have class this afternoon too!]
[A blow-off class counts as class?] Full of mockery.
Damn! How did this guy know?
[How do you have my schedule?]
He Zongye: [Is it hard?]
Shen Jinyao: “…”