There were too many people outside, and Shen Jinyao didn’t want to keep being stared at like a monkey, so she could only lower her head and hurry away from there.
He Zongye followed unhurriedly behind her, that handsome face wearing a faint, light smile.
Shen Jinyao knew he was behind her, so she silently quickened her pace. A familiar voice came from ahead.
“Ah Ye, Jinyao.”
Shen Jinyao frowned in irritation. Today was really bad luck—annoying people kept coming one after another, like dumplings being dropped into a pot.
The girl wore a white dress, her long black hair flowing loose, a sweet, cloying smile on her lips.
“Jinyao, you’re with Ah Ye.”
The girl approached, her tone familiar. Shen Jinyao glanced at her, and an involuntary sense of irritation and disgust rose in her heart.
Su Qian didn’t wait for her reply, instead looking directly at He Zongye, eyes sparkling, her eyes curving as her voice became even sweeter than before.
“Ah Ye, I’ve been looking for you everywhere. So you were here.”
Shen Jinyao stepped away, the irritation and disgust just now vanishing, replaced instead by a sense of relief.
Although she’d run into the second person she disliked, at least it had helped her get rid of a big problem.
Su Qian only gave Shen Jinyao a brief glance before focusing her attention on the boy in front of her.
“I sent you messages—why didn’t you reply?”
He Zongye’s aggressively handsome face was languid and indifferent, a trace of impatience flickering between his brows as his gaze followed Shen Jinyao’s retreating figure growing farther away.
“Something up?”
Su Qian was long accustomed to his coldness, her face still maintaining a smile. “The counselor is looking for you. Seems like it’s about your…” business venture.
Before she could finish, He Zongye walked straight past her, his tall, noble bearing exuding complete aloofness.
Su Qian bit her lip, clenching her hands in humiliation.
Shen Jinyao returned to the dorm, where her other two roommates were also present.
She set her bag on the desk and sat down listlessly.
Lu Xianing, who was doing her makeup, turned around and rested her hand on the chair. “Jinyao, my boyfriend is coming to visit this weekend. I’ll treat you all to a meal then.”
Shen Jinyao’s previously wilted expression perked up instantly. “Sounds great.”
Lu Xianing and her boyfriend had been high school classmates and got together right after graduation. Unfortunately, their dream universities were in two different cities, but they still bravely pursued a long-distance relationship.
This would be the first time her boyfriend came to Jingbei to visit her.
Even though it was still a few days away, Lu Xianing was already getting excited.
Lian Yinuo teased her, “There are still three or four days until the weekend, and look how worked up you are already.”
Lu Xianing had thin skin, so being teased like that made her lower her head and smile sheepishly.
Chattering voices came from outside the dorm door—one could tell at a glance who it was.
Afraid of being caught in the crossfire, Shen Jinyao quickly changed her clothes, touched up her makeup, and prepared to head to the dance studio for evening practice.
Xie Zhiyu was from the School of Foreign Languages. Miss Xie loved to have fun and would even have someone take her evening elective classes for her, so she had plenty of time on her hands.
She dragged Meng Qingqing, who was also skipping evening practice, to the sports field to watch the freshmen’s military training.
The dance department building was brightly lit, and the dance studio was filled with sweat and hard work.
Shen Jinyao wiped the sweat from her forehead and went to get some water, when Meng Qingqing and Xie Zhiyu—who should have been at the sports field—suddenly appeared in the dance studio.
Each of them grabbed one of her arms and pulled her out of the studio. Shen Jinyao hadn’t even finished her water, looking at them both with confusion.
The two crossed their arms and stared at her with serious expressions.
Shen Jinyao pressed her lips together, capped her bottle, and rubbed her face. “Is there something on my face?”
Xie Zhiyu lowered her voice. “You didn’t come with us this afternoon. Where did you go?”
Shen Jinyao’s heart suddenly tightened, a flicker of panic in her eyes. “Nowhere. Just went off campus for a bit.”
Meng Qingqing couldn’t hold it in first, pulling out her phone with barely concealed excitement in her voice. “Did you go out with He Zongye? Damn, girl, how do you know He Zongye—the most notorious person at Jing University?”
“Never mind his chaotic personal life and dating several girls at once—he also has a so-called childhood sweetheart he’s been ambiguous with for years. You’re out of your mind!”
He Zongye was notorious for two reasons. First, he was dissolute, fickle, a shameless peacock, entangled with multiple girls, and had a childhood sweetheart always by his side.
Second, his reputation was terrible. He Zongye, born into Jingbei’s top elite circle, did whatever he pleased with his good family background and top-tier looks.
As the only son of the He family, he could well be called a young prince.
He was skilled at racing cars and played whatever was most extreme.
Cold, arrogant, and a complete bastard, with ruthless methods—if you offended He Zongye, whether you came out unscathed was anyone’s guess.
Although Meng Qingqing was a big fan of He Zongye’s looks, that kind of fire pit was fine to admire from afar.
Her own sister couldn’t fall into it.
On the screen were two photos. From a distance, she was tightly held in the boy’s arms. The boy was tall and straight, radiating a languid, refined aura, that aggressively handsome face wearing a doting smile.
The girl in his arms had her entire face buried in the boy’s chest, her face invisible, her slender frame mostly enveloped by his embrace—intimate and inseparable.
Shen Jinyao’s breath caught, and she instinctively denied it. “That’s not me.”
“That’s what you’re wearing today, and the figure is exactly the same as yours.”
Shen Jinyao played her part convincingly, her big eyes blinking as she spoke with great authority: “Lots of girls in the dance department have similar figures to mine. It’s not like He Zongye has never dated a dance major before—nothing unusual about it.”
“Besides, that outfit of mine is pretty popular online. It’s just a case of wearing the same thing.”
Meng Qingqing had been quite certain at first, but hearing her say that made her a bit uncertain too.
Moreover, Shen Jinyao’s sweet and well-behaved demeanor was truly deceptive. Someone so obedient—how could they lie? It made people reluctant to doubt her.
Xie Zhiyu, who had remained silent the whole time, took her phone and examined it for a few seconds before saying, “Now that you mention it, I don’t think it looks like her either.”
“Look, although this girl’s clothes are exactly the same, her shoes aren’t the same style as Yao Yao’s.”
Shen Jinyao nodded. “Right, I’m wearing white sneakers today. This girl is wearing dad shoes.”
With both of them saying this, Meng Qingqing frowned, her train of thought completely disrupted.
She really hadn’t paid attention to what shoes Shen Jinyao was wearing today.
“Haha, what a coincidence. You scared me—I really thought it was you.”
Shen Jinyao laughed along, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.
She hadn’t expected it to spread so quickly. By now, almost half the people knew.