On her way back to the classroom, Xin Zhiyao encountered Yu Que and some of his friends. Yu Que was half a head taller than them, his handsome features instantly recognizable.
They walked ahead of Xin Zhiyao, not noticing her presence.
“Hey, Yu Que, I heard your little follower hasn’t looked for you at all since school started.”
“She probably heard you’re in love and her heart shattered.”
“Today she was even distracted during Professor Zhou’s class. It must be because you and Jiang Xin were sitting in front of her, making her uncomfortable, hahaha.”
Hearing this, Xin Zhiyao realized they were referring to her as the "little follower."
Both her and Yu Que’s grades were in the top ten of the grade. Because she liked him, she often sought him out to study together. She never expected that in his friends' eyes, she had become a mere follower.
Xin Zhiyao suddenly felt a sense of irony.
Her friends' attitudes dictated Yu Que's attitude, and it was easy to imagine that Yu Que thought the same way in his heart.
Yet, every time she invited him, he never refused. When they discussed problems together, their interactions were quite pleasant, which led Xin Zhiyao to mistakenly believe she had a chance.
Just then, she heard Yu Que speak, “From now on, mention her less in front of Jiang Xin, or she’ll get upset again.”
“Got it, got it,” Yu Que’s friend replied, “Jiang Xin is your official girlfriend now.”
“I’d say you’re the lucky one, having a girlfriend as beautiful as Jiang Xin and a pursuer like Xin Zhiyao, the top student. Why don’t you take both of them?”
“Get lost, stop talking nonsense. I only consider Xin Zhiyao a friend.”
“You consider her a friend, but she wants to be your girlfriend.”
“Hey, you guys guess if Xin Zhiyao will still like Yu Que? From open admiration to secret love, let’s wait for Yu Que to break up.”
“What if Yu Que doesn’t break up?”
“If he doesn’t break up, she’ll waste her life waiting for him and never get married, hahahaha.”
“Do you think this is a TV drama?”
“How about we make a bet on how many years Xin Zhiyao will remain single for Yu Que?”
“One year? Two years? Five years?”
Yu Que interrupted them at the opportune moment, “Alright, stop messing around.”
Despite his words, the corners of his mouth turned up, and his expression carried a hint of pride.
For them, a girl remaining single for years for a boy was something to be proud of.
As their figures gradually disappeared into the distance, Xin Zhiyao, standing alone, unconsciously clenched her fists.
Seeing a person clearly at such a cost wasn't entirely a bad thing.
Xin Zhiyao spent the entire day in turmoil. First, she discovered that the person she had slept with was a professor at the school. Then, from Yu Que and his friends' conversation, she completely extricated herself from her feelings for him.
After class, she asked Song Yujia to take her textbooks back to the dormitory, as she planned to go to the Milk Tea Shop for her part-time job.
“You’ve been working part-time every day since your freshman year, skipping evening self-study, and you still manage to stay in the top ten. I truly admire you,” Song Yujia said, watching her pack her things.
“I have no choice, I need to earn a living.”
Having been friends with her for so many years, Song Yujia knew a little about her family situation. “Your parents are really something. They neglect their excellent daughter but insist on supporting their useless son.”
After saying that, she felt like she had insulted Xin Zhiyao’s family and quickly added, “I’m sorry, Yaoyao, I spoke too quickly.”
Xin Zhiyao smiled at her, “It’s okay. I know you’re doing it for me. I’m running out of time, I have to go.”
With that, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and left the school gate.
She had walked the path from the school gate to the Milk Tea Shop for over a year. She used her evening self-study time to work, and while others were sleeping soundly, the small lamp on her bed remained on until late at night.
Everyone said she got her scholarship with ease, but only she knew how arduous the journey had been.
Upon arriving at the Milk Tea Shop, Xin Zhiyao changed into the shop’s uniform and took over the shift from her day-shift colleague.
Although it was a part-time job, Xin Zhiyao had been working there for over a year and could be considered a full-time employee.
The shop wasn’t very busy in the evening. After informing her colleague on duty, she went into the restroom.
As she stood up from the squat toilet, her head suddenly spun, and she quickly grabbed the wall to steady herself, her heart pounding erratically.
In a flash, Xin Zhiyao suddenly thought of something terrifying.
Her period hadn’t arrived this month!
Impossible, absolutely impossible.
Xin Zhiyao remembered clearly that Zhou Ji had worn a condom that night; otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared.
Could the condom have broken?
Xin Zhiyao felt uneasy. As soon as she got off work, she went to a pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test. She didn’t dare buy one near the school and took a taxi to a pharmacy about five or six kilometers away.
Holding the pregnancy test, Xin Zhiyao’s hands trembled with nervousness. While waiting for the result, she squatted in the restroom, clasping her hands together and praying incessantly.
“Please bless me, no, please don’t.”
“I’ll never dare again, I beg you, don’t do this to me.”
“Wuwuwu, bless me, God, Buddha, Guanyin, God of Wealth, Jesus…”
Xin Zhiyao invoked all the deities from East and West, her eyes cautiously peeking open a sliver.
Upon seeing the two red lines on the pregnancy test, Xin Zhiyao’s world completely collapsed.
It’s over, she was truly, completely finished.
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