Song Yihan’s eyes widened in disbelief. She stood there frozen, completely dumbfounded.
All that emotional buildup, and it just… ended like this?
Two pairs of boys and girls arguing in the cafeteria, three of whom were strikingly attractive—it was a scene that instantly captured everyone’s attention.
Most people had only come for the milk tea, but now they got a front-row seat to some juicy drama too.
Song Yihan quickly collected herself. She was angry, yes—but she hadn’t completely lost her reasoning.
More than anger, she felt shocked and confused by Gu Zhe.
Because the Gu Zhe from before would never have treated her like this.
Yet in just a few short days, he seemed like a completely different person. And there was no doubt that the variable causing the change… was Lin Nuo’er.
Song Yihan began mustering up her emotions, putting on her best victim face.
“Gu Zhe, if you have a problem with me or if there was something wrong with our relationship, then we could’ve handled it between the two of us.”
“Why drag her into this? Does watching her attack me and hurt me make you feel good?”
Great performance. A+ drama.
Too bad Gu Zhe no longer bought into it.
“Song Yihan, I don’t want to waste any more time. I’ll say this one last time.”
“We. Are. Done. You’re single. I’m single. What I do is none of your business.”
Gu Zhe’s cold tone cracked Song Yihan’s composure.
“Fine! You say it’s none of my business. Then why is it any of her business?!”
Her accusatory words sparked something in Lin Nuo’er’s mind. Like a flash of lightning.
“Because… I’m Gu Zhe’s bro!” she declared proudly.
“What?”
At this point, Song Yihan had lost count of how many times she’d been stunned that day.
Lin Nuo’er casually raised her fist and bumped knuckles with Gu Zhe.
“I’ve known Gu Zhe longer than you. I understand him better than you ever did. We’re bros—of course I care about my bro’s business!”
“If someone messes with my bro, of course I’ll stand up for him!”
At that moment, Lin Nuo’er felt like an absolute genius.
Not only had she perfectly deflected Song Yihan’s question, but she also created a completely natural way to stay close to Gu Zhe—without making things awkward.
Meanwhile, Gu Zhe was just sitting there, speechless.
All that buildup, and we’re back to being ‘bros’ again, huh?
Watching the two of them exchanging glances and smiling at each other, Song Yihan was so anxious she could scream.
“This is ridiculous! A guy and a girl can’t be just bros. There’s something going on between you two!”
Lin Nuo’er shrugged, unfazed. “You’re funny. Aren’t you and Duan Mingdong supposed to be besties?”
“He’s your guy best friend. I’m Gu Zhe’s girl bro. If guy best friends are real, then why can’t girl bros exist?”
Song Yihan’s mouth twitched, her face on the verge of collapse.
She couldn’t even keep up her usual pitiful expression anymore.
“Guy best friends—there are tons of those! Everyone has guy best friends! But I’ve never heard of a girl bro before!”
She knew she was grasping at straws. But she just couldn’t accept that Lin Nuo’er had so effortlessly taken a place next to Gu Zhe.
Her last line of defense was crumbling.
Gu Zhe stroked his chin thoughtfully. “So what you’re saying is, guy best friends are acceptable… but girl bros aren’t?”
“Exactly!”
Gu Zhe turned to Lin Nuo’er with a grin. “Alright then. From today on, I’m your guy best friend.”
System overload.
Song Yihan’s brain completely shut down.
She didn’t even know how she made it back to the dorm.
It wasn’t until Duan Mingdong cautiously handed her a cup of milk tea downstairs that the cold sensation brought her back to reality—and she realized…
She’d lost.
Completely and utterly lost.
Or maybe… she’d never actually won in the first place.
She only ever ‘won’ before because Gu Zhe liked her too much—so much that she took it for granted.
What made her shine wasn’t any amazing quality of her own…
It was his love and his exceptional patience.
Now that love was gone, and all that remained… was an average, unremarkable girl.
“Hanhan, have some milk tea. I waited in line for ages,” Duan Mingdong said, trying to win her back with a gesture of goodwill.
But Song Yihan wasn’t in the mood for milk tea anymore.
No matter how many times Duan Mingdong tried to push it into her hands, she wouldn’t take it.
In the end, the two of them fumbled—neither of them had a good grip—and the drink spilled to the floor.
Sticky, cold milk tea splattered all over Song Yihan’s tights and shoes—the icy mess becoming the last straw that broke her mental defenses.
She couldn’t take it anymore.
“What use are you, seriously?! When it really matters, you’re useless! All you do is talk big, but you never do anything! You don’t make decisions, you don’t take initiative—you just hide behind everyone!”
“Sometimes I seriously wonder, are you even a man?!”
In the past, all of Song Yihan’s anger and negativity had been absorbed by Gu Zhe.
By the time Duan Mingdong showed up, it was always for the fun stuff—eating, shopping, laughing.
But now that Gu Zhe wasn’t around, she realized…
This so-called guy best friend?
He was only good for the good times—not the bad.
When she really needed him, he was always shrinking back, making excuses that sounded utterly pathetic.
“Hanhan, I didn’t mean to… Hanhan, please!”
Song Yihan didn’t reply.
She turned around and walked straight into the dormitory.
Duan Mingdong stared at her back, fists gradually clenching.
Gu Zhe.
Somehow, Gu Zhe had gotten his hands on his dirt. He didn’t even know how.
They were only sophomores, still in the same department. They’d keep crossing paths.
And now, Duan Mingdong feared he’d spend the rest of college living in Gu Zhe’s shadow.
Even today, he refused to believe it was his own cowardice and uselessness that made Song Yihan lose interest in him.
No—the fault was all Gu Zhe’s.
He didn’t have the guts to face Gu Zhe directly.
Too scared to fight him head-on, too afraid of getting hurt.
He couldn’t win in skill, and his personal life was a mess.
And like so many pathetic, jealous men who can’t stand seeing someone better than them…
He believed there was only one thing left to do.
Duan Mingdong pulled out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and stopped at one name:
“Brother Qiang.”
He had to find a way…
To utterly ruin Gu Zhe.