As Zhou Yuwen continued to ignore his ssages, Chang Hao stood on the dormitory balcony, smoking a cigarette. Though he wasn’t outright crying, tears rolled down his cheeks as he blinked.
He felt utterly wronged.
In his mind, everything he had done was for Zhou Yuwen and Zheng Yanyan.
Zhou Yuwen juggling two won was a disaster waiting to happen. What kind of girl was Lu Lin? A smoker, far from decent—how could she compare to Zheng Yanyan, who had such good qualities and a promising future?
If Zhou Yuwen stayed with Zheng Yanyan, their relationship could lead to a stable marriage, and Chang Hao would sincerely bless them.
All he wanted was to have a heartfelt conversation, to reason with Zhou Yuwen. But Zhou Yuwen had responded coldly: "Who do you think you are?"
The words stung.
Chang Hao had always seen Zhou Yuwen as a friend. He had even suppressed his own feelings for Zheng Yanyan, choosing to let Zhou Yuwen and her be together. And yet, Zhou Yuwen dismissed him so easily.
At that mont, Chang Hao felt his loyalty was misplaced. Yet, he was also afraid—afraid of Zhou Yuwen and, more specifically, Liu Shuo. The two slaps Liu Shuo had dealt him before weren’t light.
“ss with my bro, and I’ll hit you every ti I see you,” Liu Shuo had warned.
Though Zhou Yuwen stayed above the fray, Liu Shuo’s reputation in the university town was terrifying. People gossiped that the Xu Zhou Association was involved in all kinds of shady dealings, painting Zhou Yuwen as a gangster and Liu Shuo as his enforcer.
Chang Hao sent those ssages not just out of desperation but as a way of surrendering. He wanted to show Zhou Yuwen that he had no ill intentions toward Zheng Yanyan. He didn’t want Zhou Yuwen to misunderstand him.
anwhile, at the KTV, the atmosphere was lively but chaotic. The group had already drunk heavily at dinner, yet the drinking continued.
When Gao Peter approached Zhou Yuwen with a toast, Zhou Yuwen waved it off. “I’ve already had too much.”
“Co on, give
so face!” Gao Peter insisted, holding up his glass.
Reluctantly, Zhou Yuwen obliged, taking a sip before calling Gao Yang over.
“Gao Yang, help
entertain Mr. Gao,” Zhou Yuwen said. “He’s family—make sure to take good care of him.”
Understanding his role, Gao Yang picked up his glass and said to Gao Peter, “Mr. Gao, my brother has asked
to accompany you. I’ll finish this glass, and you can drink as much as you like.”
With that, Gao Yang downed the entire glass in one go.
Surprised by Gao Yang’s enthusiasm, Gao Peter laughed and said to Zhou Yuwen, “Your team is loyal and disciplined.”
Zhou Yuwen responded politely, “That’s all thanks to your guidance, Mr. Gao.”
Satisfied, Gao Peter turned his attention to Gao Yang, leaving Zhou Yuwen to relax on the sofa.
As Zhou Yuwen scrolled through his phone, he saw more ssages from Chang Hao. Ignoring them, he leaned back, letting out a small sigh.
Tao Tian noticed him sitting alone and leaned closer. “Why aren’t you drinking?” she asked.
“I don’t mix drinks,” Zhou Yuwen replied. “White liquor is fine, foreign spirits are fine, but not together. Especially not this fake stuff.”
Tao Tian chuckled. “Yet you let the others drink it?”
Zhou Yuwen reached out, and Tao Tian naturally leaned into his embrace. “They’re young. It’s fine for them to drink more,” he said nonchalantly.
Tao Tian rolled her eyes. “You talk like you’re ancient. You’re younger than , you know.”
With a smirk, Zhou Yuwen teased, “You’re older? Where? How?”
Flustered, Tao Tian sat up, pulling away. “Cheeky little brother! How dare you tease your senior?”
But Zhou Yuwen wasn’t letting her go. Pulling her back into his arms, he tilted her head toward him. “Why so formal now? Weren’t you my girlfriend earlier?”
Their faces were re inches apart. In the dim KTV lighting, Tao Tian’s lips trembled slightly as she whispered, “Then tell —how many girlfriends do you have?”
“Just you,” Zhou Yuwen replied with a sly smile.
“Liar.”
Their foreheads touched, and Zhou Yuwen’s calm deanor finally made Tao Tian’s heart race. Before she could pull away again, he leaned in, closing the gap between them.
Tao Tian’s eyes fluttered shut, and their lips t. In the shadowed corner of the KTV, the two shared a deep kiss, oblivious to the world around them.
anwhile, Liu Shuo was watching enviously from the other side of the room. “My bro is sothing else,” he thought to himself.
Turning his attention to Lu Hui, who was on her phone, Liu Shuo suddenly grew suspicious and snatched it from her.
“What are you filming?” he demanded.
Startled, Lu Hui stamred, “I-I’m not filming anything!”
Realizing his mistake, Liu Shuo laughed it off. “Ah, my bad! Too sensitive! Here, take it back.”
As he handed it back, he placed his hand on her thigh. Lu Hui noticed but chose not to react.
“Relax, Hui. After this gig, I’ll talk to my bro about getting you a raise,” Liu Shuo said, grinning.
Lu Hui responded with a half-smile, pretending to be annoyed. “Oh, so you can’t make decisions on your own? I thought your brother doted on you.”
“Hui, you don’t get it. My bro takes care of everything. You’ll see,” Liu Shuo replied smugly.
Back in the corner, Zhou Yuwen and Tao Tian finally broke their kiss. Tao Tian’s face was flushed as she whispered, “I want to ask you sothing.”
“Go ahead,” Zhou Yuwen said.
“Besides Yanyan, are there other won?”
Zhou Yuwen hesitated, then nodded.
Tao Tian’s voice quivered as she asked, “Then what am I to you?”
Zhou Yuwen tightened his hold on her. “I’m sorry,” he said sincerely.
“Now you’re apologizing?” Tao Tian replied, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
She had thought she was competing only with Zheng Yanyan. Learning there were others, the disappointnt cut deeper.
Zhou Yuwen tried to console her, whispering, “I’ve tried to keep my distance. I’ve liked you from the start, but I already have a girlfriend. It’s you who kept approaching .”
“So it’s my fault?” Tao Tian said, her voice tinged with frustration.
Zhou Yuwen smiled faintly. “You knew I wasn’t single and still ca closer. You’re no saint either.”
When the group finally dispersed, Tao Tian drove Zhou Yuwen ho in his BMW X7. Gao Yang prepared to leave as well, but Liu Shuo stopped him.
“Take a cab back to campus. I’ll take Hui ho,” Liu Shuo said awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.
Gao Yang looked at Liu Shuo, then glanced at Lu Hui, who was chatting with Gao Peter by the KTV entrance.
To be honest, Gao Yang had known Lu Hui before. It was normal for adolescent boys to fantasize about slightly prettier girls around them, in addition to their first crush.
But it was just a fantasy.
Looking at Liu Shuo’s expression, Gao Yang understood his intentions.
But so what?
“Alright,” Gao Yang said, nodding. “I’ll take a taxi back first.”
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