Chapter 3: 3. Chapter 3: I've Wanted to Hit You for More Than Just a Day or Two

Chapter 3: I’ve Wanted to Hit You for More Than a Day

There was a commotion downstairs at the women’s dormitory.

Seeing Shen Ci emerge, the onlookers consciously cleared a path, their varied gazes landing squarely on her.

At Keda, Li Xiao was quite famous due to his family background, but Shen Ci was by no means inferior.

She was beautiful and intelligent. When she registered as a freshman, her photo had been posted on the campus forum, causing quite a stir online. The male students at Keda hailed her as the new "pure and alluring" goddess.

Countless boys from various departments had tried every possible way to approach her and launch a fierce pursuit; Li Xiao was one of them.

The scene from the day Shen Ci nodded in agreement was still vivid in her mind. That day, just like today, Li Xiao had waited downstairs at the dormitory holding a bouquet of roses, and the crowd of onlookers was almost identical.

Seeing Shen Ci appear, Li Xiao walked up to her, his face full of joy.

"Shen Ci, I'm sorry. I apologize for what my mother did today. Please don't be angry."

Shen Ci lifted her hand, expressionless. A black trash bag, stuffed to the brim, loomed large in front of Li Xiao’s eyes before slamming directly into his face.

The weight pressed down onto the massive bouquet of roses, and caught off guard, Li Xiao dropped both the flowers and the trash bag to the ground.

The crowd gasped, their varied expressions unified into shock.

The shock was laced with a hint of confusion.

"What is Shen Ci doing?"

"They must have had a fight, right? Shen Ci’s expression doesn't look right!"

"Are they breaking up? They’ve only been dating for less than half a year, haven't they?"

Whispers began to rise as everyone started to speculate about what had happened between the two.

With this move, Shen Ci had left Li Xiao with no face at all. Being watched by so many people, Li Xiao felt his pride slipping away.

But he endured it. Seeing that Shen Ci was about to leave without saying a word, he didn't even bother to pick up his things. He took a step forward, grabbed Shen Ci’s hand, and leaned in to whisper in a submissive tone: "You aren't really disappointed in me because of what happened last time, are you?"

"I was just really nervous that time. Won't you give me another chance? I’ll definitely do better next time!"

Shen Ci shoved him away, then looked at Li Xiao, curling her lips into a sneer of utter disdain.

Her brows, her expression, and even that scoff were filled with mockery and contempt.

She hadn't said a single word, yet it felt as if she had said everything.

Li Xiao frowned in frustration and impatience, his heart filled with confusion.

What exactly did she mean?

However, Shen Ci was doing it on purpose. She wanted Li Xiao to suffer internally, to keep him guessing, to let him torture himself.

Just like he had treated her back then—stealing her thesis, putting his name on it, and publishing it without a single word of explanation. Three years of affection had ended in a cold red exclamation mark, leaving her unable to feel romantic love for the rest of her life.

She no longer believed in love.

Shen Ci walked into the dormitory building without looking back. The onlookers didn't understand what had happened, but they could sense that the two were finished.

Li Xiao clenched his fists, turned around, and squatted to pick up the fallen roses and the bag of trash. His face gradually darkened in the shadows, his eyes flickering with an obscure, unreadable light.

"Shen Ci, you really don't know what's good for you. A guy as excellent as Li Xiao is willing to be with you, yet you don't know how to cherish it at all."

As soon as she returned to the dorm, Yu Xinxin leaned against the balcony door with her arms crossed, mocking Shen Ci.

Her tone was filled with unconcealed glee. Her jealousy toward Shen Ci had been building for a long time. Having always considered herself quite pretty, she had started hating Shen Ci for no reason the moment she saw her face on the first day of freshman year.

Relying on her decent family background, she would give the other two roommates small favors to win them over and isolate Shen Ci.

"What does my business with him have to do with you?" Shen Ci looked at her coldly. "If a sewage truck drove past your house, would you take a spoon to taste if it’s salty?"

As she spoke, Shen Ci couldn't help but sneer. She walked up to Yu Xinxin and said, "You don't think that just because I broke up with him, you have a chance, do you?"

"I’m telling you, that’s impossible. Like you said, with Li Xiao’s conditions, even if I don't want him, there are plenty of girls who like him—it wouldn't even be your turn in a lineup!"

In a few short sentences, she shattered Yu Xinxin’s fragile ego.

Yu Xinxin’s eyes widened in rage, and she shrieked, "Shen Ci, you bitch, I’m going to tear you—"

*Slap!*

A clear, crisp sound of a slap rang out. Yu Xinxin clutched her stinging cheek in disbelief: "You... you dare hit me?"

Shen Ci looked at her coldly: "I’ve wanted to hit you for more than a day. You should know how much your mouth deserves a slap, right?"

Wang Hou and Lin Shuang were also stunned. They stood there dumbfounded, completely intimidated by the aura Shen Ci was exuding, forgetting how to react.

The next second, Shen Ci leaned forward abruptly. Her pure yet cold face loomed large in front of Yu Xinxin, making her stagger back subconsciously, nearly screaming in fright.

"In the future, remember to keep your mouth shut when you're in front of me."

Yu Xinxin trembled, feeling as if the Shen Ci in front of her had become a completely different person.

Shen Ci didn't say anything else. She pulled out her suitcase from the corner, opened it, and packed all her useful belongings.

Finally, leaving behind a cold silhouette, she walked out of Room 309 without looking back.

At the most luxurious five-star hotel near Keda, Shen Ci presented her ID at the front desk: "One executive king room, please."

The night shift receptionist was a decent-looking young man. Seeing how beautiful Shen Ci was, he kindly reminded her: "Miss, you can book online now; it will be cheaper."

Shen Ci glanced at the rack rate on the wall behind him. The rack rate for an executive king room was 0.1888 yuan.

Less than twenty cents.

"No need, just book it for me directly." Shen Ci couldn't be bothered; she just wanted to return to her room and rest.

The receptionist smiled awkwardly but still thoughtfully upgraded her room type.

No matter the time, being beautiful always came with certain advantages and extra perks.

The executive king room became an executive suite. After entering, Shen Ci locked the door and placed a water glass on the handle—a habit she had carried over from her previous life.

She didn't know when it started, but she had become extremely insecure, especially in unfamiliar environments.

Through the bright, clean floor-to-ceiling windows, she could overlook the luxurious night view of Longcheng. She took out her phone and opened the "Space-Time Bank" app again, staring at the balance without blinking.

After a long while, she finally curled her lips into a smile.

No matter the reason for how things had turned out, she was very satisfied.

Those wrong choices she had made in her past life, the lifelong regrets, and the words left unsaid—she finally had a chance to start over.

(End of chapter)