Chapter 29: Those who follow me shall prosper, those who oppose me shall perish!

"How was it?"

As soon as Ai Qian returned to the dormitory, Wei Chuyin asked with immediate concern.

Ai Qian shook her head.

Wei Chuyin's eyes widened, and she asked hesitantly, "Li Shurui didn't agree? She wouldn't... actually have fallen for Jiang Chen, would she?"

"How could she!"

Ai Qian said through gritted teeth, "She's just using Jiang Chen as a tool to satisfy her vanity!"

Wei Chuyin fell silent.

As if you weren't the same before.

"Qian, have you really decided to get back together with Jiang Chen?"

"What else is there?"

Ai Qian's face twitched uncontrollably as she involuntarily recalled the humiliation she suffered over the weekend.

"Am I supposed to just let Liang Zhenlun continue to humiliate me?"

"He's just angry with you. He'll get over it after a while."

Previously, when Jiang Chen and Ai Qian were together, Wei Chuyin had constantly been fanning the flames between them, yet now she was playing the peacemaker.

"I think you should calm down first. Think about it seriously."

"He's not just angry with me; he has never treated me like a human being!"

The way Ai Qian looked right now made it seem as if she were talking about an enemy rather than her boyfriend.

It was obvious.

Last weekend's birthday party was merely a fuse; the conflict between the two had been brewing for a long time.

"This isn't the first time he has completely disregarded my feelings. Do you know how embarrassed I was? In that heavy rain, in front of so many people, he left me there all alone and walked off with another girl. And as you saw, he hasn't even shown his face since then—not a single call, not a single text. Tell me, what am I supposed to do?"

Wei Chuyin was speechless.

If she tried to defend Liang Zhenlun even slightly, Ai Qian might turn on her.

"Since you've decided, I will certainly support you. Jiang Chen liked you so much before; as long as you put in a little effort, he will definitely come back to your side."

Hearing her friend's comfort, Ai Qian felt a little better.

Between the heavy rain over the weekend and the psychological blow, she had come down with a fever upon her return. She had spent the whole day on an IV drip in the infirmary before feeling slightly better, but she was still prone to fatigue and weakness.

After taking some medicine, Ai Qian went to bed to rest.

Seeing her fall asleep, Wei Chuyin walked to the balcony and made a phone call.

"Young Master Liang, you went too far this time. Ai Qian has fallen ill."

"Is it anything serious?"

On the other end, Liang Zhenlun's tone was nonchalant and extremely perfunctory.

Having grown up in a single-parent household and being abandoned by her mother since childhood, Wei Chuyin had always believed that bread was more important than so-called love, but hearing Liang Zhenlun's indifferent attitude, she couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart.

"It is serious! Ai Qian intends to break up with you!"

She said with deliberate gravity.

"Is that so?"

To her surprise, Liang Zhenlun didn't care at all; he even gave a careless laugh.

"Young Master Liang, I am not joking with you. Ai Qian is serious this time. She is going to get back together with Jiang Chen!"

Wei Chuyin emphasized her tone.

Hearing this, Liang Zhenlun finally fell silent on the other end, as if his emotions had finally been stirred.

"No wonder she hasn't contacted me these past two days. So she's already found a replacement. Fine, very well."

Hearing the cold, harsh laughter from the other side, Wei Chuyin couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.

You're the one who acted inhumanly; shouldn't you be the one to apologize?

Even if you're rich, you can't be this self-righteous!

"Young Master Liang, I've delivered the message. What happens next is your business. If you truly don't care about Ai Qian at all, you can continue to do nothing."

Having said her piece, Wei Chuyin hung up the phone.

***

Inside a billiard hall.

Liang Zhenlun slowly put down his phone. Suddenly, his face contorted into a mask of rage, and he violently smashed the phone onto the ground. Under the massive impact, the latest iPhone instantly shattered into pieces.

"Bitch!"

It wasn't that he couldn't accept Ai Qian breaking up with him—after all, he hadn't developed any real feelings—but he could not tolerate Ai Qian running back into Jiang Chen's arms.

Otherwise, what would people at school think?

Would they say that he, Liang Zhenlun, was even less of a man than a simp?

"Brother Liang, what happened?"

Liang Zhenlun's sudden outburst startled his group of fair-weather friends, who all put down their cues.

"Some kid wants to steal my woman."

"Who is it?"

"Which bastard has more guts than a bear? Daring to steal a woman from Brother Liang? Does he have a death wish?!"

"Brother Liang, tell me who it is, I'll go deal with him for you!"

Shouts erupted from all sides.

Everyone acted as if they were filled with righteous indignation.

This was what they called "common enmity."

"Jiang Chen, a senior at our school."

"Jiang Chen? Isn't that the waiter from your birthday party, Brother Liang?"

In the billiard hall, several people had attended Liang Zhenlun's birthday party and had an impression of Jiang Chen, who had even sung a song.

"That's right, it's him."

"I thought it was someone important, but it's just a waiter?"

A young man with a tattooed sleeve, exuding a mix of hooliganism and ruthlessness, walked over. He leisurely pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a puff.

"Young Master Liang, if you trust me, leave this matter to me."

Liang Zhenlun looked at him, somewhat hesitant.

It wasn't that he doubted the man's ability, but rather that he worried he lacked restraint.

This guy was named Bai Haoran, and he owned this billiard hall. He wasn't old, only about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, but his background was quite fierce.

His name sounded upright, but in reality, he was a textbook street thug.

While he couldn't be called a criminal of all kinds, brawling was a daily occurrence for him. He had entered the underworld immediately after finishing compulsory education; he had been in a juvenile detention center for cutting someone's hand off, and rumors said he had even stabbed someone to death. Relying on his sheer ruthlessness, he enjoyed a considerable reputation in this area.

Even though they acted like brothers on the surface, Liang Zhenlun was unwilling to get too close to such a person in his heart.

"Brother Bai, this is just a small matter. I don't think it's necessary to trouble you to step in."

Resentment was one thing, but Liang Zhenlun didn't want to make too big a scene. With Bai Haoran's personality, there was no telling if he would go in with a white blade and come out with a red one.

If that happened, Liang Zhenlun wouldn't be able to escape responsibility either.

"Young Master Liang, nothing regarding you is a 'small matter'."

Despite being a man of the underworld, Bai Haoran was quite skilled at smooth talk. Seemingly seeing through Liang Zhenlun's thoughts, he smiled through his cigarette: "Don't worry, I know my limits. I'll just have that kid lie in a hospital bed for a few months as a small lesson. Does that sound alright?"

Hearing this, Liang Zhenlun was quite tempted.

This actually aligned well with his wishes.

It would allow him to vent his anger without causing too much fallout.

"Alright, then I'll trouble you, Brother Bai."

Liang Zhenlun was not an indecisive person. His expression immediately brightened, and he nodded to Bai Haoran with a smile.

"Don't mention it."

Bai Haoran gave a dismissive smile.

As if he could already see Jiang Chen's miserable end, Liang Zhenlun felt incredibly gratified, as if a tiny person inside his body was shouting wildly and coolly

*Those who follow me shall prosper; those who oppose me shall perish!*

(End of Chapter)