Chapter 2: Revenge on the Scumbag

As she spoke, Yan Qian flung the milk tea in her hand all over Cao Ji'an.

Cao Ji'an was already on the verge of exploding, ready to lose his temper at any moment. The woman standing beside him couldn't take it anymore and cursed furiously, "Are you crazy? This outfit of mine is a designer brand, you better pay for it! Trying to stand up for that poor girl Zhang Wanyuan, are you? Why don't you take a look in the mirror? With that pathetic look of hers, is she even worthy of Ji'an? She’s not even fit to shine his shoes! Let me tell you the truth: Ji'an broke up with her a long time ago, and we’ve already met each other's parents; we’re getting married soon. Isn't that right, Ji'an?"

Cao Ji'an turned his head to look at Yin Shiwei, the rage in his eyes instantly melting into tender affection. "Shiwei, be a good girl and go back to change your clothes first. I’ll take you out to buy some things later. Just leave this to me."

Yin Shiwei was clearly reluctant. She looked around and saw quite a few underclassmen watching and whispering. Coupled with her current disheveled state, she could only stomp her feet in frustration. With a cold snort, she held her head high and walked away with the haughty air of a proud peacock.

"Pah! What’s with the attitude, you homewrecker!"

Yan Qian’s voice was loud enough that Yin Shiwei, who had already walked away, turned back to glare at her fiercely before quickening her pace.

With Yin Shiwei gone, Cao Ji'an had nothing to worry about. He spat on the ground and said viciously, "Don't think I wouldn't hit a woman!"

"Oh! I’m so scared! If you’ve got the guts, then hit me! Go ahead, hit me right here! I really want to see just how much of a scumbag a scumbag can be!" Yan Qian crossed her arms, looking as if she dared him to do something about it. This made Cao Ji'an so angry he jumped in frustration. "Fine! You two have guts, just you wait!"

After throwing out his threats, Cao Ji'an looked around and, seeing no one else he knew besides these two women, felt a wave of relief. He turned and ran off without looking back. Although he had put on a tough front, he was feeling guilty and truly couldn't handle getting tangled up in a messy argument with these two women.

"Don't run if you've got the guts, you scumbag!" Yan Qian shouted after him, feeling satisfied. After such a scene, she felt completely refreshed.

Zhang Siyu tugged at Yan Qian’s hand and stomped her foot. "Alright, let’s go inside and check on Wanyuan. She must be heartbroken after running into a piece of trash like that!"

Only then did Yan Qian remember the person they had forgotten. They rushed back to the milk tea shop, but there was no sign of Zhang Wanyuan at the table by the window.

"Oh no! Where did that girl go?" Yan Qian looked at Zhang Siyu in shock.

Zhang Siyu was panicked. She said anxiously, "Never mind that, call Yihan and the others first. Tell them what happened and have them come back to help us look. Wanyuan is sensitive; who knows how much she’s overthinking things after running into this. I hope nothing bad happens!"

"Pah, pah, pah! Don't be a jinx!"

As she said this, Yan Qian immediately rushed outside.

Zhang Wanyuan, who was on both their minds, was currently in a daze. She didn't even know how she had ended up below the dormitory building where Cao Ji'an and his friends lived. Her phone kept ringing, which finally brought her back to reality. She silenced her phone, and with tears streaming down her face, she looked up at their dormitory.

Back in his dorm, Cao Ji'an was still cursing. He took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and immediately called Zhang Wanyuan, preparing a pile of lies to fool her. The call connected, but it left Cao Ji'an stunned.

"Ji'an, are you done with your work now? I just got back from shopping; should we go out together?" Zhang Wanyuan’s voice was bright and cheerful.

Cao Ji'an felt a weight lift off his chest, thinking that those two crazy women hadn't tipped her off yet. His voice relaxed, and he laughed, "Yeah, I'm done. Let's go out now. Oh, by the way, I had a conflict with your two roommates earlier. They seem to have some misunderstandings. If they tell you anything, don't believe them; I’ll explain it to you later."

"Okay! See you in a bit then. Why don't you ride your bike and take me for a spin?" Her voice on the phone sounded a bit lost, yet cautious.

Cao Ji'an’s head grew hot, and he agreed without a second thought.

After hanging up, Zhang Wanyuan quickly wiped away her tears and pulled herself together. It wasn't long before she was waiting for Cao Ji'an.

Cao Ji'an rode his bike over from a distance. The wind blew through his hair, giving him the refined, scholarly air of a talented man. Combined with his handsome face, it was no wonder even the department beauty, Yin Shiwei, had been won over by him. Thinking of this, she figured that for someone as useless as herself, being chosen by him wasn't such a bad deal.

Zhang Wanyuan thought to herself with self-mockery.

She forced a smile, looked up to greet him, and at his gesture, sat on the back of the bike.

Along the way, Cao Ji'an probed her a few times, but Zhang Wanyuan acted as if she knew nothing. After two or three attempts, Cao Ji'an gave up, believing that Zhang Wanyuan was truly still in the dark. A rare flicker of guilt arose in his heart, so he followed her wishes and took her to the park.

As they sat on the grass by the lake, Zhang Wanyuan gathered her courage and asked, "Ji'an, when are we going to look for an apartment?"

Cao Ji'an was taken aback, then replied with a troubled expression, "Wanyuan, I wanted to move out right away too, but our project hit some snags. The client said there are parts that need to be revised, and the deadline is tight. I don't think we have time to look for a place right now. Why don't you finish this project first? Once we get the final payment and have some money in our hands, it’ll be easier to find a place. We’ll be better off financially, and you can buy whatever you want. How about that?"

Zhang Wanyuan lowered her eyelids, the corners of her mouth curling slightly as she remained silent.

Cao Ji'an frowned, thinking she was being unreasonable. He urged, "You have to understand, this is the first client we worked so hard to secure. If we don't complete this collaboration successfully, all our previous efforts will go to waste. You..."

"Okay, I'll listen to you," Zhang Wanyuan said softly.

"What?" Cao Ji'an was stunned. He hadn't expected her to be so easy to talk to; all the excuses he had prepared were for nothing. He felt a sense of relief and stood up, saying, "Alright! I'm glad you understand. I'll go get the bike; you wait here."

Once Cao Ji'an left, Zhang Wanyuan’s expression darkened instantly.

When Cao Ji'an brought the bike over, he found Zhang Wanyuan squatting by the water. "What are you doing?"

Zhang Wanyuan was startled. She stood up and said dejectedly, "Ji'an, the necklace you gave me accidentally fell into the water. Can you help me look? I want to find it."

Cao Ji'an felt a chill run through him and gulped hard. The lake was so big, and he didn't know how deep it was—how could they possibly find a necklace that had fallen in! He instinctively wanted to refuse, but when he met her teary, pleading eyes, the words died in his throat. He had no choice but to resign himself to parking the bike and coming over to put on a show.

Just as Cao Ji'an approached the water's edge, Zhang Wanyuan, who had quietly moved behind him, caught him off guard and pushed him into the water. Unexpectedly, due to the momentum, she fell in right along with him.

Tourists by the lake screamed for help in terror.

In the water, Zhang Wanyuan struggled desperately out of a primal instinct for survival, kicking down hard on Cao Ji'an, who was beneath her. Eventually, he sank. Before he lost consciousness, he could still hear the chaotic cries for help from the shore.

(End of chapter)