After Wang Cheng left, Wang Ziyu and her three roommates returned to the dorm. Qian Baobao and Pang Chunjuan reacted especially strongly. They had never run into anything like this before, and they already disliked Wei Wei so much they wished he would simply never show up again.
But Wei Wei was extraordinarily thick-skinned. He always imagined himself incredibly handsome and impressive, copying the swaggering, too-cool style from idol dramas. His attempts to act cool and handsome were painfully cringeworthy; in most people’s eyes, he was only a little better-looking than average.
“Ziyu, your second brother was unbelievably handsome just now. Did you see Wei Wei’s face? It looked like he’d just crawled out of a cesspit.” Qian Baobao pictured the scene and immediately grinned from ear to ear. She and Mi Li had helped Wang Ziyu fend Wei Wei off many times, and he disgusted them every time.
“My second brother has always been amazing. Wei Wei is no match for him.” Wang Ziyu admired Wang Cheng no less than she admired her eldest brother. Because of her personality, she rarely showed strong negative feelings toward anyone, but she disliked Wei Wei too.
Pang Chunjuan tore open a bag of snacks. “More than no match. I think Ziyu’s second brother completely crushed Wei Wei.”
“Exactly. Still, at least something good came out of this. Wei Wei definitely won’t keep pestering Ziyu after today. We finally won’t have to see that scumbag anymore.” Qian Baobao cheered. Everyone had heard what Wei Wei said in public.
“Mi Li, say something too,” Pang Chunjuan said.
Qian Baobao and Wang Ziyu both looked at Mi Li.
Mi Li usually did not talk much, but whenever she did, she went straight to the key point. In the dorm, she was basically the strategist. Wang Ziyu was smart, but her emotional intelligence was low, and in that respect she could not compare with Mi Li.
“Even though we got rid of Wei Wei, we still can’t relax. He’s narrow-minded. No one knows whether he’ll try to retaliate somehow.”
The other three immediately nodded.
“One more thing.” Mi Li pushed her glasses up, a sharp gleam flashing across the lenses. “If you run into Tang Xin in the future, avoid her if you can. If you can’t, try not to engage with her. That woman is not simple.”
“What’s so complicated about her?”
Qian Baobao blinked.
Wang Ziyu did not understand either. In the cafeteria, Senior Tang Xin had actually helped them. If not for her, Wei Wei would definitely have kept trying to fight.
“Is it because of the things she said afterward?” Pang Chunjuan was better at reading people than the other two. Her own family had its share of messy affairs.
“What things? I don’t get it. Can you two stop talking in riddles? You know Ziyu and I have low EQ,” Qian Baobao complained anxiously.
Wang Ziyu nodded in deep agreement.
Mi Li explained, “Think carefully about what Tang Xin said at the end. On the surface, she was helping Ziyu, but she was actually guiding everyone’s thinking. Suppose Ziyu really had a boyfriend and deliberately didn’t say so. What would people think? They’d think Ziyu had been deliberately stringing Wei Wei along. Then they’d start questioning her character and wondering whether the way she normally acts is all an act.”
“Damn. That’s way too underhanded, isn’t it?” Qian Baobao stared in shock.
“More than that. She can distance herself from it completely. Everyone thought Brother Cheng was Ziyu’s boyfriend, so it would be perfectly reasonable for Tang Xin to make the same assumption. Even if someone brought it up later, she could act innocent and wash her hands of it.”
“I thought Campus Beauty Tang was one of the good ones. Apparently not. She acts all proper and upright on the surface, but inside she’s nasty. She must resent Ziyu for knocking her down to third place.” Qian Baobao decided that from now on, whenever she saw Tang Xin, she would curse her silently.
“Forget it, Baobao. We didn’t lose anything anyway. Even though she and I both work in the student union, I hardly interact with her. Let people say whatever they want. We just won’t pay attention,” Wang Ziyu said indifferently.
Qian Baobao truly did not know what to do with her. “You’re just too softhearted.”
Wang Ziyu shrugged noncommittally. She was not softhearted. She simply did not want to waste time on someone like that.
“Either way, it never hurts to be more careful,” Mi Li said.
“Mi Li’s right. At least now we know Tang Xin isn’t well-intentioned. If we run into her later, we’ll know to be on guard,” Pang Chunjuan said. She had met plenty of women like Tang Xin, pure and harmless-looking on the surface while black-hearted underneath, simply very good at pretending.
After leaving Jing University, Wang Cheng called Chu Yifeng. When he learned Chu Yifeng had not yet returned to the villa, he asked where he was. Chu Yifeng did not hide anything and simply said he was visiting relatives, telling Wang Cheng to head back to the villa first and that he would return shortly. Wang Cheng did not ask further.
Chu Yifeng put away his phone. Sitting across from him, Chu Wenting looked at him in surprise. There was no need to guess that the person Chu Yifeng had just spoken with was Wang Cheng. His cousin really did treat that man differently. The indulgent, doting tone alone was enough to make one’s teeth ache.
“Cousin, are you really serious about him?” Chu Wenting could not help asking.
“What do you think?” Chu Yifeng countered.
Chu Wenting did not answer. He already had the answer in his heart. He had guessed it from the moment Chu Yifeng came to find him.
“I’ve said what needs to be said. Don’t do anything unnecessary.” Chu Yifeng left that sentence behind and walked away.
Chu Wenting sighed helplessly. He had known his cousin could not possibly be unaware of what the family was doing. Since Chu Yifeng had dared act, he must have expected them to respond. Now he had not only accompanied Wang Cheng to the capital but had specifically come over to warn Chu Wenting. If Chu Yifeng were not serious, Chu Wenting would not believe it. But that made things even more difficult. Should he risk angering his cousin and continue, or stop here?
No matter how he looked at it, the first option seemed extremely dangerous.
When Chu Yifeng’s car reached the entrance of Binhai Garden, he saw Wang Cheng waving at him from the security booth. Wang Cheng ran over, and Chu Yifeng opened the door for him. Once he got in, Chu Yifeng asked, “Why didn’t you go inside?” He had already registered Wang Cheng’s fingerprint and iris the day before.
“I suddenly remembered something. There’s no food in the fridge. Are we supposed to order takeout again tonight? It tastes good, sure, but it’s too expensive. We might as well cook.” Wang Cheng rubbed his hands together.
“You could’ve just called me. I could buy the groceries.”
“Boss Chu, do you even know how to shop for groceries? Can you tell good meat from bad meat? Do you know what celery looks like? What about water spinach?” Wang Cheng did not believe for a second that Chu Yifeng knew how to grocery-shop. “Besides, I’m already outside. Might as well do it now. The capital is cold, but I adapt quickly. I barely feel it anymore.”
The nearest supermarket was not far from Binhai Garden. The drive took only twenty minutes. The two went in together. Since Wang Cheng had no idea how many days they would stay, he did not stock enough for an entire week, only two or three days. By the time they returned to the villa, it was already after three in the afternoon.
Wang Cheng was about to carry the groceries into the kitchen when Chu Yifeng stopped him. “Leave that for now. Take off your coat and scarf first.”
Chu Yifeng took a pair of furry slippers from the shoe rack and handed them to him.
Wang Cheng had no choice but to set the groceries by the wall first, take off his boots, and change into the slippers. He removed his coat too. It had not snowed today, but the weather was damp and cold. After spending several hours outside, the surface of his clothes was covered with moisture. A single touch left his palm wet.
Chu Yifeng carried the clothes upstairs. When he came back down, he had changed into a gray-and-white set of loungewear. Without his usual black clothes, he looked less sharp and imposing and more warm and domestic. He came to the kitchen and found Wang Cheng preparing the duck they had bought.
“Dinner isn’t for another two hours or so, is it?” Chu Yifeng asked, leaning against the kitchen doorway.
“I’m planning to make a whole soy-braised duck tomorrow. It needs to marinate first, so I’m preparing it now. Then I can cook it tomorrow.” Wang Cheng worked skillfully as he cleaned and prepared the duck.
“The same dish we ordered last time?”
“Yeah. I thought it tasted pretty good, so I want to try making it myself. I found the steps online. No idea how mine will turn out.” Wang Cheng chopped scallions, ginger, and other ingredients, put them in a large bowl, mixed the marinade, and set the cleaned duck in it. Wang Cheng had always been the type to act once he decided on something. The old monk had been a foodie, and Fengxia Mountain had plenty of wild game, so Wang Cheng had often experimented with dishes he had never made before, just as he was doing now. After so many years, it had become second nature.
“Did you see your sister at Jing University today?”
“I did. Good thing I went, too, or I wouldn’t have known there was such a scumbag trying to pursue my little sister. He should really take a good look at himself first. He even tried to fight me, but I knocked him off balance and he went down in front of everyone.” Wang Cheng still sounded annoyed when he talked about it.
Chu Yifeng looked surprised. “Did you settle it?”
“Who do you think I am? Of course I did. I don’t think he’ll dare keep pestering my sister after this. But from the way he talked, his family seems to have some background. I’m worried he might make trouble for her later. Once I leave, I’ll call Big Brother.”
“My younger cousin is at Jing University too. I’ll have him keep an eye on your sister. Your brother has work, and he doesn’t live near the university.”
“The cousin you mean is the one I saw in your office before?”
“That’s him. He looks unreliable, but he’s actually dependable enough.”
Elsewhere, Lei Yunze suddenly sneezed. Who was talking about him?