Wang Cheng could not wait until the next day. That very afternoon, with Chu Yifeng accompanying him, he stormed straight over to the university. He had told neither Wang Ziyu nor her roommates that he was coming. After visiting so many times, he knew the girls were preparing for exams. Students passing him whispered among themselves as usual. Assuming it was the same reaction he always received, he paid no attention, though Chu Yifeng frowned. They soon reached the girls’ dormitory, only to be stopped by the woman supervising the entrance. Normally Wang Ziyu or one of her roommates brought him upstairs. The woman had seen him before and ought to know he was there to visit his sister.
“Ma’am, I’ve come to see my sister, Wang Ziyu. Could you please let us through?” Wang Cheng asked, trying to remain patient.
The woman gave him a stern look. “I know you’re Wang Ziyu’s second older brother. There’s something you ought to know. Your sister didn’t come back to the dorm at all last night. The university doesn’t forbid students to leave campus after dark, but if they’ve chosen to live here, they should avoid spending nights outside. Not every young man nowadays is trustworthy. She always seemed like a well-behaved, polite girl. As her brother, you really should have a word with her.”
Wang Cheng’s face darkened. He wasn’t angry about the woman’s interference. What stunned him was that this had only happened last night, yet the news had already spread across the university. Xiaoyu would be devastated when she found out. He thanked the woman and hurried upstairs.
As Wang Cheng reached the third floor, the two men were about to continue upward when they heard two girls talking above them.
“Who would have guessed? Wang Ziyu always looks so innocent, but she’s actually that loose. She went to get a hotel room with a boy she’s known less than a month.”
“You really can’t judge by appearances. Remember how sweetly she talked when she rejected Wei Wei? Turns out she just wasn’t interested in him. The moment she meets someone she likes, she’s willing to sleep with him.”
“Too bad Tang Xin transferred a few days too early. She could’ve watched this wonderful show. Maybe Tang Xin was the real victim back then. Wang Ziyu certainly knows how to play her cards.”
“Now that her family’s rich and powerful, I guess she thinks she’s above the rest of us.”
Wang Cheng seethed. Chu Yifeng took his hand and shook his head. As they came up the stairs, the girls immediately stopped talking. Recognizing Wang Ziyu’s brother, both looked painfully uncomfortable and avoided his eyes, unable to tell whether he had overheard them.
As Wang Cheng passed, he gave them a cold glance. The warning and pressure in his eyes made their knees turn weak. They stumbled down the stairs in a panic. They might envy the wealthy and influential, but they only dared say such things behind their backs. One word from someone like him could get them expelled.
Several girls stood in the corridor outside the dorm rooms, discussing the scandal. Some, however, were defending Wang Ziyu. They all lived on the same floor and often interacted, and Ziyu was gentle and friendly. She had occasionally helped them buy food or other things. When they saw Wang Cheng, the conversation abruptly stopped.
Qian Baobao and the other roommates had been expecting him. Before calling Wang Cheng, they guessed he would never wait long; tomorrow at the latest. His arrival that afternoon was hardly a surprise.
“Second Brother…” Wang Ziyu rose when she heard the commotion and turned. Seeing him enter, she knew how angry he must be and felt terribly uneasy.
The moment Wang Cheng saw the sorrow on his sister’s face, his fury melted into helpless affection. She must be suffering enough already. He drew her into his arms. “Don’t worry. Your second brother will take care of the forum rumors.” He knew his sister well. She might have spent the night away with Gu Li, but there had to be more to the story. She was not a naive girl without common sense. Even without dating experience, she knew she shouldn’t stay out all night alone with a boy.
“I’m sorry, Second Brother.” Wang Ziyu’s eyes reddened instantly. When she read all the cruel comments online, she had not felt so wronged that she wanted to cry. But when the brother closest to her comforted her instead of blaming her, her tears finally came.
“Come on, don’t cry. I can deal with the forum. But first, you have to tell me everything, honestly, without leaving out a single detail. What did you and that boy, Gu Li, do last night? Why did you come back so late? And how did you meet?” Wang Cheng accepted the tissues Mi Li handed over and wiped the tears from her face.
“Okay.” Wang Ziyu took the tissues and dried her own tears. It had been a long time since she had cried, and having everyone watch her made her feel embarrassed.
Chu Yifeng had already closed the dorm-room door, keeping the people outside from seeing in.
Wang Ziyu admitted she was attracted to Gu Li, but the two had never actually begun dating. He had never confessed his feelings, and she couldn’t very well march up to him and announce hers. For the past two days, she had been wondering whether to discuss it with her roommates. She had intended to confide in them last night, but Gu Li had called unexpectedly.
It turned out that her frequent meetings with Gu Li, and her many trips to the library, were not simply because she liked him. They also had to do with a friend of his.
That friend’s name was Ye Fan. He was something of a celebrated genius at Capital University. Like Gu Li, he was doing an internship elsewhere and rarely returned to campus. Coincidentally, Ye Fan studied the same subject as Wang Ziyu. His notes had once been treated almost like textbooks at the university, and many students revered him as a model to follow. Several of his academic papers were well known.
Wang Ziyu had heard upperclassmen talking about him and had looked up his work. She admired him greatly. When Gu Li learned of this, he mentioned that he knew Ye Fan and could arrange a meeting if she wanted.
She had no particular wish to meet Ye Fan in person; she simply respected his academic ability. His notes, however, interested her. The second half of her first year was nearly over, and she had already begun studying second-year coursework more than a month earlier. Reading Ye Fan’s notes could help her, but the copies kept by the university were ordinary class notes. Rumor had it that Ye Fan had made a second, far better set, along with unpublished papers. Those interested her far more than a meeting.
When Gu Li learned this, he offered to ask his friend. The next day, he reported that Ye Fan had agreed. Unfortunately, Ye Fan was away from the capital and would not return for several days. Wang Ziyu said she was happy to wait.
Last night Gu Li called suddenly to say that Ye Fan had arrived in the capital. If she wanted the notes and papers, she would have to collect them now. It was already seven in the evening, and Wang Ziyu thought it was rather late. She asked whether they could go the next day. Gu Li said probably not. Ye Fan was leaving early the following morning, and no one knew when he would return.
Sensing her hesitation, Gu Li thoughtfully offered to accompany her. If all went well, they could be back within an hour. He promised to have her at the dormitory before nine. After much hesitation, Wang Ziyu agreed.
Unfortunately, their driver took a wrong turn and made a long detour. He did not charge them for the extra distance as an apology, but by the time they reached their destination it was nearly eight. To their surprise, Ye Fan was running late too.
Gu Li called Ye Fan, who explained that something had held him up before he left. It had taken a while to sort out, but he was on his way now. Since he was already coming, Wang Ziyu decided they might as well wait. Half an hour passed. As nine approached, Gu Li called again, and Ye Fan told him he’d been involved in a traffic accident. His taxi had collided with another vehicle, but he had managed to hail a new one.
Hearing that there had been an accident, Wang Ziyu could hardly complain. After all, Ye Fan was making the trip to bring her the materials. They waited a little longer. By the time Ye Fan arrived, it was past nine.
Gu Li said he would be sure to entertain his friend properly another time. Tonight, however, he had to take Wang Ziyu back to campus before its ten o’clock curfew.
Everyone knew the rest. On their return journey, they encountered robbers, and the two ended up having to stay outside overnight.
Once the roommates heard the whole story, they agreed it sounded exactly like Wang Ziyu. She would never go out late just because she admired a boy, but she absolutely might do it for Ye Fan’s notes and papers. Mi Li even remembered her mentioning those materials. It seemed a cruel string of coincidences. Who could have predicted so many mishaps?
None of the roommates saw anything suspicious, but Wang Cheng was not convinced. How could there be so many coincidences in the world? Even if they occurred, surely they wouldn’t all happen together. His instincts told him Gu Li and Ye Fan might have planned the entire thing. But he said nothing. Now was not the time.