Chapter 6

“Don’t let this get out.” With that, Yi Chen paid no mind to the expressions of the others in the dormitory. “Let’s go.”

Behind him came a soft puff of laughter.

Cheng An couldn’t hold back his amusement. “Brother Chen, you can fool us, but don’t fool yourself.”

Yi Chen raised an eyebrow.

“Sure, you’re handsome, Chen, but…” He let the sentence hang.

“But what?” Yi Chen didn’t hurry to leave; his face was calm as he dragged a chair over and sat down. “Say it.”

Cheng An cleverly laughed it off, but Song Xu, who wasn’t as perceptive, filled in, “But you’ve got a big mouth.”

Yi Chen blinked.

Cheng An went all in: “The ones chasing Zhong Yin are either broadcasting hosts or the 1.9-meter-tall captain of the basketball team.”

His tone was subtle; the point was to remind his friend not to be too confident. The greatest illusion in the world is simply thinking “she likes me.”

“So?” Yi Chen clearly didn’t catch the hint. “One’s all brawn, the other simple-minded—how am I comparable?”

The three in the dormitory fell silent.

“Believe it or not.” Yi Chen grew impatient. “I’m just bored, wasting time telling you all this nonsense.”

With that, he opened the door and left. Cheng An and Song Xu watched him go and slowly shook their heads.

“He’s just embarrassed and angry,” Cheng An tilted his head and asked, “Nian, do you believe him?”

Lin Yinian joked, “Look at it from another angle—maybe Zhong Yin has eyes that see the good in people.”

Song Xu quipped sharply, “Like ignoring Chen’s mouth and just seeing his face?”

They all burst out laughing.

—

Even after returning to her dorm, Zhong Yin still felt uneasy.

She feared the matter might spiral out of control, and Yi Chen would be punished because of it.

But all night, her phone was silent; no messages came, and Yi Chen’s last note simply said “personal grudge.”

The next morning, Zhong Yin still felt guilty and sent a message: [Are you okay?]

It wasn’t until noon that he replied leisurely: [You said you wrote a self-criticism last time?]

Zhong Yin was puzzled but simply answered “Yeah.”

001: [Sending it over.]

Zhong Yin: [Why do you need to write a self-criticism?]

001: [Copy it.]

Zhong Yin sighed in relief—just a self-criticism, that was manageable.

She found her hastily pieced-together self-criticism and sent it over: [Don’t copy it all exactly; remember to change some parts.]

True to form, the other side took the text and vanished.

Zhong Yin no longer had the energy to get angry. She shook her head and returned to her studies.

In the afternoon, enjoying a rare moment of leisure, Zhong Yin planned to watch a movie but was interrupted by a call from Bai Fan.

Ms. Bai sounded spirited, inviting her out shopping.

Zhong Yin didn’t want to move. “Didn’t we just go last week...?”

Bai Fan ignored her: “Mom’s leaving tonight; there are still some heart-to-heart things I haven’t told you.”

Zhong Yin had no choice and stepped out under the sun to meet her mother at the school gate.

Bai Fan wore a handmade qipao with a shawl draped over her shoulders; every detail from hair to toe was exquisite. Looking at her daughter’s simple outfit, she shook her head in disdain. “I wanted to say yesterday—why don’t you ever wear the clothes I buy for you? You’re this old and still don’t dress up.”

Zhong Yin thought of the wardrobe full of exaggerated qipaos and dresses her mother had bought and shook her head repeatedly. “Simple is better for school.”

Bai Fan reached out and tapped her forehead. “You’re just like your father—carefree. Since you were little, I wanted to raise you to be a lady everyone praises, but you’ve always been the opposite.”

Zhong Yin cooed, “People still praise me now.”

The two went around the mall several times before settling in a café for afternoon tea. Zhong Yin watched her mother’s expression carefully and was about to say something she had been holding in when Bai Fan suddenly asked, “What about Aunt Gu I introduced you to yesterday? Do you like her?”

Zhong Yin nodded. “Aunt Gu’s very warm. I like her.”

“And her son? How do you find him?”

Zhong Yin nearly choked on her coffee. After a moment, she swallowed and said, “He’s okay.”

“Okay?”

Uncertain of her mother’s meaning, she replied vaguely, “Pretty good.”

Bai Fan smiled elegantly and sipped her coffee. “Then you two should spend more time together.”

Zhong Yin: “...Okay.”

“Are there any other boys you know at school?”

Without hesitation, Zhong Yin said, “No.”

Finally reassured, Bai Fan reminded her, “If you meet new friends, be sure to tell your mother, okay?”

Zhong Yin slowly answered, “Mm.”

After dinner, Bai Fan said, “It’s late. My flight’s at eight. I’m heading back now. Give your mother a hug.”

Zhong Yin was hugged tightly by her mother.

“This is where I’ll leave you. Your mother will come to see you again next time.”

Zhong Yin nodded, then shook her head.

“What’s wrong?”

Looking at her mother with a complicated expression, she finally spoke what she’d been holding in for a long time: “Mom, I’m actually okay on my own here. You don’t need to come so often.”

Bai Fan’s polite smile faded. “What, am I bothering you now?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Zhong Yin hurried to explain. “I just want to truly experience university life independently, unlike high school.”

Bai Fan stared at her silently.

Then her phone rang—a call from the driver saying they couldn’t park long and had to hurry.

After hanging up, Bai Fan turned and left.

Zhong Yin followed, “Mom, are you angry?”

Bai Fan shrugged off her hand, voice tinged with grievance. “How could I be angry with you? You’ve grown up now—if you say you don’t want me, then you don’t.”

Without waiting for a reply, she got into the car and rolled up the window.

The car drove off.

Zhong Yin stood there, breath held tight in her chest, unable to exhale.

Good news: Ms. Bai probably wouldn’t come again anytime soon.

Bad news: Ms. Bai was angry.

Her mother had been spoiled all her life and had the temper of a young girl. Once upset, who knew how long it would take to make amends?

Zhong Yin returned to the dorm before eight.

Zheng Baoni had gone to the band again; only Guo Tao and Shi An’an were left, one playing games, the other watching anime.

“Back?” Guo Tao handed her a small handful of strawberries, and Shi An’an offered some newly bought snacks.

Zhong Yin accepted their gifts and shared the pastries she had bought during the shopping trip. Sitting down, she opened the movie she hadn’t gotten to watch that afternoon. Her mood lightened slightly.

After all, she had taken the first step, hadn’t she?

The next morning, Zhong Yin received a call from her father, asking for every detail.

Professor Zhong, renowned in his field, faced challenges harder than any research—like how to appease his wife.

Zhong Yin explained, “I don’t blame Mom. I just want some space of my own.”

Zhong Zhongqin’s gentle voice came through: “Nan Nan, I understand. Your mother did act improperly.”

Sitting by Yanming Lake, watching the swans entwine their necks, Zhong Yin felt a rare sense of peace. “Then please help Dad smooth things over with Mom.”

What else could Zhong Zhongqin do? He smiled and shook his head. “Next time, don’t rile your mother up. She can’t bear to blame you, but she sure knows how to torment me.”

Zhong Yin smiled sweetly, said some kind words, and coaxed her father into transferring some money from his private stash.

After hanging up, she glanced at the sky. The sun had just risen, scattering golden light—today was a good day.

But her good mood lasted only a few hours.

At noon, Zhong Yin left the study room to find over ninety-nine WeChat messages. The dorm group chat had already erupted with chatter.

An hour earlier, Guo Tao had shared an anonymous post from a forum.

1st line: [Rumor has it, after the last fight, Zhong Yin’s got a new target!]

2nd line: [Who? Who?]

15th line: [It hasn’t been long—how many times has she switched already?]

21st line: [I’m tearing up! Her two-month love history is richer than my twenty years!]

23rd line: [So who is it? OP must be baiting.]

26th line: [All crap, none worth a damn.]

29th line: [Am I the only one jealous of Zhong Yin’s luck with love? She’s really amazing—never misses, except for Yan Hao, but all her boyfriends are tall and handsome!]

30th line: [Catch Zhong Yin’s luck!]

31st line: [Catch!]

...

66th line: [No way??? I have connections saying Zhong Yin’s next target is Yi Chen?]

67th line: [Ha? Yi Chen? That’s hilarious. Even the goddess Zhong wants to crash into the famous “Southern Wall” of S University?]

69th line: [Remember last year at the art academy? A girl chased after Yi Chen for three months, failed, and publicly cursed him on the forum?]

70th line: [Then he blacklisted her posts and replied “idiot”—hahaha.]

71st line: [Looks like the goddess Zhong might slip up this time.]

Suddenly, line 80: [You’ll be disappointed. Haven’t you heard? Yi Chen fought Yan Hao at the supermarket entrance yesterday, reportedly for Zhong Yin.]

81st line: […What?]

In the group chat, Zheng Baoni asked confusedly: [Did I lose connection? How did it get to Yi Chen fighting Yan Hao for Yin Yin?]

An’an said: [Me too... I thought it was Jiang Kun.]

Guo Tao: [Ridiculous. They’re making up stuff out of nowhere. Yin Yin doesn’t even know Yi Chen—where’s the rumor from?]

Obviously, most on the forum still thought it was Jiang Kun, and the post was flooded with question marks.

Until the latest reply: [It’s true. The entire department has issued a disciplinary notice. Both students were punished. Whether it was because of Zhong Yin’s fight, nobody knows.]

Zhong Yin’s fingers froze. A disciplinary notice? Wasn’t it just a self-criticism?

She lost interest in the posts and found Shi An’an’s private chat. She sent a screenshot with the message: [An’an, is this real?]

An’an replied: [Let me see.]

An’an: [It’s true.]

She forwarded the notice the tutor posted in the group:

[Yesterday, Yi * from Class 1, Computer Science 2018, and Yan * publicly fought, seriously violating school rules and damaging the campus atmosphere. The department issues this disciplinary notice and hopes both students reflect and serve as a warning to all.]

“...” Zhong Yin’s heart skipped.

She found Yi Chen on WeChat and sent screenshots of the forum and notice: [You got disciplined?]

After a while, the typing indicator showed.

Zhong Yin stared at the screen for a full minute with no reply.

Another fifteen minutes passed, and just as she was about to lose patience, a message appeared.

Yi Chen circled the first sentence of the notice: [This sentence is wrong.]

Zhong Yin: [?]

001: [It should be “Yi * from Class 1, Computer Science publicly assaulted Yan *.”]

Crazy.

Zhong Yin’s blood pressure soared. She pounded the screen but before she could send, Guo Tao messaged: [Guys, the forum posts are gone!]

[Not just this one—every post mentioning your name, even by alias or abbreviation, has been blacklisted.]

Zhong Yin: ?

She tried to open the post again; as Guo Tao said, it was a 404.

Searching her name showed no results.

Such a brazen move—no doubt who did it.

Her mood turned like a spilled paint bucket, tangled and hard to express.

She looked down and edited her message box.

Finally, she sent four words: [Thank you.]

The other side replied with four words: [Don’t overthink.]

“...” Zhong Yin’s heart still weighed heavy. She couldn’t help but ask: [Do you and Yan Hao really have a grudge?]

Yi Chen: [?]

She had apparently hit a sensitive nerve.

Her fingers paused but she pressed on: [If not, then why?]

The other side exploded.

For the first time, Yi Chen sent a long message, thoroughly trashing Yan Hao and emphasizing how he had to pick up the slack for Yan’s laziness and shirking.

It was almost as if he was saying: Stop being so sentimental.

Zhong Yin was silent for a few seconds.

Then, expressionless, she replied with one word: [Oh.]

—

Yi Chen’s swift takedown of the forum in minutes caused a small stir within the department.

S University’s campus forum had been designed by senior students a few years back. Though the technology wasn’t complex by today’s standards, hacking it still required skill.

Yan Hao’s previous one-day forum hacking stunt had been boasted about for days.

Now Yi Chen’s precise deletion of all keyword posts was a show of shows.

In the dorm, Cheng An worshiped him. “Brother Chen, you’re amazing.”

Song Xu leaned in, adjusted his glasses, and analyzed Yi Chen’s code, giving a thumbs-up.

Yi Chen ignored them, eyes low on his phone. After a while, he raised an eyebrow.

— She looks pretty disappointed?

Just then, Lin Yinian returned from a meeting at the department. “Ah Chen, bad luck—the inspection team is still here. The department isn’t taking this lightly.”

“Whatever,” Yi Chen stretched his neck indifferently. “I was going to hit him sooner or later. The sooner, the better.”

Lin Yinian was speechless.

“But everyone outside says you did it for Zhong...” Cheng An started but stopped when met with Yi Chen’s cold gaze.

And there was still Song Xu, who didn’t catch the hint, asking curiously, “Isn’t that true?”

“How many times do I have to say it? I hit him because I wanted to hit him.” Yi Chen gestured to Lin Yinian, “You explain it.”

Lin Yinian could only recount the whole story. “It was my fault for misjudging the person and leaving Ah Chen to clean up the mess.”

Yi Chen: “Anyone believe that?”

Song Xu, ever clueless, shook his head and muttered, “No.”

Yi Chen didn’t hear clearly: “What?”

Song Xu: “...Nothing.”