Chapter 13: A Man Should Have His Own Convictions

The imagined slap never came. On the contrary, after an initial awkwardness, Qin Ruowei’s soft arms wound around Lin Bai’s neck, beginning a tentative response.

The kiss lasted a full two or three minutes before they finally parted.

Not because they wanted to stop, but because they had arrived; the driver interrupted them.

Lin Bai paid, then pulled the blushing Qin Ruowei hurriedly out of the car.

It was very dark, making it hard to see clearly.

As before, Lin Bai accompanied Qin Ruowei to the dormitory entrance. They embraced for a long time, reluctant to part.

“Enough, Ruowei! If you keep hugging, the dorm lights will go out soon!”

Only when Qin Ruowei’s roommate playfully called from the window upstairs did they finally let go.

“I’m heading up now. See you tomorrow.”

Qin Ruowei tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, lowered her head, turned, and briskly entered the dorm.

Because it was night, the people upstairs couldn’t make out Lin Bai’s face, only noting that he was tall.

Once Qin Ruowei returned to the dorm, her two roommates immediately surrounded her, chattering nonstop.

Qin Ruowei, at a loss, said, “Oh, don’t ask now. When the holiday ends, he’ll treat all of us to dinner. Then you’ll naturally know.”

“Really? That’s great! Ruowei’s boyfriend must be super rich and handsome! I’ll have to dress up nicely then, haha.”

“Us? Maybe not…”

As the three laughed and chatted, the dorm door opened and Chen Shuya walked in.

“Oh, you’re all here! Perfect timing.”

Chen Shuya dragged in her suitcase and several large bags filled with many things.

Zhou Min and Wang Xiaoli, Qin Ruowei’s two roommates, approached and began bombarding her with questions.

“Shuya, where have you been these past few days? How’s your relationship with Li Yu progressing?”

Chen Shuya instinctively glanced at Qin Ruowei, who was sitting in her chair texting Lin Bai, paying no attention to her.

Jealousy among women is a terrifying thing. Chen Shuya hadn’t been wronged or threatened by Qin Ruowei—simply being more beautiful made Qin Ruowei her imagined rival.

“Oh, it’s nothing special. By the way, look at the bag and jewelry Li Yu bought me. You guys help me tell if they’re real or fake.”

Chen Shuya proudly pulled gifts from her suitcase—bags, shoes, clothes, jewelry, cosmetics—

Almost filling her entire desk.

Zhou Min and Wang Xiaoli looked them over with envy and admiration, gratifying Chen Shuya’s vanity immensely.

Seizing a moment between messages, Qin Ruowei briefly glanced at the things on Chen Shuya’s desk.

At just one glance, she recognized most were counterfeit, with only a few genuine items.

Of course, she wouldn’t say this aloud—it wasn’t her business.

“By the way, Shuya, here’s some shocking news: while you were away, Ruowei also got a boyfriend!”

“Yeah, yeah, we haven’t told you yet. Ruowei’s boyfriend said he’ll treat us all to dinner when the holiday’s over. We’re really looking forward to it…”

Zhou Min and Wang Xiaoli’s words made Chen Shuya glance sideways.

Although jealous, Chen Shuya knew Qin Ruowei was indeed more beautiful than her—in looks, figure, and temperament, Qin Ruowei always outshone her.

That’s why she was the campus beauty. How could someone have won her over?

The guy who captured Qin Ruowei must be exceptional—he must be better than Li Yu.

Thinking this, Chen Shuya began scheming quietly.

“Really? That’s great! Ruowei’s boyfriend must be really handsome and capable,” Chen Shuya said insincerely.

Qin Ruowei hadn’t wanted much to do with Chen Shuya, but hearing this, an idea came to her. She asked, “By the way, Shuya, you haven’t officially broken up with your ex yet, right? Aren’t you afraid Li Yu will get angry?”

Zhou Min and Wang Xiaoli looked at Chen Shuya in surprise, clearly unaware of this.

Chen Shuya smiled. “I’ve been too busy these days to care. With my current status, Lin Bai obviously isn’t good enough for me.”

“But I heard Lin Bai gave up a spot at a 985 university just for you and enrolled at Jiangcheng University instead. Isn’t that a bit cruel to him?” Qin Ruowei probed further.

Zhou Min and Wang Xiaoli covered their mouths in shock.

They had never imagined Lin Bai had made such a sacrifice.

What’s worse, Chen Shuya was now cheating on Lin Bai. They felt sorry for him just thinking about it.

“Tch, it’s not like I forced him to give up a 985 university. If a man has no backbone, is that my fault? I’m going to message him and break up right now.”

Chen Shuya’s arrogance and selfishness were perfectly revealed in this sentence.

She pulled out her phone, found Lin Bai’s WeChat, quickly typed a message, and sent it.

“Sorry, Lin Bai. You’re not as rich as he is. Let’s break up.”

After sending the message, Chen Shuya proudly showed the content to her roommates.

“See? I’ve already broken up with him.”

Qin Ruowei held back her discomfort, stood up, and approached Chen Shuya, her gaze falling on the “luxury” goods neatly arranged on the desk.

“Huh? Something’s not right.”

Qin Ruowei’s words snapped the three back to attention.

“What’s not right? What’s wrong? Which item?” Chen Shuya asked immediately, her face full of worry.

Qin Ruowei glanced over and picked up a lipstick from the desk.

Seeing Qin Ruowei pick up the lipstick, Chen Shuya relaxed and smiled.

“That one I bought online earlier; it’s not worth much.”

Qin Ruowei shook her head.

“No, what I mean is, among all these things, only this lipstick is genuine.”

Her words stunned the other three. The dorm fell into an eerie silence.

“Impossible! You mean all the gifts Li Yu bought me are fake?”

Chen Shuya’s voice changed.

Qin Ruowei nodded. “Yes, they’re all fake. I wasn’t going to tell you, but… it doesn’t matter now. If you don’t believe me, I have a friend who specializes in this. You can take them to her for authentication. I’ll tell her to do it for free.”

Chen Shuya was completely stunned, sinking into her chair as if she’d lost her soul.

The next second, she grabbed her phone, called Li Yu, and then turned to leave the dorm.

Watching Chen Shuya leave, Zhou Min and Wang Xiaoli looked at Qin Ruowei in unison.

“Ruowei, what’s gotten into you today? You seem… different.”

“No big deal. It’s late. Let’s wash up and sleep.”

Qin Ruowei chose not to dwell on the matter.

…

Elsewhere.

[Congratulations, host, for completing today’s check-in task. Side quest 1 progress: 4/7. Please keep up the good work.]

After finishing the sit-up check-in task, Lin Bai took out his phone and saw the message Chen Shuya had sent him.

Reading it left Lin Bai somewhat wistful.