Chapter 30: A Wavering Heart

Looking at Ji Shuyi gradually disappearing from view, and thinking about how she didn’t like Tang Yu, Jiang Cheng felt quite pleased and lowered his head, a smile playing on his lips.

After cleaning up the mess that was Kyle, that piece of trash, he had barely arrived home when he received a call from his father.

Upon answering, Jiang Yuhuai directly asked, “You got into a fight?”

Jiang Cheng wasn’t surprised that the news had reached his father’s ears so quickly, and truthfully replied, “Yes.”

Jiang Yuhuai hastily asked, “Are you hurt?”

Jiang Cheng: “No.”

“That’s good.” Jiang Yuhuai, ever the protective parent, said, “Let Dad handle the rest. Any dangerous elements that might be involved because of Kyle will be taken care of. Just focus on your studies.”

Finally, Jiang Yuhuai specifically instructed, “In the future, try not to handle things yourself. You were too impulsive this time. You understand what Dad means, right?”

Jiang Cheng: “Understood. I’ve caused you to worry, Dad.”

How could he not understand his father’s meaning? He knew very well that handling things on the ground and controlling them from behind the scenes were worlds apart.

And he had been too impulsive today, even mistaking one person for another.

He had never made such a low-level mistake. After all, he could recognize Kyle from just a glimpse of his back.

But when facing Ji Shuyi, he always lost control and acted impulsively, deeply afraid of her suffering even a second more of humiliation.

That night, Song Ning didn’t return to the school dormitory. Instead, she booked a room at a hotel and hid under the covers, crying for a long, long time. It felt as if she had experienced the most sincere love, only to suddenly be dumped.

No, it wasn’t even a relationship that had started; it was just her one-sided, blatant crush.

She had seen everything that happened in the alley. His ruthlessness and anger were solely for that girl named Ji Shuyi.

She had witnessed all their interactions afterward.

That was the first time she realized:

That he wasn’t completely cold and indifferent; he would actually explain himself.

That he wasn’t completely unfeeling; he would even try to tease someone he liked.

So, this was how straightforward and open Jiang Cheng was when he met someone he liked.

And even though she was willing to be a substitute, she could never stand by his side.

In her youth, this unrequited love with no return had definitively come to an end.

Back at home, Ji Shuyi, after washing up, snuggled up with her phone and had a long phone call with Lu Zhixia, enthusiastically complaining about the events of the evening.

Lu Zhixia, listening to the story like it was a captivating tale, suddenly laughed and mysteriously asked, “Ji Shuyi, have you noticed something?”

“What problem?”

Already parched from talking so much, Ji Shuyi picked up her water glass and took a sip. Then, she heard Lu Zhixia’s serious voice:

“Actually, deep down, you might like Jiang Cheng…”

“Pfft… Cough! Cough!”

The water in Ji Shuyi’s mouth sprayed out unexpectedly, causing her to choke and cough violently as she quickly denied it:

“What ghost story are you telling? How could I possibly like him!”

“Don’t be so quick to deny it! Let the master of romance analyze it for you,” Lu Zhixia said teasingly with a laugh.

“Look, Jiang Cheng has kissed you twice. If it were any other guy, you would have had your brother blow up their ancestral grave. And your current anger might be entirely because you’re unsure if Jiang Cheng genuinely likes you or if he’s plotting something big to bully you.”

Don’t worry, I managed to add Jiang Cheng’s friend, Chen Xingyi, on WeChat tonight. I’ve successfully infiltrated the enemy’s ranks for you! I’ll investigate the situation and report back…”

The call had ended a long time ago, but Ji Shuyi, still clutching her stuffed animal, muttered to herself, “I don’t like him. I definitely wouldn’t like someone so annoying.”

But throughout the night, Lu Zhixia’s words kept echoing in her ears. She even dreamed that she was wearing a beautiful wedding dress and being led down the aisle by Jiang Cheng, who was dressed in a black suit.

But on the wedding night, under the cover of darkness and a howling wind, Jiang Cheng savagely shoved her into a dirty, messy little room and locked her inside.

And outside the door was his sinister laughter of a plot successfully carried out, eerie, terrifying…

“Aaaah!!!”

Ji Shuyi woke up in fright, even more horrified than if she had dreamt of a ghost. She stared blankly at the ceiling for a long, long time, unable to recover.

She was completely sleepless the rest of the night.

As the weather grew colder, the bubble tea shop in front of the school was booming, with the line stretching out the door.

Someone was shocked to see Jiang Cheng in the line.

“No way, I think I saw Jiang Cheng. He’s actually lining up to buy bubble tea.”

“It really is! Holy crap, what’s going on? He’s definitely not buying it for himself.”

“Why are you guys only focusing on the bubble tea? Isn’t the main point that he’s patiently and obediently waiting in line to buy bubble tea? You know this famous hottie is known for his bad temper and lack of patience.”

“Could it be for that Ji Shuyi again?”

“…”

As soon as someone mentioned Ji Shuyi’s name, Jiang Cheng in the crowd suddenly turned his head and precisely looked at the person who had spoken. He hadn’t reacted to their discussions about him for so long, but the moment Ji Shuyi was mentioned, he turned around as if he had radar, making the gossiping people shut their mouths.

Jiang Cheng had Ji Shuyi’s class schedule. As soon as he got the bubble tea, he hurried to her classroom.

Downstairs in the teaching building, Ji Shuyi, who had just appeared, heard someone calling her.

“Ji Shuyi.”

She turned around at the sound and saw Song Ning. Today, Song Ning had returned to her own style of clothing, looking vibrant and beautiful.

Ji Shuyi politely responded, “Song Ning-xuejie, were you calling me for something?”

Song Ning smiled slightly, “Yes. Is it convenient to chat for a few minutes? Just a few minutes, I won’t make you late for class.”

Ji Shuyi glanced at the time, saw it was still early, and smiled in agreement, “Okay.”

Song Ning took the initiative to step forward and said somewhat embarrassedly, “About what happened in the alley at the bar that night… could you please keep it a secret? After all, if that kind of thing gets out about a girl, who knows what people will say. Especially how rumors change as they’re passed around.”

Ji Shuyi strongly agreed with this idea. It was easy for girls to be smeared with false accusations, and if anyone knew about that night, who knew what kind of stories would spread. She immediately promised, “Don’t worry, Xuejie. I promise I won’t say anything. I won’t let anyone spread rumors about us girls.”