After dinner, Xu Musen lay on his bed, his mind filled with thoughts of making money.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to enjoy a carefree student life again.

It was because his family’s situation was like being caught between a wolf and a tiger—danger lurking from both sides.

On one end, there were people eagerly waiting to swindle his family out of their remaining money.

On the other, Yao Mingyue was always ready to “support” him.

If he didn’t work hard, he’d end up as a kept man for a rich woman…

What a headache.

Just then, his phone rang on the desk.

Xu Mussen picked it up and saw that it was He Qiang.

He Qiang: “Finished eating?”

Xu Mussen: “You done with your business?”

He still remembered how He Qiang had turned and left earlier, changing his attitude faster than even he could.

There was a hint of awkwardness in He Qiang’s response: “What nonsense are you up to this time? Are you really broke or just pretending?”

“Of course, I’m broke. If you’re feeling generous, how about lending me a hundred thousand? Even fifty or sixty thousand would do. I’ll double it back to you by freshman year.”

“I’ve got ten or twenty bucks, sure. But a hundred thousand? Do I look like some rich heir to you?”

He Qiang sent an angry emoji.

Xu Mussen hadn’t expected much in the first place. After all, they were all just students—sometimes even adding an egg to their instant noodles was a financial decision.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about this. What’s up?”

“It’s the weekend. Come over to my place, my family’s fish pond needs a water change. Let’s cast a few lines!”

Seeing the message, Xu Musen chuckled.

He Qiang was well aware of his family’s situation.

Every other weekend, he would invite Xu Mussen over under the pretense of fishing. In reality, it was just an excuse to let him take a couple of fish home—something extra for the dinner table.

This kind of friendship, free from any ulterior motives, was the purest kind.

Xu Musen didn’t overthink it and simply replied: “Alright.”

As he exited the chat, his eyes landed on a darkened, pinned conversation at the top of his messages.

Yao Mingyue.

He tapped on it.

The message history was practically one-sided—all sent by him.

“Good morning” and “Good night” were daily rituals.

Reminders to dress warmly when it was cold or to carry an umbrella when it rained, were never forgotten.

His birthday and holiday messages were long, heartfelt essays—so saccharine they could make someone cringe.

He skimmed through a few.

“Xiao Yue, you know how I feel. You’re the only girl I’ve ever had feelings for since childhood.”

“I know you might not accept me now, but I just want you to understand my heart.”

“Because I love you, and it has nothing to do with you.”

Another one:

“Xiao Yue, it’s so cold today. Remember to wear extra layers.
You know why I caught a cold?
Not because of the weather,
But because every time I see you, I lose all resistance…”

And then there were the times when he felt so frustrated he nearly gave up:

“Yao Mingyue! If you keep ignoring my messages, I swear… I’ll stop liking you!”

“If you still care about me, even a little, say something right now!

I’m giving you exactly three minutes!”

But when those three minutes passed, and she still didn’t reply—

Xu Mussen: “Hehe, that wasn’t me, I was possessed by a ghost. Xiao Yue Yue, I’ll bring you some cake tomorrow, okay?”

…

Xu Musen felt like his entire body was crawling with ants.

Dear God.

How had he even typed out such cheesy nonsense? With which part of his brain?

Without hesitation, he unpinned the chat and wiped the entire message history.

He even considered blocking her.

But their families lived barely a hundred or two hundred meters apart, and they visited each other from time to time.

Yao Mingyue might have a twisted personality, but her mother was a refined and elegant woman. Xu Musen had a good impression of his “former mother-in-law.”

Out of respect for both families, he refrained from blocking her.

Besides, their conversations were always one-sided anyway.

Her responses had never been more than the legendary “Mm.” “Oh.” “Okay.”

Just three words.

He glanced at his social media profile. His status message was another masterpiece of embarrassment:

“Girl, I’m just one kiss away from having you completely.”

He scrolled through his old posts—each one worse than the last.

A chill ran down his spine.

Thank God Yao Mingyue was a little deranged.

If she had been a normal girl, she’d have run for the hills ages ago.

In a twisted way… they really were a bizarrely perfect match.

NO!!!

Xu Mussen shook that horrifying thought out of his head and locked all his cringe-worthy posts.

…

Meanwhile, on the other side—

Yao Mingyue was sitting at her dining table, staring at an untouched feast prepared by the housekeeper.

She didn’t have a single bite of appetite.

Her eyes kept flicking to her phone.

But there were no new messages.

The silence irritated her.

She had always been in control, always the one holding all the cards. But this afternoon, something had changed.

One moment, Xu Musen had been standing in front of her, flowers in hand, confessing his love.

The next—he was acting like a completely different person.

It was like raising a pet for years, only for it to suddenly decide to run away.

She checked their chat again.

She had read his messages countless times.

She might always seem indifferent, but she had screenshotted every single love letter he had ever sent.

She had even planned to print them into a book.

One day, after they got married, she would make him read it to her every night before bed.

A dark, twisted smile curled on her lips.

But when she saw that his last message was still the “good morning” from earlier that day—her expression darkened.

For the first time, she wasn’t sure what he was thinking.

She opened the chat, ready to message him.

But after typing just one word, she clenched her jaw and deleted it.

Fine.

She would wait and see just how long he could hold out.

At that moment, the class group chat suddenly lit up.

Lu Guoguan: “Damn, Xu Mussen really went savage today. If those two actually end up together, and he turns into a dog, wouldn’t that make Yao Mingyue—”

Pu Guochang: “Hahaha, just wait. If they really break up, I’ll livestream myself washing my hair while doing a handstand!”

Ai Kanpian: “Xu Mussen stopped simping. Lu Guoguan, doesn’t that mean you have a chance with Yao Mingyue now?”

The messages were chaotic but explosive.

The chat instantly flooded with reactions.

“666.”

“Legendary.”

“@Xu Mussen.”

Meme stickers popped up left and right.

Yao Mingyue’s face turned ice-cold, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

But what truly infuriated her wasn’t what the others were saying.

It was Xu Musen.

He was clearly online.

Yet he hadn’t sent her a single message.

Her grip on her phone tightened, her sharp phoenix eyes narrowing.

And then—

Xu Musen: “?”

The chat fell silent.

Lu Guoguan panicked. “Shit! Wrong group. Delete! Delete!”

He frantically retracted his messages. The others quickly followed suit, playing dead.

But just one second later—

Right under Xu Mussen’s message.

Yao Mingyue: “?”

The chat was utterly still.

The entire class held their breath.

This was the first time—ever—that the untouchable, aloof Yao Mingyue had spoken in the group.

And she had clearly responded to Xu Mussen.

Everyone could feel it.

This wasn’t over.