Chapter 19: Give Her a Cup of Hot Water to Dilute That Green Tea

The next day, at Jingdu University.

Ning Mo and Gu Wanying sat across from each other in the campus café. It was midday, and the small shop was bustling with students buying coffee and sandwiches.

Ning Mo took a sip of her iced latte and turned her head to gaze out the floor-to-ceiling windows. Sunlight streamed through the glass, illuminating her strikingly beautiful, mixed-heritage face with a radiant glow.

Gu Wanying held her phone in both hands, her face lit with a cheerful smile.

Ning Mo glanced at her. “You’ve got our Student Council President wrapped around your finger already?”

“Not yet, but soon,” Gu Wanying laughed. “Men, after all, are creatures who think with their lower halves. That Tan Weiwei has dated two or three guys and still wouldn’t let them sleep with her. What man could put up with that?”

“All creatures thinking with their lower halves, huh?” Ning Mo murmured, almost to herself. “I’m not so sure.”

She had an unusual level of confidence in her own looks and figure. If men truly were all like that, then why would Lu Tinghe remain so unmoved by her?

Gu Wanying didn’t seem to catch what Ning Mo was muttering and continued on, unfazed. “That Tan Weiwei walks around like she’s untouchable, acting all high and mighty just because she was made the campus belle and cheerleading captain. She’s only Chu Yan’s girlfriend, not his Wife. Why shouldn’t I go after him? She even dared lay hands on me. I’ll show her what a real beatdown looks like!”

Ning Mo pressed her lips together and said nothing, an unease creeping into her chest.

She turned her head absentmindedly, and her gaze landed at the end of the long line in front of the counter—there stood Shang Li and Tan Weiwei, side by side.

Even in a crowd, Shang Li stood out at a glance.

She looked slim and pale, but her figure had all the right curves in all the right places. Her waist-length black hair framed her delicately made-up face, giving her an innocent, harmless look—but one that was enough to make hearts race.

Could it be… Lu Tinghe really likes her?

With that thought, Ning Mo stood up, holding her coffee cup.

“Gu Wanying, come with me.”

Gu Wanying rose knowingly. “Alright.”

…

In front of the café counter, Shang Li stood in line with Tan Weiwei. She glanced up at the menu board on the wall and tugged on Tan Weiwei’s sleeve.

“Don’t buy anything for me, Weiwei. A small coffee here costs thirty or forty yuan—that’s enough for a meal.”

Tan Weiwei shot her a petulant look and huffed, “What’s with you? Your bestie’s in a bad mood and you won’t even have a coffee with me? I’m buying cake too. I’m getting one of every kind at the counter!”

Since yesterday, Chu Yan had only sent Tan Weiwei a few half-hearted messages. When she didn’t respond, he made no further effort.

Shang Li had barely slept all night, torn over whether to tell Tan Weiwei what she saw the night before.

She had typed and deleted message after message on her phone, but in the end, she didn’t send any of them.

She thought Chu Yan and Tan Weiwei hadn’t officially broken up yet, and maybe Chu Yan’s actions had only been a drunken mistake. She was even more afraid her best friend would think she was trying to sow discord between them.

Shang Li stood to the side, biting her soft lip, her mind in turmoil as if two tiny figures were engaged in a fierce tug-of-war.

The line moved forward a bit, and suddenly Tan Weiwei spoke. “Li Li, do you think I should break up with Chu Yan?”

Shang Li’s brows twitched. “What?”

“I feel like Chu Yan’s changed lately. He doesn’t seem to like me as much as he used to. I don’t know if it’s because I always turn him down when he makes those kinds of requests. But if that’s really the reason, then I’d rather not have a man like that!”

Shang Li fixed her gaze on her best friend, as if she had just made a momentous decision. She took a big step forward. “Weiwei, actually…”

The words had barely reached her lips when, all of a sudden, a sharp jolt struck her from the side.

“Ah—”

A crisp female voice rang out. Before Shang Li could react, she found Ning Mo standing right in front of her, holding a cup of coffee.

The spilled coffee had splashed onto her hand, and a dark stain had bloomed like a blotch of ink across her pale pink lace top.

Shang Li quickly realized what had happened—she had stepped forward too abruptly and accidentally bumped into Ning Mo, causing her to spill the coffee and stain her clothes.

“I’m so sorry!” Shang Li apologized at once.

Ning Mo didn’t respond, simply casting a haughty glance down at Shang Li. At her side, Gu Wanying pulled a tissue from her bag and began dabbing at the stain.

As she wiped, Gu Wanying deliberately raised her voice. “Ugh, it’s ruined. Isn’t this a limited edition piece from Miu’s new line? Must’ve cost tens of thousands. Can’t wear it now.”

Shang Li stiffened, unsure how to respond. She could only pull tissues from her own bag and try to help clean up.

Gu Wanying slapped her hand away without hesitation. “Oh, don’t bother. Have you ever even touched an expensive clothes like this before? Better start thinking about how you’re going to pay for it.”

Tan Weiwei had never been one to sit by while her best friend got bullied. Especially not by Ning Mo and Gu Wanying—those two textbook Green Tea Bitches. She put her hands on her hips, furious, and snapped, “Are you blind in one eye or both? Want me to chip in for surgery? We were standing right here in line, minding our business. Ning Mo was the one who came charging over with her coffee. She banged into Li Li and we haven’t even asked her to pay for that! Why the hell should we compensate her for her clothes?!”

Gu Wanying flared up. “Watch your mouth! Screeching like a fishwife—no wonder Chu Yan doesn’t like you!”

That line—“Chu Yan doesn’t like you”—was like a dagger to Tan Weiwei’s pride. Her eyes flashed with fury. “What did you just say, you Green Tea Bitch?!”

More and more people began to gather around, eager for drama. Shang Li suddenly realized this was definitely not the place for this kind of confrontation. She quickly grabbed Tan Weiwei’s arm and said, “Weiwei, forget it. Let’s go.”

“Why should we apologize? If anyone should apologize, it’s them!”

At that moment, Ning Mo, who had been silent until now, finally turned to Shang Li and spoke, “Classmate, you bumped into me. Forget about compensating for my clothes—it doesn’t look like you could afford it anyway. But you did spill almost my entire coffee. Don’t you think you ought to buy me another one?”

Her tone dripped with undisguised disdain and contempt, as if she didn’t see Shang Li as worthy of her attention.

Gu Wanying jumped in gleefully, twisting the knife. “Oh dear, Momo, one cup of coffee probably costs more than that T-shirt she’s wearing. Maybe we should just let it go?”

A faint flush appeared at the corner of Shang Li’s eyes, but there wasn’t the slightest hint of fear in her expression. She looked Gu Wanying straight in the eye and said, “You’re right—a cup of coffee is worth more than my T-shirt. It was my fault for bumping into you. Tell me what you want to drink, and I’ll pay for it.”

The moment those words left her mouth, murmurs broke out among the onlookers.

“Didn’t expect Ning Mo to be so petty.”

“Yeah, it’s not like the girl did it on purpose. Why go out of her way to humiliate her?”

“Honestly, that outfit of hers doesn’t even look expensive. I think that simple T-shirt from the Design School director the other day looked way better.”

Tan Weiwei was fuming. “Buy her a damn coffee? Who does she think she is? I say we hand her a cup of hot water to rinse out all that green tea she’s soaked in!”

No sooner had she finished than a familiar male voice cut through the crowd.

“If you spilled someone’s coffee, of course you need to pay for it.”