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During National Day of her freshman year, Jian Li officially crossed paths with Zhou Shubei.
The weather that evening turned particularly eerie—dark clouds loomed low over the city, trees on both sides of the street swayed violently in the strong wind, as if they would snap in the next second.
Jian Li stepped out from her part-time tutoring job, pulling a mask from her bag and putting it on as she walked. She slipped on her headphones and played her usual playlist, nudged the black-rimmed glasses on her nose, and disappeared into the crowded subway.
Every handrail was already occupied. The middle-aged man next to her gripped both bars with his hands, leaving little room. Jian Li had to hook her fingers loosely onto the rail for balance.
Her phone buzzed twice—it was her employer sending over her pay along with a message:
[Miss Jian, we’re really satisfied with your tutoring. Please reconsider staying on. Money is not a problem.]
Jian Li’s expression remained unchanged. After receiving the money, she blacklisted the contact and disabled every possible way to add her on WeChat.
Just as she was about to exit the app, her dorm group chat lit up—Tan Xueying had tagged her:
[Already a mature adult: We’re at the hotpot place diagonally across from the south gate, next to Wushan Grilled Fish. @LI, we’re right inside on the right.]
[Already a mature adult: No rush, take your time. The soup base hasn’t arrived yet.]
Jian Li’s dorm housed four girls from three different majors—Jian Li studied Robotics Engineering, Tan Xueying was in Finance, while Qing Wen and Chu Yue were Law majors. Chu Yue had just gotten a boyfriend, and according to “dorm tradition,” was treating everyone to a meal. Jian Li hadn’t really wanted to go, but after several rounds of persuasion—and three good reasons—they convinced her:
That year, temperatures in North City soared to 40°C, so the usual start-of-semester military training was delayed until after the holiday.
Typing with one hand was inconvenient, so Jian Li just sent an “OK” emoji from her frequently used stickers.
Another wave of people pushed into the subway car, making it even harder to check her phone, so she turned off the screen and shoved it into the pocket of her baggy jeans.
Her part-time job was 23 stops away from North City University. After more than an hour, she finally arrived. Just a few steps out of the station, it began pouring rain. The umbrella stuffed at the bottom of her backpack came in handy. It was dark green, with the name of a bank embroidered along the edge.
By the time she arrived at the hotpot restaurant, the soup base was already bubbling. Through the glass, Jian Li could see two extra guys at the table—clearly dressed to impress—trying hard to stir up conversation, their eyes fixed on Tan Xueying and Qing Wen.
Jian Li frowned slightly, shook the rain off her umbrella, and stepped aside to let someone exit the restaurant.
“You’re so eager, someone might think your dad’s here,” a guy joked.
“You don’t get it,” the other replied. “Zhou-ge really helped me out. I had to make sure the place was perfect—this is his favorite spot.”
“No wonder business is booming—half the crowd probably came for Zhou Shubei.”
Hearing the name “Zhou Shubei,” Jian Li paused while folding her umbrella and scanned her surroundings—but didn’t see him.
“Li Li, over here!” Tan Xueying spotted her and waved excitedly.
Jian Li walked over. Tan Xueying and Qing Wen exchanged a look, then scooted over to make room for Jian Li to sit beside them.
“Put your bag here,” Qing Wen offered.
Jian Li took off her backpack, and Chu Yue introduced everyone:
“This is my boyfriend Zhao Xun, and his two roommates—Liu Liang and Dai Jiangtao. We happened to run into them, so we’re sharing a table. This is Jian Li.”
Jian Li nodded slightly in greeting.
Now that everyone was present, they started tossing ingredients into the hotpot. Tan Xueying leaned over to whisper:
“Those two guys just showed up out of nowhere, clearly here to flirt. The way they talk is gross. They think they’re being funny, but it’s super off-putting. No matter what they say, just ignore them.”
“What are you whispering about? We want to hear too,” Dai Jiangtao said.
“Yeah,” Liu Liang chimed in. “We’re all at the same table. Don’t treat us like outsiders.”
Qing Wen rolled her eyes and completely ignored them, changing the subject: “Try this pickled lettuce—it’s super crunchy.”
“I’ll give it a try,” said Tan Xueying.
Jian Li was just about to take off her mask when Dai Jiangtao, feeling ignored, targeted her again:
“Hey, we’re all eating together, why are you still wearing a mask? Don’t want to eat with us or something?”
Jian Li furrowed her brow. Her desire to walk out reached its peak.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Chu Yue said, unhappy. “Jian Li’s just a bit introverted.”
“My bad, I misunderstood,” Dai Jiangtao replied. “It just seemed like she didn’t want to eat with us. If that’s the case, just say so. We’re not clingy or anything. But seriously, being this shy—how are you going to survive in society? You should really work on socializing more.”
Tan Xueying had had enough. She slammed her chopsticks down, ready to snap back, but Jian Li stopped her.
“Forget it,” Jian Li said.
Tan Xueying looked at Chu Yue and held back.
“Let’s eat,” Zhao Xun quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “This place is known for its beef and bamboo fungus—try some.”
The topic was brushed aside. Jian Li took off her mask and opened her sterilized utensils.
When they saw her face, Liu Liang and Dai Jiangtao looked visibly disappointed. They even shook their heads and turned back to eye Tan Xueying and Qing Wen—already mentally claiming their targets.
Tan Xueying’s phone lit up on the table.
[Chu Yue: Sorry, I didn’t know they were coming.]
[Chu Yue: After dinner, you guys leave first.]
Tan Xueying showed it to Jian Li and then to Qing Wen.
[We know it’s not your fault.]
[It’s fine. After tonight, we’re cutting ties. You should talk to your boyfriend—tell him to keep his distance from those two. Don’t let them rub off on him.]
[Chu Yue: Got it. I’ll talk to him later.]
After that uncomfortable start, Liu Liang and Dai Jiangtao tried hinting at WeChat adds, but Tan Xueying and Qing Wen pretended not to understand. After a couple of failed attempts, the guys finally gave up.
The awkward atmosphere was shattered when someone entered through the door.
“Isn’t that Zhou Shubei?” Liu Liang said. “Can’t believe he’s eating here. The rich kid must want a taste of the commoner life.”
Jian Li’s heart skipped. She adjusted her glasses and looked up.
Standing at 187 cm, Zhou Shubei was hard to miss—gray hoodie, black pants, a black phone spun lazily in his hand like a toy, his posture upright and commanding.
He paused at the entrance, clearly looking for someone.
The owner seemed familiar with him—they chatted briefly. At one point, Zhou Shubei tilted his head slightly, as if chuckling.
“That’s Cao Xinnan from the computer science department,” Dai Jiangtao said. “I heard Zhou Shubei helped him out with something. Guess this is a thank-you dinner. Though, you’d think he’d treat him somewhere fancier.”
Jian Li had no interest in their nonsense. She excused herself to the bathroom.
The hotpot place had two floors, decorated in a retro style. After a short wait at the women’s restroom, Jian Li came out and saw a message from Tan Xueying—Chu Yue and Zhao Xun were paying, and she and Qing Wen went to the convenience store next door to get drinks.
Jian Li replied, then noticed two more text messages.
[Miss Jian, we sincerely want you to continue tutoring. A chance like this doesn’t come often. How about this—we’ll double your rate.]
The other message was from Xiyuan City:
[Everything has been shipped to you. Take care of yourself over there.]
No name. No fluff.
Jian Li ignored the first message and replied to the second with a simple:
[Okay.]
There was no response. The sour plum tea she drank earlier still left a trace of sourness in her mouth. A gust of wind blew by, carrying some rain that landed on her face. Jian Li blinked and turned off her phone.
The rain had slowed. Osmanthus blossoms littered the ground. Between the convenience store and hotpot restaurant were a few milk tea shops.
Liu Liang and Dai Jiangtao were smoking under a tree, laughing as they rehashed dinner.
“Did you see how they all turned to look when Zhou Shubei walked in?” Liu Liang sneered. “We hinted so hard at the table, but they pretended not to get it. Playing hard to get, maybe?”
“Totally playing hard to get,” Dai Jiangtao laughed. “But those two girls really are hot. Jian Li’s just average—decent body and skin, but those ugly, cheap glasses? Probably from some poor rural place. The other two are worth chasing. Once they sleep with you, they’ll stop acting cool.”
“If nothing works, we can settle for Jian Li. Lights off, they’re all the same,” Liu Liang laughed lewdly. “Dibs on Tan Xueying—I go first. Then we switch.”
“I’m down. I’m not picky,” said Dai Jiangtao.
Jian Li hadn’t planned on responding, but at that moment, disgust flooded her entire body. She strode over.
Seeing her, Liu Liang whistled flirtatiously, clearly unfazed that she may have heard everything.
“You wanna join too?” he leered. “Not the best looker, but I’ve never tried a threesome before.”
They both burst out laughing like they had already won.
Jian Li’s face went cold. Her hand clenched at her side—just as she was about to speak, Liu Liang suddenly cried out in pain and collapsed halfway to the ground.
Thud.
He dropped straight to his knees in front of her. Before he could react, his other leg was kicked—both knees hit the ground.
“What the hell?!” Dai Jiangtao threw his cigarette, spinning around to retaliate—only to suffer the same fate. A sharp kick dropped him to the wet pavement.
From the shadows, a tall figure emerged.
“Zhou Shubei?!” Liu Liang exclaimed in shock.
The nearby streetlight was out, and they had been too focused on talking to notice someone else was there.
Zhou Shubei held his phone from a recent call. “You know me?”
He smirked. “Good. That makes things easier.”
The two didn’t understand what he meant. Dai Jiangtao tried to get up—only to be kicked again in the other knee. He stumbled forward, catching himself with his hands.
“What the hell do you want?!” Dai Jiangtao shouted, knees bruised from the tiles, now mixed with gravel from the storm.
“Nothing much,” Zhou Shubei said, squatting to study them like an experiment. “I’ve just never seen two people kneel before me at the same time. Got curious.”
Liu Liang’s face turned pale. He glanced at Jian Li and asked, “She your girl?”
He forced a smile. “Should’ve said something earlier. We’re all classmates—wouldn’t touch your woman if we knew.”
Zhou Shubei chuckled, tapping his phone on Liu Liang’s face like checking a melon for ripeness.
It didn’t hurt—but it was humiliating.
The two exchanged glances, filthy words on their lips but too afraid to speak.
They hated Zhou Shubei—but feared him more.
The Zhou family behind him, Guanghui, was the pinnacle of wealth in North City. Guanghui Financial was the most coveted firm in the industry. They couldn’t afford to risk their futures for pride.
Liu Liang swallowed his anger. “What do you want?”
Zhou Shubei raised his brows with mock casualness. “Hmm… how about this—you slap yourselves. Twice. Show some sincerity.”
“You—”
Dai Jiangtao couldn’t hold back, but Liu Liang stopped him with a look.
“Don’t want to?” Zhou Shubei tilted his head. “I guess… I could do it for you.”