Chapter 038 – Is He Pursuing Her?

After dinner, Pei Songjiang prepared to walk Shen Qingli back to her dormitory.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Shen Qingli said, “It’s getting late, Senior. You should head back first—I’ll be fine walking back alone.”

By now, night had fully fallen. The streets were nearly deserted, and when she glanced at the wall clock, the hour hand was almost at ten. Thinking about how Pei Songjiang would still have to take a taxi home afterward, she felt even more apologetic.

But Pei Songjiang gently shook his head and replied warmly, “It’s dark at this hour, and it’s not safe for a girl to walk alone. Let me walk you back—I’m not in a hurry.”

With that, he took the lead and started walking in the direction of A University.

Shen Qingli still felt it was too much trouble for him, but seeing that he had already started walking, she had no choice but to jog a few steps to catch up.

They walked side by side, occasionally chatting in soft tones. The dim yellow streetlights stretched and shrank their shadows as they walked.

Before long, they reached the dormitory building.

Pei Songjiang came to a stop and said softly, “We’re here. Go on upstairs.”

Shen Qingli looked up at him, her eyes filled with gratitude. She said sincerely, “Thank you, Senior. Sorry to trouble you tonight.”

Pei Songjiang simply waved it off and turned to leave.

With his tall, lean build and upright posture, Pei Songjiang looked particularly striking even under the soft glow of night.

As he walked her back, several girls passing by couldn’t help but glance back at him, their expressions filled with curiosity and envy.

Shen Qingli noticed the looks being thrown their way and felt her whole body stiffen with discomfort. Her cheeks grew redder.

At this hour, the dorm entrance was full of scenes of boyfriends walking their girlfriends home. Naturally, onlookers assumed that Pei Songjiang was her boyfriend too.

But in reality, they were nothing more than friendly senior and junior schoolmates—there was no romantic involvement.

Shen Qingli quickly made her way into the dorm building and up to her room.

As soon as she opened the door, a roommate looked up from her computer, eyes lighting up. “Shen Qingli! Your boyfriend dropped off a gift for you—he left it on your bed!”

Shen Qingli: “…”

She froze in the doorway, completely shocked. She pointed at herself and asked blankly, “Huh? Whose boyfriend? Mine?”

She was confused—Since when did I have a boyfriend? And why don’t I know about it?

Just then, another roommate walked out of the bathroom with a towel in hand, drying her hair. She looked at the gift on Shen Qingli’s bed—a beautifully wrapped bunny plush—and said admiringly, “Your boyfriend is so sweet, Qingli. He even sent a gift this late through a courier service.”

Then, with a curious look, she asked, “Hey… your boyfriend isn’t Jiang Junwen, is he?”

The roommates had all heard about Shen Qingli taking photos of Jiang Junwen in class.

Jiang Junwen was known for his bad temper and aloof personality. He rarely acknowledged anyone. But even though Shen Qingli snapped photos of him every day, he never got angry.

Some people had even seen her getting out of his car—they sometimes commuted to and from campus together. Naturally, people started making assumptions.

Shen Qingli wasn’t offended. She just smiled faintly and patiently explained, “Of course not. The photos were just a misunderstanding. I don’t have anything to do with Young Master Jiang. Besides, someone like him lives in a completely different world than I do.”

As she spoke, she walked to her bed and gently picked up the beautifully wrapped bunny plush.

Examining the toy closely, Shen Qingli felt a wave of complicated emotions rise in her chest.

The bunny plush was indeed something Jiang Junwen had bought.

In her previous life, after they had officially started dating, Jiang Junwen had given her this exact plush bunny.

She had loved it dearly, treasured it like a precious gem, placing it by her pillow and hugging it to sleep every night.

But their relationship ended in tragedy. When he ruthlessly kicked her out of his home, she had still taken the plush with her, unwilling to leave it behind.

Remembering this, Shen Qingli lowered her gaze and looked again at the toy in her hands.

Same pink bunny, same size—even the brand was identical.

She couldn’t help but reach out, gently tracing her fingers along the box. Her heart was a mix of emotions.

Roommate Yin Yixin leaned in curiously, studying the brand tag.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she whispered, “Qingli, this brand is super expensive! This plush alone must be in the four-digit range, right?”

Her voice was full of awe.

Shen Qingli lifted her eyes and gave Yin Yixin a faint, helpless smile. “I’m not really sure.”

She had never paid much attention to luxury item prices. Right now, her mind was spinning from the unexpected arrival of this plush.

Then something clicked, and she asked, “The plush was delivered by courier? Did you see who it was?”

Yin Yixin and another roommate, Zu Qingyi, exchanged glances and both shook their heads.

Zu Qingyi, still drying her hair, explained, “Nope. The delivery guy gave it to the dorm manager downstairs, and when she saw we were coming in, she asked us to bring it up.”

Shen Qingli nodded. “Alright. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Hugging the plush in her arms, she turned and walked out of the dorm.

She headed toward the trash bins outside the dorm building. As her gaze casually swept around, she noticed a familiar black sports car parked several dozen meters away.

That distinctive model and license plate immediately told her—it was Jiang Junwen’s car.

Shen Qingli narrowed her eyes slightly, a mocking smirk tugging at her lips. She found it all a bit laughable.

So what does he mean by this? Did he really take what I said before about “pursuing me” seriously? Is he actually trying to court me now?

And what about Luo Shuyao?

Has she gone abroad already?

It’s only when Luo Shuyao is overseas that Jiang Junwen flies into a jealous rage and comes looking for a stand-in, right?

In the hazy night, Shen Qingli let out a bitter, mocking laugh.

Without hesitation, she tossed the bunny plush into the trash like it was something utterly worthless.

Her movements were clean, decisive, and without the slightest trace of regret.

From afar, Jiang Junwen sat in his car, watching everything.

He had seen her come back earlier, had seen Pei Songjiang walk her to the dorm and leave after a short chat.

Now, he watched as she walked to the trash bin—holding the gift he had sent—and threw it away without even a second glance.

Jiang Junwen’s eyes were filled with disbelief.

He stared at her, watched her toss the plush into the trash like it was some disgusting piece of garbage.

She didn’t even look back.

He felt as if someone had punched him straight in the chest. An overwhelming sense of defeat surged through him—something he had never experienced before.

No… this can’t be…

His lips trembled as he muttered to himself, “Didn’t she love that bunny plush the most?”

Panicked, Jiang Junwen fumbled for his phone, his fingers trembling as he typed out a message to Shen Qingli:

【Why did you move back to the dorm? Isn’t living at my place better?】

He desperately needed an answer. He wanted to understand why Shen Qingli was acting so differently.

But as soon as the message was sent—ding!—a red exclamation mark popped up.

Jiang Junwen stared at the screen, frozen.

She had deleted him.

He was no longer on her friend list.

This realization hit him like a bolt of lightning.

He sat there in the driver’s seat, stunned and unable to react for a long time. Anger, confusion, disappointment—all kinds of emotions tangled up inside him, leaving his heart in chaos.