Chapter 11: Shameless Beyond Measure

In the entire Medical School—no, the entirety of Jingdu University—who didn’t know Lu Tinghe from the Department of Biomedical Science?

The founder of Heshuo Technologies, the youngest son of Lu Youlin, Jingbei’s richest man. One of his older sisters was helping run the Lu family enterprise, while the other was a popular celebrity.

Jingdu University was known for its strict rules. Getting into a fight on campus was already a major offense, and if Lu Tinghe got involved, the offender could very well receive an expulsion notice that very same day.

Tan Weiwei and Gu Wanying suddenly froze.

At this point, both of them were disheveled clothes in disarray, hair looking like a bird’s nest. Their faces were a complete mess, utterly unpresentable.

Shang Li quickly stepped forward and pulled Tan Weiwei to her side, helping her tide up her hair and straighten her clothes.

“Why on earth did you start a fight?”

Tan Weiwei was panting furiously, her voice shaking with rage. “Beating her up was going easy on her. D*mn it, I wanted to strangle her!”

Nearby, Bo Yanzhi saw Tan Weiwei’s messy hair and her fierce, puffed-up look—like an angry little cub. He couldn’t help himself and burst into laughter.

Tan Weiwei: “?!!”

Lu Tinghe, irritated, raked a hand through his hair and addressed the crowd of gawking students. “You all this free? Should I assign each of you a bathroom to clean so the school can cut down on expenses?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, it was as if an imperial edict had been issued—the crowd instantly dispersed.

Shang Li was eager to pull Tan Weiwei away from this mess, but just as she turned, Lu Tinghe stepped in and blocked her path.

“Your hand is injured?”

Shang Li awkwardly twisted her wrist a little. “It’s fine. I should go. Thank you.”

Lu Tinghe lowered his lashes and, without a word, grabbed Shang Li’s pale, delicate wrist. “It’s fine? Are you sure?”

A jolt went through Shang Li’s chest. She yanked her hand back abruptly, her brows knitting as she stared at him. She couldn’t hold back anymore. “Lu Tinghe, what’s wrong with you? You weren’t like this before.”

Lu Tinghe chuckled; his gaze leisurely fixed on her. “Oh? Then what was I like before?”

Shang Li wanted to say, “You used to ignore everyone,” but though she opened her mouth, no words came out.

As the two locked eyes, Bo Yanzhi lazily interjected, “Shameless beyond measure.”

Lu Tinghe turned and shot him a glare sharp as a blade. “Did I flirt with you? Is your ass itchy?”

Bo Yanzhi: “……”

On the other side, Ning Mo finally recognized Shang Li as the girl who had fought with someone at the Western restaurant the previous night.

She hadn’t expected Lu Tinghe to know her. The realization came as a silent shock.

As if to declare her claim, Ning Mo stepped forward and hooked her arm around Lu Tinghe’s. “Tinghe, let’s go. My Father’s waiting for you in the office.”

Lu Tinghe glanced down at her, the corners of his peach blossom eyes curving slightly as his lips pulled into a faint smile.

In that moment, Ning Mo’s cheeks flushed red, and her heart began to race.

Lu Tinghe said, “Didn’t I tell you before? When Professor Ning wants to see me, he contacts me directly. No need for you to play messenger—you’re not a megaphone.”

With that, he pulled his arm away. When he looked up again, Shang Li had already vanished without a trace, like grease off a skillet.

Ning Mo’s smile froze awkwardly on her face.

…

Meanwhile, Shang Li dragged Tan Weiwei all the way to the Design School’s lecture hall. There were still a few minutes before class began.

The two of them sat in the last row. By now, Tan Weiwei had already forgotten that she’d just been in a fight. Her mind was entirely occupied with the image of Lu Tinghe gently holding Shang Li’s hand, speaking to her in a soft voice.

Her face looked as if she’d been struck by lightning, the confusion in her heart only growing deeper.

Suddenly, Tan Weiwei whipped her head around, startling Shang Li, who was helping her fix her hair.

“Li Li, what’s going on with you? Do you have some kind of past with Lu Tinghe?!”

Shang Li’s heart skipped a beat, but she remained calm. “No, we’re just schoolmates.”

“No?!” Tan Weiwei’s voice was so loud that even the front row of the lecture hall could hear it. “If there’s nothing between you two, why was he grabbing your hand and refusing to let go? Is he some kind of woman-snatching bandit?!”

Shang Li was secretly grateful that Tan Weiwei hadn’t seen Lu Tinghe helping her tie her hair. Otherwise, with her wild imagination, she might’ve started picking out names for their kids by now.

Lowering her eyes, Shang Li continued brushing her friend’s hair as she replied, “Maybe he’s just… being helpful.”

“Helpful?” Tan Weiwei found the idea laughable. “Then why didn’t he help me beat up Gu Wanying?!”

Seeing where this was going, Shang Li quickly changed the subject. “Anyway, what happened? Why were you arguing with Gu Wanying?”

Tan Weiwei patted her chest to calm herself down before saying, “I saw on Chu Yan’s phone that Gu Wanying sent him a bunch of pictures in sexy lingerie—asking him which set looked better and saying she wanted to model them for him.”

At that, Shang Li choked for a moment, then asked, “And what about Senior Chu? Did he reply?”

“Of course not. If Chu Yan had dared to reply, I would’ve beaten him up too!”

Shang Li couldn’t help but laugh, her expression radiant, dimples showing. “Mm, Senior Chu’s a decent guy.”

Tan Weiwei raised a well-shaped brow. “Even Jingbei’s Campus Heartthrob Lu Tinghe is this concerned about you. What do you have to envy me for?”

That “Jingbei’s Campus Heartthrob” made Shang Li burst into laughter. She smiled and then replied nonchalantly, “You’re overthinking it. Lu Tinghe just knew me from high school, so he asked out of familiarity. He’s always been… nice.”

Right after she said it, Shang Li suddenly remembered the ninety-eight egg pancakes Lu Tinghe had eaten during their senior year, and a twinge of guilt rose in her chest.

Lu Tinghe really was a decent guy. Back in high school, even though he always wore a cold expression and rarely spoke, he had never once lost his temper with her. That was probably why she had let herself believe she might have a chance.

The only time Lu Tinghe had ever taken the initiative to speak to her—at least, in her memory—was during that early summer right before the college entrance exams. Shang Li had been sitting in the last row of the classroom, braiding a red string, hoping to confess her feelings to him before the exams.

It was lunch break, and she was fully focused on weaving the string when Lu Tinghe’s handsome face suddenly appeared close by.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

Startled, Shang Li quickly hid the red string under the desk. “Nothing.”

Back then, it had been a popular trend at school for girls to confess to their crushes using hand-braided red strings. Lu Tinghe probably knew that. He had seen the red string clutched in her slender, pale fingers.

But he showed no reaction at all. Expressionless as ever, he simply sat down and began playing on his phone.

Looking back, Shang Li realized that should have been her wake-up call—that Lu Tinghe had never liked her. Everything had been nothing more than her own delusion.

Something as cheap and trivial as a red string was never going to catch Lu Tinghe’s eye.

Tan Weiwei’s voice pulled Shang Li out of her memory. “Li Li, tell me the truth—does Lu Tinghe like you?”

Shang Li’s hand paused as she held the comb. She forced down the stirring in her chest and replied with a trace of bitterness, “Of course not. I know my place. Besides, Lu Tinghe already has a girlfriend. Don’t say things like that.”

“Lu Tinghe’s girlfriend? Who? Ning Mo?”

Shang Li nodded. “Mm. I ran into them last night when I was working at the restaurant. They came in to eat together.”

Her feelings had to remain hidden from everyone—especially from Lu Tinghe. She didn’t want to be laughed at. She didn’t want to lose both her dignity and her pride.

They say unrequited love is like a one-person war. And for someone as stubborn as Shang Li, if she didn’t snap out of it soon, she might end up fighting this war for the rest of her life.

She… didn’t want to be in love with him anymore.