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The next day at noon, on the campus of Jingdu University.
Shang Li and Tan Weiwei had just finished a CAD drafting class and were walking together toward the cafeteria.
Tan Weiwei had been silent the entire time, her head lowered as she gripped her phone, the air around her heavy with gloom.
Shang Li had noticed something was off with Tan Weiwei since that morning. “Weiwei, what’s wrong?”
Tan Weiwei lifted her watery apricot-shaped eyes, even the corners were tinged red.
“I had a fight with Chu Yan. He’s ignoring me now.”
Shang Li knew that Tan Weiwei had been dating Chu Yan since their freshman year. It had been over two years. Though they’d had plenty of arguments in that time, it never lasted more than a day—Chu Yan would always come around and coax her in the end.
“How long has it been since Senior Chu spoke to you?” Shang Li asked.
Tan Weiwei sniffled, “Four hours.”
Shang Li was momentarily speechless. The words of comfort she had prepared stuck in her throat and refused to come out.
“Senior Chu is in his final year, busy with job hunting. Don’t worry. He’ll definitely come find you before the night’s over.”
Tan Weiwei let out a deep sigh and murmured, “Li Li, actually… I haven’t… I haven’t slept
with Chu Yan yet.”
Shang Li didn’t understand why Tan Weiwei suddenly brought this up. She just blinked her large eyes and waited for her to continue.
Tan Weiwei, in a rare moment of softness, said gently, “Chu Yan’s brought it up several times, but I’ve always said no. I wanted to wait until we were married. Now I’m wondering if I’m being too conservative. Maybe I should just say yes.”
Shang Li thought for a moment and replied, “There’s no point asking other people about this kind of thing. Everyone sees it differently—some are more open, some more traditional. What really matter is how you feel. When it comes to a relationship, only the two people in it truly know what it’s like.”
“Then… if it were you, would you agree?”
“I don’t even have the chance,” Shang Li said with a self-deprecating smile. “I don’t even have a boyfriend.”
She had just lost her job the night before. The thought of having to start job hunting all over again made her head throb. Her whole body felt hollowed out, weighed down by an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
Tan Weiwei asked again, “But have you ever liked someone before?”
The question struck a nerve in Shang Li, as if someone had poured a cup of water into a pot of boiling oil—her heart exploded in a sizzling chaos.
She didn’t want to lie to her best friend, so she quietly nodded. “Yes. Back in high school, I had a crush on a boy. But he didn’t like me. And I wasn’t good enough for him.”
Tan Weiwei looked at her with wide-eyed disbelief. “You’re so pretty—how could anyone “not” like you?”
“Just because someone looks good doesn’t mean they’ll be liked,” Shang Li murmured, pressing her lips together. Two faint dimples appeared on her soft, pale cheeks. “Besides, in high school, I wore glasses, kind of silly and awkward. I didn’t know how to dress up. I wasn’t attractive.”
She paused for a moment, then added in a voice tinged with resignation, “There was just too big of a gap between us. It’s better to just let it go.”
Tan Weiwei looked at her best friend’s delicate profile. In the sunlight, Shang Li’s fair skin seemed almost translucent.
She wanted to say something comforting, but no words came.
For a moment, she completely forgot she was supposed to be in the middle of a cold war with Chu Yan, her heart full of frustration over Shang Li’s quiet sadness.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The two girls walked side by side, neither saying a word.
Suddenly, the distant roar of a car engine shattered the stillness. It came barreling toward them, loud and aggressive.
In this otherwise quiet noonday moment, the deafening noise pierced through the peaceful atmosphere of the Jingdu University campus, drawing immediate attention.
Shang Li and Tan Weiwei stopped in their tracks, watching as a bright red sports car sped straight toward them.
Tan Weiwei squinted her eyes, trying to make out the car. “No way, that’s a Ferrari. Who’s being so flashy?”
Just as the words left her mouth, the red Ferrari came to a smooth stop right in front of them. Moments later, a woman stepped out from the driver’s seat, wearing a red spaghetti strap dress.
She wore sunglasses and fiery red lipstick. Her long, wavy black hair tumbled down like seaweed, oozing with charm and allure—so stunning it was hard to look away.
She gave Shang Li and Tan Weiwei a once-over, then took off her sunglasses and flashed them a dazzling smile. “Pretty girls, are you from the Design School? Can you draw?”
Tan Weiwei stared at her for a long moment. Then, as if struck by lightning, her eyes widened in shock. She covered her mouth and gasped, “Lu Siyu?!”
Lu Siyu—currently one of the hottest celebrities in the industry—was thirty-one years old but barely looked over twenty. She had been in the business for over a decade and had won numerous international awards. In Jingbei, there wasn’t a soul who didn’t know her name.
More importantly, she was the eldest daughter of the richest family in Jingbei—the Lu family—and the biological sister of Lu Tinghe.
Shang Li also recognized her. At Lu Tinghe’s tenth birthday party, Lu Siyu had made her younger brother appear on her social media for the first time. Their strikingly similar features had stirred up a frenzy online.
Lu Siyu bit the arm of her sunglasses playfully and arched a well-defined brow at the two girls. “You know me, huh? What about Lu Tinghe? Do you know him too?”
Shang Li and Tan Weiwei nodded in unison. “We do. Are you looking for him?”
“Nah, I see him so often I’m sick of it,” Lu Siyu waved her hand dismissively. “You two are from the Design School, right? Can either of you draw? I need a college student who can help me out. Payment’s negotiable.”
Hearing that, Tan Weiwei—knowing that Shang Li was strapped for cash—immediately gave her a little push forward. “Li Li can! She’s amazing—top of our department every semester.”
Lu Siyu looked at Shang Li with a smile that sparkled in her eyes. “What’s your name, pretty girl?”
“Shang Li. ‘Shang’ as in mulberry leaf, and ‘Li’ as in quinoa.”
Lu Siyu tilted her head, smiling seductively. “I like that. ‘Li’ as in quinoa—it’s got that little ‘grass’ radical, sounds soft and fragrant. Much better than just ‘Li’ without it.”
Shang Li: “…”
Lu Siyu pulled out her phone. “Shang Li, right? Let’s add each other on WeChat. You’ll come home with me now—two thousand yuan per hour. Sound good?”
Shang Li blinked in disbelief. “Wh-what? Two thousand an hour?”
“Not enough? I can add more if needed.”
Tan Weiwei interjected, “Miss Lu, what exactly do you need Li Li to do?”
“My dog’s birthday is today. I want someone who can sketch a portrait for it.”
Shang Li choked a little. Curiosity got the better of her. “Wait… it’s a dog? A “real” dog?”
“Of course. A husky. What, you think it’s a fake one?” Lu Siyu laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m a decent person—I’m not gonna sell you off. I had an artist lined up, but they had stomach trouble and canceled last minute. So now I’m here at Jingdu University looking for help.”
Shang Li and Tan Weiwei exchanged a glance. Tan Weiwei whispered in her ear, “Go for it, Li Li. You’ve been stressing about not having any gigs. And someone as famous as Lu Siyu wouldn’t bother doing anything shady to ordinary people like us.”
Shang Li thought about it and figured that made sense, though something still felt slightly off. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what.
After a few seconds of hesitation, the hefty payment won out. She pulled out her phone. “Alright, Miss Lu. I don’t have class this afternoon anyway—I’ll go with you. Let’s add each other on WeChat.”
“Great! Just call me Sister Siyu, no need to be so formal.”
Shang Li got into the passenger seat of Lu Siyu’s Ferrari. As she was fastening her seatbelt, Lu Siyu secretly snapped a photo of her side profile and immediately sent it to Lu Tinghe.
[Snatched a little beauty and took her home.]
Three seconds later, Lu Tinghe replied:
[?]