Aunt Zhang came in carrying the freshly washed clothes and greeted Yao Tao, who was awake and looking perfectly well-behaved. "You're awake, dear! Your clothes just finished drying, too. Want to change into them?"
He Zhen was overjoyed to see Aunt Zhang. "Aunt Zhang, perfect timing! Um, that thing, that thing on the balcony..."
He frantically tried to signal her.
"I'll put it away for you!" Aunt Zhang hurried happily toward the balcony, then turned to ask Yao Tao, "Or would you rather put it away yourself, dear?"
[Tsk, tsk, tsk.]
[So you're into that!]
[Turns out it's not exclusively for Fu Xin!]
He Zhen's face went from white to ashen, then back to white, turning green again and again. He chose to shut up.
If he kept explaining, he feared Yao Tao's thoughts would wander somewhere even stranger.
[I never knew you were this kind of guy, He Zhen!]
[What a pervert!]
[By comparison, I'm practically normal!]
He Zhen thought she really had some nerve saying that.
He Zhen had no idea whether people Yao Tao's age liked her.
But he could see very clearly that older women adored her.
Aunt Zhang and Yao Tao had barely chatted before they were fast friends.
Yao Tao's thoughts also became much more normal.
He Zhen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Unexpectedly, Yao Tao didn't stay long.
He had thought Yao Tao would cling to Aunt Zhang and use her as an excuse to stay at his place, but that never happened.
He Zhen exhaled in relief, then sucked in another breath.
[If I didn't have something to do today, I'd totally refuse to leave.]
[What a shame!]
[My real-life nest!]
[Bye-bye, super SP date.]
[Even if I don't remember it.]
[I can still imagine it!]
Yao Tao changed back into her own clothes and slung on her little leather bag, which had been cleaned up and looked brand-new.
She looked perfectly sweet on the outside, while her thoughts ran utterly wild.
He Zhen immediately felt that he should have known.
There was no getting around this hurdle, was there?!
"Thank you, He Zhen." Yao Tao stood in the entryway but stubbornly refused to open the door.
[I need an excuse to keep seeing him. Then we can do it again and again and again, hehehe...]
"You should thank Aunt Zhang." He Zhen's smile was so unnatural that he seemed to have lost control of his facial muscles. "She was the one who took care of you."
Aunt Zhang grew anxious when she heard that. "What's wrong with letting her treat you to a meal? Why are you turning her down? Just look at those dark circles under her eyes. I'll accept for you!"
She didn't say a word about having helped Yao Tao herself.
"Then I'll get in touch later." Yao Tao grinned, both outwardly and inwardly.
[Aunt Zhang is so nice!]
[Now He Zhen won't block me!]
[Very satisfying!]
"..." He Zhen gritted his teeth. Had his and Yao Tao's positions somehow reversed?
"You'd better go. Don't you have something to do?" He Zhen couldn't help urging her along.
"Right." Yao Tao glanced at her phone. "I'll get going, then."
It took her a moment to catch on.
[Did I tell my babe I had something to do this afternoon???]
[Did I???]
He Zhen's heart tightened. He immediately ushered Yao Tao out, considerately opening the door and giving her a gentle push on the back. "Be careful on your way, Miss. Yao. I won't see you out."
"Okay." Yao Tao nodded.
[He looks awfully cute when he's shy.]
[Did he put his hand on my back like this yesterday, too?]
[How embarrassing!]
He Zhen slammed the door shut with a bang, not even bothering to offer Yao Tao a "Take care, then."
In her dreams!
"Xiao He, why is your face so red?" Aunt Zhang had been about to scold He Zhen for being inconsiderate and not seeing the young lady off himself, only to catch sight of his bright-red face.
"It's hot!" He Zhen hurried to the fridge and grabbed a drink.
"It's barely morning, and you're already drinking that?" Aunt Zhang found it odd, then nodded as though she understood. "There's nothing wrong with spending time with other girls. Why are you getting all shy? See, this is how you're supposed to react around a girl. I don't mean to lecture you..."
In the past, He Zhen would certainly have gotten angry if Aunt Zhang had brought up Fu Xin.
But things were different now...
Yao Tao had left, but her horny remarks were still lingering in He Zhen's head!
"Aunt Zhang!" He Zhen couldn't help raising his voice.
Aunt Zhang's eyes darted around, and her smile grew even brighter.
This was a good thing.
Whistling, Yao Tao found the elevator herself, then opened her phone and browsed the forum while she waited.
After enduring a night of havoc, the University Forum had become more resilient, while the discussion of Fu Xin falling into the water had swung overwhelmingly toward blaming Tan Nianzhi.
Yao Tao read with relish.
Even without He Zhen there, the barbecue on Fu Xin's side had been this exciting!
"That's not right, is it? I think Tan Nianzhi only showed up afterward."
"You're the one who's wrong. Tan Nianzhi was jealous of Fu Xin."
"If you ask me, Fu Xin's the impressive one. I've been wondering who she'd end up with, and now a younger guy has jumped into the mix!"
"Could you stop dragging our Xingchen into this?"
"Qin Zhen was the one Fu Xin got involved with. Xingchen was just unlucky, okay?"
"That's not right, is it? Qin Zhen was openly pursuing Fu Xin. Aren't you being biased?"
"Tan Nianzhi, come out and apologize!"
"Wasn't the first clash with your Guan Xingchen fan club?"
"So now we're not even allowed to talk about it!"
Yao Tao slowly scrolled down and made a note of the usernames on those two consecutive comments. They definitely knew Fu Xin!
Yao Tao never let gossip pass her by!
There was so much juicy gossip out there. What a shame she hadn't joined a gossip group.
Still, joining one wouldn't make much difference. There was only so much to discuss.
It was all more or less the same.
Yao Tao recalled that, originally, He Zhen and Qin Zhen had come to blows over the barbecue, turning it into a showdown between two rivals.
Later, Fu Xin had gotten a little angry, feeling they had made things far too unpleasant with everyone watching. She had also repeatedly emphasized that she and He Zhen had grown up together.
Yes, that classic line!
The iconic childhood-friends scene had its signature declaration: if there were anything between her and He Zhen, they would have gotten together ages ago!
Qin Zhen had gotten angry, too, and told Fu Xin to choose right then instead of stringing him along!
Fu Xin had become even angrier.
She felt that Qin Zhen had been the one who said he wanted to pursue her, yet he was pressuring her over something so trivial.
Fu Xin ran, and Qin Zhen and He Zhen chased after her.
The three-person drama ended with Fu Xin falling into the water and Qin Zhen jumping in to rescue her.
He Zhen was a step behind. He jumped in, too, but he wasn't as fast as Qin Zhen.
He could only watch as Qin Zhen carried Fu Xin away.
Yes, the poor drowned rat hadn't even gotten a backward glance from Fu Xin!
That scene was a classic from the first act!
Only now, the classic had become a little muddled. Guan Xingchen had appeared early, too, and Tan Nianzhi had come running out of who knew where.
Could I actually see Tan Nianzhi at school on Monday?
Wow, that would be seriously exciting!
It would have been a lie to say Yao Tao wasn't enjoying their misfortune.
When she had watched from an outsider's perspective, she had thought that although Fu Xin wasn't a perfect heroine, she had her merits. She was only nineteen, after all. Hesitating was perfectly normal.
Besides, this was a novel!
This was exactly her kind of thing!
Only after becoming part of it herself did she suddenly realize that Fu Xin, the heroine, really wasn't worth it. Not worth it at all!
She had once tried to approach Fu Xin, though Fu Xin probably didn't remember.
As the elevator doors opened, Yao Tao was about to close the forum when a new WeChat message popped up.
Zeng Rou: Are you awake, little Peach?
Zeng Rou: Want some gossip, little Peach?
Yao Tao's eyes lit up!
Zeng Rou, what kind of superhero are you?!
Before you continue