The Betrayal of Childhood Sweethearts

Shen Qingling smiled. Song Zhining was quite interesting, not the haughty young lady he had imagined.

The boy sat by the window, watching the scenery go by.

It would still take some time to get back to school, so he simply put on his headphones and listened to music, shutting out all the noise and chaos of the outside world.

"Host, Song Zhining's Heart-Throb Score for you has already reached 85. I have to say, you really have some skills."

"This girl's pretty good. She can be won over just by overthinking things."

"After all, she's a B-Class character and hasn't been influenced by the male lead yet. There's still a strong chance of winning her over."

"Simple-minded girls like this are easy to handle. People with complicated minds are harder to predict."

Shen Qingling was chatting with 077, unaware that someone had recognized him, secretly taken a photo, and posted it online.

River City was Huaguo's second-largest city after the capital. Its economy was thriving, and it had more universities than any other city, so college students could be found everywhere.

River City had a forum app for university students called "Chance Encounter."

At first, only university students from River City posted and browsed there. By now, it had become an app for college students across the country to gossip, chat, and make friends. Every now and then, people even discussed the entertainment industry, supernatural incidents, and other such topics.

The app was somewhat like a combination of Baidu Tieba and Tianya from Shen Qingling's world.

Original poster: Guess who I ran into! Shen Qingling, the guy trending today, is right next to me!

L1: Holy shit, it really is him. He looks even more handsome than he did on camera. You didn't use a beauty filter, did you?

L2: As everyone knows, cameras make people look worse. This was probably taken with the regular camera, so Shen Qingling's looks are beyond question.

L3: Strange. Why haven't I heard you guys mention him before? Someone this handsome shouldn't only be getting famous now.

L4: Jiang University student here, raising my hand. Quite a few people used to make posts about him, but every time, people accused them of heavily editing the photos, haha.

L5: If I hadn't seen his photo on the trending searches today, I'd have had a hard time believing someone could really look like this.

Shen Qingling's phone suddenly rang. When he opened it, he saw a message from someone named Chu Jiaojiao.

Chu Jiaojiao...

Shen Qingling remembered her. In the Original Work, she had been Shen Qingling's childhood sweetheart.

They had both been children at the orphanage. Later, a married couple came to the orphanage to adopt a child, and Shen Qingling gave Chu Jiaojiao that opportunity.

Chu Jiaojiao was adopted and gained a normal life, but the two of them did not lose contact because of it.

Chu Jiaojiao's new home was not far from the orphanage. Shen Qingling waited for her every day so they could go to school together. Her adoptive parents knew Shen Qingling as well, and the two grew up by each other's side.

Shen Qingling had treated her very well, giving her much of the little tenderness he possessed, yet she had not cherished it.

In the Original Work, she accepted Gu Yijin's bribe. After Shen Qingling was framed, she stepped forward and accused the Original Host of sexually assaulting her more than once.

She claimed that she was timid and weak by nature. Because the Original Host was a top student with excellent grades, she feared no one would believe her, so she had endured it in silence all along. The Shen Qingling in her story was a hypocritical, selfish, two-faced rapist with a twisted mind.

Chu Jiaojiao cried bitterly before the cameras, earning countless people's sympathy and deepening everyone's disgust for Shen Qingling.

Chu Jiaojiao and Shen Qingling had attended elementary and middle school together, then gone to high school together as well. They only truly parted ways when they entered university.

Their former classmates all knew about their relationship. They had once been inseparable, and quite a few girls had envied Chu Jiaojiao for receiving Shen Qingling's care and affection.

So the moment Chu Jiaojiao spoke out, everyone believed her completely. She had no reason to slander Shen Qingling. Who would doubt the words of a childhood sweetheart?

Because of Chu Jiaojiao's reckless lies, the rumor became what everyone believed to be the truth. Everyone went from doubting to believing that the Original Host had kidnapped Song Zhining and attempted to rape her.

Shen Qingling did not know what Chu Jiaojiao truly thought of the Original Host, nor did he want to know. In any case, what she had done in the Original Work was unforgivable.

This time, the original events had not occurred only because of his arrival, but that did not mean she had not secretly colluded with Gu Yijin. As long as she had the chance, she would still choose to betray the Original Host.

Chu Jiaojiao had already been sentenced in his mind. There was no possibility of forgiveness.

Shen Qingling opened her message. She was actually still pinned at the top of his WeChat. His brows furrowed, and he swiftly unpinned her conversation.

She didn't deserve it.

Jiaojiao: Qingling! You're the number one hot post on Chance Encounter! One of my university classmates took a picture of you on the bus, hahaha. Everyone's saying you're so handsome!

Shen Qingling lowered his gaze and curled his lips into a cold smile. If he had not known what happened in the Original Work, Chu Jiaojiao had truly hidden herself well. It was hard to see her true face.

On the surface, she was a lively, adorable, innocent girl, full of admiration and dependence toward Shen Qingling. In reality... one hundred thousand yuan was enough to buy away the affection between her and the Original Host, allowing her to completely drive Shen Qingling to his death.

This childhood-sweetheart bond was truly cheap.

Just then, the system's voice rang out. "Detected a character who can be won over: Chu Jiaojiao."

A character panel for Chu Jiaojiao appeared before Shen Qingling.

Name: Chu Jiaojiao

Goddess Level: A-Class

Identity: Shen Qingling's childhood sweetheart

Personality: Selfish, vain, two-faced

Plot Relevance: 30%

Ending: Insufficient Points, Cannot Unlock

"Ding! Side quest triggered: Obtain Chu Jiaojiao's Regret Score. Reward: points. Does the host wish to activate the side quest?"

"Chu Jiaojiao's Regret Score is worth one hundred thousand points?"

Shen Qingling frowned. Winning over a woman like Chu Jiaojiao was unpleasant enough. Why was there even a side quest involving her?

"Yes. Chu Jiaojiao and the Original Host were deeply connected to begin with. She was one of the key figures responsible for the Original Host's tragic life, so her Regret Score is very important to him."

"Then activate the side quest. There's no reason to pass up one hundred thousand points. She'll definitely come out and cause trouble again later. If Gu Yijin wants to strike at me, he'll inevitably buy her off."

"So not only does the host need to obtain her Heart-Throb Score, but also her Regret Score, and make her work for you. However, obtaining the Heart-Throb Score of such a selfish woman will not be simple."

"Not simple? It actually won't be difficult."

In his view, the Original Host had simply treated this woman too well. He should give her the cold shoulder first, then slap her before offering her a sweet treat, so she would understand what her life would be like without Shen Qingling.

Shen Qingling: Got it.

Shen Qingling replied with just that simple sentence, not adding a single extra word.

Chu Jiaojiao frowned when she saw Shen Qingling's cold reply.

It was not because she was angry, but because she was confused.

Shen Qingling had always been distant toward women, but he was gentle with her. He had never replied to her in such a cold tone.

What was wrong today? Had something happened that put him in a bad mood?

That shouldn't be it... Shouldn't he be happy after saving someone?

Chu Jiaojiao sent another message.

Chu Jiaojiao: Qingling, what's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?

Shen Qingling: No.

Chu Jiaojiao: Then why did you only reply with three words? You were never like this before. How about coming to my school to see me this weekend?

After sending that message, Chu Jiaojiao revealed a contemptuous expression.

She knew Shen Qingling too well. No matter what happened, once they met, he would still treat her as well as ever.

A bootlicker.

A male god beyond the reach of countless women was at her beck and call, reduced to being the backup bootlicker she looked down on. How could that not please her?