Chapter 15: Internal Division Xu Miaoli’s ears rang with a roar, her head…

**Chapter 15: Fractured Trust**

Xu Miaoli's ears were ringing, her head...

Xu Miaoli jerked her head up.

When she saw who it was, the radiant smile on her face vanished instantly. "What are you doing here?"

Qin Zixian caught the impatience in her expression, which only fueled his suspicions.

He had been thinking—post-exam hallway was nearly empty, just a few clusters of white students. He definitely didn't remember seeing any other Asian students nearby.

Even stranger, how did the anonymous texter have such eagle-eyed vision to recognize Xu Miaoli from afar and comment, “She’s very pretty”?

The answer practically wrote itself.

He was this close to snapping at her. He couldn’t figure out why she would do something like this.

Was she trying to lock him down? But he’d already told her clearly—he couldn’t commit right now, and she’d said the money was enough.

Could there be another guy? But she was always glued to Tang Tang—when would she even have time for an affair?

Qin Zixian was stumped.

If he didn’t still have use for her, he’d have already traded up and moved on.

After all, the world was never short of young, beautiful, foolish women.

"Just came to see you. Where'd you go alone for Christmas?"

A smirk played on his lips as he swiped the ungiven perfume set from her hands. "...Shopping?"

Seeing his face, Xu Miaoli felt guilty, her eyes darting away. "Yeah. I was gonna give it to Tang Tang, but she was busy with a friend, so I never got the chance."

Zhuang Shao's face popped into Qin Zixian’s mind.

"That guy?" His tone was sharp with anger.

Xu Miaoli blinked. "What guy? It was a girl. Just got to NYC today, I think."

"A girl? Who is she... Wait—I think I know. Tang Tang mentioned a childhood friend. Yan Yan or whatever."

"You know about her?"

As they spoke, the two walked side by side into the apartment.

Qin Zixian scanned the room, checking its emptiness again. "Hmm, roommate not here again?"

"Yeah," Xu Miaoli nodded. "Went back home to visit her parents. Said tutoring paid for the ticket... Dumb. Two months of work, down the drain."

Her roommate was in a similar boat—a transfer student from Connecticut, not originally from New York.

But their lives had gone in opposite directions.

Back in China, Xu Miaoli had been a top student, but since arriving in New York, she hadn’t taken a single class seriously. Her days were spent curating her Instagram life or leeching off Tang Tang and Qin Zixian. She'd long forgotten what studying even felt like.

Her roommate, though, was a grindstone.

Either buried in the library or tutoring Chinese kids for cash, the only free time she had went toward social work—promoting environmentalism and equality. Qin Zixian remembered her and scoffed. "Just a naive girl. Charity isn’t for people who can’t afford rent. She should be using that time to land a sugar daddy. I remember she’s hot—New York’s got plenty of rich guys who’d fall for that."

Upon hearing this, Xu Miaoli wasn’t having it.

It wasn’t that she particularly liked Qin Zixian—she simply had a competitive streak and hated hearing other women get praised by someone close to her.

Xu Miaoli quickly pouted, posing with dainty fingers as she spun Qin Zixian around by the shoulders, keeping just enough distance while cooing in a saccharine voice.

“That’s your type?”

Qin Zixian knew Xu Miaoli all too well. He had deliberately said it to provoke her, knowing it would make his next move more effective.

He played his part perfectly, immediately locking eyes with her with what he imagined was a smoldering look, affecting a throaty purr. “Guess who my favorite really is?”

Xu Miaoli giggled, letting herself be pulled into his lap, her arms looping around his neck.

Ten minutes later.

Qin Zixian, still catching his breath, buttoned his shirt and turned to her. “I know it’s been tough on you lately. I’ll make it up to you, okay?”

Xu Miaoli sat up on the couch, brushing a stray lock of hair from her lips, barely hiding her distaste. “…Sure.”

“I got you a Christmas gift. Want to open it?”

Still shirtless, Qin Zixian handed her a small black box, its ribbon adorned with a snow-white camellia.

“Chanel?” Xu Miaoli instantly forgot her earlier discomfort, sitting up straight as she tore open the box, her eyes lit up with calculating interest. “What is it? A ring?”

Qin Zixian smirked. “Open it and see.”

He knew Xu Miaoli all too well—just a little treat to keep her obedient and useful. Girls like her gave the best bang for his buck.

“So mysterious?”

Xu Miaoli untied the white ribbon, her heart pounding even faster than it had on the couch, her face practically glowing.

Maybe it was a limited-edition diamond ring?

Maybe those platinum earrings from the haute couture show?

Maybe the trending brooch collection?

When the box sprang open, her face fell, the sparkle in her eyes extinguished.

“Do you like it?” Qin Zixian asked cheerfully.

Xu Miaoli fell silent, her face twisting with disappointment and anger. “Just perfume? And you went with the travel size?”

That rubbed him the wrong way.

His family had recently warned him about cutting his allowance in half. In such dire times, buying perfume for a money pit like Xu Miaoli was already generous.

“I thought you liked perfume,” he snapped. “If you don’t want it, I’ll return it. No use throwing money away.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me! God, how could you do this?”

Furious, Xu Miaoli chucked the bottle at him, accidentally hitting his forehead.

The sharp-edged glass shattered on impact with a crisp sound. Qin Zixian let out a pained yelp, the skin already purpling above his brow.

Xu Miaoli came to her senses—she couldn’t blow her cover yet. She needed to wait until she had Tang Tang’s trust before she could bleed him for all he’s worth.

She decided to apologize properly after all, since Qin Zixian had always treated her well. Acting cute today would've smoothed things over.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to..."

The forgiveness she expected never came. Instead, a slap so hard it sent Xu Miaoli reeling.

*Smack—*

A crisp, sharp crack.

Xu Miaoli's ears rang, her head buzzed, and she stumbled backward. It took several seconds before she snapped back to reality, staring at Qin Zixian in disbelief.

Yet, to her shock, the man snarled.

"After clinging to other people’s coattails for so long, you really think you’re some kind of noblewoman now? Who do you think you are? Fake it till you make it, huh? I’ve saved your ass in public, never called out your tacky knockoff collection. Do you *want* to get dragged by the whole internet? Let them see who you really are?"

Xu Miaoli’s tears fell in torrents as her legs gave way. She crumpled to the floor, shaking, watching her tears drip onto the hardwood.

By the time she regained her composure, the room was empty.

Clutching her knees to her chest, Xu Miaoli trembled, her fury crystallizing into cold resolve: *He will pay for this.*

Outside.

Qin Zixian stormed into the driver’s seat, only then remembering his original purpose for the day.

He snapped open the car’s visor mirror, gingerly touching the bruise on his forehead. Yet, his mind couldn’t help but fixate on the practical dilemma:

—Xu Miaoli definitely wouldn’t let him crash now.

—So where the hell was he gonna go?

At that thought, his fist slammed onto the passenger seat with a *thud*, his curses spilling out: "Goddamn that bitch!"

Inside a luxurious Manhattan apartment.

After touring her new room, Zhu Yanyan lounged on the Italian leather sofa in the living room, admiring the intricate ceiling carvings.

"Is this custom-made too?" She pointed at the chandelier dripping with what looked like thousands of crystal diamonds. "New Yorkers really know how to live. What does your landlord do, anyway?"

Beside her, Tang Tang’s mouth quirked. After a long pause, she replied, "...The investment world’s most ‘fetch-my-tea’ silver fox."

Zhu Yanyan blinked. "Huh?"

"I’ll explain later. Right now, we need to talk about *you*!" Tang Tang declared solemnly, not forgetting her mission for a second.

Zhu Yanyan blinked again. "What about me? I didn’t get close to anyone in the UK—just Xiao Lin, really. He’s not greedy, never oversteps. He’s genuinely good."

Tang Tang’s face screamed: *Yeah, right.*

She sighed, her voice dripping with concern. "Don’t judge a book by its cover. You’re too naive—I’m scared you’ll get eaten alive in London."

"What suffering? Don’t worry about me!" Zhu Yanyan giggled, sweet as cotton candy.

"..." Tang Tang couldn’t shake her worry, only managing an awkward shrug. "I’ll get us something to drink."

"Okay~ This kitchen’s too big to waste! Lemme post my ‘Just landed in NYC’ selfie, then I’ll help!"

"Sure~" Tang Tang flashed a thumbs-up and bounced.

But just as she reached the open marble island counter and picked up a fruit knife to slice a lemon, she heard a scream.

"Ahh—"

It was immediately followed by the pattering of quick footsteps.

Tang Tang was terrified, thinking Zhu Yanyan had been hurt or frightened. She forgot to put the knife down and rushed over.

When she arrived, she saw Zhu Yanyan holding out her phone, stammering as she shouted, "Tang Bao... there's a super shady person!"

Tang Tang: Wait, what?

She stepped closer, took Zhu Yanyan's phone, and her eyes instantly locked onto the social media post on the screen.

"Meow Meow in New York: The weather's so nice, heading out to have some fun today~"

The photo showed her apartment and the luxury car, even the license plate number was exactly the same.