Chapter 23

Chapter 23

At that moment, Jiang Cheng was completely dumbstruck.

He had imagined various scenarios of meeting Shang Zenian again.

Perhaps years later, they would meet again in a sea of people. Shang Zenian, so tall and conspicuous, he would surely spot him first, while he himself would be lost in the crowd. Shang Zenian might notice him, confused that this guy looked just like Chen Yin, who had messed with his feelings years ago. Or maybe he wouldn’t even recognize him, just brushing past with his wife and kids.

Or perhaps the other party had taken over the Shang family business, becoming a big shot in the business world, invited onto television or featured in news magazines.

But he never imagined they would meet again so quickly.

Not even ten days had passed between their last encounter.

And on top of that, the other person was his senior...

In that instant, Jiang Cheng’s head was buzzing. Now, he was full of regret, deeply regretting that when He Jun kept bugging him on the train to look up the campus heartthrob on the forum, and he couldn’t care less. That's why he was so blindsided now.

What to do now?

Even though he knew the distance was far and Shang Zenian wasn’t looking in his direction, Jiang Cheng instinctively moved to the side away from the playground, his mind racing frantically for a plan.

Should he drop out, go back to repeat his senior year, and apply to a different university next year?

But Yanshan University had always been his goal, and he had worked so hard to get in. He couldn’t bear to give it up.

There was only one other option: come clean and beg for forgiveness.

After all, Chen Pingzhou’s goal had already been achieved. Whether he was the real Chen Yin or a fake one no longer mattered. This fake identity could just be dropped.

The only gross thing was that he was a guy.

If Shang Zenian found out that he had been hugging and kissing a guy, he'd probably be so disgusted he'd deck him.

But that was what he deserved, and he would take it.

Jiang Cheng braced himself, deciding to go find him and confess.

Shang Zenian’s dunk was simply too spectacular. The new students, whether or not they had heard of Shang Zenian before, all stopped in their tracks, wanting to watch this legendary senior.

“Senior, who is that?” a curious freshman asked.

“Our campus heartthrob at Yanshan University,” the senior girl answered, then shot a quick glance at Jiang Cheng.

He was also handsome, but a completely different type from Shang Zenian.

The senior continued, “He’s a big deal from the School of Physical Education. He plays basketball incredibly well; the provincial team even tried to recruit him, but he turned it down. Besides that, he’s the national champion in sanshou (Chinese kickboxing) and holds multiple athletic records at our school. In short, he’s a walking legend.”

Sanshou, sanshou champion.

Jiang Cheng’s legs felt weak. Thinking about Shang Zenian’s physique – how he could effortlessly lift him, a 120-pound guy – could he even survive one punch? QAQ

Would that 210,000 yuan even cover his hospital bills?

“He’s so handsome,” a girl said, her eyes glued to the playground. “Does he have a partner?”

“As of the end of last semester, he was still single. I don’t know if he found someone over the summer break.”

The senior girl looked at the bright-eyed freshmen girls and said seriously, “But even if he’s single, I wouldn't waste your time if I were you. He has very high standards. In my two years here, I’ve seen countless girls take the initiative to pursue him and confess their feelings, but he wouldn't even look twice at them. He’s extremely aloof.”

Upon hearing this, everyone settled down a bit.

Yeah, someone like that, even if he were single, wouldn’t be easy to win over.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been single all this time.

A fairly pretty-faced guy said, “What if he likes guys?”

“That's even less likely. He's homophobic,” the senior girl said with a laugh. “Look at him – tall, handsome, oozing masculinity. Of course he draws in gay guys. But he's made it crystal clear he's not into guys. If a girl confesses, he just ignores her; if a guy does it, he flips out. I heard some guy confessed to him and he beat him up so bad he landed in the hospital and had to take several months off school.”

Jiang Cheng: “.............”

Mom, help me.

Just saying you like him gets you beaten. Someone like him, who almost tricked him (romantically and physically), would probably get murdered by him in some dark alley!

The resolve he'd built to confess vanished—he chickened out.

Ugh, college is terrifying. Should he drop out just to stay alive?

Now he cursed himself, deeply regretted being so greedy and agreeing to Chen Pingzhou’s insane request. What goes around comes around.

“Jiang Cheng, what’s wrong? You look awful,” the senior girl asked, looking at him worriedly.

“I... I, I’ve been traveling for over ten hours, I’m just tired. Senior, when do we get to the dorm?”

The senior said, “Alright, everyone, stop staring for now. Senior Shang is always training or playing basketball, so there will be plenty of opportunities later. Let me take you all to check in first, then you can put your luggage in the dorms before coming back to watch.”

Some were reluctant, but they didn't want to keep wasting the senior's time, so they went to check in first.

Jiang Cheng was from the Law School. He went to the registration desk first to sign in and pick up the bedding provided by the school, and then a senior from his own department led him to the dormitory.

On the way, the senior said, “Oh, by the way, I have something to tell you. Our department’s enrollment ratio is a bit off this year. Usually, the male-to-female ratio is 7:3, but this year it’s close to 50:50. So the dorms for male students aren’t sufficient. You and another male student from your class will have to be placed in a dormitory with some fourth-year students.”

Jiang Cheng's heart dropped.

Fourth-year students... He remembered Shang Zenian would also be in his last year.

Could it be such a coincidence that he'd be placed in Shang Zenian's dorm?

Jiang Cheng immediately asked, “What’s the senior’s name?”

“Huh?” The senior scratched his head. “I’m not sure either.”

Shang Zenian was so famous. If he were being put in his dorm, the senior would've said his name, wouldn't he?

Still uneasy, Jiang Cheng pressed again, “Then what major is he in?”

“Hmm, let me think... I think it's Engineering.”

Shang Zenian was from the School of Physical Education. Thank God.

Jiang Cheng let out a huge sigh of relief.

The senior, thinking Jiang Cheng was worried about living with an older student, reassured him, “Don’t worry. Seniors in their last year have almost no classes—most are already on internships. They probably won't cause any problems for you two.”

“Okay, thanks, senior.”

“Haha, you're so polite,” the senior stopped at a dormitory door. “608, right here.”

No one was inside. The dorm was a standard four-person room, with beds above and desks below. Three of the beds had belongings on them, leaving only the one near the bathroom empty—that was Jiang Cheng's spot.

The senior helped carry his stuff in, gave him a quick rundown of where the supermarket and cafeteria were, then went off to handle his own business.

Jiang Cheng's stomach growled loudly. He hadn't even made his bed or bought any necessities, but he wasn't in the mood for that. He slumped into the chair, his mind weighed down with worries. The moment he thought of Shang Zenian, he made a pained expression.

What should he do?

How could one person mess up this badly?

Just then, Jiang Cheng's phone rang. It was a call from He Jun. He picked up.

“Little Cheng, how's it going?” He Jun asked loudly.

There was a lot of background noise on his end—probably in his dorm, a stark contrast to the quiet of Jiang Cheng's.

“I just got to my dorm.”

“You're so slow! I've already made my bed. It's still early. Want to grab a bite outside and pick up some stuff?”

Jiang Cheng really wasn't in the mood.

But staying cooped up in the dorm wasn't going to help either. He had to eat, and life had to go on.

So he agreed anyway. “Yeah, sure.”

At the same time, Lu Xiyuan was carrying a basketball, walking off campus with Shang Zenian.

Lu Xiyuan was drenched in sweat, fanning himself with his hand. He carefully glanced at Shang Zenian's expressionless face and tried to make conversation. “Bro, you were really going hard today. I saw Wang Jing and those guys almost in tears from getting crushed. That was intense.”

Shang Zenian gave a noncommittal “Mm,” clearly not in the mood to chat.

Lu Xiyuan sighed at that.

Who would have thought that Shang Zenian—the guy who had fended off countless advances, the ultimate lone wolf in everyone's eyes—would finally fall for someone, only to be used, then ditched completely? She deleted all contact info and disappeared without a trace.

Sure, there were plenty of suspicious details. For instance, that Chen Yin was probably a fake, especially since the paternity test was entirely conducted by Chen Pingzhou. Since she looked so much like Chen Rou, everyone just assumed she was the real Chen Yin and never bothered to double-check.

Or maybe she never actually went abroad—just took the hush money Chen Pingzhou gave her and vanished.

But either way, it didn't change the fact that Shang Zenian had been used.

The other party had achieved their goal and vanished without leaving a trace. Clearly, there was no love involved—Shang Zenian was the only one with feelings.

That was what hurt the most.

Lu Xiyuan had heard that when Shang Zenian first received Chen Yin's breakup letter, he immediately figured out the truth. He messaged her, telling her he didn't care if she was really Chen Yin, didn't care about her background, didn't care that she had deceived him—he just liked her as a person and wanted to start over with her, leaving the past behind.

That proud, arrogant young master had stooped so low, yet she hadn't even replied with a single word.

So cold.

It was obvious that this so-called Chen Yin had simply used Shang Zenian. She didn't love him at all. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so cold-hearted.

They reached the school gate. Lu Xiyuan asked, “Are you going to your grandfather's place?”

Shang Zenian finally spoke. “No.”

“Then let's go eat together.”

“Not hungry.”

“But you'll get hungry eventually. I've been playing basketball for hours; I'm starving. How about I grab some takeout and bring it to your place?”

“No need. I'm leaving.”

With that, Shang Zenian turned and walked toward his place. He didn't live in the dorm—he had bought an apartment in a nearby complex, and a housekeeper took care of his meals and chores.

Since the semester hadn't started yet, he hadn't told the housekeeper to come over, so she wasn't there.

Shang Zenian went home and took a shower first.

When he came out of the bathroom, he heard his phone, which he had tossed on the bed, ring three times in a row. He immediately walked over, picked it up, and unlocked it.

Seeing that it wasn't a message from his pinned chat, Shang Zenian's lips curled into a bitter smile.

What was he even expecting?

Lu Xiyuan: [Link]

Lu Xiyuan: Um, bro, don't kill me for saying this.

Lu Xiyuan: This new handsome junior—he looks a lot like Chen Yin, don't you think? Maybe he's her brother?

Shang Zenian's fingers tightened.

But he didn't open the link right away.

In truth, with his family's wealth and connections, finding Chen Yin would be a piece of cake. He could even pressure Chen Pingzhou into revealing her whereabouts.

But what was the point?

He wouldn't hit a woman. Her cold demeanor said it all. Finding her and hearing her say she didn't like him would only make it more humiliating.

His deep-seated pride wouldn't allow him to stoop so low.

With that thought, Shang Zenian tossed the phone back onto the bed and started looking for clothes in his wardrobe.

But a moment later, he frowned, picked up the phone again, unlocked it, and opened the link.

Subject: This new junior is so good-looking!

1st: Total knockout! [Image]

The photo was taken at the check-in desk. A strikingly handsome boy was looking down, filling out his information.

The light-colored T-shirt he wore had slightly faded edges from washing. Sunlight filtered through the plane tree leaves, casting dappled shadows. The light fell on his long, thick eyelashes, creating a shadow underneath. He looked clean and innocent.

Shang Zenian's pupils dilated sharply.

He and Chen Yin didn't just look alike—they were almost identical.

Shang Zenian scrolled down. This was a post on their school forum. Below, people were asking for information about the junior, and soon someone came forward with answers.

36L: Jiang Cheng, freshman in the Law School, even better looking than his picture. Hehe, I feel like the guy who's been campus heartthrob for three years in a row might have some competition!

37L: I still prefer the Shang Zenian type—a walking hormone factory. This junior is way too much of a bottom.

38L: Bottoms are good. Bottoms attract more mommy fans, and they fight hard. When's the campus heartthrob vote? I'm already looking forward to it!

...

The rest of the posts were just arguments about who the campus heartthrob was, no other useful info. Shang Zenian saved the photo, messaged the forum admin on WeChat, sent the link, and asked him to take down the post for sharing someone else's picture without permission.

Law school freshman, Jiang Cheng.

Shang Zenian narrowed his eyes.

Jiang Cheng and He Jun grabbed a meal at a local place off-campus, then walked around the student street.

They were like kids, curious and excited about everything around them.

But the whole thing with Shang Zenian was weighing on him, so he couldn't really enjoy himself.

“Cheng, you okay? You seem kind of down. Is your new roommate a pain, or is something else going on?”

Jiang Cheng bit his lip and said, “I might need to drop out.”

“What?! Drop out?” He Jun almost jumped up. “Who bullied you? Tell me and I'll go kick his ass!”

He Jun rolled up his sleeves as he said that. He had dark skin, tall and burly, looking pretty fierce and not like a good guy, so the freshmen nearby gave them a wide berth.

No wonder he freaked out—everyone knew Yanshan Law was Jiang Cheng's dream. Now he finally got in, and the first thing he does is say he wants to drop out? Something's off.

“No, don’t get worked up,” Jiang Cheng stopped him. “It’s just... over summer break, I worked and kinda led someone on, then ghosted them. But now I find out he's at Yanshan too. He'll probably kill me. I need a do-over.”

“Holy shit, for real?!” He Jun was stunned by this explosive news.

Ghosting someone? Jiang Cheng? It'd be a miracle if he didn't get ghosted himself. No way he ghosted someone.

The student street was packed, so He Jun pulled him into a quiet corner. “How'd you mess up? Get a girl pregnant?”

“... Something like that.”

“Holy crap, Little Cheng, you're something else! But why don't you like her? I know you—you wouldn't sleep with someone you don't like. Unless you had some huge fight, maybe try getting back together? Dropping out would suck.”

Jiang Cheng: “It's bad. Can't fix it.”

“She got an abortion?”

Jiang Cheng hesitated, then nodded. Basically that serious.

“Damn,” He Jun gasped. “No wonder. That's rough on a girl's body. If she doesn't hate you, her parents definitely will. So you gonna go back and redo a year? Retake the college exams?”

Jiang Cheng stated his plan: “I'll see if I can take a leave of absence. He's a senior, graduates next year. I can come back after.”

“Yeah, stay safe. Dang, I need a minute. This is crazy. I still can't believe you're a player.”

But Jiang Cheng had already made up his mind. He planned to apply for a leave of absence tomorrow. If possible, he would take a leave and scram back to Tingxi to hide for a year. If not, he’d repeat a year and start over next year.

He couldn't help it—he was scared of Shang Zenian. Those muscles, that power. He couldn't take a single punch.

If he couldn't face him, he had to run.

With this on their minds, they didn’t feel like hanging out anymore. Plus, they were exhausted from the long ride. So Jiang Cheng accompanied He Jun to buy some daily necessities, and then they went their separate ways.

Since he was planning to bolt tomorrow, Jiang Cheng didn't buy anything.

He returned to the dormitory building. Since this building housed seniors, and they hadn’t started school yet, unlike the noisy freshman dormitories, this whole building was very quiet.

Walking alone along the silent corridor, he could hear his own footsteps.

For some reason, Jiang Cheng’s right eye kept twitching. He felt something bad was going to happen.

Moreover, the motion-sensor lights in their hallway were broken, leaving no light source. On a night this quiet, in an unfamiliar environment, the pitch darkness was pretty creepy.

But he made it to the door of Room 608 without anything happening.

Indeed, he should watch fewer horror movies.

Just as Jiang Cheng took out his key card and was about to swipe it open, he suddenly heard a voice he knew, cold as ice: “Do you know someone named Chen Yin?”

A soft click—it was Jiang Cheng’s key card dropping to the floor.

He turned in shock to see a tall figure emerging from the shadows.

In just nine days, that face, once so familiar, had shed all its former warmth, now covered in frost. His features were cold and sharp, radiating a chilling aura. His deep eyes were like ice, devoid of any warmth, leaving only an aloof and fierce sharpness, fully exposing his edge.

He walked slowly out of the darkness, bringing Jiang Cheng more terror than any horror movie killer. Each step carried silent pressure, the faint sound of his soles scraping the floor piercing the deep silence.

In the silence, the oppressive feeling hit him.

“Or maybe,” Shang Zenian’s voice was deep and cold, “I should ask—are you Chen Yin.”

He used a question, but his tone was a statement.