The art academy was not far from A University; it was a quick taxi ride.
So, when Lu Youran arrived downstairs at the male dormitory building, Jing Xiao was passionately embracing Meng Xiyao!
Their display was so public, it was as if they were the actual couple!
Lu Youran felt like her head was glowing green, and tears inexplicably welled up.
She quickly wiped them away with her thumb and then strode forward.
*Slap—*
She grabbed Jing Xiao and, turning him around, slapped him across the face.
Jing Xiao was stunned for two seconds, then said with disgust, "Why did you come here?"
At this moment, no one noticed Meng Xiyao's subtly shifting expression.
"Why can't I come?" Lu Youran, her eyes red with anger, looked at him, maintaining a sliver of reason as she asked, "Jing Xiao, did you ever explicitly tell me we broke up?"
Jing Xiao instinctively glanced at Meng Xiyao, then frowned sharply and snarled at Lu Youran,
"Can you stop being unreasonable? We broke up, you... Ah!"
He clutched his throbbing calf, hopping around in pain.
Lu Youran's eyes trembled as she watched him, her hands in her pockets shaking.
But she held them firm, refusing to let any emotion show.
"Jing Xiao, you've been avoiding me since National Day, for at least half a month," Lu Youran said, her voice clear and loud, speaking each word deliberately.
"WeChat, QQ, phone calls, text messages, even Weibo, you haven't responded to me much. All of this can be verified. You never explicitly told me we broke up, and I never brought it up either. We are still a couple! Meng Xiyao, my roommate, we live together every day. She knows very well whether we broke up or not, yet she still became involved with you. I don't think slapping her is unfair, do you?"
Although Lu Youran was small, she had been raised like a boy since childhood, making her agile and quick. Before Meng Xiyao could react, she had slapped her.
"What are you doing!"
Just as Lu Youran was about to slap again, Jing Xiao suddenly pushed her away. The force was so great that Lu Youran fell directly to the ground. If bystanders hadn't reached out, she would have fallen even harder.
Very good.
Her childhood sweetheart of over ten years not only cheated, but not only refused to admit fault or apologize, but also pushed her.
Lu Youran herself didn't know she could be so calm.
Calmly recalling past events, she calmly watched Jing Xiao say to her, "You really are a shrew! You have no demeanor of a lady at all. Yao Yao is much better than you; at least she doesn't make me worry. Unlike you, who is always causing trouble and expecting me to clean up your messes! And forget all that, you pursued wealth and fawned over your school's student union president. Why can't I find a girl I like better?! Lu Youran, you've gone too far!"
Jing Xiao glared at her with utter disgust, as if looking at a piece of garbage. No, he didn't have that much resentment towards garbage. It was more like he saw her as an enemy.
An enemy... The moment the word flashed in her mind, Lu Youran suddenly laughed.
She didn't know if she was too much of a failure, or if he was too blind. Their childhood bond, forged over years, couldn't even withstand Meng Xiyao's few lies. How ridiculous. Did over ten years lose to two months? Not even. Heh.
"Jing Xiao, how could I have been so blind to fall for you?" Lu Youran slowly walked up to him, scrutinizing his features, and said, "Actually, you're just average-looking. You're not even half as handsome as my male god, and now, looking at you, you're not even as good-looking as Fu Ran, heh."
Her contemptuous scoff successfully provoked Jing Xiao.
"Lu Youran! Don't attack me personally here, I'm telling you..."
*Slap—*
Before he could finish, Lu Youran raised her hand and slapped Meng Xiyao.
In the blink of an eye, Jing Xiao slapped her back.
Both actions were swift. By the time they reacted, Lu Youran was truly heartbroken.
Her parents had never laid a finger on her since she was little. She never imagined that the first person to hit her would be Jing Xiao. The man she had pursued for years, her nominal boyfriend!
Her eyes stung fiercely, as if a white mist had been cast over her face. She couldn't see anything clearly.
"I..." After slapping her, Jing Xiao began to regret it. He looked at his slightly trembling right hand. He explained dryly, "I... I didn't mean to..."
He looked at Lu Youran with guilt, meeting her tear-filled eyes. His heart clenched, and he instinctively moved towards her.
Meng Xiyao immediately let out a娇气 (jiāo qì - delicate, pampered) "Hiss."
"What's wrong?" he asked, his actions preceding his thoughts, looking at her.
"It's nothing," Meng Xiyao said, covering her face, tears welling up, "You should look at Youran first. She's worse off than me."
Her娇滴滴 (jiāo dī dī - sweet and charming) tone, combined with her wronged expression, made Jing Xiao instantly switch sides. "She deserves it!"
Lu Youran was completely disheartened. The white mist in front of her eyes completely dissipated.
"Fine, I deserve it. You two, a scumbag and a cheap slut, are a perfect match!" She surveyed them with sharp eyes, her one cheek red and swollen.
Jing Xiao inexplicably felt a pang of guilt, but still emphasized, "Don't spout nonsense. Yao Yao and I are truly in love, and we're together openly. We broke up during National Day. Stop pestering me!"
"Heh." Lu Youran didn't know if she was laughing at his stupidity or her own poor judgment.
"We can break up, but don't distort the timeline. Before today, we were a couple! Meng Xiyao, you knowingly got involved with a committed man! That's the fact! Don't interrupt me!" Seeing that Meng Xiyao wanted to speak, Lu Youran retorted directly. "I'm talking to my boyfriend, what right do you have to butt in?!"
Meng Xiyao immediately hid behind Jing Xiao, feigning distress. Jing Xiao, furious, said, "Lu Youran, you've gone too far! We've already broken up..."
"I broke up with you, you son of a bitch!" Lu Youran grabbed a milk tea from someone nearby and threw it directly at him! "Even if we break up, it's *I* who says so! You cheating scumbag, what right do you have to say we broke up!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the two of them were drenched head to toe in milk tea, looking like drowned rats. Lu Youran felt a bit sorry for the milk tea, its goodness marred by such bad luck.
After paying the innocent bystander for the milk tea, Lu Youran stared at Jing Xiao and said, "You're using cold war tactics to force me to break up? Fine, I'll oblige you."
Lu Youran unclasped the necklace he had given her and threw it back. Her expressionless face announced, "We're breaking up. You disgust me!"
Both physically and mentally, she was disgusted!
Even so, as she turned to leave, tears still fell. Fifteen years of a relationship, she had once wished for forever. She had even dreamed of becoming his bride. Now, thinking back, it was fortunate it was just a dream. And a nightmare at that; thankfully, she had woken up early. But her heart still ached, uncontrollably, so much so that tears streamed down her face.
Through her tear-blurred vision, she bumped into someone. Lu Youran sniffled an apology, "Excuse me, I didn't mean to..."
"Wait!" As they passed each other, Fu Ran grabbed her arm, pulling her closer. His voice deep, he asked, "What happened to your face?"
The familiar voice reached Lu Youran's ears. She blinked hard, finally clearing her vision to see the person in front of her. It was Fu Ran!
"What are you doing here?" Lu Youran immediately eyed him defensively, "Are you deliberately here to laugh at me?!"
Fu Ran: "..."
"Am I that idle?" he scoffed. "I'm here on business. What happened to your face?" He asked again patiently. It wasn't that he was being kind; he simply couldn't stand seeing his subordinates bullied.
Lu Youran was suspicious, "Really?" Although their relationship was alright now, their past grievances were too many. It was hard to guarantee he wouldn't seize this opportunity for revenge.
Fu Ran glanced at her, his eyes mocking. It was as if he were saying, "Do you think I'd bother plotting against you?"
Lu Youran: ...
"It's nothing. My boyfriend and I had a falling out," she said softly, lowering her head, having perceived no hostility from him. It wasn't that she trusted him; it was just the flow of conversation. Moreover, she was feeling upset at the moment. It was best to talk to someone, so she poured out all her grievances of the past few days to him.
He listened with disdain. "Who told you to look for a partner in a garbage dump? Serves you right to be treated like trash."
Lu Youran opened her mouth to retort, but he pulled her hand, leading her back.
"What are you doing?" Lu Youran asked, utterly bewildered.
Fu Ran: "Dealing with a scumbag among men."
As he spoke, they happened to encounter Jing Xiao, who was holding Meng Xiyao's hand, walking towards the school exit, seemingly heading to buy medicine. Lu Youran couldn't help but mock, "Walk any slower and the imprint of five fingers will disappear. So dramatic." After all, she was just a girl; how much could a slap hurt? It certainly wouldn't be as bad as Jing Xiao's slap.
Perhaps out of guilt, Jing Xiao didn't respond and tried to walk around them. Fu Ran blocked his path. He was taller than Jing Xiao. Looking down at him, Fu Ran exuded an inexplicable aura of dominance.
"Why the hurry? Since you're going to buy medicine, why not buy a little more, as a reminder to yourself. Be a human."
"What do you mean?" Jing Xiao looked up at him, his expression displeased.
The next second, his face hit the ground, a rather ugly fall. Jing Xiao was no match for Fu Ran, who had been practicing boxing since he was young. He was beaten the entire time, with no chance to retaliate. Lu Youran, touching her aching left cheek, silently swallowed the words she was about to say to stop the fight.
In the evening.
Wen Tingxue, worried about the painting in her studio, insisted on returning to school. Yu Wenli, unable to refuse her, personally escorted her to the entrance of the studio.
"How long will you be painting?" he asked, hooking her arm.
Wen Tingxue initially wanted to give him a perfunctory answer, then realized the deeper meaning behind his words. He was probably waiting for her to finish painting so he could escort her back to her dorm. He was still uneasy about what happened last night.
"This is school, don't worry, nothing will happen," she said. Fearing he would be too exhausted, Wen Tingxue persuaded him with kind words, promising to send him regular updates to assure him of her safety. Only then did he leave, looking back repeatedly.
After finishing her painting, it was 1:47 AM. Wen Tingxue raised her hand to rub her sore neck, turned off the lights, and walked out. The design college had no shortage of people pulling all-nighters, so even at this late hour, lights were still on. On her way, she still encountered hurried senior students.
After sending a message to Yu Wenli, Wen Tingxue quickened her pace towards her dorm. She was too tired, so she took the shortcut. It was fast, but there were no surveillance cameras. She had walked it without issue on normal days, never expecting to encounter Bian Wei today. No. More accurately, he was waiting for her.
"You, what do you want?" Wen Tingxue tentatively backed away. Bian Wei emerged from the shadows, his expression ferocious as he glared at her, "What do you think I want? You acted unrighteously first, and then ruined my reputation. Shouldn't I settle accounts with you?"
Wen Tingxue found him unreasonable, "Bian Wei! I've already made it very clear. Meng Xiyao accepted your things, it has nothing to do with me!"
Bian Wei sneered, "Who knows if what you're saying is true? What if you were aware of everything? I spent money, and to please you, I even borrowed usurious loans!" He roared and lunged forward!