The next day, trouble erupted.
A male student from the law and politics department had been beaten up. According to the students who visited him in the hospital, his injuries were severe—his face swollen and bruised, the bridge of his nose broken, and multiple soft-tissue contusions all over his body.
The department dean was furious. Such behavior was outrageous and must be punished severely.
Especially because the injured boy happened to be the son of a certain official from H City.
And so, Chen Jin was suspended.
The two departments involved immediately held a joint meeting to discuss his punishment for this "malicious assault."
On the third day, a military jeep with B City plates drove straight onto campus and parked beneath the administration building. Two impeccably dressed men stepped out, both tall, sharp-featured, their expressions serious as they headed directly toward the president's office.
That same afternoon, while Chen Jin was lounging in the dorm playing video games, the school issued a disciplinary decision.
He was to compensate for all medical expenses, pay emotional damages, and receive a major demerit.
It wasn't light—but for a university as strict and rule-bound as H University, this was already considered lenient.
In this fashion, Chen Jin's quiet, almost invisible freshman life came to an abrupt end.
Six months later, He Lin reappeared at his door.
By then, he had already moved out of the dorms and rented a small upscale apartment near campus.
Seeing his former girlfriend standing outside, he wondered what excuse she had come to offer this time. One thing was certain: she wasn't here to say, "Let's break up."
No wonder she was known as the beauty department beauty—half a year apart had made her even more striking.
Perhaps it was the "nourishment" from another man, but the youthful innocence had faded, replaced by a blossoming allure. Even her figure had grown more shapely—whether thanks to time or the choice of clothing, he couldn't say.
He lifted a corner of his mouth in a smile and stepped aside to let her in.
His smile bolstered her courage—she relaxed slightly.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I have come to apologize. Back then…"
Chen Jin raised a brow and let out a short laugh. "Ancient history."
"I've wanted to come for a long time… I just didn't know how to face you."
"And what made you come now?"
He Lin bit her lower lip. "I… missed you."
"Chen Jin, whether you believe it or not, I've always loved you. I only acted foolishly because Zhang said his dad could get me a good job. You know our major has no prospects…"
Her voice trembled. Tears welled up, falling one by one—pearls sliding down a flower petal.
Chen Jin reached out and brushed a hand through her long hair. His voice softened. "I believe you."
"Really?" She looked up, her eyes shimmering, vulnerable and sweet.
He smiled tenderly. "Of course."
And just like that, they reconciled.
For their first date after getting back together, Chen Jin took her to the best restaurant in H City. Beneath the glittering crystal chandelier, her face looked even more radiant and seductive.
Mid-meal, he produced a long rectangular box. "A birthday gift," he said lightly. "Bought it for you back then."
Her expression froze. She opened the box with trembling fingers. Inside lay a brand-name women's watch, ringed with tiny diamonds—brilliant, dazzling. Words failed her. Tears sparkled in her eyes before finally spilling over.
When they left the restaurant, she still seemed dazed.
"Chen Jin… thank you for taking me back," she murmured.
He draped an arm around her shoulders. "Then how do you plan to thank me?" He lowered his voice in her ear, murmuring, "What about giving yourself to me? You know… a man can get sick if he holds back too long."
His tone was low, warm, faintly seductive.
He Lin flushed scarlet. After a moment of silence, she bit her lip and nodded.
Conveniently, a five-star hotel stood right next door.
On the luxurious, soft bed, Chen Jin finally claimed what he'd fantasized about a year ago.
Beneath him, her cheeks flushed pink, her breath soft and shy. He chuckled. "I prefer women who're a little wilder. Why don't you be louder?"
Her blush deepened. She shot him a glare through half-lowered lashes—but not long after, she began to gasp softly, her body moving almost involuntarily.
Young bodies entwined in a storm of heat and emotion.
Much later, exhausted, they showered together and fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms.
When He Lin woke, dusk had fallen.
The lights were off, the room dim. She immediately noticed Chen Jin sitting fully dressed on the sofa beside the bed, watching her with a gaze like a predator eyeing its prey.
She blinked, about to speak—then caught sight of the stack of crisp bills on the pillow next to her.
Fresh, stiff, unmistakably deliberate.
"You… what does this mean?" Her heart sank. A terrible premonition crawled up her spine. She clutched the surrounding sheet defensively.
"Was the bed comfortable?" Chen Jin asked instead. When she didn't answer, he asked mildly, "How was I? Compared to Zhang?"
"Chen Jin, you—"
"Aren't you going to count it?" His smile tilted—mocking. "See if the price matches? I figure… this is about your worth now. Six months ago, maybe you'd have fetched more."
He Lin froze, stunned. After several seconds, she finally let out a sharp cry, "Chen Jin! How could you?"
"How did I what?" His smile vanished. His voice dropped cold and flat. "I planned to let you go. You insisted on disgracing yourself."
Tears spilled instantly. "I know I was wrong. If you hate me, I understand, but I truly, truly love you. Chen Jin, please… believe me."
"Unfortunately," he said, jaw tight, "coming from your mouth, the word 'love' is as cheap as you are."
He stood, turned, and walked toward the door.
"Chen Jin, don't go! Please listen—"
She tried to chase him, but her legs were weak; she collapsed back onto the bed, sobbing uncontrollably.
The door closed, cutting off her voice.
Chen Jin exhaled slowly.
Love—he would never be curious about that word again.
Maybe she had once loved him; maybe she still did.
But so what?
A feeling that collapsed this easily… he didn't want it.
There were still so many things he wanted to say.
Like—
Was I worth that little to you?
What made you think that the official's son had more value than me?
If you'd stayed, jobs wouldn't have mattered. I could've made you someone people had to look up to. Even if I couldn't marry you, I would've given you everything—because you were the first woman who made me long for love.
But she was too foolish. Too impatient.
Did she know she hadn't just dumped him?
She had torn his pride to shreds.
She had wounded his sense of worth.
She had shaken his beliefs.
Did losing his prestigious halo mean he could no longer be the strong a woman could rely on?
But when he saw her lying beneath him, soft and pliant, offering herself and even trying to please him…
He no longer wanted to say anything.
Because she wasn't worth it.
She didn't deserve it.
Afterward, revulsion hit him.
This woman had slept with that damn toad. God knows how many others she's been with since. He was only relieved he'd used protection.
But he didn't get up. He continued the act—held her, bathed with her, slept beside her.
He never actually slept. He spent the entire night replaying every memory involving her.
And he realized how naive he'd been.
He had believed her love.
He had played in a romance with her for so long.
Most ridiculous of all—when he learned she cheated, he'd rushed off to beat up Zhang, even fantasizing that she would discover his true identity and finally see how "powerful" he really was.
Laughable.
If not for a shred of sense, he might've castrated the guy on the spot.
They say women are a man's best teachers.
In that sense, He Lin had taught him well—about love, about identity.
Lessons he would never forget.
When he first arrived at university, he thought:
So life can be lived like this.
A year later, he finally understood:
No—this is the only way life can be lived.
Author's Note | About Chen Jin's Side Story
This version of Chen Jin? It's the rawest, the messiest, and the most real he's ever been.
His ruthlessness, his recklessness, his immaturity—they all came from that first time he fell hard for someone, and then got burned just as badly. What you're seeing isn't someone born cold or naturally strong—it's just an eighteen, nineteen-year-old kid. Proud, stubborn, and so hurt he lost his mind a little.
Some readers hate him. Say he's cruel, childish, undignified.
They're not wrong—he is all of that.
But that's exactly why he feels real.
Chen Jin isn't some perfect poster boy. He's flesh and blood, stumbling his way through heartbreak, trying to figure out who he is.
If you find yourself disliking him, then maybe… that just proves he's more than a cardboard cutout.
He's a character who messes up, spirals, learns—and grows.
Someday, all that pain will forge something stronger in him.
And that—that's where Chen Jin truly begins.