[Qinghua University, Culinary Arts Building, Kitchen Lab 3, 11:04 AM]
Zhang Tingting stared at her soufflé like it contained the secrets of the universe.
It didn't, of course. She had made this exact recipe a hundred times in her mother's noodle shop, experimenting with French techniques between the lunch and dinner rushes. The measurements were burned into her muscle memory.
She had made this recipe so many times she could do it with her eyes closed.
Two more minutes. The edges are golden but the center needs more time. Just a little bit more and I can go and find Lin Feng and maybe talk with him or something.
The Culinary Arts practical exam was worth thirty percent of her grade. The professor was watching from the corner, clipboard in hand, marking down every mistake with the cold precision of an executioner.
Twelve students in the kitchen lab, and the air was thick with the smell of butter, sugar, and barely controlled panic.
The girl at the station next to her was sweating bullets over a crème brûlée that had already split twice.
Across the room, someone's béchamel had curdled into a lumpy mess.
Maybe I should have picked something harder. This is almost too easy.
She checked the oven temperature again, tucking a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. Her waist-length black hair was braided and coiled into a tight bun today, pinned securely to keep it out of her work. Kitchen hygiene rule number one: no loose hair near the food.
Another ninety seconds. Then rest for thirty before plating. Perfect score, then lunch.
I wonder if Lin Feng ate yet. The poor guy always forgets to eat whenever he's stressed about Qingxue. Maybe I can bring him the soufflé later.
Her phone vibrated in her apron pocket.
She ignored it. Class rules. No phones during practicals.
The phone vibrated again. And again. And again.
What the hell? Who's blowing up my phone like this?
The vibrations weren't stopping. Her apron pocket was practically buzzing against her hip.
She glanced at the professor. He was leaning over the crème brûlée disaster with a disappointed sigh, not watching her.
Okay, just a quick look. Five seconds. The soufflé can wait.
She pulled out her phone, angling it below the counter.
Her screen was flooded with notifications. The campus gossip groups were exploding.
"Lin Feng"
"Holding hands"
"Class weirdo"
"Su Qingxue DUMPED"
Qingxue? What does Qingxue have to do with—
She opened the first message. A photo filled her screen.
Lin Feng. The second young master of the Lin Family. Standing in the Business Mathematics classroom, holding hands with a girl nobody recognized.
The girl wore an oversized black hoodie with the hood pulled up. Long black hair spilled out like a dark curtain. She looked like a ghost. And everyone calls her a weirdo.
But Lin Feng was looking at her like she was the sun.
And she was looking back at him with tears streaming down her face, clutching his sleeve like she was terrified he might disappear.
What. The. Fuck.
He's holding her hand. In public. Lin Feng. The guy who's been chasing Qingxue for four years. Now, he's holding another woman's hand.
Zhang Tingting's soufflé was completely forgotten.
She scrolled frantically. More photos. Videos. Comments exploded before her.
"The bootlicker finally gave up on Su Qingxue!"
"Four years of simping and he moves on in ONE MORNING?"
"Maybe he finally realized Su Qingxue was just using him?"
Using him.
I told her. I told her so many times. "Qingxue, if you don't like him, just reject him properly. Don't keep him hanging like this."
And what did she say? "It's not my fault he keeps giving me things."
Bullshit. It was always bullshit.
Three years ago, Lin Feng had approached her with an offer—she would be his wingwoman, put in good words about him to Su Qingxue, and play matchmaker whenever the opportunity arose.
In exchange, he offered a monthly stipend generous enough to transform her family's circumstances. Her mother no longer rented the noodle shop where Zhang Tingting had grown up—they owned it now. The building was theirs. The kitchen had new equipment.
Three years of his money built everything we have now. The noodle shop. The renovations. My tuition. I owe him more than I can ever repay.
And now he's holding hands with someone else.
Isn't this a good thing? He found someone who actually loves him. After four years of chasing Qingxue, he finally found someone real. I should be glad.
Right?
But what about….
No… what about Qingxue...
I... I don't know how to feel about this.
Her eyes lingered on the hooded girl in the photo.
That expression. Those tears. The way she clutched Lin Feng's sleeve like he was the only thing keeping her anchored to the earth.
Wait.
She's not faking it.
I've watched Qingxue perform for Lin Feng for three years. The practiced smiles. The calculated touches. Every gesture rehearsed. Every word designed to keep him chasing.
But this girl...
She's not performing. She's not calculating anything. She's just... feeling. Right there in front of everyone.
She actually likes him.
Zhang Tingting could see it in the photo. Raw emotion bleeding through every pixel. No masks. No games. Just a girl who had probably been watching Lin Feng from the shadows for god knows how long, finally getting her chance.
And he's looking back at her like he actually likes her.
Her grip tightened on the phone.
Good for him. No, really, good for him. He deserves someone who actually...
But the money...
If he's done chasing Qingxue, he's going to stop paying me. Three years of income, gone, just like that. All because some girl who actually likes him finally got his attention.
That was the problem. The money, obviously.
Does Qingxue know?
She checked her private messages. Nothing since this morning.
Where is Qingxue by the way? Maybe I should finish my exam first...
No! I have to go now and tell her before this goes any further.
Qingxue needs to know. She needs to do something before he...
Before he...
Anyway, if Qingxue acts fast, maybe she can still...
Still what?
Fix things. Yes, that's it. Obviously. That's what I meant.
She shoved the thought aside.
Her eyes flicked to the oven.
Shit. How long has it been?
She yanked open the oven door without thinking. A wave of heat blasted her face. The soufflé sat on the middle rack, risen to perfection, golden-brown on top.
But the door was open now. The cold air was rushing in.
No no no no—
She watched in horror as the soufflé began to sink. The beautiful dome collapsing in on itself like a deflating balloon.
Fuck. FUCK.
The soufflé is dead. My grade is dead. And I was going to...
It doesn't matter. It's just food.
Qingxue still doesn't know. That's what matters right now.
The soufflé is just food.
"Professor!" She raised her hand urgently. "I'm so sorry, but I have a family emergency. I need to leave immediately."
The professor looked up, eyebrows climbing. "Miss Zhang, you're in the middle of a practical exam. Your soufflé was on track for the highest score in the class."
The highest score. And I ruined it anyway.
For what? For Qingxue?
Of course for Qingxue. Who else would it be for?
"I know. I accept the consequences." She was already untying her apron. "I'll retake the exam. Whatever it takes. But I have to go."
She grabbed her bag and ran.
Her feet knew where to go before her brain caught up. Toward the dormitory. Toward Qingxue. Toward the only plan that made sense.
She didn't stop to ask herself why she was acting like this.
---------------------
[Qinghua University Campus, 11:08 AM - 11:22 AM]
Zhang Tingting sprinted across campus, phone clutched in one hand, bag bouncing against her hip.
Everywhere she looked, students were staring at their phones. Clusters of people gathered around single screens, pointing, laughing, gossiping. The news was spreading like wildfire through dry grass.
How does information travel this fast? It's been what, twenty minutes?
She kept refreshing the gossip groups as she ran. More content appearing every minute.
Someone had identified the mystery girl definitively now.
"Confirmed: That's Xiao Yue from Business Administration. Same year as Lin Feng."
"The one who sits in the back corner every class and never talks to anyone?"
"Yeah, that Xiao Yue. The class weirdo."
"What does Lin Feng see in HER? She's not even pretty!"
Something about the comments made her uncomfortable.
But she kept scrolling anyway only to see a few more comments.
"Maybe she's secretly rich? Maybe her family has connections?"
"No way. I looked her up. She's a nobody. No family background. No money. Nothing."
"Then WHY?"
"Maybe Lin Feng finally lost his mind after years of rejection?"
"Or maybe he's just desperate for literally anyone who will say yes to him."
That's not fair. These people don't know him at all.
Lin Feng isn't...
She didn't finish the thought. Just kept scrolling.
She flicked past the comment without slowing down.
More opinions poured in. More hot takes from people with too much time and too little kindness. She expected the mockery to keep escalating, to devolve into something truly ugly.
It didn't.
Instead, the tone started to shift.
"Okay but he looked really confident in that video."
"Did you see how he held her hand? That wasn't desperate at all."
"He actually seems... different? Like a completely different person?"
Different? What do they mean, different?
He was fine yesterday. What could have changed overnight?
Zhang Tingting tried to ask those questions herself, yet she didn't have time to think about what that meant.
"The way he looked at her though. That was kind of romantic."
"If he looked at ME like that, I might actually say yes."
Zhang Tingting shoved her phone in her pocket and ran faster.
I need to get to Qingxue. That's all. I just need to get to Qingxue.
The female dormitory building appeared ahead. She took the stairs two at a time, lungs burning, legs aching. Third floor. Fourth floor. Room 403.
She pounded on the door.
A few seconds passed. She heard footsteps inside, and then the door swung open.
Su Qingxue stood there looking like a goddess descended from heaven.
Perfect makeup. Perfect hair. Designer clothes that cost more than Zhang Tingting's entire monthly allowance. A radiant smile on her face that spoke of a morning well-spent.
She was glowing. Actually glowing. Like someone who had just had the best day of her life.
Zhang Tingting became suddenly aware of her own sweat-soaked shirt. Her disheveled hair escaping its bun. Her ragged breathing.
Focus, Tingting.
"Tingting?" Su Qingxue's perfectly shaped eyebrows rose in surprise. "What's wrong? You look like you ran a marathon."
"Girl..." Zhang Tingting bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for breath. "You need to see something."
"Can it wait? I was just about to—"
"No. It can't wait." She straightened up and held out her phone. "Look."
Su Qingxue took the phone. Her eyes found the photo.
For a moment, she didn't react at all. The smile stayed fixed on her face like it had been painted there.
Then it vanished, replaced by something hard and sharp.
"What the hell am I looking at?"
---------------------
[Female Dormitory Building 2, Room 403, 11:25 AM]
The room was twenty square meters of carefully curated perfection. Swedish minimalist furniture imported at premium prices, designer bedding worth fifteen thousand yuan, and a floor-to-ceiling mirror that reflected an image of success and status.
Su Qingxue stood in the center of it all, staring at Zhang Tingting's phone like it had personally betrayed her.
Lin Feng was holding hands with another woman. In public. In front of everyone.
"That can't be real." The words came out automatically, like a defense mechanism activating before her brain could catch up. "Lin Feng doesn't look at other women. His entire world revolves around me."
"Qingxue..." Zhang Tingting's voice was gentle. Careful. "There are more photos. Videos too. It's all over the campus gossip groups."
Su Qingxue scrolled through the messages. Photo after photo. Video after video. The same scene captured from a dozen different angles.
Lin Feng holding hands with the class weirdo. Walking out together. Looking at each other like no one else existed.
And the comments.
"The bootlicker finally gave up!"
"Su Qingxue must be devastated!"
"Four years of simping, gone just like that!"
Her fingers tightened on the phone until her knuckles went white.
Devastated? Why would I be devastated?
I don't even like him.
Three hours ago, she had been at the library with Long Tian. Golden hair, warm smile, and something magnetic about him that made her ask for HIS WeChat instead of waiting to be chased.
He was the kind of man she actually deserved. Not like Lin Feng.
And while she was discovering that possibility, Lin Feng was apparently moving on.
The pathetic bootlicker. The desperate simp. The human ATM who had funded her entire lifestyle for four years. He was moving on like she meant nothing to him.
How dare he.
I'm the one who decides when this ends. Not him. Never him.
"Let me check something." Su Qingxue handed back Zhang Tingting's phone and grabbed her own.
She opened her chat history with Lin Feng and scrolled to this morning's messages.
[Su Qingxue: Lin Feng, I need your help~ Can you come to the library? There's something important I need to discuss. ♡] - Sent 8:17 AM, Read 8:18 AM
[Lin Feng: Sorry, I'm busy today. Good luck with whatever you need.] - Received 8:18 AM
That was all she had gotten.
She had expected the usual groveling. The "Of course, Qingxue!" and the "I'll be right there!" and the desperate eagerness to serve. Instead, she got six words of cold dismissal.
At the time, she had been annoyed. She had thought he was having some kind of tantrum, maybe playing hard to get for once.
So she had sent more messages.
[Su Qingxue: Lin Feng, where are you?] - Sent 8:32 AM, Read 8:33 AM
No response.
[Su Qingxue: I need your help at the library! Really important!] - Sent 8:45 AM, Read 8:46 AM
No response.
[Su Qingxue: This is urgent! I've been waiting!] - Sent 9:15 AM, Read 9:16 AM
No response.
[Su Qingxue: You always help me... what's different today?] - Sent 9:27 AM, Read 9:28 AM
No response.
[Su Qingxue: Are you angry? Did I do something wrong? Talk to me!] - Sent 9:38 AM, Read 9:39 AM
No response.
[Su Qingxue: Fine. If you won't help, I'll find someone else. Don't say I didn't give you a chance.] - Sent 9:57 AM, Read 9:58 AM
No response.
Seven messages. All read within a minute of sending. Complete silence after that single cold dismissal.
Four years. Four years of instant responses. Four years of "Anything for you, Qingxue!" Four years of dropping everything the moment she needed something.
And today? Nothing.
"What happened?" Zhang Tingting asked softly, watching her scroll. "Did you two have a fight?"
"No." Su Qingxue's jaw clenched. "I didn't do anything different. He just stopped."
She tried calling. The phone rang three times, then went to voicemail.
She called again immediately. Same result.
He was declining her calls.
Lin Feng. The bootlicker who would answer at 3 AM. Who would cancel plans with his own family if she texted. Who lived and breathed for her attention. He was now declining her calls.
Su Qingxue threw her phone on the bed, stood up, and paced across the small room.
Think. What the hell is going on?
This wasn't just an inconvenience. This was a problem. A serious, potentially catastrophic problem.
Not because she cared about Lin Feng romantically. The very thought made her want to vomit. His pathetic devotion, his desperate eyes, that expensive cologne that made her nauseous whenever he stood too close.
She had spent four years forcing smiles and pretending his attention was flattering when every fiber of her being screamed to get away from him.
But she had endured it. Expertly. Strategically.
Four years. Four years of his desperate eyes following me everywhere. Four years of that cologne that clung to my clothes after he stood too close. Four years of smiling when all I wanted was to get away from him.
Her nails dug into her palms.
The way he looked at me. Like I was some kind of goddess. Like he existed just to serve me. Like nothing in the world mattered except making me happy.
It was nauseating.
Every letter he wrote, every gift he sent, every confession he made—all of it dripping with that pathetic, desperate devotion. And I had to stand there and accept it. Smile through it. Pretend I was flattered instead of wanting to scrub my skin raw.
She caught her reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirror. Perfect makeup. Perfect hair. Designer clothes.
But I endured it. For four years, I endured it. And I earned every single thing he gave me.
The apartment furnishings. The bags. The jewelry. The clothes. My tuition. All of it. These were all my rewards for four years of tolerating his pathetic worship.
He got to chase his goddess. I got to live comfortably. That was the arrangement, even if he was too stupid to see it.
Her chest tightened for a moment. Something flickered at the edge of her thoughts—a feeling she couldn't quite name.
She crushed it before it could take shape.
And now he wants to walk away? After everything I put up with?
He's supposed to keep chasing. That's how this works. That's how it's always worked.
He doesn't get to just... stop.
Not for some plain nobody in an oversized hoodie.
"Qingxue?" Zhang Tingting's voice broke through her spiral. "Are you okay? You look pale."
Su Qingxue forced her expression back to neutral. The mask she wore for the world. The hurt girlfriend, confused and wounded by unexpected betrayal.
"I'm just confused." Her voice came out softer than intended. "I don't understand what happened. He was obsessed with me yesterday. And now..."
Zhang Tingting moved to sit beside her on the bed. Her hand reached out to comfort her, hesitated for a fraction of a second, then settled on her shoulder.
"Maybe it's just a phase? Maybe he's trying to make you jealous?"
Su Qingxue shook her head slowly. "Four years of obsession doesn't vanish overnight. Not because of some plain nobody in an oversized hoodie."
Zhang Tingting said nothing. But her hand slipped off Su Qingxue's shoulder.
But those photos. Those videos. The way he looked at her...
That wasn't the desperate, pathetic Lin Feng she knew. That was someone different. Someone confident. Someone who actually seemed happy.
What the hell happened to him overnight?
Zhang Tingting's phone buzzed again. She glanced at it, then winced.
"The rumors are getting worse." She turned the screen toward Su Qingxue reluctantly. "People are saying..."
Su Qingxue read the comments.
"He finally realized she was just using him for money and connections."
"She rejected him too harshly and he snapped."
"The bootlicker grew a spine. Good for him."
"Su Qingxue must be devastated that her personal ATM finally wised up."
Her blood ran cold at that last one.
If people believed she was using him...
If people thought she got dumped by a bootlicker...
Her carefully cultivated image would crumble. The innocent campus belle who couldn't help that a rich young master was obsessed with her. The victim of unwanted attention, not the predator hunting for resources. All of it would be destroyed.
And her reputation? Ruined. Completely ruined.
"I need to talk to him." Su Qingxue stood up abruptly. "Face to face. In person."
"What?" Zhang Tingting's eyes went wide. "You're going to confront them?"
"I'm going to talk to Lin Feng." She was already moving toward her vanity, checking her reflection. Perfect. Everything had to be perfect. "He's clearly having some kind of episode. I need to understand what's going on before this gets more out of hand."
"Qingxue, I don't know if that's a good idea." Zhang Tingting stood up and followed her. "He looked really different in those videos. Like a completely different person. I've never seen him look like that before."
"That's exactly why I need to see him." Su Qingxue grabbed her Prada handbag and checked her reflection one more time. "Where did he go after class?"
Zhang Tingting checked her phone. "Someone said he was heading to Central Plaza restaurant. With that girl."
Central Plaza. Su Qingxue knew the place. Upscale, expensive, the kind of restaurant students went to when they wanted to impress someone.
He used to beg me to go there with him.
"We should go." Zhang Tingting was already standing.
Su Qingxue raised an eyebrow. "We?"
"You can't let some random girl just... take him." The words tumbled out before Zhang Tingting could think about them. "I mean, think about your reputation. Think about the money. Think about everything he's done for you."
"If you confront him now, maybe you can still fix this." Zhang Tingting grabbed her bag with more urgency than the situation required. "Let's go. I'll come with you."
---------------------
[Central Plaza Restaurant, 11:55 AM]
They walked across campus together, but their paces were different.
Su Qingxue moved with calculated grace, her mind racing through scenarios, calculating approaches, preparing strategies. The September sun was bright and warm, but she barely noticed.
Zhang Tingting was practically speed-walking.
"Tingting, would you slow down?" Su Qingxue was slightly out of breath, fanning herself with one hand. "I just did my makeup. I can't show up looking like I ran a marathon."
Zhang Tingting blinked and realized she had been walking three steps ahead. She forced herself to match Su Qingxue's pace.
"How can you walk so slowly right now?" The question came out before she could stop it. "Aren't you even a little bit concerned?"
Su Qingxue gave her a strange look. "Why would I be? He's the one who should be worried."
Zhang Tingting nodded. That made sense. Qingxue was right. There was nothing to worry about.
So why was her heart still racing?
Central Plaza came into view, and the sight of it made everything worse.
"Maybe wait until he's alone?" Her voice came out higher than she intended. "This could get messy if you confront them together. What if she causes a scene? What if he says something stupid? What if—"
"Tingting." Su Qingxue raised an eyebrow. "Breathe."
Zhang Tingting realized her hands were shaking. She shoved them in her pockets.
What is wrong with me? Qingxue is the one who should be panicking, not me.
But Qingxue looked perfectly composed. And Zhang Tingting felt like the ground was shifting under her feet.
Three years of balance. Qingxue had her ATM, Lin Feng had his hope, and Zhang Tingting had her comfortable place in the middle. Everyone knew their role. Everything worked.
She wasn't ready for that to change.
"I need to see what I'm dealing with." Su Qingxue's voice was steady and cold. "I need to see how he looks at her. How she looks at him. I need to understand what changed."
She sounded like she was discussing a business problem, detached and clinical.
Meanwhile, Zhang Tingting's heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears.
They reached the restaurant entrance. Zhang Tingting pressed her face against the glass doors before Su Qingxue even caught up, her breath fogging the surface.
"Tingting." Su Qingxue's voice came from somewhere far away. "You're going to leave a face print."
Zhang Tingting wasn't listening. Her eyes were scanning the restaurant, searching, until they landed on the corner booth.
"I see them." The words came out barely above a whisper, fogging the glass even more. "Third table from the window."
They were still holding hands. Still looking at each other. Still smiling.
It's fine. Qingxue will fix this. She always does.
Su Qingxue finally caught up. She didn't press her face against the glass. She didn't fog the window with panicked breathing. She simply took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and arranged her features into the perfect expression of confused, wounded dignity, like a hurt girlfriend seeking answers rather than a predator whose prey had escaped.
She looked calm. Composed. Ready.
"Let's go." Su Qingxue pushed open the restaurant door and stepped inside.
The interior was upscale with a modern aesthetic, clean lines, and expensive lighting. Floor-to-ceiling windows let in the September sunlight. White tablecloths, crystal glasses, and the subtle clink of silverware against porcelain filled the space.
It was the kind of place students went when they wanted to impress someone, the kind of place she had always refused to visit with him.
Every head in the restaurant turned when they entered. Conversations paused mid-sentence. Forks froze halfway to mouths. The campus belle had arrived, and everyone knew why.
Su Qingxue felt their eyes on her. She felt their phones pointed at her. She felt the weight of an audience waiting for drama.
Let them watch.
Zhang Tingting didn't notice the audience at all. Her eyes had already found the corner booth.
Found them.