Chapter 1618

After a morning of classes, Mu Nuan pulled Xiao Qingqing along to have lunch together. Xiao Qingqing knew Mu Nuan and Ye Heng'an were currently in that sweet, inseparable phase of their relationship and was about to decline—until she spotted Ye Heng'an waiting in the hallway. With a knowing smile, she leaned in and whispered into Mu Nuan’s ear, "Go eat with your Prince Charming. I’ll head back to the dorm and enjoy that self-heating hot pot I bought the other day. Perfect chance to indulge in secret." No sooner had she finished speaking than Ye Heng'an strode over. "Come on," he said, glancing between them. "Let’s all grab lunch at the cafeteria." Xiao Qingqing shook her head. "No way. I’m not playing third wheel. Besides, you both know I just got out of a relationship..." "Cut the crap," Mu Nuan retorted—uncharacteristically blunt—as she hooked her arm through Xiao Qingqing’s. "You just ditched a loser. That’s cause for celebration, okay? Let’s go. Lunch is on Ye Heng'an." Ye Heng'an chuckled. "If it’ll cheer you up, I’ll buy the whole damn cafeteria. Now stop standing around—let’s go." Trailing behind the two girls, Ye Heng'an watched as Mu Nuan clung to Xiao Qingqing’s arm, deliberately keeping the conversation lively. His brow arched slightly. Warm as she was, Mu Nuan rarely showed him this much affection in public. Damn, he was jealous. Maybe he should seriously consider her idea from yesterday—helping Xiao Qingqing find a boyfriend. Otherwise, he’d always feel like he was coming in second, and that just wouldn’t do. They hadn’t walked far from the academic building when they spotted Yang Yun strolling hand-in-hand with Ding You, the pair approaching from the direction of the girls’ dormitory. At the sight of the trio, Ding You instinctively tried to pull away, but Yang Yun only tightened her grip, her already saccharine expression turning even more exaggerated. She dragged Ding You right up to them. Mu Nuan’s fists clenched at the sight of that smug face—she was ready to step forward without a second thought. Xiao Qingqing tried to pull her away, attempting to steer clear of the two. But Yang Yun, ever the oblivious one, had other plans. She sidestepped deliberately, blocking Xiao Qingqing’s path with a smug grin before tilting her head to rest it against Ding You’s shoulder. With a coy pout, she said, "Junior, I heard from Ding You that you two broke up. Well, he’s my boyfriend now. Hope you don’t hold it against him." Mu Nuan frowned, shooting Ding You a sidelong glance before sneering, "Figures. A dog will always go back to eating crap—give it something precious, and it wouldn’t know how to hold onto it anyway." Ding You’s brow furrowed, but before he could respond, Yang Yun cut in sharply, "Mu Nuan, this really doesn’t concern you." "True, it doesn’t. But when a mangy mutt blocks my way and keeps yapping at my friend, I can’t just ignore it, can I? Wouldn’t want to seem lazy." "You—" Ding You tugged at Yang Yun’s arm, his voice low and tense as he avoided looking at Xiao Qingqing. "Just drop it." "Why should I?" Yang Yun beamed up at him, her expression dripping with saccharine satisfaction. "I’ve got such a wonderful boyfriend now. I’m happy—unlike some people who couldn’t appreciate you no matter how much you groveled." At that, Ding You’s gaze darkened, and he finally lifted his eyes to Xiao Qingqing, resentment flickering in them. Xiao Qingqing, however, hadn’t spared him a single glance the entire time. Instead, she fixed her stare on Yang Yun and said coolly, "Congratulations, senior. You’ve finally landed yourself a catch. May you two marry soon, live happily ever after, and have plenty of children. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let’s get real." She took a deliberate step forward, her voice dropping to a steely edge. "Ding You was the one at fault when we broke up. I don’t ever want to see him again—and I certainly don’t want to see a shameless woman like you flaunting yourself in front of me. So from now on, steer clear. Otherwise, don’t blame me if I make that video of you throwing yourself at someone else’s boyfriend go viral." Yang Yun scoffed. "Oh, that clip from last night? Go ahead. I’ll sue you for defamation." Xiao Qingqing’s frown deepened. The audacity. Before she could retort, Ye Heng’an, standing nearby, let out a derisive chuckle. "It’s rare to see a homewrecker this brazen. For the record, *I* was the one who filmed it, and *I’ll* be the one posting it. Feel free to sue me. Let’s see if your family’s back-alley lawyer stands a chance against the Nelson family’s legal team." Yang Yun froze for a moment. Last night, she'd already gotten an earful from her father for offending the young master of the Nelson family. She knew full well that Ye Heng'an wasn't someone to be trifled with. Her face flushed with frustration as she shoved Ding You roughly. "Why aren’t you saying anything? Cat got your tongue?" she snapped. "Even though she’s your ex now, you still can’t shake off that pathetic simp act, huh? Or did you forget how she dumped you this morning?" Xiao Qingqing shot Ding You a glance before he could respond, her voice icy. "Take your new girlfriend and get out of my sight. From now on, pretend you don’t know me when we cross paths—or I’ll make sure you regret it." Without another word, she linked arms with Mu Nuan and strode away, leaving the two behind. Yang Yun, fuming, shoved Ding You again. "Useless coward!" she spat. But Ding You barely registered her anger. His gaze lingered on Xiao Qingqing’s retreating figure, his heart heavy with regret. He knew—there was no going back. They were strangers now. In the cafeteria, Mu Nuan had piled Xiao Qingqing’s plate high with all her favorite dishes. She sat beside her, watching as Xiao Qingqing ate in silence, her heart aching. Sensing her concern, Xiao Qingqing turned and offered a soft smile. "Eat up, Nuan. I’m fine." Mu Nuan nodded but said nothing. Just then, Ye Heng'an slid a piece of meat from his own plate into hers. Mu Nuan quickly pulled out her phone and discreetly texted him: *Stop serving me food—you’ll remind Qingqing of painful memories.* Ye Heng'an sighed inwardly. His girlfriend was so busy worrying about others that she barely spared a thought for him. If anything, he should be the jealous one. But… fine. He set his phone down and gave her a silent nod. I'll make sure Nuannuan compensates me properly when we get back tonight. After dinner, Mu Nuan accompanied Xiao Qingqing back to their dorm. She thought Xiao Qingqing might want to take a nap to calm down, but sleep was the last thing on her friend’s mind. Sitting at the desk in silence for a while, Xiao Qingqing suddenly said, "Nuannuan, I want a drink." "A drink? Perfect! Let’s go—I’ll join you. Honestly, I’m not in the mood for class this afternoon anyway. We might as well go out and have some fun." As she spoke, Mu Nuan pulled out her phone and dialed their advisor’s number. Using the excuse that she wasn’t feeling well and needed Xiao Qingqing to look after her, she got both of them out of class. Xiao Qingqing had assumed they’d just grab a drink at some cheap roadside diner. To her surprise, Mu Nuan took her to a bar—complete with all the fanfare. It was only their second time at a bar during college. They’d hoped that, unlike last time, no troublemakers would ruin the mood. But fate had other plans—this time, things took an even worse turn...