Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 539: I Won't Lose

"It shouldn't be like this. You would feel far too wronged."Although Li Shiqi had only been Zhou Yuwen's girlfriend for a single day, for someone who had never been in a relationship, it was the sweetest day of her life. Even when they were not physically together, just thinking about him filled her heart with sweetness.

For instance, on the night of her confession, Li Shiqi tossed and turned, completely unable to sleep. Her face burned hot and red, barely able to believe that what had just happened was real. She couldn't help but fantasize about her future with Zhou Yuwen—strolling around the track together, eating at the canteen, or quietly studying at the library.

Although Zhou Yuwen had other women, he had explicitly asked her to be his girlfriend. This meant they could be together openly and proudly.

On her first day at the company, everyone was filled with envy over her status as his girlfriend. Because she was Zhou Yuwen's girlfriend, she immediately enjoyed all the perks that came with it.

Truthfully, Li Shiqi had not spent yesterday with Zhou Yuwen, but her thoughts occasionally drifted to him. She would sneakily send him a message, yet never knew quite what to say.

In her rare moments of free time, she would text him, "Are you there?"

"Hmm?" At such times, Zhou Yuwen would simply reply with a hum.

Just that single response was enough to fill Li Shiqi with an overwhelming sense of happiness.

Only after a long while would she shyly reply, "I missed you."

Zhou Yuwen certainly knew how to handle relationships, but at that moment, he had already slept with Shen Yu and was busy taking her out shopping. Seeing that text naturally made him feel quite awkward.

Not having the heart to bring up the matter over the phone, he simply asked if Li Shiqi had reported to the company yet.

He proceeded to encourage her to work hard.

Li Shiqi, of course, took his words to heart.

She responded with an emphatic, "Mhm!"

Afterward, she threw herself into adapting to her new job. It was only when she got off work that evening that she sent Zhou Yuwen another message: "I'm off work now."

Right before sleeping, she texted him again: "I'm going to sleep now."

Unfortunately, at that exact time, Zhou Yuwen was likely in bed playing games with the three sisters—Shen Yu, Zheng Yanyan, and Lu Lin.

He was busy for quite a while before finally replying, "Good night."

Even though she had waited a long time, seeing Zhou Yuwen's reply still made Li Shiqi incredibly happy.

Li Shiqi knew that Zhou Yuwen was no ordinary man. He was incredibly busy, so being in a relationship with him was bound to be exhausting.

She knew all of this, yet she was fully willing to wait.

Li Shiqi had mentally prepared herself for everything. She still believed that she and Zhou Yuwen would share a sweet, romantic relationship.

But who could have imagined?

In less than a day's time.

The very next time they met, Zhou Yuwen actually proposed to break up.

And the reason was because he cheated on a partner?

She was being two-timed?

Zhou Yuwen felt helpless, but since things had already come to this, there was nothing he could do.

After all, they had only been dating for a single day.

Zhou Yuwen did not even feel much guilt.

This made Li Shiqi feel terribly wronged. Even if it was just for one day, it was still her first love!

She had even thought of the names for their future children, yet here Zhou Yuwen was, asking to break up.

Li Shiqi truly could not accept this.

It was obvious that Zheng Yanyan and the others had intentionally set her up!

Regardless of the circumstances, Li Shiqi's tearful face was like a blooming flower in the rain. Blinking back her tears, she refused to admit defeat just like that. She declared that she did not care whether or not she was officially Zhou Yuwen's girlfriend; she only wanted to stay by his side.

Naturally, Zhou Yuwen was reluctant. "Shiqi, do not act on impulse. You are an excellent, good girl, and you have a much broader path ahead of you in the future."

"I do not care!" Before Zhou Yuwen could finish, Li Shiqi tearfully embraced his arm. Staring at him with utter stubbornness, she cried out, "You already agreed to be my boyfriend, so I am your woman for the rest of my life! I don't care if you acknowledge it or not, I'm staying right by your side!"

Li Shiqi was completely serious. Her fully developed chest pressed directly against Zhou Yuwen's arm, and amid the friction, he could clearly feel the softness of those two mounds.

Looking down at her acting so pitifully, Zhou Yuwen was left utterly helpless. He sighed and said, "Why must you put yourself through this?"

Zhou Yuwen repeated over and over that she was a good girl, that she had a bright future ahead, and that he shouldn't wrong her. He added that if she felt he had hurt her, he could compensate her.

But no matter what Zhou Yuwen said, Li Shiqi kept her arms tightly wrapped around his hand, absolutely refusing to let go of him.

In her own words, it was obviously her who had made the confession first.

Why should Shen Yu get to swoop in from behind and take the prize?

Was it just because she had good connections with Zheng Yanyan and the other girls?

Since when did finding a boyfriend require relying on personal connections?

This world was just too unfair.

"Do you really not want me anymore?"

"If you don't want me, then I feel like there's no meaning for me to live in this world!"

Li Shiqi wiped her tears and turned to leave.

These words genuinely gave Zhou Yuwen a fright. He immediately reached out and wrapped an arm around her slender waist hidden beneath her baggy clothes. Honestly speaking, it really was quite thin.

No, now was not the time to be thinking about that.

Startled, Zhou Yuwen held onto her and demanded, "Shiqi, what are you trying to do?!"

Li Shiqi sobbed, "Don't stop me! If you don't want me, then why am I even still alive?"

The little lass seemed completely serious. If anyone was to blame, it was Zhou Yuwen. This young girl had already lived a life full of hardships—a missing father, a remarried mother, a cold step-father, leaving her with an inescapable sense of brokenness.

She had finally found a boyfriend and felt that life was just beginning to offer a glimmer of hope.

But then Zhou Yuwen played her for a fool like this; anyone would find it hard to endure.

Zhou Yuwen tried to stop her for a good while, but she was surprisingly determined. Finally, he blurted out, "I never said I didn't want you!"

"Sniff!"

Hearing Zhou Yuwen say this, Li Shiqi ceased her impulsive struggling, though she continued to stand there wiping her tears.

Zhou Yuwen looked at her acting so pitifully, couldn't help but sigh again, and repeated, "I never said I didn't want you."

Seeing that Li Shiqi had completely calmed down and was no longer trying to run off, Zhou Yuwen finally asked, "Do you really not mind? You wouldn't have any official title."

Li Shiqi spoke with utmost sincerity. She declared that as long as she could stay by Zhou Yuwen's side, having an official title did not matter at all.

Zhou Yuwen sighed endlessly.

"This makes you feel far too wronged."

"I don't feel wronged at all."

Li Shiqi blinked through her tears, gazing up at Zhou Yuwen.

Since words had already reached this point, saying anything else would just sound hypocritical.

By this time, Li Shiqi was already crying a river of tears. Without another word, Zhou Yuwen pulled her into his arms, kissed her forehead, and continuously apologized, admitting that it was all his fault.

Mainly, he truly hadn't expected things to escalate to this extent.

"But don't worry, Shiqi. Not a single thing I promised you before will be missing." Li Shiqi shook her head, insisting that it wasn't his fault.

"I don't blame you. As long as I can stay by your side, that's enough. It's just..."

At this point, Li Shiqi wiped her tears again. She explained that while she was at work yesterday, a few senior girls from their school had chatted with her, and she had proudly claimed to be his girlfriend.

"This will negatively affect your reputation. I will explain it to them clearly. I will tell them that I am not your girlfriend, and that Shen Yu is your real girlfriend."

Zhou Yuwen replied that since she had already told them, there was no need to go out of her way to correct it.

"Shen Yu is my girlfriend, and you are also my girlfriend. You both are."

Zhou Yuwen was now too lazy to correct who was his official girlfriend in the light and who was hidden in the dark. Let people say what they want. After all, Zhou Yuwen didn't depend on them to put food on the table. However, having all his girlfriends crammed together working in a single office building was still not ideal.

In his heart, Zhou Yuwen was already secretly scheming to separate the various companies into independent entities.

Of course, until then, they still had to work together.

Held safely in Zhou Yuwen's embrace, Li Shiqi cried for a good while, constantly wiping her tears away as Zhou Yuwen gently handed her tissues.

In the blink of an eye, Shen Yu had already finished touring the entire company. She had originally planned to come to Zhou Yuwen's office to report her impressions to him.

But the moment she walked through the door, she saw Zhou Yuwen and Li Shiqi locked in an embrace.

This instantly made Shen Yu feel awkward, and she couldn't help but stammer, "Ah, I'm sorry."

With that said, she immediately tried to turn around and leave.

However, she was stopped by Zhou Yuwen calling out to her.

By this time, the two had already separated, and Li Shiqi had wiped away her tears. Seeing Shen Yu approach, Li Shiqi, with red eyes, said softly, "Then I will stop disturbing you two. I'll go back to work."

With that, she tactfully turned and walked away.

Truthfully, when facing Li Shiqi, Shen Yu felt a bit guilty. After all, she had basically swooped in and hijacked the situation halfway through.

Especially when the two brushed past each other, Li Shiqi's resentful gaze was completely undisguised.

Only after Li Shiqi left did Zhou Yuwen call Shen Yu's name, snapping her out of being lost in thought.

Zhou Yuwen quickly explained the previous situation to Shen Yu.

He told her that he had already made things clear to Li Shiqi. Originally, he felt that Li Shiqi might be unable to adapt to working in the company, but she had absolutely refused to leave him.

"I have indeed wronged her."

Zhou Yuwen didn't explain the intricate details, but Shen Yu had already grasped the meaning. She immediately smiled dismissively and replied, "It's fine. Honestly, I also feel a bit guilty toward her in my heart. The way things are now is for the best."

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen breathed a sigh of relief. He said, "It is wonderful that you can think that way."

Shen Yu displayed complete magnanimity. She even smiled, stepped up to Zhou Yuwen, and gently smoothed out the suit that had gotten wrinkled from his embrace with Li Shiqi. She stated warmly, "My attitude is exactly the same as hers. As long as I can stay by your side, I'm happy!"

Afterward, Shen Yu recounted her trip to Human Resources with Tao Tian. Zhou Yuwen was quite surprised to hear that Jiang Minmin had been transferred to the Cultural Media Company to serve as a manager.

No matter how one sliced it, Jiang Minmin was completely unqualified to be a manager.

Wasn't this Tao Tian trying to pull strings for her friends?

Right in front of Shen Yu, Zhou Yuwen reached for his phone to call Tao Tian and teach her a harsh lesson.

But he was stopped by Shen Yu.

Shen Yu laughed and said it didn't matter, as she had never planned on going to the Cultural Media Company anyway.

"Actually, before running into Shiqi just now, I hadn't made up my mind about which department to join. But after seeing her, I figured it out. I want to work in the President's Office too."

"You're saying you want to be in the same department as her?" Zhou Yuwen asked.

"Yes! This way, I can be a little closer to you. Isn't that great?" Shen Yu blinked playfully at Zhou Yuwen.

Zhou Yuwen looked at her smiling face, finding himself entirely unable to read her thoughts. Nevertheless, he nodded and agreed, "If you want to come to the President's Office, just let Tao Tian know."

"Mhm, then I'll be going now!"

"Go ahead."

And so, Shen Yu skipped away happily.

The massive office finally fell completely silent.

Zhou Yuwen exhaled heavily, thinking to himself, 'Having too many women is undeniably a hassle.'

He dialed Tao Tian's number.

"Come to my office for a moment."

Zhou Yuwen's tone was unkind, and Tao Tian immediately knew exactly what he was calling about. Not daring to drag her feet, she quickly agreed.

Swaying her graceful figure, she practically flew into Zhou Yuwen's office in her high heels.

It had to be said that Tao Tian was truly a stunner. Her figure had always been highly acclaimed back in school, and ever since she became involved with Zhou Yuwen, her allure had only blossomed further. Her sense of fashion had naturally peaked as well. Today, she wore a light purple white-collar suit skirt, a pair of high heels, and sheer flesh-colored stockings tightly hugging her beautiful pale legs.

Underneath her suit jacket, she wore a silk camisole in an even lighter shade of purple. The pitifully small amount of fabric was utterly incapable of containing her magnificent chest.

When Tao Tian entered the office, Zhou Yuwen was looking down at some documents.

At this moment, Tao Tian was cheerfully smiling and talking, as if nothing was wrong. She beamed and asked Zhou Yuwen if he truly wanted to place Shen Yu in the President's Office.

Didn't that mean putting Li Shiqi and Shen Yu in the very same department?

"It's a recipe for disaster, isn't it? When I walked in just now, I saw Shen Yu looking for Li Shiqi." Tao Tian's hip-hugging skirt looked exceptionally gorgeous. She approached Zhou Yuwen's side and naturally tried to perch herself on the edge of his desk, deliberately aiming to show off her thighs.

However, Zhou Yuwen's expression remained freezing cold.

Zhou Yuwen ordered, "Go lock the door. I have a few questions for you."

Tao Tian's body tightened involuntarily.

The smile on her face completely vanished. Obediently, she walked over, locked the door, and even drew the blinds closed.

Back in the general work area, the tear stains on Li Shiqi's face had not yet completely faded.

Perhaps because she had just finished crying, Li Shiqi emitted an isolated sense of brokenness as she stood by the printer. She looked as though she was entirely separated from the rest of the world, silently managing her printing tasks.

Spotting Li Shiqi by the printer, Shen Yu gave the matter some serious thought. She felt that she was indeed the one in the wrong and needed to clarify things with Li Shiqi to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.

They were all women who followed Zhou Yuwen. Why couldn't they be friends?

Bracing herself, Shen Yu walked over and greeted her cheerfully, "Hi, Shiqi!"

"?" Li Shiqi lifted her head, staring blankly at Shen Yu.

Shen Yu wore a friendly, approachable smile on her face as she announced, "Shiqi, I just spoke with Sister Tao Tian. I'll be working in the President's Office too. From now on, we're colleagues, so please take good care of me!"

Saying this, Shen Yu extended a hand to initiate a handshake.

Yet, looking at Shen Yu's radiantly sunny face...

Li Shiqi merely held onto the stack of freshly printed papers, stepped right up to Shen Yu, and stared straight into her eyes.

She stared so intently that Shen Yu's smile began to falter in awkwardness.

Only then did Li Shiqi declare in an icy tone, "I won't lose."

Having left those words behind, she turned on her heel and walked away without once looking back.