Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 444: Lu Lin and Su Qing

Zhou Yuwen wasn't the type to fall head over heels just because someone kissed him, nor would he immediately insist on taking responsibility.The main reason was that Jiang Xinyi had already been part of his plan. Liu Jing's sudden appearance today had simply disrupted his rhythm.

But none of that mattered. It simply meant bringing Jiang Xinyi, the teacher's wife, into his harem a little earlier than expected.

As for anything else, Zhou Yuwen did not want to dwell on it.

"Pfft!"

Hearing Zhou Yuwen's words, Jiang Xinyi burst into laughter. "So, does this mean we're officially boyfriend and girlfriend now?" she asked.

"Yes, boyfriend and girlfriend."

Jiang Xinyi smiled and fell silent. In the blink of an eye, she transitioned from a twenty-four-year-old aloof mature woman into a shy little lass.

"Let me interview you for a second," Zhou Yuwen said.

"How does it feel to transition from a teacher's wife to a student's girlfriend? Any thoughts?"

Jiang Xinyi was instantly left speechless and shot Zhou Yuwen a massive eye roll.

"You did that intentionally!" she exclaimed.

Zhou Yuwen openly admitted that it was, indeed, intentional.

"I did it intentionally. What can you do about it?"

As he spoke, he leaned his body toward her.

"You."

Before Jiang Xinyi could finish, Zhou Yuwen silenced her with a kiss. He had been passive before, entirely because he wanted to take things slowly. But now that Jiang Xinyi had pierced through the thin paper window of their relationship, wouldn't he be acting as a son-in-law for nothing today if he didn't collect a little reward?

"Mmph!"

Jiang Xinyi did have some kissing experience, but that experience had been practiced with Zhou Yuwen. Back when they were just more than friends, they had shared touches like kisses on the forehead and cheeks, but when it came to a real kiss...

She had genuinely never been properly kissed by him before.

And Zhou Yuwen's kissing skills were absolutely masterful.

With things as they were, Jiang Xinyi closed her eyes.

This was what true love felt like. It was completely different from her first romance. Zhou Yuwen was domineering and proactive, easily stirring her emotions, unlike the meek and submissive You Changjin.

Compared to her guarded demeanor while dating You Changjin, Jiang Xinyi was noticeably much more liberated when she was with Zhou Yuwen.

She kept her eyes closed, tilting her head back slightly, seemingly relishing the feeling of kissing him.

At certain moments, she would even take the initiative to go on the offensive. After all, she was never the type of young girl willing to subordinate herself to others.

In the beginning, she felt incredibly smug, thinking to herself, 'I've finally found my ideal romance.'

But soon enough, she sensed something was wrong.

She felt something inching closer to her full curves.

Jiang Xinyi's beautiful figure was wrapped snugly in a knit sweater, highlighting her full shape.

Without breaking a sweat, Zhou Yuwen effortlessly undid two of her buttons.

"Ah!"

Ultimately, Jiang Xinyi had never experienced something like this. The moment she realized what was happening, she shoved Zhou Yuwen away without a second thought. She shot him a slightly furious glare and demanded to know what he was doing.

Zhou Yuwen looked genuinely curious. "Is that not allowed?"

"?"

His question left Jiang Xinyi thoroughly confused.

She thought about it for a moment and figured that between couples, it was probably allowed.

But the problem was, wasn't this way too fast?

This was only their first day making the relationship official. If she let him get his way so easily, wouldn't they be naked and honest with each other in just a few days?

After keeping her head down and pondering for a long time, she couldn't help but weakly mutter that it was too fast.

At that moment, she actually felt a tiny twinge of guilt, as if she were letting him down.

Zhou Yuwen sighed and replied, "Alright, then."

In truth, he knew perfectly well that a young girl like Jiang Xinyi couldn't be conquered so easily, but he had to at least try.

The dynamic between men and women was inherently a game of extreme push and pull.

If they always treated each other with stiff, formal respect, they would never make any progress, no matter how long they dated.

During the rest of their interaction, Zhou Yuwen acted rather nonchalant.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xinyi's attitude toward him had clearly shifted. She acted much more like a typical young girl, acting coy and sweet while resting her head on his shoulder to chat.

Yet, for some reason, interacting like this still felt a bit unnatural for both of them.

Zhou Yuwen's exceedingly calm demeanor made Jiang Xinyi wonder, 'Is he angry because I didn't let his hands roam?'

She patiently tried to explain her boundaries to him.

However, Zhou Yuwen insisted that nothing was wrong and told her not to overthink it.

Thus, the two leaned against each other and shared another brief kissing session.

Eventually, Zhou Yuwen mentioned that it was getting really late.

"You should head back inside. You've been exhausted all day."

Having just established their relationship for the first time, Jiang Xinyi felt reluctant to part. "I'll go back now, then?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, go on ahead."

And so, Jiang Xinyi stepped out of the car. Zhou Yuwen watched her walk through her front door before finally turning the car around and driving off.

Unlike Jiang Xinyi's heart full of joy, Zhou Yuwen's emotions barely rippled. From the moment Liu Jing announced to everyone that he was Jiang Xinyi's boyfriend, he had never voiced an objection. Having a rich young lady like her as a girlfriend would undoubtedly elevate both his career and his personal quality of life.

The only issue was that getting Jiang Xinyi to accept the other women would likely be somewhat difficult.

Tonight, Lu Lin and Zheng Yanyan had returned to live in their dormitory.

When they arrived back at the dorm, Su Qing was still crying, her eyes completely bloodshot.

Shen Yu had been constantly comforting her by her side.

Upon returning, Su Qing had brought back a bottle of red wine. Now, three-quarters of it was gone, leaving only a tiny amount at the bottom.

As a result, Su Qing was entirely drunk. Not only were her eyes red, but her face was heavily flushed as well. In her dizzy state, she kept telling Shen Yu that men were completely untrustworthy.

She urged Shen Yu never to trust the words of men in the future.

"Men are all bastards!"

Su Qing snorted furiously, exclaiming about a two-year marriage.

"Do you know, Shen Yu? A two-year marriage!"

"I always thought he would remarry me."

"But no, nothing! It was all a lie!"

"He found one woman after another. He never even considered getting back together with me!" Su Qing cried, her eyes brimming with tears.

After saying this, she broke down sobbing once again.

"Su Qing, you're truly drunk," Shen Yu said gently.

"I am not!"

Su Qing stated with fierce determination.

Shen Yu sighed helplessly. "Alright, fine. You're not drunk."

This was the exact scene Lu Lin and Zheng Yanyan walked into when they returned.

Upon spotting the two of them, Su Qing let out a cold sneer. "What are you doing back here?" she demanded.

"What's wrong? Did Zhou Yuwen dump you two as well?"

"Did he kick you out of the apartment?"

Gripping the wine bottle in one hand, Su Qing staggered up from the floor, questioning them with a bitter sneer.

Seeing Su Qing in such a heavily intoxicated state, Lu Lin frowned deeply. "How much did you drink?"

The way Lu Lin and Zheng Yanyan stood upon entering was quite interesting. Lu Lin was walking in the front, while Zheng Yanyan trailed behind her.

To anyone else, this positioning might not have meant anything.

But Su Qing instantly sensed that something was off. The longer she stared at Lu Lin, the more intensely annoyed she felt. Swaying unsteadily on her feet, she managed to forcefully point a finger at Lu Lin.

"You're a ruthless one, Lu Lin!" she spat.

"You hid it so well. I didn't even notice in my previous life!"

"You're the most complicated one of all!"

"Zheng Yanyan didn't stop me, but you did."

"What are you afraid of?" "Are you scared the rich folks will retaliate?"

"Are you afraid Zhou Yuwen won't have the money to support you?"

"Who the hell do you think you are!"

Su Qing threw out one accusation after another. She seemed completely drunk, yet also strangely lucid. She didn't explicitly mention the concept of rebirth, but phrases like 'marriage' and 'previous life' kept inexplicably slipping out amidst her ramblings.

Hearing this, Zheng Yanyan felt rather displeased and wanted to step up and argue back.

But Lu Lin held her back.

Lu Lin simply asked Su Qing if she had anything else to say.

"I do!"

"Of course I do."

"Do you think you're so amazing right now? Let me tell you, in my eyes, you are absolutely nothing!"

Just from the sound of her voice, it was obvious Su Qing was wasted.

"You can't even compare to Zheng Yanyan!" she declared.

"At least Zheng Yanyan was officially acknowledged by Zhou Yuwen. At least she holds the title of his ex-girlfriend."

"What about you?"

"What are you?"

"You're nothing but the other woman!"

"The other woman! Do you even know what it means to be the other woman?"

"I was kind-hearted back then, thinking I'd help you out in Suzhou, but look at you now. Heh... hehe."

"Take him! Take all of it!"

"I'll give him to all of you."

"I am done fighting over him with you lot."

Su Qing poured out a mountain of grievances.

Lu Lin didn't say a single word.

In reality, Lu Lin barely even understood what Su Qing was ranting about.

That is, until Su Qing, amidst her drunken slurs, suddenly raised her hand without warning and slapped Lu Lin hard across the face.

"Smack!"

That slap caught everyone entirely off guard.

It made both Zheng Yanyan and Shen Yu jump in shock.

Lu Lin's head was knocked aside by the force of the blow, leaving a stark red handprint on her snow-white cheek.

Strands of messy dark hair clung to her face, giving her a deeply fragile and broken appearance.

But Lu Lin simply turned her head back around.

Her eyes remained piercingly resolute.

She stared straight at Su Qing.

Yet, Su Qing stared back, entirely righteous and confident.

"That's returning the favor."

"You slapped me once, so I slapped you back. Is there a problem?"

Lu Lin replied that there was none.

"A slap is just a slap." A girl like Lu Lin was certainly not going to throw a tantrum over a single strike.

"Hmph."

Su Qing snorted in disdain.

Lu Lin continued calmly, "So, is it my turn to speak now?"

"What could you possibly have to say?" Su Qing scoffed, unimpressed.

"You left in such a hurry earlier, I didn't get a chance to tell you," Lu Lin explained. "After the banquet ended, Zhou Yuwen told Yan Yan and me that Jiang Xinyi isn't his girlfriend. It was just Liu Jing's one-sided declaration."

"?" Su Qing froze, and the wine bottle slipped from her grasp, plummeting toward the floor.

'Clatter!' It hit the ground hard but somehow didn't shatter.

"Wh-what did you say?" Su Qing stammered in disbelief, though a faint trace of joy began to peek through her expression.

The red handprint still burned visibly on Lu Lin's cheek. "Believe it or not, it's the truth. Yan Yan was there too. You can ask her yourself."

Su Qing immediately whipped her head toward Zheng Yanyan.

Zheng Yanyan gave a firm nod confirming the story.

Since Lu Lin and Zheng Yanyan weren't staying at Lan Ting, and Zhou Yuwen didn't feel like seeking out anyone else, he straightforwardly headed over to Tao Tian's place.

When he knocked on the door, Tao Tian had just finished taking a shower.

Among all of Zhou Yuwen's women, Tao Tian had undergone perhaps the most significant transformation. It was worth noting that even before meeting him, she was by no means an ordinary girl. With her stunning looks, captivating aura, and incredible figure, pairing a girl like her with a rich second generation and marrying into a wealthy family in the future would have been a piece of cake.

Unfortunately for those prospects, she had bumped into Zhou Yuwen. Utterly enchanted by him, she willingly tied herself to his side, romantically justifying it as true love.

In reality, if Zhou Yuwen failed to amass enough wealth to match a girl like her in the future...

Tao Tian was destined not to walk to the very end with him.

Fresh out of the shower, Tao Tian was dressed in a sleek, white-pink silk pajama set. She stood with her body tilted slightly, elegantly brushing her hair in front of the mirror.

The reflection in the mirror was exceptionally alluring. Between her graceful, curvy silhouette and the expanse of snow-white skin revealed by the V-neck collar, she looked stunning. People always said the Tang Dynasty considered plumpness beautiful. That so-called 'plumpness' certainly didn't mean looking like a barrel. It referred exactly to Tao Tian's type of voluptuous charm—a lush, full figure reminiscent of the legendary Consort Yang Guifei.

Before she got together with Zhou Yuwen, she had always been beautiful, but she had lacked a certain undeniable spark.

Now that she was with him, that radiant, mature aura spoke for itself.

She methodically and leisurely combed through her hair in front of the mirror.

That simple, elegant gesture alone could easily mesmerize countless men.

Right at that moment, she heard a noise outside. It sounded like the door being unlocked.

Initially, a wave of pleasant surprise washed over her, thinking it must be Zhou Yuwen.

But on second thought, she figured it was impossible. Way too much had happened today.

Why would he possibly come looking for her tonight?

But when she stepped out to check...

She discovered that it really was him.

This time, Tao Tian was truly overjoyed. Bounding over with the lively energy of a young girl, she sprinted forward with a bright smile and threw herself into his embrace. "What brings you here?" she asked playfully.

"Oh, am I not welcome? Should I leave then?" Zhou Yuwen teased, pretending to turn back toward the door.

"Hey!"

Hearing this, Tao Tian instantly pouted her delicate lips.

She wrapped her arms tightly around him in silence.

Zhou Yuwen embraced her in return, letting out a soft chuckle. "I'm here because I wanted to be here. Why are you asking why I came? Am I not allowed to?"

"No, it's just... what about you and your new girlfriend?" Confusion flickered in her eyes.

Earlier, Zhou Yuwen had only explained the situation regarding Jiang Xinyi to Lu Lin and the others, but he hadn't yet clarified things with Qu Jing.

Hearing Tao Tian bring it up, he let out a soft "oh" of realization and repeated the same explanation he had given earlier.

There was absolutely nothing going on between him and Jiang Xinyi yet.

It was entirely Liu Jing who had aggressively tried to force the relationship title onto them.

Upon hearing this, Tao Tian's mood instantly brightened. "So, you and that Jiang Xinyi?"

"We didn't have any relationship before,"

Zhou Yuwen took off his suit jacket and swapped his shoes for slippers. "As for later, it's hard to say. Let me take a shower first," he continued.

"I'll grab you some fresh clothes."

Tao Tian was always incredibly obedient. The moment Zhou Yuwen stepped into the bathroom, she began preparing his change of clothes. At the same time, she called out, asking what he meant by 'as for later'.

Zhou Yuwen replied, "Wait until I'm out of the shower, and we'll talk."

In truth, the chaotic events of today had left quite a significant impact on all the young girls by Zhou Yuwen's side.

While Zhou Yuwen showered inside, Tao Tian stood just outside the sliding glass door, happily chatting with him about all the gossip.

She mentioned, for instance, that she had been absolutely certain he wouldn't come to her place tonight.

"I guessed that you and Jiang Xinyi hadn't reached that level yet, but I really thought you would go to coax Su Qing. Her emotional state earlier was honestly quite terrifying."