Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 316: The Last Day of 2013

You Changjin felt incredibly uncomfortable when Liu Jing asked to speak with him alone.However, he lacked the courage to refuse.

He could only obediently climb into the passenger seat.

Liu Jing remained silent in the back seat, and You Changjin dared not speak out of turn.

Curious about her silence, he stealthily glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

Catching Liu Jing's gaze already fixed upon him, You Changjin immediately shrank his neck in guilty apprehension.

Observing his timid display, Liu Jing let out a cold snort of blatant disdain.

She made no effort to conceal the sound.

Hearing it, You Changjin's heart sank even further.

"Are you here to deliver pork rib soup to Yuwen and Xinyi?"

"Yes, because Yuwen is my student. I happened to have some free time to drop by, so I figured I would bring him some," You Changjin replied quickly. He absolutely dared not mention anything about Jiang Xinyi.

People were strange like that. Even though his heart was entirely focused on Jiang Xinyi, when faced with an overwhelmingly intimidating presence, he lacked the courage to confess his true feelings. Instead, he could only use Zhou Yuwen as a shield.

How could his petty little schemes ever fool Liu Jing? She offered another faint smile. "You certainly treat your students well."

"It is nothing, really. Yuwen is my student, after all."

You Changjin still tried to paint himself in a favorable light.

What he did not know, however, was that Liu Jing could not care less about any of that.

The back of the Maybach was spacious enough that Liu Jing sat perfectly upright with her legs elegantly crossed. Gazing out the window at the passing scenery, she remarked lightly, "Yuwen is indeed excellent."

You Changjin let out a sigh of relief. Every time he spoke with Liu Jing, he had to carefully weigh every single syllable. Just as he was pondering how to continue the conversation...

Liu Jing suddenly asked, "Do you think Yuwen and Xinyi are a good match?"

"?" You Changjin froze in shock.

Truthfully, he had sensed from the very beginning that Liu Jing was particularly fond of Zhou Yuwen, but he actively forced himself not to think in that direction, convincing himself it was impossible.

Yet, no matter what, he never expected this.

He never expected Liu Jing to throw such a direct question right in his face.

'What exactly is she trying to do?'

A trace of profound awkwardness surfaced on You Changjin's face. After holding back for a long time, he finally managed to say, "Xinyi is six years older than Yuwen."

"So what? Does a six-year age gap make it impossible?" Liu Jing asked, her tone icy and clear.

Those words thoroughly choked You Changjin.

He could not understand why Liu Jing insisted on tormenting him like this, or why she would even approach him to ask such a question. He replied, "Yuwen is my student..."

The underlying meaning in his words was obvious: no matter what, Xinyi is my ex-girlfriend, and Zhou Yuwen is my student. Is it really appropriate for you to encourage this?

However, before You Changjin could finish, Liu Jing coldly cut him off. "What exactly have you taught him?"

"Ah?"

For a moment, You Changjin failed to process the question.

"I mean, what knowledge have you actually imparted to him?"

You Changjin was left speechless.

Liu Jing's point was clear: he was merely Zhou Yuwen's counselor. Having a student like Zhou Yuwen assigned to him was purely out of luck; it did not mean he was inherently superior or more capable than Zhou Yuwen.

"You might be Yuwen's counselor."

"But you could also easily not be. Think that over carefully."

Liu Jing's tone remained as indifferent as ever, but her words made You Changjin freeze in sheer terror. Mustering a shred of courage, he finally dared to lift his head and catch a glimpse of her in the rearview mirror.

He saw Liu Jing with her legs still elegantly crossed, wrapped in a long dress.

Her flawlessly manicured hands rested casually upon her lap.

She sat there with perfect posture, having delivered that devastating threat as if mentioning the weather.

Liu Jing was in her forties, a seasoned veteran in the arenas of vanity and wealth. Jiang Xinyi, on the other hand, was a child raised with endless pampering, granting her a sense of empathy that made her fear hurting You Changjin's pride.

But Liu Jing possessed no such fears.

Although Jiang Xinyi currently showed an undeniable lack of interest in You Changjin.

Liu Jing absolutely refused to make the same mistake twice.

What if You Changjin continued to entangle himself with Jiang Xinyi, and one day, in a moment of irrational weakness, her daughter allowed those dead embers to reignite?

Jiang Xinyi did not have to end up with Zhou Yuwen.

But Jiang Xinyi could never, under any circumstances, end up with You Changjin.

This was Liu Jing's absolute bottom line.

Therefore, upon seeing You Changjin in the office today, Liu Jing had already felt thoroughly displeased.

It was just that her words...

To You Changjin, they felt unbearably suffocating. He desperately wanted to defend himself.

But Liu Jing offered him no opportunity for rebuttal. She stated bluntly, "My patience has its limits. I will not repeat myself a second time."

"For a man like you to have dated Xinyi at all was already a stroke of immense luck. Do you truly harbor the delusion that she would actually marry you?"

"If you genuinely care for Xinyi, you should help her find her true happiness."

"Yuwen is a fine young man. Whether it is his looks or his intellect, I am quite fond of him."

"Think clearly. Without you, Zhou Yuwen is still a corporate boss."

"But without Zhou Yuwen, you might not even be able to keep your job as a counselor."

Liu Jing's words carried a heavy underlying threat.

She then concluded, "That is all I have to say. Xiao Li, pull over."

The timing was impeccable. The Maybach smoothly came to a halt right by the curb at the school gate.

You Changjin stepped out of the vehicle, utterly crestfallen. Long after the Maybach had driven away, he remained rooted to the spot, his head bowed, lost in inscrutable thoughts.

"Teacher You?"

At that moment, someone called out to him.

You Changjin looked up, only to find Chang Hao, Li Qiang, and the others returning from buying food outside.

They had not noticed the Maybach.

They had simply spotted You Changjin standing there looking completely dejected from a distance.

Initially, it was just Li Qiang pointing and saying, "Hey, that guy looks like Teacher You."

Only when Chang Hao walked closer did he realize it was indeed You Changjin.

Noticing that something seemed off about his counselor's demeanor, Chang Hao called out and asked, "Teacher You, did something happen?"

"No, it is nothing."

You Changjin was certainly in miserable spirits, but no matter how down he felt, he could never share his humiliation with his students.

According to Liu Jing's demands, he was absolutely forbidden from harassing Zhou Yuwen and Jiang Xinyi any further.

In the end, Liu Jing had bluntly laid all her unvarnished thoughts bare before You Changjin.

Her meaning was absolute: Jiang Xinyi might not end up with Zhou Yuwen.

But Jiang Xinyi would never, ever end up with you!

Those words were deeply insulting.

But what could he do? You Changjin did not possess the slightest sliver of power to fight back.

If anyone was to blame, it was You Changjin himself for daring to entangle with someone far beyond his league like Jiang Xinyi.

That day, You Changjin swallowed his grievances and said nothing to Chang Hao about his ordeal.

However, he could not keep it entirely bottled up.

That very night, You Changjin called Chang Hao, claiming that his teacher wanted to treat him to drinks.

Confused but willing, Chang Hao brought Li Qiang along.

Thus, the trio—teacher and students—ended up drinking themselves into a stupor at a small barbecue stall right outside the campus.

You Changjin completely avoided mentioning Zhou Yuwen; he solely focused his drunken rant on Liu Jing. Clutching a beer bottle with a flushed face, he loudly declared that he genuinely loved Xinyi!

"But her mother... her mother looks down on me!"

Reaching this breaking point, You Changjin actually burst into loud, pathetic sobs!

Li Qiang actively matched You Changjin drink for drink.

Chang Hao, however, drank very little.

After his experiences with Zheng Yanyan, Chang Hao had truly matured significantly.

The pair drank until past ten o'clock, with You Changjin still holding his head and weeping bitterly at the table.

Chang Hao walked over alone to find the boss for checking out.

At that moment, a rather burly boy approached from outside, speaking with a distinct northern accent. "Hey, you are Chang Hao, right?"

"Who are you?"

"I asked if you are Chang Hao!" the guy barked aggressively.

Confused, Chang Hao replied, "Yeah, that is me. Do you need something?"

"Oh, Chang Hao, huh,"

The man pulled out a photograph, checked it against Chang Hao's face, and nodded.

Before Chang Hao could even react, a vicious punch struck him directly.

"Fuck, Chang Hao is exactly who I'm beating! Screw you!"

The impact left Chang Hao seeing stars. Immediately after, three more men burst out of nowhere, descending upon Chang Hao with a flurry of brutal punches and kicks.

Li Qiang was not yet fully drunk and had originally been sitting there chatting with You Changjin.

Seeing Chang Hao getting jumped, he jumped in shock. "Hey! Teacher! Someone is beating up Chang Hao!"

With those words, Li Qiang did not hesitate. Fueled by his lingering tipsiness, he charged forward furiously, directly wrapping his arm around one of the attacker's neck from behind.

"Fuck you, let go!"

By this time, security personnel were already rushing toward the commotion.

Seeing that the situation was turning sour, the other assailants quickly scattered and fled.

However, the one guy caught in Li Qiang's death grip was securely trapped.

Honestly, the very moment he was struck, Chang Hao immediately suspected that Liu Shuo and his gang had hired these thugs to beat him up.

However, after they went to the police station, the officers took barely an hour to track down and arrest Xu Bowen based on the apprehended thug's confession.

The moment he laid eyes on Xu Bowen.

Chang Hao genuinely froze in shock.

Yet, facing him again, Xu Bowen remained incredibly arrogant and unyielding.

He threw a vicious sneer in Chang Hao's direction. "I told you, just you wait and see!"

On the night Chang Hao was assaulted, a sparse, scattered snowfall began to drift down through the dark skies.

This snow continued to fall for three consecutive days. The snow in Jinling lacked the overwhelming, blanket-like intensity of the north; it was the kind that vanished without a trace the moment it touched the ground.

Only atop the city walls and roof eaves did a faint trace of frost remain.

This snowfall bridged the gap directly from 2013 into 2014.

And so, 2014 quietly arrived. Nothing particularly monumental occurred in the closing days of the year. The final three days were simply filled with bustling activity—finalizing the renovation plans for the villa.

Busy organizing the students' part-time jobs.

And busy handling his scheduled "dates" with Jiang Xinyi and Li Shiqi on the very last day of December.

Because Jiang Xinyi's piano performance was scheduled to begin around seven o'clock in the evening.

His movie time with Li Shiqi was moved up to one o'clock in the afternoon.

Nothing particularly eventful occurred during these two "dates." Li Shiqi made no active attempts to lean on Zhou Yuwen, and Zhou Yuwen had zero intention of confirming a second romantic relationship so hastily.

Therefore, it was a simple outing to watch a movie together, after which Zhou Yuwen would casually share his thoughts regarding the film with Li Shiqi—for instance, noting how incredibly handsome Leonardo DiCaprio was back then.

He noted that the actor had let himself go in recent years, looking practically as fat as a pig.

Li Shiqi did not really understand much about any of that, so she just listened in quiet amusement.

Truthfully, she wore very clean and neat clothes today; they were perhaps slightly too thin for the weather, but looked exceedingly beautiful on her.

Unfortunately, Zhou Yuwen did not offer a single evaluation of her outfit.

Acting like a dense block of wood completely devoid of emotional intelligence, Zhou Yuwen spent the entire time passionately ranting about the movie's plot details.

Later, upon dropping Li Shiqi back off at her dormitory, Zhou Yuwen finally seemed to realize his rambling and belatedly asked, "Was everything I just talked about incredibly boring?"

Li Shiqi shook her head, offering a sweet smile. "Not at all."

"Uh, you stayed so quiet the whole time, I assumed you simply were not interested."

"No, not at all. I actually really enjoy hearing you talk about these things." Li Shiqi's voice was remarkably soft and gentle. After saying that, her dark, deep eyes curved into a beaming smile directed right at him.

Being stared at with such a radiant smile, Zhou Yuwen actually found himself feeling a rare bout of embarrassment.

Truthfully, when Zhou Yuwen had brought Li Shiqi back to her dormitory, he had fully intended to quickly drop her off and immediately head to his next "date."

However, once the car pulled up to the entrance of her dormitory, Li Shiqi showed no immediate intention of stepping out. It seemed as though she genuinely wanted to stay and hear him talk more about the movie.

The glaring problem was that Zhou Yuwen honestly had nothing left to say.

They sat there in the car, soaking in the warm air from the heater for another ten minutes.

Li Shiqi eventually seemed to realize that Zhou Yuwen likely had other matters to attend to. After a brief moment of hesitation, she murmured, "Should I head back then?"

"Oh, right," Zhou Yuwen replied.

At that moment, Li Shiqi's nose stung with a sudden wave of melancholy, but she merely nodded in silent agreement.

Just as she was stepping out of the vehicle, Zhou Yuwen called out to stop her.

He retrieved a large paper box from the trunk and handed it to her, explaining that it was a return gift for the scarf she had given him.

Seeing the massive size of the paper box, Li Shiqi, despite having no idea what was inside, was highly reluctant to accept it. She hastily explained that the scarf was merely her own way of saying thank you, and that a return gift was entirely unnecessary.

Refusing to let her finish, Zhou Yuwen forcefully shoved the massive box right into her hands.

"I sat in the car agonizing over this for ages, having zero clue how to actually bring it up! Just please do not make this harder for me!" Zhou Yuwen groaned.

"?"

Hearing his exasperated confession, Li Shiqi lifted her head, staring at Zhou Yuwen in pleasant surprise.

She watched as Zhou Yuwen awkwardly scratched his cheek. Coughing twice to clear his throat, he grumbled, "You are so annoying. This is the very first time I have ever met a girl who actively dislikes receiving gifts. If you refuse to take it, then I am never coming to look for you ever again!"

With those blunt words dropped, Zhou Yuwen sped off in his car in a hurried panic, acting entirely like a clumsy little boy who possessed zero idea how to properly give a gift.

He did not even bother to say goodbye.

On the 31st, the grassy patches alongside the road still bore scattered traces of melting snow.

Li Shiqi stood there watching his car disappear into the distance. Recalling his utterly clumsy display just moments ago, she could not help but let out a gentle chuckle. Hugging the massive box tightly to her chest, she cheerfully made her way back into her dormitory.

Several of her roommates lounging inside naturally grew intensely curious upon seeing her haul such an enormous box inside. They instantly erupted into a noisy, clamoring chorus, enthusiastically guessing what sort of spectacular gift Zhou Yuwen might have presented her.

Given the sheer size of the box, it certainly did not look like it contained makeup or anything similar.

It was not until Li Shiqi finally cracked the box open that a collective gasp of profound shock echoed through the room.

None of them could have ever predicted this.

Zhou Yuwen had actually gifted her a thick down jacket.

It was from a very niche, obscure brand that absolutely no one in Li Shiqi's dormitory recognized, but the material felt unbelievably soft and luxurious to the touch.

One of the roommates fell entirely speechless, eventually grumbling, "What kind of guy gifts a girl a down jacket?"

"Exactly!"

To them, such a practical gift severely lacked the necessary romance.

However, a bright wave of overwhelming joy washed over Li Shiqi the moment she laid eyes on the down jacket. She absolutely loved it.

Thus, she quickly drafted a message to Zhou Yuwen: "I really love the gift. Thank you! (Smile)"

"I am glad you like it."

After sending his reply, Zhou Yuwen glanced at the time, only to realize it was already approaching four o'clock. Sigh, he still had to hurry over and catch the performance with Jiang Xinyi.

The last day of 2013 was undeniably quite busy.

Unfortunately, neither of these two girls was someone he could sleep with.