Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 246: Two People in the Room, Five in the Scene

The muffled sounds coming from Zheng Yanyan’s room continued intermittently.Su Qing and Lu Lin sat calmly, their expressions appearing unaffected. Su Qing seemed engrossed in the movie, while Lu Lin lazily nibbled on snacks she’d picked up earlier—one crispy treat at a time, the crunch breaking the silence in the room.

Shen Yu, however, sat stiffly with a flushed face. was terrifying enough on its own, but her attention was split between the eerie movie and the unsettling sounds from next door.

Her thoughts raced uncontrollably:

She glanced to her sides. Su Qing’s jaw was tightly clenched, and her teeth audibly ground against each other. Lu Lin, in contrast, seemed unbothered, nonchalantly munching on her snacks.

Shen Yu couldn’t fathom their reactions. Were they not curious?

Unable to endure the tension, Shen Yu fidgeted. “Uh, maybe I’ll turn the volume up a bit,” she offered hesitantly.

She grabbed the remote and increased the sound until the movie’s thunderstorm became deafening.

Onscreen, the antagonist shouted into the night: “Who will help me?!”

From Yanyan’s room, her startled voice rang out, “Is it thunder?”

“No, they’re watching a movie,” Zhou Yuwen replied, his tone amused.

Yanyan, clearly annoyed, huffed, “Are they crazy? Watching a movie this late with the volume so high?”

Zhou Yuwen chuckled mischievously, deciding to give her something else to focus on.

Back in the living room, Lu Lin casually remarked, “It’s starting.”

Su Qing, who had been straining to hear the sounds from next door, asked, “You mean the movie?”

Lu Lin blinked innocently. “Yeah, the villain’s about to transfer his soul into the doll.”

Shen Yu, trying to distract herself, asked curiously, “Have you seen this before?”

“Yeah, back in high school. I watched it on my phone,” Lu Lin replied. Then, with a teasing glance at Su Qing, she added, “Wait, what were you listening for?”

Su Qing’s cheeks reddened slightly. “Nothing.”

At that moment, Yanyan’s voice drifted through the wall again, a soft “Mmm—” escaping audibly.

Lu Lin smirked knowingly. “Oh, so you were listening to ”

Su Qing flushed deeper. “You heard it too!”

“Nope, just now,” Lu Lin denied, feigning innocence.

“Come on, can’t you two think about how this feels for me?” Shen Yu protested, her face completely red. “Lu Lin’s teasing is bad enough, but Su Qing, you’ve never even… so how are you so familiar with this stuff?”

Su Qing’s blush deepened as she stammered, “I haven’t! I told you nothing happened between us.”

Shen Yu’s curiosity spiked. “Wait, are you saying did happen? Spill it!”

“Stop it! Don’t ask!” Su Qing pouted, playing coy.

Lu Lin’s heart sank hearing this. She remembered the first time Zhou Yuwen held her, whispering sweet words:

Now it seemed those words were nothing but lies.

She tried to convince herself she shouldn’t care. After all, she had offered herself to him willingly, without expecting anything in return. But that didn’t stop her from feeling a sharp pang of regret.

Meanwhile, the movie reached a quiet scene, allowing Yanyan’s voice to filter through the wall again.

For Shen Yu, it was pure torture. She couldn’t stop imagining what might be happening next door.

For Su Qing, it was equally tormenting. She couldn’t stand the thought of Zhou Yuwen doing anything with anyone else.

Only Lu Lin seemed unaffected, quietly enjoying her snacks. The glow from the movie reflected in her dark eyes as she told herself:

Finally, Shen Yu broke the silence with a desperate question: “How long does Zhou Yuwen usually take?”

Su Qing, caught off guard, replied hesitantly, “Ten, maybe twenty minutes?” She based her answer on past experiences, unaware that Zhou Yuwen had since changed.

Lu Lin froze mid-bite, her eyes snapping toward Su Qing. “What did you say?”

Her sudden movement startled Su Qing. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

A strange mix of emotions flashed across Lu Lin’s face: happiness, relief, even a hint of pride. “So, you didn’t really… in high school?”

The words spilled out before she could stop them, but she didn’t regret saying them.

Su Qing’s guilty reaction confirmed Lu Lin’s suspicions. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Su Qing asked defensively.

Lu Lin smirked, her good mood evident. “Oh, nothing. It’s just that Zhou Yuwen seems pretty fit. Ten or twenty minutes feels… short.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Su Qing shot back, offended.

“I’m just saying he probably lasts longer than that,” Lu Lin replied, her voice light and teasing. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn N0veI.Fiɾe.net

“Like you’d know!” Su Qing countered, her face growing redder by the second.

Lu Lin’s smirk widened. “I don’t know. But doesn’t thirty minutes sound more reasonable?”

Shen Yu sat between them, her face an even deeper shade of red, feeling completely out of her depth.

The sounds from Zheng Yanyan’s room eventually subsided, but not before leaving a lingering impact on everyone involved.

In the living room, Lu Lin’s cool demeanor stood in contrast to Su Qing’s simmering irritation and Shen Yu’s outright embarrassment. Su Qing seemed particularly set on finding a way to outshine Lu Lin in their oddly competitive discussion.

“Ha! Lu Lin, don’t tell me you’ve never actually done anything with your boyfriend?” Su Qing finally jabbed, trying to regain the upper hand.

Lu Lin smiled faintly. “Oh, I have. Thirty minutes is pretty normal.”

“Yeah, right,” Su Qing scoffed, clearly skeptical.

Shen Yu, blushing furiously, coughed to interrupt. “Can we please change the topic?”

Su Qing leaned back, feigning nonchalance but clearly enjoying her moment. “Lu Lin is just bragging. I thought you were sneaking off to see your boyfriend when you went out all the time, but I guess you really were just going to an internet café.”

Lu Lin stayed composed, though her tone carried a touch of smugness. “I don’t need to sneak around. My boyfriend’s stamina is naturally that good.”

“Come on, it’s not as easy as you’re making it sound,” Su Qing countered. “It’s not supposed to feel great at first!”

“You just have to bear with it,” Lu Lin replied with a shrug, her calmness only fueling Su Qing’s irritation.

Shen Yu had finally had enough. She stuffed tissues into her ears, muttering to herself, “This world is too cruel,” and turned her attention to the movie.

The horror film reached its terrifying climax, momentarily pulling everyone’s focus. Onscreen, the murderous doll terrorized its victims with a hammer, the sudden jump scares enough to make Shen Yu leap into Su Qing’s arms.

“Ahh!” Shen Yu yelped, tears welling in her eyes.

Su Qing looked down at her in surprise. “Shen Yu, are you crying?”

“I-I’m just scared,” Shen Yu stammered, her voice trembling.

Su Qing burst into laughter, patting Shen Yu’s head. “It’s all fake, you know! Don’t take it so seriously.”

Meanwhile, back in Yanyan’s room, Zhou Yuwen was catching his breath. Yanyan, still lying lazily on the bed, was using a damp wipe to clean herself up. Her earlier confidence had shifted to a pout as she muttered, “Those girls are so nosy, staying up just to eavesdrop. I bet Su Qing put them up to it.”

Zhou Yuwen couldn’t help but laugh. “Why is everything always Su Qing’s fault with you? Help me clean up too, will you?”

Yanyan tossed the wipe at him playfully. “Clean up yourself! You should just take a shower.”

Zhou Yuwen grinned as he shifted closer to her. “Come on, don’t be mean.”

Yanyan rolled her eyes but relented, tossing the damp stockings she’d removed onto the floor with a sigh. “Fine, I’ll take a shower first.”

The stockings were a lost cause now—practically a one-time-use accessory, as Yanyan noted with some annoyance. She headed for the bathroom, and Zhou Yuwen followed soon after.

Their long-standing relationship showed in the casual way they interacted. Yanyan even helped Zhou Yuwen rinse off with the showerhead, an act that had once embarrassed her but now felt entirely natural.

When they emerged, freshly showered, Yanyan dressed quickly in a loose white T-shirt and declared, “I’m going to see what those girls are up to. Why aren’t they asleep yet?”

Zhou Yuwen raised an eyebrow. “After all that noise you made, you’re not embarrassed to go out there?”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about?” Yanyan retorted with a huff, clearly unbothered.