Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 203: College Oddities That Defy Expectations

“Enough with the whining!” Tao Tian snapped at Qu Jing, her irritation boiling over after Lu Lin’s sharp words. The realization of why Zhou Yuwen had been distant hit her like a ton of bricks. Until now, Tao Tian had naively assumed he was just busy.  Now she understood—he was angry with her.  

Panic set in. Tao Tian left Qu Jing in the office and hurried off to call Zhou Yuwen, desperate to clarify where she stood with him.  

Qu Jing, meanwhile, was left fuming. She had only confronted Lu Lin to defend Tao Tian. How could Tao Tian now lash out at her? And to abandon her like this?  

Long Boots (Minmin) tried to console Qu Jing, reaching for her hand. “Are you okay, Jingjing?”  

Qu Jing jerked her hand away and glared toward the direction Lu Lin had gone, her voice trembling with suppressed anger. “I’m not going to let her get away with this!”  

Previously, Qu Jing had sought help from Liu Shuo, asking him to “deal with” Lu Lin. But when Liu Shuo realized the target was Lu Lin, he was stunned. Are you out of your mind? You want me to mess with my own sister-in-law?!  

Of course, Liu Shuo was smart enough not to reveal Lu Lin’s relationship with Zhou Yuwen. Instead, he made an excuse and brushed off Qu Jing’s request.  

Qu Jing, however, took this as cowardice. What a useless guy.  

But she wasn’t about to let things go. She, a self-proclaimed "little princess," couldn’t tolerate being humiliated by a mere freshman.  

As she stewed over her next move, her phone buzzed with a message from Xiao Yang, the student council vice president:  

“Are you free tonight? Let’s grab dinner.”  

Xiao Yang’s original goal had been to woo Tao Tian. But after realizing Tao Tian wasn’t interested, his conversations with Qu Jing had grown increasingly frequent.  

The two had hit it off, despite Xiao Yang’s initial intentions. He appreciated Qu Jing’s lively personality, and she, in turn, basked in his attention—particularly since he was chasing her and not Tao Tian anymore.  

When Xiao Yang’s message arrived, Qu Jing suddenly had an idea. She recalled him bragging about his connections, even claiming to dine with school officials. If Liu Shuo wouldn’t help, perhaps Xiao Yang could.  

Qu Jing didn’t mince words: “Do you want to date me?”  

Xiao Yang was taken aback by her bluntness. He had pivoted from pursuing Tao Tian to Qu Jing but wasn’t expecting her to confront him so directly. Embarrassed, he replied tactfully:  

“To be honest, I initially wanted to pursue Tao Tian. But the more I got to know you, the more I realized how much I like you—your smile, your energy. You’ve become someone I think about every day.  

“When you’re happy, I feel happy. When you’re sad, it affects me too. I don’t know if this is love, but I’d like to give it a chance. Qu Jing, will you be my girlfriend?”  

While his confession was heartfelt, Qu Jing barely read it. She had encountered plenty of suitors like him before. What mattered now was getting back at Lu Lin.  

“If you help me teach Lu Lin a lesson, I’ll consider it,” she replied curtly.  

“Lu Lin?” Xiao Yang was confused.  

Qu Jing quickly filled him in, adding her own spin to the story. She painted Lu Lin as a thuggish bully who had not only insulted Tao Tian but physically assaulted her.  

Xiao Yang, still harboring feelings for Tao Tian, was alarmed. “Does Tao Tian really like Zhou Yuwen?” he asked, trying to mask his disappointment.  

“Well,” Qu Jing replied, “Tao Tian is a bit of a sucker for looks. And Zhou Yuwen is, admittedly, good-looking. I’ve tried to warn her off, but she won’t listen. You’re not upset, are you?”  

Though disheartened, Xiao Yang played it cool. “No, I’m not upset. I’m over Tao Tian—I care about you now.”  

“Good,” Qu Jing said, feigning a bashful tone. “Unlike Tao Tian, I don’t care about appearances. What matters is how someone treats me.”  

Flattered, Xiao Yang assured her, “I’ll always treat you well.”  

Emboldened, Qu Jing pressed further. “Then help me deal with Lu Lin. Get a group of guys together and scare her a little.”  

Xiao Yang hesitated. “Scare her?”  

“Yes,” Qu Jing insisted. “She needs to know her place. I’ll even come with you to make sure she doesn’t get away with it.”  

Qu Jing imagined a dramatic showdown where she would humiliate Lu Lin in front of everyone. But Xiao Yang wasn’t convinced.  

“If we do that, we’re no better than hooligans,” he reasoned. “As student council members, we can’t abuse our positions like that.”  

Qu Jing was unimpressed. “So, you’re not going to help me?”  

Sensing her disappointment, Xiao Yang quickly backpedaled. “No, no! I’ll handle it. I’ll call her in to talk—it’s my responsibility as vice president to protect students.”  

Qu Jing rolled her eyes. What a waste of time. She stopped replying to him altogether.  

Feeling spurned, Xiao Yang resolved to handle the situation decisively. He tracked down Lu Lin’s contact info through the student council and sent her a message:  

“Hello, Lu Lin. I’m Xiao Yang, the student council vice president. I’d like to discuss something with you.”  

Lu Lin, seeing the official tone of the message, assumed it was legitimate and accepted his friend request.  

“What’s the matter?” she asked.  

“I’ve received reports of you engaging in violent behavior. Is that true?” Xiao Yang inquired.  

“Who told you that?”  

“Never mind who. Just tell me—did it happen?”  

Lu Lin found the accusation ridiculous. She ignored him and headed to the billiard hall, where she often hung out with Zhang Ru and the others.  

Zhang Ru greeted her with admiration. “Wow, Lu Lin! That motorcycle of yours is amazing! Where’d you get it?”  

“Zhou Yuwen bought it,” Lu Lin replied nonchalantly.  

“He really spoils you, doesn’t he?” Zhang Ru teased.   ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ N0v3l.Fiɾe.net

Lu Lin smirked. “Of course. You should find a boyfriend to spoil you too.”  

“If only it were that easy,” Zhang Ru lamented. “Unless you’d be willing to share Zhou Yuwen?”  

Lu Lin chuckled but didn’t respond. She joined Zhang Ru at the pool table, enjoying her game while ignoring Xiao Yang’s increasingly irate messages.  

Finally, Xiao Yang lost his patience and sent another text:  

“Lu Lin, I’m trying to address a serious matter. Ignoring me won’t make it go away. As a student, you have a responsibility to respect the council’s authority.”  

Annoyed, Lu Lin sent a voice message: “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Stop wasting my time unless you have something concrete.”  

Zhang Ru, overhearing, asked, “What’s got you so annoyed?”  

“Student council nonsense,” Lu Lin replied, shaking her head.  

Xiao Yang, still stewing over the lack of respect, fired off another message:  

“You may be a freshman, but that’s no excuse for such behavior. I don’t know how you were raised, but I’d suggest learning some basic manners.”  

Lu Lin read the message and laughed, her annoyance dissipating. She muttered to herself, “Who does he think he is?”