Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 189: Daily Life, Zheng Tao’s Duel, and Jiang Xinyi’s Frustration

If Zheng Yanyan had won this fight, she’d likely be strutting around, bragging about her victory, and might even flaunt it in front of Zhou Yuwen. She’d probably say something like, “I taught Tao Tian a lesson, so you’d better stop having those ridiculous thoughts about her!”  But reality didn’t go that way. Not only did Zheng Yanyan lose, but she also got thoroughly schooled by Tao Tian.  

Tao Tian, on the other hand, openly admitted her feelings for Zhou Yuwen and stated outright that she intended to pursue him.  

And you, Zheng Yanyan?  

Are you even worthy of dating Zhou Yuwen?  

If you’re not capable, step down and let someone better take over.  

This statement struck a nerve in Zheng Yanyan.  

“No way, Zhou Yuwen can’t find out about this!”  

She grabbed Su Qing’s hand, stopping her from making a phone call.  

Su Qing pretended not to understand. “Why not?”  

“You’re beaten up this badly, and Zhou Yuwen is your boyfriend. Wouldn’t this be a good time to have him teach her a lesson?”  

“No! Zhou Yuwen absolutely cannot know!” Zheng Yanyan’s face showed a hint of panic. She was scared that if Zhou Yuwen found out, he’d think she was not only causing him trouble but also utterly useless—not even able to win a fight, much less stand up for herself.  

In that moment, Zheng Yanyan had to admit that Tao Tian was indeed more capable than her.  

And what if Zhou Yuwen and Tao Tian really hit it off and he decided to break up with her? What would she do then?  

She couldn’t let Zhou Yuwen know.  

“Then what? You’re just going to let someone slap you and do nothing about it?” Su Qing teased.  

After agonizing for a long while, Zheng Yanyan finally said, “This is a woman’s matter. It has to be solved by women!”  

Truthfully, it was only a matter of time before Zhou Yuwen found out, but the news wouldn’t reach him immediately. Some busybodies might eventually spread the story to the campus forums, but Zhou Yuwen rarely visited those.  

Besides, Zhou Yuwen hardly paid attention to campus gossip. Unless he was in class, he was usually off-campus and uninvolved in school affairs.  

Today, however, he happened to have some free time and joined a teacher for a stroll around campus, identifying various types of trees.  

The university, being agriculture-focused, had a wide variety of flora. Common trees were easily recognizable to most students, but more obscure species like weeping crabapple and flowering quince were unfamiliar to many.  

Surprisingly, Zhou Yuwen could name them all.  

Well, that’s what happens when you’ve studied this subject in a past life.  

Zhou Yuwen’s extensive knowledge left a deep impression on the teacher, who praised him in front of the entire class: “This student clearly puts in extra effort. You should all learn from him.”  

The classmates exchanged knowing smiles, thinking, Zhou Yuwen? The guy who skips classes the most?  

After five classes, the teacher announced a practical field trip for the semester.  

In previous years, the destination had been Hangzhou, but this year, due to time constraints, it was switched to Suzhou.  

Since the landscape engineering course couldn’t be separated from actual gardens, and Suzhou’s gardens were world-famous, the decision made sense.  

The primary stops would be Zhuozheng Garden and Liu Garden, with additional sites depending on the schedule.  

The class representative, Chang Hao, was tasked with organizing the trip, which included collecting 200 yuan from each student for transportation and lodging.  

Most students agreed readily, with some already excited about the opportunity to travel and talking about buying snacks for the trip.  

Seeing everything settled, Zhou Yuwen left the classroom.  

With time to spare, Zhou Yuwen wandered to the courier station. Oddly enough, despite being on campus today, Zheng Yanyan—who usually clung to him—hadn’t called him even once.  

Curious, he called her instead.  

“Where are you?”  

“I’m out eating with my dormmates,” she replied hesitantly.  

“Oh, right. You said you’d take them out. How’s the car?”  

“It’s… okay,” Zheng Yanyan stammered. Her tone was off, but Zhou Yuwen didn’t think much of it and ended the call after some casual chatter.  

The truth was, Zheng Yanyan’s cheek had started to swell slightly from the slap she gave Tao Tian earlier. Though not noticeable to most people, Zheng Yanyan was terrified that Zhou Yuwen might notice. She flat-out refused to meet him.  

Her behavior left Su Qing and the others puzzled.  

After hanging up, Zheng Yanyan’s frustration boiled over. “I can’t let Tao Tian off the hook! I have to settle this!”  

She called Tao Tian.  

Seeing the caller ID, Tao Tian smirked. “What do you want?”  

“Are you free at 9 PM?”  

“Oh? Looking for a rematch?” Tao Tian mocked.  

Despite her fiery personality, Zheng Yanyan had clearly chosen the wrong opponent. Tao Tian, as the Arts Department president, was no pushover.  

“9 PM at the Fifth Cafeteria. Be there,” Zheng Yanyan declared before hanging up.  

Tao Tian recounted the call to her roommates, who were outraged that a freshman dared to slap her.  

“She actually dared to hit you? These first-years have no respect!”  

“She should go confront her boyfriend instead of picking a fight with you!”  

Meanwhile, Zheng Yanyan recruited Lu Lin for backup, who reluctantly agreed but considered informing Zhou Yuwen after the meeting to prevent things from escalating.  

At the courier station, Zhou Yuwen, feeling free for the evening, decided to call Tao Tian to ask her out for dinner.  

Tao Tian saw his name pop up on her screen and momentarily panicked, but she answered.  

“Dinner?” she asked, laughing. “What, no time for your girlfriend today?”  

“She’s busy, so I thought I’d ask my favorite senior,” Zhou Yuwen teased.  

Feigning regret, Tao Tian replied, “Sorry, I have plans tonight. Maybe next time.”   Official source is N0veI.Fiɾe.net

Zhou Yuwen didn’t push further and ended the call.  

Feeling dejected, Zhou Yuwen posted on his social media: “Girlfriend’s out having fun, and I’m stuck eating alone. Not happy~”  

The post quickly drew comments and likes.  

Among them, Jiang Xinyi commented: “Can’t you eat without a girlfriend? Drama king~”  

Zhou Yuwen replied: “Mind your own business~”  

Amused, Jiang Xinyi couldn’t help but find Zhou Yuwen refreshingly blunt.  

Zhou Yuwen decided to send Jiang Xinyi a screenshot of his post and the responses it received. But as he checked his messages, he saw several girls with beautiful profile pictures had messaged him:  

“Want to go out for a drink?”  

“Eating alone tonight?”  

“Let’s eat together. My treat!”  

The messages came in rapid succession.  

When Jiang Xinyi saw the screenshot, she was utterly stunned.  

“Are you even human?!” she exclaimed, completely incredulous.