Chi Wan looked up and saw a tall girl. She looked a little familiar.
"You are...?"
The girl blocking her path looked awkward. "We met yesterday... in Mr. He’s... in He Lingfeng’s car."
Qi Youyou and the other two exchanged a glance. Although they had never met this girl, they had all seen yesterday’s post.
Upon hearing He Lingfeng’s name, they naturally guessed this was the original poster who had accused Chi Wan of "stealing" her boyfriend yesterday. As a result, their attitude toward her wasn’t exactly friendly.
Wen Jing said bluntly, "Is there something you can’t say in front of us?"
Yu Chuxue chimed in, "Or are you planning to sling more mud at Wanwan?"
The girl’s face flushed red from the direct sarcasm, but she still looked at Chi Wan pleadingly. "Chi Wan, I really have something important to tell you in private. I know I was wrong to make that post yesterday, but I really didn’t... I just hope you can give me a chance to explain."
Chi Wan frowned. ’But she seems... terrified?’
She said to Wen Jing and the others, "I’ll go talk with her. You guys can get me some food first. I’ll come find you in a bit."
Wen Jing looked like she strongly disapproved of Chi Wan’s decision. "Wanwan, don’t be a softie. What if she has someone secretly taking pictures to frame you?"
"I wouldn’t do that!" The girl’s voice suddenly grew louder, startling them.
It was Qi Youyou who spoke up. She had tutored He Lingshan for a while. Although she didn’t know He Lingfeng well, her guess about his character made her vaguely realize something. She said softly, "Let’s go first."
Though a bit confused, Yu Chuxue still pulled Wen Jing toward the cafeteria. "Let’s leave it to Wanwan."
The girl gave Chi Wan a grateful smile. "My name is Qin Shi. Let’s... go talk under that tree over there."
Chi Wan nodded and followed Qin Shi toward the bushes on the outskirts of the cafeteria.
She wasn’t worried about what Qin Shi might do to her. Instead, she was curious why she had come to find her so directly.
Unexpectedly, Qin Shi got straight to the point. Her first words were, "Chi Wan, I’m sorry. I was the one who made yesterday’s post. But please believe me, I was forced to do it."
Chi Wan didn’t look particularly surprised. She just raised an eyebrow. "If that’s the case, why did you come looking for me? To convince me to submit to He Lingfeng?"
Qin Shi shook her head, a pained expression on her face. "You have no idea how terrifying a person He Lingfeng is... I admit, I can be a bit vain. I like pretty, expensive things."
"But I never intended to climb the social ladder by getting involved with these young masters born with silver spoons in their mouths. I know my place. Meeting He Lingfeng was an accident..."
"During summer break, to earn some extra money, I didn’t go home and took a job as a singer at a bar. Then, He Lingfeng said... he wanted to be my sugar daddy. But I didn’t agree!"
At this point, she seemed embarrassed and lowered her head. "A girl from a well-off family like you probably can’t understand how I feel. But I was really just earning money to spend through my own hard work. I never thought of selling myself."
If what Qin Shi was saying was true, then He Lingfeng was constantly setting a new low for how disgusting a person could be.
Chi Wan could almost guess what happened next. After all, with her own family’s bankruptcy as a precedent, she knew it would be child’s play for He Lingfeng to coerce an ordinary girl like Qin Shi, who had no family background or support and had clear vulnerabilities.
A flash of disgust crossed Chi Wan’s eyes, but it wasn’t directed at Qin Shi.
She looked at Qin Shi, who was slightly hunched over, as if she couldn’t bring herself to look up at her. In a soft voice, she said, "Desire is the engine of human progress. It’s not a bad thing to have desires, as long as you aren’t controlled by them."
"You’re self-sufficient and you haven’t hurt anyone. Why should you feel ashamed for facing your desires and openly pursuing what you want?"
Qin Shi was taken aback, seemingly not expecting to hear such words from Chi Wan. She instinctively raised her head but didn’t see the disgust and contempt she had imagined on Chi Wan’s face.
"I..." The word had barely left her lips when she realized her voice was choked with emotion.
He had her by her weak spot, forcing her to become his "girlfriend," even though they both knew it was nothing more than a transaction.
But the allure of a lavish lifestyle is the most tempting of all.
Qin Shi constantly reminded herself that she would never be He Lingfeng’s safe harbor; at most, she was a plaything he picked up on a whim.
However, when things she could never hope to obtain on her own were casually handed to her by He Lingfeng, she was ultimately swayed.
Even if He Lingfeng could hardly be called a normal partner.
His need to control his possessions terrified Qin Shi, yet the occasional hints of warmth that peeked through his tyrannical desires left her confused.
So, when she saw He Lingfeng’s attitude toward Chi Wan, she couldn’t help but feel a mix of jealousy and delight. On one hand, Qin Shi envied Chi Wan’s family background, believing that perhaps only someone with her standing could openly date a man like He Lingfeng.
Yet she also feared He Lingfeng’s emotional brutality. When she discovered that Chi Wan had become his new "target," for a fleeting moment, she was secretly pleased that someone else could take her place in his demonic clutches.
These conflicting thoughts tormented Qin Shi. She worried that sooner or later, she would forget the bottom line she had set for herself.
But yesterday, it was as if she saw He Lingfeng’s true face for the first time.
A half-drunk He Lingfeng, with a cruel smile, described in detail how he would get Chi Wan and how he planned to send her to hell after he "got tired of playing with her."
Qin Shi was so terrified by the picture He Lingfeng painted that she had nightmares of Chi Wan’s blood-soaked face.
In truth, Qin Shi didn’t know that Chi Wan had become He Lingfeng’s target long before she had. But seeing how much more horrifying he was than she had imagined, she finally woke up completely. She and He Lingfeng were not the same kind of people.
She didn’t want her own life to be ruined by He Lingfeng, nor could she stand by and watch the innocent Chi Wan suffer the same fate.
No, perhaps even worse.
After all, Chi Wan was different from her. Someone with backing would have more courage to resist, but that would also be more likely to provoke He Lingfeng’s vicious nature.
After a sleepless night, Qin Shi came looking for Chi Wan the moment class ended.
But when she was actually face-to-face with Chi Wan, she didn’t know where to begin.
It wasn’t until she saw Chi Wan’s calm eyes and heard her words that Qin Shi suddenly felt a surge of strength.
She steadied herself and tried to organize her thoughts. "One of your roommates, Qi Youyou, her family isn’t well-off, right? He Lingfeng will most likely go after her to force you to do things you don’t want to do."