Chapter 168: Want to confess to Zhenzhen? I won't allow it.
Room 404.
Ye Zhen held the empty bubble tea cup as she pushed open the door.
Every time she entered, she needed a moment to steel herself. After all, two people in that dorm harbored rather unsavory intentions toward her…
"Zhenzhen!"
Wang Xiaoya greeted her with her usual enthusiasm.
She pounced, wrapping her arms around Ye Zhen's and rubbing against her vigorously.
"You've worked hard today. Want to grab a late-night snack first, or take a shower, or… hehehe~"
"What the heck is 'hehehe' supposed to mean?!"
Ye Zhen couldn't stand the other girl's eager little eyes, and she hated her own overactive imagination.
"Alright, alright." Qiao Xin stepped forward, arrogantly prying Wang Xiaoya's arms away and pulling Ye Zhen into her own embrace. She patted Ye Zhen's back gently, as if offering comfort: "Come on, Zhenzhen, let's ignore this filthy woman. Studying is what matters!"
Ye Zhen: "…"
A pinch on her waist.
She shot Qiao Xin a resentful glare.
Don't think I didn't notice—you're totally hitting on me!
Ye Zhen quickly crouched down and slipped out of Qiao Xin's embrace while she wasn't looking.
"Alright, I'm going to take a shower. You two go ahead and do whatever you were doing. Stop staring at me."
Seeing Ye Zhen's deadpan expression, both of them clearly felt a bit resentful.
Once Ye Zhen entered the bathroom carrying her green dinosaur-themed pajamas, Qiao Xin and Wang Xiaoya began competing.
Qiao Xin shot her a glance and snorted. "Don't think I didn't notice—you padded it today! It's already exaggerated enough, and you still sneak in extra padding? Wang Xiaoya, you're something else. Aren't you afraid you'll lose your balance walking?"
Wang Xiaoya flipped her hair and puffed out her chest. "Go ahead and pad yours if you dare. If you can pad it better than mine… heh~"
Those words stung.
Qiao Xin looked down at herself, then back at Wang Xiaoya, grinding her teeth in frustration.
Still, she refused to let it go.
"Do you really think Zhenzhen is that shallow? She's definitely into inner beauty, not superficial looks like yours. Just wait until the midterm results come out—then you can enjoy the look of disappointment on her face."
Those words were equally hurtful.
Wang Xiaoya suddenly grew impatient.
"I've been studying hard too, okay! Look, I did all of today's homework myself—not a single problem copied!"
Saying this, Wang Xiaoya pulled out her messy homework and flaunted it in front of Qiao Xin.
Qiao Xin leaned in, pushed her glasses up, and examined it closely.
She snorted, "You might as well not have done it at all. This is just a waste of paper."
"Huh, my writing's bad? That's perfect! I'll just crash on Zhenzhen's bed later and beg her to teach me how to write. We can hang out alone until dawn, ha ha~"
Wang Xiaoya's thought process was always this bizarre.
Fuming, Qiao Xin immediately rolled up her sleeves and lunged at her.
"Hey! What are you doing?! Don't steal my pillow! Hey…"
…
In the bathroom.
The sound of running water echoed loudly.
Ye Zhen couldn't hear the commotion outside, but her head felt a little sore.
She sighed, reached out, and turned off the faucet.
Her mind was filled with images of Ye Fuli's cautious demeanor.
That note deliberately stuck to the bottom of the milk tea cup was probably a gamble too.
If she, Ye Zhen, didn't drink that milk tea, or threw it away before finishing it, she wouldn't have seen the note.
Then, if she didn't show up for the meeting, would Ye Fuli really wait forever?
Knowing Ye Fuli as she did, this was exactly the kind of thing she would do.
It was precisely this kind of persistence that was a little frightening.
"I really can't give her too much hope,"
Ye Zhen thought to herself, feeling gloomy once more.
"But if I don't give her any hope…"
If Ye Fuli had no expectations, she'd lose her reason for living and might choose to restart everything again.
After finally pushing time forward again, how could she stand by and watch it reverse and start over?
With that realization, Ye Zhen suppressed her inner resistance.
"Ye Fuli has changed. She's working hard to become a better person. I should trust and expect more from her too."
"If we can't be lovers, we can still be friends."
"Even if we can't be friends, we can at least be clients!"
Ye Zhen convinced herself with these reasons.
Tomorrow afternoon, she'd have to make a trip to the library.
Changing into her pajamas, she emerged from the bathroom to find her two troublesome roommates still arguing.
"Hey, Wang Xiaoya, where's this 'Citywide Confession' you mentioned?"
"Huh? That doesn't make sense! I clearly paid for it and put up tons of ads! Damn it, how did they all turn into 'For Example New Product Launch' ads?"
Wang Xiaoya tapped her phone frantically, trying to find the confession ad she had posted.
But there was nothing.
She immediately contacted the advertising agency to confirm the ad placement, only to receive a refund and a penalty fee from them.
Wang Xiaoya was dumbfounded.
After carefully reviewing the situation, Wang Xiaoya broke down.
"For instance, the boss spent triple the price to secure every single advertising spot in downtown Nancheng City—and not just for a day, not even for a month, but for a whole damn year!"
"Man, I'm so pissed."
"Think having money makes you special?"
"Don't people get sick of staring at that idiot every day?"
"Damn it, couldn't he at least give me one day to confess my feelings?!"
Qiao Xin was laughing so hard she nearly pounded the table.
This was a clash of the rich, and Wang Xiaoya got crushed.
But they clearly had no idea who the boss behind the example was… Nor could they fathom what the real motive was behind such extravagant spending.
Ye Zhen, who knew a bit of the inside story, felt conflicted.
At that moment, she realized how little she truly understood the power of money.
That Ye Fuli—she had absolutely no respect for money.
"Zhenzhen, I can't pull off that citywide confession for you, but the roses I ordered should still arrive tomorrow."
Wang Xiaoya approached Ye Zhen with a pitiful expression.
Ye Zhen sighed. "Please, just stop doing these things."
"No, I will!"
Wang Xiaoya's eyes instantly hardened with resolve.
"When you love someone, you have to say it out loud. Even if you get rejected, you won't have any regrets later!"
Before she could finish, Qiao Xin clapped for her. "Great, great! Now I know where my petal bath is coming from tomorrow."
"Hey! That's not for you!"
"If Zhenzhen doesn't want it, then it'll just be for the whole dorm to share, right?"
"Nonsense, Zhenzhen will definitely want it."
"Then I'll bet you ten bucks she won't."
Ye Zhen rose silently and headed for the balcony.
She found the dorm too noisy.
Tomorrow, she'd just sleep at the office.
Not only should she not give Ye Fuli too many expectations, but she shouldn't give the girls in the dorm too many either.
Unrequited feelings should be extinguished promptly.
That was Ye Zhen's reasoning, but she knew all too well that for herself…
The roommates' fervent affection was easy to let go of, but Ye Fuli's feelings? She feared she'd never truly escape them in this lifetime.
Hugging her arms, she found herself unexpectedly recalling those nights they'd once slept embraced.
Closing her eyes.
All she saw before her eyes were Ye Fuli's joys and sorrows, her laughter and tears.
Ye Zhen sighed softly and shook her head.
"Milk tea is poisonous."
Naming it 'Longing'—Ye Fuli, you really outdid yourself.