Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 529: Shen Yu Moves In

At the exact time Zhou Yuwen was dropping Li Shiqi back at her dormitory, Zheng Yanyan was driving his Porsche Macan to take Shen Yu back to hers. Along the way, Zheng Yanyan could not help but joke, asking her why she was bothering to go back so late."Since we do not have classes tomorrow morning anyway, you might as well just come home with us."

Before she could finish, Lu Lin shot her a reproachful look. "Are you just trying to make Shen Yu uncomfortable?" Lu Lin asked.

"Hehe." Zheng Yanyan let out a mischievous laugh. After all, the last time Shen Yu stayed over at Zhou Yuwen's place, she had been sleeping out in the living room while Zhou Yuwen, Zheng Yanyan, and Lu Lin were inside the bedroom carrying on with their noisy activities.

Although none of them explicitly brought it up that night, an unspoken understanding hung in the air. In private, Zheng Yanyan certainly gossiped about it with Lu Lin, and given how sharp Lu Lin was, she knew perfectly well that Shen Yu must have heard everything.

"Zhou Yuwen might not even come back tonight," Zheng Yanyan said dismissively.

"Oh, so you know everything now?" Lu Lin retorted.

The two volleyed words back and forth, not treating Shen Yu like an outsider in the slightest.

She genuinely wanted Shen Yu to come stay at their place. Shen Yu was currently living alone in her dormitory, which had to be incredibly boring. It was much better to stay in their luxury apartment, which boasted a twenty-four-hour hot water supply.

As for the possibility of Zhou Yuwen returning later, that did not matter either. Strangers the first time, familiar the second time; it was not like they had not been through it before.

"Hey, Shen Yu, do you want to come or not? I will cuddle you to sleep tonight!" Zheng Yanyan teased with a smile, keeping her eyes on the road.

"I..."

Shen Yu's heart actually stirred at the offer. In truth, the environment in the girls' dormitory was already miles better than the boys', but it had been ages since the building saw any maintenance. The facilities were aging, especially the hot water supply, which struggled to keep up with demand. Returning this late, there might not even be a place to take a warm shower.

After pondering for just a moment, Shen Yu finally spoke up. "If it is not too much trouble..."

The moment those words left Shen Yu's lips, Zheng Yanyan slammed heavily on the brakes.

She braked so abruptly that both Lu Lin and Shen Yu were caught completely off guard, nearly smashing their heads into the seats in front of them. Naturally, Lu Lin shot Zheng Yanyan a foul glare and bluntly called her a psycho.

"If Zhou Yuwen were here, he would definitely scold you!" Lu Lin declared, making it clear that one absolutely could not drive like a maniac.

Zheng Yanyan, feeling somewhat embarrassed, stuck out her tongue. "I was just surprised! Shen Yu, are you really coming to stay at our place?"

Even though Shen Yu had not actively distanced herself from Zheng Yanyan and the others, everyone could see the subtle gap between them. After all, it had been three full months from the end of last semester to the start of this one.

Zheng Yanyan had really only been offering out of politeness.

Who would have thought Shen Yu would actually agree? It truly was a novelty.

Shen Yu felt slightly bashful under Zheng Yanyan's scrutiny and could only scramble for an excuse. "The water heater in the dormitory broke recently. If I go back this late, I probably will not be able to take a shower. So I figured I would just swing by your place to shower, and anyway, it feels like we haven't really caught up since the semester started."

That was entirely true. From the beginning of September until now, half a month had already slipped by since the term began.

For this past half-month, Shen Yu had been living alone in her room. While girls in other dormitories were practically attached at the hip, Shen Yu remained a solitary figure from start to finish.

It was certainly liberating.

But it also meant there was no one around to share school gossip with.

Seeing Shen Yu put it that way, Zheng Yanyan was naturally delighted. She promptly spun the steering wheel around. "Perfect! I am not sleeping with Zhou Yuwen tonight! I am sleeping with you!"

Zheng Yanyan had always been unfiltered. Initially, they had all tried to be a bit more mindful around Shen Yu, but now all caution was thrown completely out the window.

Lu Lin listened, utterly speechless, and muttered that Zheng Yanyan really had no filter whatsoever.

Unbothered, Zheng Yanyan shrugged. "What is there to fear? Shen Yu is not an outsider, right, Shen Yu?"

Hearing this, Shen Yu merely offered an awkward smile.

The atmosphere in the car was pleasant right now. As Zheng Yanyan and Lu Lin chattered about whether they had spare towels and new toothbrushes at home, Shen Yu seized the opportunity to voice the question she had been dying to ask.

"Hey, there is something I find quite strange. When did Zhou Yuwen start dating Li Shiqi?" Shen Yu asked.

Glancing in the rearview mirror, Zheng Yanyan spotted Shen Yu's large, inquisitive eyes. She and Lu Lin exchanged a look before Zheng Yanyan could not help but burst into a fit of giggles.

"Shen Yu," she said. "I will tell you the truth, but you have to promise not to breathe a word of this to anyone else."

Shen Yu instantly sat up perfectly straight, her eyes practically sparkling with an intense thirst for gossip.

So, Zheng Yanyan recounted the whole ordeal from beginning to end. After absorbing the story, Shen Yu gasped in astonishment. "You mean to say that Zhou Yuwen and Li Shiqi are not actually dating at all?"

"Why are you so surprised?" Zheng Yanyan asked, clearly puzzled.

"No, it's nothing..."

Realizing she had lost her composure, Shen Yu flushed red.

The main issue was that she simply could not fathom how Zhou Yuwen and Li Shiqi got entangled in the first place. Was it purely to stop Jiang Xinyi from harassing Zhou Yuwen, leading Li Shiqi to take it upon herself to act as his fake girlfriend?

No matter how she looked at it, it felt like Li Shiqi was a scheming girl who had planned this out long in advance.

Could Zhou Yuwen really be oblivious to it?

"Are you guys just going to let her get that close to Zhou Yuwen?" Shen Yu asked, thoroughly confused.

Zheng Yanyan waved off her concern, asking what there was to worry about.

"That little girl definitely has some tricks up her sleeve, but her personality is a bit weak. Letting her be Zhou Yuwen's girlfriend is miles better than letting Jiang Xinyi take the spot." Zheng Yanyan was quite open-minded about the whole arrangement.

"Besides, she is only his daytime girlfriend. His nighttime girlfriend is still me, isn't it?"

Lu Lin felt that Zheng Yanyan was veering further into the absurd and told her to tone it down.

Zheng Yanyan brushed her off. "Oh, hush! It is not like there are any outsiders here anyway. Just let me speak!"

As Zheng Yanyan and Lu Lin bickered back and forth in the front seats, Shen Yu's complexion turned slightly grim in the back. She never would have guessed that Li Shiqi's role as his girlfriend was an utter fabrication.

'People can actually play games like this?'

'And surprisingly, neither Zheng Yanyan nor Lu Lin seem to mind.'

'She gets into his company just by playing make-believe as his girlfriend?'

'Zheng Yanyan even thinks Li Shiqi is easy to manipulate.'

'How could she possibly be easy to manipulate?'

'She is obviously approaching Zhou Yuwen with a hidden agenda.'

'What on earth are you two thinking?'

Shen Yu laid out her entire analysis to Zheng Yanyan and Lu Lin, but neither of them took her seriously. Zheng Yanyan's stance was simple: what girl did not harbor her own little schemes?

"Let me tell you, you might argue that Zhou Yuwen is not a good person, but he does one thing flawlessly. He treats every girl with absolute fairness and impartiality. The harder a girl racks her brain trying to scheme, the faster she crashes and burns. That is the ultimate lesson I have learned from being with Zhou Yuwen for the past year!" Zheng Yanyan boasted proudly.

Lu Lin chimed in, noting that it was a lesson Zheng Yanyan had learned through blood, sweat, and tears.

"Oh, you are so annoying! Could you not undermine me for once?"

They had originally been heading back to the school, but since Shen Yu agreed to stay over at their place, Zheng Yanyan had made a U-turn.

Currently, Zheng Yanyan and Lu Lin still resided in the luxury apartment. Naturally, they also possessed the keys to the villa, but the property was far too massive. Constantly trudging up and down the stairs meant that, overall, it simply was not as comfortable as the apartment.

Plus, the luxury apartment had now completely transformed into Zheng Yanyan and Lu Lin's personal sanctuary, allowing them to do absolutely whatever they pleased.

Shen Yu had only been away for a few months, but the place had already undergone a radical transformation.

Gazing at the somewhat cluttered luxury apartment before her, Shen Yu found herself at a total loss for words. The first time she visited, the space had radiated an aura of opulence, grandeur, and sleek modern style.

But now...

How should one put it?

It certainly had a lived-in feel.

Fine, the plush leather sofa was completely buried under a haphazard pile of clothes, mostly consisting of Zheng Yanyan's little skirts and camisoles.

And if that was not enough, what kind of sane person plunks two massive gaming pods right in the middle of the living room?

'What were they even thinking?'

Zheng Yanyan giggled, explaining that the living room had plenty of space, so they bought two gaming pods. That way, she and Lu Lin could just lounge around and play games together.

Aside from the gaming pods, they had also purchased a premium massage chair and placed it in an area seamlessly connected to the living room.

Shen Yu recognized the brand of the massage chair.

"Does this massage chair cost fifty thousand?"

"Not bad, Shen Yu! You are quite the expert! Come on, give it a try!" Zheng Yanyan immediately seized the chance to show off, grabbing Shen Yu's arm and dragging her toward the chair.

She practically shoved Shen Yu into the seat and fired up the massage functions.

"Hehe, how is it? Comfortable, right?" Zheng Yanyan asked with a beaming smile.

Shen Yu noted that the massage chair was still pristine; it must have been a recent purchase. She had coincidentally seen this exact model at a relative's house before, and because of its exorbitant price tag, it had left a deep impression on her.

Shen Yu simply could not wrap her head around why Zheng Yanyan, a young girl not even twenty years old, would buy a high-end massage chair.

At that remark, Zheng Yanyan actually looked a bit sheepish.

From the side, Lu Lin commented that Zheng Yanyan had solely bought it because she thought it looked fun.

"That is not true at all! I bought it with you and Zhou Yuwen in mind. Think about it: we get so exhausted playing games every day. After a session, we can just lie in the massage chair for a bit to wipe away the fatigue. And now that we have it, Zhou Yuwen can come over and get massages frequently, right?" Zheng Yanyan rattled off excuses to justify her purchase.

Lu Lin scoffed, remarking that nobody valued a stiff, mechanical massage anyway.

"Doesn't the busty girl massage him far better than you can?"

Hearing that, Zheng Yanyan snorted with laughter and conceded the point. "That is true."

"So, Linlin, you need to step up your game and develop a little more," Zheng Yanyan teased, pairing her words with a highly suggestive gesture.

Lu Lin retorted, "Why on earth would I need to develop?"

"Why don't you focus on your own development instead?"

"Have I not already fully developed? Oh my, Shen Yu, yours are looking great! Quick, let me test how they feel!" Zheng Yanyan exclaimed, a lecherous grin spreading across her face as she completely transformed into a female hooligan.

This startled Shen Yu, who yelped, "Ah! What are you doing~"

Jokes aside, Zheng Yanyan and Lu Lin's extravagant lifestyle genuinely terrified Shen Yu. This was not just luxury; it was pure, unadulterated wastefulness.

What normal person bought massive gaming pods and then a high-end massage chair? The massage chair alone had to be fifty thousand!

And weren't those gaming pods over forty thousand each?

Not to mention the clothes strewn across the sofa and hanging on the balcony—every single piece was a luxury brand.

There were even a few garments that had been washed until they were practically falling apart. Those were all LV! Who throws clothes like that into a standard washing machine?

Zheng Yanyan expressed her exasperation, protesting that she had not known any better.

Weren't these pieces worth thousands each?

Shen Yu scolded Zheng Yanyan for being far too wasteful.

Even if she had money, she could not just burn it like this.

Zheng Yanyan whined, "Ugh, give it a rest, will you~ Zhou Yuwen already gave me an earful about it."

Shen Yu sighed heavily. "You could at least hire a cleaner to come tidy this place up."

Zheng Yanyan explained that she deeply disliked the idea of strangers entering her home.

"We usually do a massive sweep at the end of every month. Unfortunately, you caught us at a bad time; it is definitely not cleaning day right now," Zheng Yanyan said.

Hearing this, Shen Yu rolled her eyes. She knew exactly what kind of person Zheng Yanyan was.

Back in the dormitory, she had never been particularly fond of cleanliness either.

Resigning herself to the chaos, Shen Yu began helping Zheng Yanyan by folding the mountain of clothes scattered across the sofa.

Seeing how diligent Shen Yu was, Zheng Yanyan naturally did not hold back on the praise. She even nudged Lu Lin. "Look, doesn't Shen Yu seem just like our mother? Haha, what a good mom!"

"She is your mom. Leave me out of it," Lu Lin retorted.

"Hmph, why? Are you looking down on my Mommy Shen Yu?" Zheng Yanyan blinked playfully.

Shen Yu flushed, terribly embarrassed by their teasing.

Watching Shen Yu meticulously fold the clothes, Zheng Yanyan suddenly remembered the live-in nanny over at Tao Tian's place. "Hey, Shen Yu, why don't you just live here with us? Busty Tao's roommate moved into their place, so you might as well pack your things and move in with us."

"Are you talking about Senior Sister Tao Tian?"

Zheng Yanyan nodded and casually filled her in on Minmin's situation. She omitted the part about Qu Jing's ruthless oppression of Minmin, merely mentioning that Minmin had nowhere else to live and had directly moved in with Tao Tian.

So, if she could bring in an outsider...

"Why can't Linlin and I do the same? You just said the dormitory's water heater breaks easily and showering is a hassle. Why even stay there? You are much better off living here with us! Just look around—we have plenty of food and endless things to play with, and we wouldn't even charge you rent! Come on, what do you say?" Zheng Yanyan clasped Shen Yu's hands, her expression dead serious.

Shen Yu deadpanned, "You just want me to move in so I can be your free nanny, don't you?"

Having her true motives laid bare, Zheng Yanyan's face flushed a deep crimson, though she staunchly refused to admit it. "I-I absolutely do not~"

Just as they were chatting, the front door suddenly swung open, and Zhou Yuwen strolled into the apartment.

Catching sight of Shen Yu tidying up clothes on the sofa, Zhou Yuwen looked rather surprised. "Is Shen Yu staying with us tonight?" he asked.

"Hubby, look how virtuous Shen Yu is! She started folding our clothes the moment she walked in!" The instant Zheng Yanyan saw him, she bounded over and threw her arms around him.

Pulled along by Zheng Yanyan, Zhou Yuwen glanced at the neat stacks of clothes. "If you had even half of her diligence, I would be thanking the heavens," he remarked drily.

Zheng Yanyan comfortably rested her head on his shoulder. "Say, hubby, wouldn't it be great if we let Shen Yu live with us? Being all by herself in the dormitory is so boring anyway."

Hearing this, Shen Yu hastily stood up, intending to declare that she had absolutely not agreed to such a thing.

But before the words could leave her mouth, Zhou Yuwen smiled. "I don't see a problem with it."

"The three of you are roommates anyway. Living together will definitely make things more lively."

"Yay! I knew you were the best, hubby! Kiss!" Overjoyed, Zheng Yanyan hugged Zhou Yuwen tightly, aggressively planting a kiss on his lips.

Watching the scene unfold before her, Shen Yu was struck utterly speechless.

She initially wanted to clear things up, but on second thought, it hardly felt necessary. After all, as long as she simply chose not to move in, it wouldn't matter.

After enduring Zheng Yanyan's clingy affection for a while, Zhou Yuwen finally peeled her off his body. "You girls go ahead and chat. I am going to take a shower."

With that, he offered Shen Yu a polite nod.