Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 431: Might Not Have Time

Shen Yu hadn't even stepped out of the classroom when she spotted Chang Hao lurking around, looking quite suspicious. Knowing he must have come for Zheng Yanyan, she couldn't help but pull him aside.Startled by Shen Yu's sudden call, Chang Hao jumped slightly. When he looked up and realized who it was, he let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, Shen, Shen Yu. You mentioned Yanyan was missing, so I, I wanted to come over and take a look. But..."

He trailed off, turning his head to glance at Zheng Yanyan, who was currently laughing and chatting with other students inside the classroom. Obviously, she wasn't missing at all.

Nor did she look at all like a depressed girl who had just been dumped by Zhou Yuwen.

In fact, she looked positively radiant with health.

Truth be told, it had been quite a while since Chang Hao last saw her. Seeing her by chance today, he felt that she looked even prettier than before. How should he put it?

When he and Zheng Yanyan first interacted at the start of their freshman year, they still carried the naive innocence of high schoolers. Now, nearly a full year had passed, and she had truly changed a lot—especially while wearing that mature, elegant dress that made her look like a refined young woman.

That was precisely why he had been so startled when Shen Yu called out to him just now; it felt exactly like being caught peeping.

Seeing him stammering, Shen Yu felt a pang of guilt. She realized she shouldn't have told him about Zheng Yanyan's situation. Su Qing was right; Zheng Yanyan was an adult and could take responsibility for her own actions.

Unwarrantedly reaching out to Chang Hao had indeed disturbed his peaceful life.

Now, all Shen Yu could do was offer a sincere apology and admit that she had made a mistake.

"They probably just had a minor argument, and now they've made up," Shen Yu explained.

Hearing this, a faint trace of disappointment subtly flashed across Chang Hao's face. However, he quickly recovered and spoke with a relieved tone, "I figured as much. Yanyan likes Zhou Yuwen way too much."

As if afraid Shen Yu wouldn't believe he had truly let it go, he specifically added, "I might not know everything about Old Zhou, but honestly, I think he treats Yanyan pretty well. I'm at ease knowing she's with him."

At that moment, Chang Hao really seemed like a simple, straightforward young man without any bad intentions. Yet, Shen Yu could still sense the hidden sorrow behind his feigned strength.

Back when Zheng Yanyan went to the police station to file a report, Shen Yu had accompanied her. She genuinely felt that this boy, Chang Hao, was quite pitiful.

The building where Chang Hao had his classes was over a ten-minute walk from this teaching building, which was by no means close. Yet, he had come all the way over here just because of a single phone call.

From this alone, it was clear that deep down, he was still worried about Zheng Yanyan.

And all of this was because of her phone call.

Feeling that she had wasted his time, Shen Yu asked if he had eaten yet.

Chang Hao replied that he hadn't.

"Yanyan and I are from the same place, after all. I figured her going missing was a huge deal, and maybe I could help a little, so I hurried over. It's good that she's fine now."

Saying that, he prepared to leave.

But Shen Yu was ultimately kind-hearted. She offered, "Why don't I treat you to a meal?"

"Huh?"

Chang Hao froze, somewhat unable to believe his ears.

In all his time at university so far, this was the very first time a girl had proactively offered to treat him to a meal.

What was more, the Shen Yu standing before him wore a beautiful, elegant dress that perfectly complemented her oval face, delicate features, and long, slightly wavy hair.

Actually, Liu Yue had previously mentioned grabbing a meal with him, but he had completely forgotten about it.

"Is... is that appropriate?" Chang Hao scratched his head, looking a bit awkward.

Shen Yu assured him it was fine.

"It's rare for you to visit our college. Have you never eaten around here?"

"Not exactly. I ate here twice with Yanyan when the semester first started."

"Oh!"

For some reason, Chang Hao couldn't stop himself from explaining further, "Old Zhou and Qiangzi were there too at the time. I remember Su Qing was there as well."

Shen Yu naturally didn't read too much into his words. She simply felt deeply guilty that her misguided actions had made him make a wasted trip.

As a result, she took him to the canteen for a meal.

She ordered a spicy stir-fry hotpot for him, because nothing at the Section Nine Canteen was more delicious than their spicy stir-fry hotpot.

During the meal, they didn't converse much. Shen Yu simply told him that he was a Good Person.

"Stop thinking about Yanyan. You're so excellent; you should find a girl who is a bit more simple."

After leaving him with those words, she turned and left.

But her beautiful, graceful silhouette lingered in Chang Hao's mind for a long time.

Her words left him even more confused.

Even after returning to his dormitory, he remained completely absent-minded.

That afternoon, serving as the Class Monitor, he went to help out alongside the Vice Class Monitor, Gu Yaoyao. However, due to his carelessness, he accidentally handed the drafting teacher's lesson plans to the painting teacher, earning him a good deal of teasing from the faculty.

Upon leaving the office, Gu Yaoyao also teased him, asking which class's girl had occupied his thoughts so thoroughly.

Chang Hao told her to stop talking nonsense.

But while riding the elevator, he finally couldn't hold back anymore. "Hey, Yaoyao, there's something I want to ask for your advice on."

"What could you possibly need my advice for?" Gu Yaoyao blinked with a playful smile.

He then recounted the situation with Shen Yu. Naturally, he omitted her name. He prefaced it by saying that his feelings for Zheng Yanyan were a fact everyone knew.

"I've never tried to hide that fact either."

He spoke with utter honesty, while Gu Yaoyao merely smiled in response.

Everyone knew that Zheng Yanyan was Zhou Yuwen's girlfriend, yet this guy stubbornly refused to let her go.

"If a girl treated me to a meal, and while we were eating, she advised me to forget about Yanyan, adding that I was a great guy who deserved a better girl... what do you think she meant by that?" he asked.

"Ah, that?"

Gu Yaoyao was a very socially adept girl. She blinked and pointed out that this girl had invited him out to eat alone.

"And she said all those things to you."

"Then it's obvious she must like you."

"..."

With just that single sentence from Gu Yaoyao, Shen Yu's elegant figure in her beautiful dress surfaced in his mind—a girl from Jiangnan, gentle, sweet, and incredibly endearing.

"She... likes me?" The corner of his mouth twitched, threatening to break into an uncontrollable grin.

Noticing his reaction, Gu Yaoyao deduced that he was definitely interested in this mystery girl.

So she elaborated, "That should be the case. Girls don't just casually invite boys out for meals unless there are special circumstances. Why did she invite you?"

"I, I don't know. It was completely out of the blue."

"Well, then it's a sure thing. At the very least, she must have a good impression of you."

If someone claimed Shen Yu liked him, he truly would find it hard to believe. After all, she was practically a School Beauty, a lovely Jiangnan girl whose looks rivaled Zheng Yanyan's, and she possessed a stellar reputation on campus.

A girl like that had countless boys chasing after her. How could she possibly fancy him?

But thinking about it carefully, was it really that impossible?

'Where do I fall short?'

'I'm the Class Monitor of Horticulture Class 13-2, I have a Jingcheng residency, and I'm somewhat handsome. Moreover, my deep devotion to Zheng Yanyan is something Shen Yu has witnessed firsthand. Maybe she fell for my loyalty?'

'When I think about it, it really is a possibility. Even if it isn't outright love, she must at least have a good impression of me, right?'

In the blink of an eye, their freshman year was coming to a close. His pursuit of Zheng Yanyan felt like something that had just happened yesterday, yet simultaneously, it felt like ancient history.

He realized he couldn't stay lost in the maze of his feelings for Zheng Yanyan forever.

Nowadays, it seemed like every other person in their class was dating someone.

Even Liu Yue, who had been dumped by a Scummy Man, had found her second spring of romance.

And Li Qiang was staying out all night every day now. On the rare occasions he actually showed up, he was always grinning from ear to ear.

Once, unable to hold back, Chang Hao had used his authority as Class Monitor to lecture him, telling him not to focus solely on part-time work. He reminded Li Qiang that he was still a student and needed to actually attend a few classes.

To his surprise, Li Qiang simply curled his lip and retorted, "What do you know?"

"Brother Hao, you're just jealous that I've found love and you haven't, right?"

"Brother Hao, you haven't even tasted a woman yet, have you?"

"???"

Those two sentences instantly caused him to get emotional and break his defenses completely.

Fine, he was nineteen this year. And honestly, with his freshman year ending, it was true that he had never been with a woman. But he had his principles; he would rather go without than settle for just anyone. Otherwise, Liu Yue would have been waiting for him long ago.

But so what?

It was still an undeniable fact that he had never touched a woman.

Liu Yue wouldn't do, but Shen Yu was perfect.

He felt he wasn't lacking in any department. Pairing up with Shen Yu would make them a match made in heaven—a talented boy and a beautiful girl.

Most importantly, the mutual attraction seemed to be there now.

Thus, on a quiet afternoon, while listening to Li Qiang hum a tune nearby—the guy occasionally returned to the dormitory to rest, though it was clearly just an excuse to show off the fact that he had a girlfriend...

Chang Hao ignored him, having no interest in such boasts. He pulled out his phone, staring at Shen Yu's avatar in his chat list. For a long time, he didn't know what to say. After a moment of hesitation, he finally took the initiative and typed, "You there?"

"?" Shen Yu replied instantly. Unaware of his underlying intentions, she simply assumed he needed her for something important.

This instant reply delighted him immensely. He pondered for a brief moment before deciding to use an event organized by the Student Union as an icebreaker.

He asked if participation in the event was organized by class.

Knowing that he was the Class Monitor, Shen Yu felt his question was perfectly unobjectionable.

And so, the two of them began to chat.

Chang Hao mentioned he wanted to register his class.

"Just fill out the form and hand it to me, then," she replied.

Thus, their paths officially crossed.

Later, when he went to submit the form, he even brought her a cup of milk tea, jokingly calling it a bribe.

Shen Yu laughed at that, responding, "Alright then, I'll accept your bribe."

Interacting like this for a few days, he seemed to have learned his lesson from his failed pursuit of Zheng Yanyan. He didn't incessantly pester Shen Yu every single day. Instead, he kept their daily conversations brief, mostly revolving around work.

On this particular day, Su Qing had just returned from checking into a hotel with Zhou Yuwen.

To be completely honest, ever since Zheng Yanyan and Lu Lin had been entirely naked and honest with each other, their repertoire of tricks had indeed grown exponentially. Every day at the Big Flat provided Zhou Yuwen with an endless stream of fresh experiences.

He had completely lost count of how many times they had played around with crazy acrobatic positions and wild roulette games.

Just the "Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl" routine alone was enough to keep him endlessly entertained.

Of course, fun was fun, but Zhou Yuwen wasn't the type of man to play favorites and neglect anyone.

Consort Zheng and Consort Lin definitely needed pampering.

But Noble Consort Su couldn't be forgotten either.

With him spending every day with Zheng Yanyan and Lu Lin, Su Qing had grown incredibly jealous. She had sent him countless messages complaining that his soul had truly been stolen by those little vixens, leaving her position as the official Empress entirely in name only.

"And I still have to work like a horse for you every single day!"

Her words weren't exactly an exaggeration. After all, on the night Zheng Yanyan had thrown a tantrum, Su Qing had voluntarily given up her place in Zhou Yuwen's bed to stay by Zheng Yanyan's side to comfort her.

Even later, when she found out that those two were turning clouds and overturning rain with him in the flat, she hadn't uttered a single word of complaint.

For such an outstanding woman, Zhou Yuwen felt he absolutely had to give her at least one dedicated night.

And so, they spent the night together in a hotel. That evening, Zhou Yuwen casually pulled out a gold bracelet he had previously bought at the shopping mall. Lying prone in his embrace, Su Qing's eyes lit up the moment she saw it. She snatched it up eagerly, asking, "Is this for me?"

"Obviously," he replied. "If it wasn't for you, why would I take it out?"

Su Qing was thrilled at first, but then she suddenly recalled a photo Zheng Yanyan had posted on her Moments a few days ago. The gold bracelet in that picture looked identical to this one.

Her mood quickly soured. Pouting, she demanded, "Just how many of these did you buy? I saw two of them on Yanyan's Moments."

"Those two don't both belong to her," he clarified.

"I bought exactly three in total. One for you, one for Yanyan, and one for Linlin. Do you know why I'm gifting you girls gold bracelets?"

He then regurgitated his smooth line about their sisterhood being stronger than gold.

Slipping the bracelet onto her wrist, she let out a snort of disdain. "Having a bond stronger than gold with Linlin is fine, I suppose."

"But with her? Forget about it."

"You have so many women, yet you specifically want the three of us to share a bond stronger than gold. Don't tell me... firing off a double cannon isn't enough to satisfy you anymore, and you're aiming for a triple-barreled blast?"

Hearing her brazen words, he couldn't resist giving her buttocks a sharp pinch, scolding her for speaking nonsense like a vulgar Little Girl.

"Are those words you should be saying?"

Highly unconvinced, she continued to toy with the bracelet. "Can you honestly look me in the eye and say you don't have that exact intention?"

"Let me make this clear. If it's just me and Lu Lin, I wouldn't mind. But involving Zheng Yanyan? I absolutely refuse. I can't stand the thought of watching her do... that with you," she declared bluntly.

He burst out laughing. "How on earth do the two of you say the exact same things?"

"She said that too?" Su Qing asked in surprise.

He nodded.

"She really doesn't know her place in the pecking order," she scoffed. "She's merely a concubine at best, yet she has the nerve to talk about me like that. You've spoiled her entirely too much. Bring her to me. Give me two days to discipline her, and I guarantee she'll be acting obediently."

"Oh? You're that formidable now?" he teased.

"Of course!" She puckered her delicate lips, looking like it was a matter of course.

Ever since Zheng Yanyan had accepted the reality of his polygamous lifestyle, Su Qing naturally assumed the role of the undisputed Empress of his harem.

To be fair, she was indeed far more level-headed and required less coddling in many regards. Therefore, when she paraded around as his main wife, he didn't voice any objections.

The two enjoyed a bit more tenderness in their hotel room.

Afterward, he escorted her back to her dormitory.

Upon returning, while she was admiring her new bracelet, she glanced up and noticed a cup of milk tea sitting on Shen Yu's desk. Knowing full well that her roommate didn't drink the stuff, she teased, "Oh my! Which suitor delivered this? Don't they know that our Little Princess Shen Yu doesn't drink milk tea?"

Amused by her playful tone, Shen Yu chuckled softly. "Don't talk nonsense. Chang Hao gave this to me as a special thank you for letting his class join the event."

"To thank you?"

That concept sounded incredibly strange to Su Qing.

But Shen Yu nodded, confirming it was the truth.

The registration deadline for the event had actually passed.

However, she had pulled some strings and squeezed his class in at the last minute.

Su Qing didn't care about student union affairs; she was just curious about how in the world Shen Yu had suddenly started talking to Chang Hao.

Shen Yu explained that it started the night Zheng Yanyan hadn't come back. She had tipped him off, causing him to make a completely wasted trip, which left her feeling quite guilty.

"And so you two just kept talking after that?"

"Not exactly. We've just been discussing this particular event a bit more lately."

Thinking back to her previous life, she realized it really wasn't Zheng Yanyan's fault for rejecting him. The guy was practically a walking comedy routine. During his sophomore year, after his pursuit of Zheng Yanyan crashed and burned, he abruptly changed targets and decided to court Shen Yu instead, sending her a 'Good morning' text every single day.

What he hadn't accounted for was the fact that gossip spread like wildfire through the girls' dormitories.

Zheng Yanyan had publicly called him out right to his face, leaving him thoroughly humiliated. He desperately tried to backtrack, claiming he was merely sucking up to Shen Yu so she would help him win over Zheng Yanyan.

"The one I've always liked is you, Yanyan! That has never changed!"

He talked a good game, but his true intentions were as plain as day for everyone to see.

Seeing him currently chatting up Shen Yu with such dedication, her alarm bells began to ring.

"You should be careful around this Chang Hao," she warned.

"Huh?"

Shen Yu looked perplexed.

"He's probably gearing up to pursue you," Su Qing stated flatly.

"Him? Pursue me?"

Every word of that sounded absurd to her. She laughed, "How is that even possible? He's completely head over heels for Zheng Yanyan."

"He's not as in love as you think. He just wants a trophy girlfriend who's pretty enough to show off to his friends. Since Yanyan is clearly a lost cause now, and he knows you're gorgeous, he's very likely testing the waters to court you."

Su Qing's observations always cut straight to the bone, but Shen Yu just felt she was overthinking things.

However, Su Qing maintained that very few boys going through puberty actually understood genuine love; it was all just raging hormones.

"Still, compared to the other guys out there, he is pretty decent. If you really want to start dating, he's not a bad choice," she added fairly.

"Impossible."

Shen Yu had never once considered him as a potential partner. Having it pointed out like that actually triggered a subconscious wave of revulsion.

Consequently, during her subsequent chats with him, she deliberately began acting much colder.

However, being thoroughly blinded by his own excitement, he remained completely oblivious to the shift in her tone.

Feeling the time was ripe, he finally gathered his courage. "Shen Yu, a classmate of mine gave me two movie tickets. Are you free tomorrow?"

'Was Su Qing actually right?'

Shen Yu hadn't expected her to be so remarkably accurate. The problem was, she really wasn't good at outright rejecting people.

Tomorrow?

Wasn't that the day of Zhou Yuwen's villa party?

Originally, she hadn't even planned on attending.

But staring at the message he just sent her...

All she could say was, "I'm going to Zhou Yuwen's housewarming party tomorrow, so I might not have time."