Chapter 16.1

“Campus life sure puts a smile on one’s face.”

　　The table they chose was situated on the sixth story of the cafeteria.

　　Despite the somewhat higher price tag, the environment here was great, and there were booth tables lined up along the windows. Even so, it was, relatively speaking, not as astir as the lower stories. 

　　After all, it was currently lunchtime, coupled with the new student induction, the occupancy for the entire floor had reached eighty percent.

　　Due to their eye-catching attractiveness, Jing Xi’s table had initially garnered lots of attention. After the loud bang earlier, almost every head had turned in their direction.

　　Concurrently, Xiao Hui hastened to help Yi Jun up.

　　Ever since the engagement party, she had spent the entire time on tenterhooks. Hence, she could never muster the courage to appear before the two families and would occasionally send Yi Jun a message. As opposed to ignoring her, he would still offer her some comfort.

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　　Nevertheless, it took time to get upon his feet again. Only when his soles were flat on the ground did he notice Jin Yumeng at the booth table.

　　This was the first time he had seen her since the engagement party. Without a moment’s hesitation, he hurled a certain individual away and nervously stepped forward. “Can we… talk?”

　　However, Jin Yumeng glanced over at Yi Zhou when she recalled that order of his.

　　Obviously, her reaction came as a shock to Yi Jun. An agonized frown marring his face as he questioned in the delirium of pain, “So you really are going out with my brother?”

　　“No,” Jing Xi came forth and clarified, “It is I who has always carried a torch for her and wished to pursue her. If it weren’t for my ceaseless cajoling, she would never have acceded to my request to visit the sacred tree.”

　　Yi Jun glowered at him as Jing Xi’s voice faded into silence.

　　Jing Xi wondered, “Oh, you’re furious now?”

　　Yi Jun seethed, “You don’t say!”

　　Even so, Jing Xi found his words all so bewildering. “Why should you feel infuriated now? After all, haven’t you also done something similar? I mean, you’ve even gone as far as to be intimate with the other. Since you have no problem with that whatsoever, why should you have an issue with us? What’s more, both Yumeng and I are currently single. You, on the other hand, had a girlfriend at that time.”

　　Yi Jun did not respond as his accusations left him bereft of speech.

　　Jing Xi’s eyes flickered between Yi Jun and Xiao Huo before he badgered, “Look, aren’t the both of you still together? Think you’ve gone overboard by bringing her here? Not a chance, right? Similarly, if you were to step into Yumeng’s shoes and picture me as Xiao Hui, you probably wouldn’t have thought I was out of line, now would you?”

　　At this moment, Yi Jun was wholly floored by Jing Xi’s badgering.

　　“Now, apologize to your brother,” Jing Xi declared, his slender index finger tapping on the table.

　　As he said so, he fixed Jin Yumeng with a look.

　　Noticing how things had panned out, Jin Yumeng found it somewhat amusing and gratifying. As such, she played along and chimed in, “Yeah, apologize to him.”

　　The stupefied Yi Jun scorned inwardly, ‘Not only does he want to steal my girlfriend, but he also wants me to apologize to him?’

　　He looked at each of them in turn before falling into deep thought. The sudden revelation struck him like a lightning bolt as a veil lifted from his eyes. Now, he could finally see where his fault lay, as well as the severity of his mistakes.

　　Upon seeing this, Xiao Hui’s countenance underwent a wee bit of change. Under a surge of anxiety and unease, she jabbered away at them. “Don’t listen to him! He’s lying! It has always been me that he fancies, especially when he has professed his love for me!”

　　Slight changes also came over Duan Xiuwen’s visage as he observed those around him, ruminating whether her words were true.

　　Yet, Jing Xi composedly took her at face value. “That’s right. You pined for Xiao Jun, yet used me as your fallback guy. Meanwhile, I pined for Yumeng and used you as a fallback girl. Since we’re in the same boat, is there a need for us to put each other in harm’s way?”

　　Xiao Hui stood aghast at his words, unable to utter a single word.

　　“On second thought, we’re certainly not cut from the same cloth,” Jing Xi corrected, “On the day of Xiao Jun’s engagement, you decided to feign suicide and seduce him. On the other hand, I commenced my pursuit of love only after Yumeng had broken up with him. Thus, I’m undoubtedly a better person than you any day.”

　　His statement left her dumbfounded once more.

　　Yi Jun snapped his head in Jing Xi’s direction. “She feigned suicide?”

　　Yet, Jing Xi waved his hand disdainfully. “With that intelligence of yours, it’s unnecessary for you to know of this matter. Since you are incapable of discerning anything from this, you can just forget any mentions of this.”

　　The astounded Xiao Hui exploded inwardly, ‘You’ve already said it all, so what’s the use of saying that now?!’

　　Xiao Hui’s red-rimmed eyes met Yi Jun’s scrutinizing gaze, and her head jerked in frantic disagreement. “No, I’ve done nothing of that sort! I’m sorry, I knew I shouldn’t have come.” 

　　Tears streaked down her face as she turned toward Jin Yumeng. “Xiao Meng, I’m sorry to you too.” 

　　The minute the words left her mouth, she turned and fled the cafeteria.

　　At this juncture, Jing Xi was peeved about how things had unfolded and hastened to persuade her to stay. “Hold on, I’m not done yet!”

　　Without a moment’s delay, he summoned Artificial Stupidity at the sight of her speeding up. “This supporting actress of yours sure has some questionable mental qualities, hasn’t she? All I’ve done is utter a couple of words.”

　　System pondered, “… What were you expecting her to do?”

　　Jing Xi scoffed, “At the very least, she could have lasted for a couple of rounds. But is this all she got?”

　　He started getting into some real downer moods, feeling bummed out and unsatisfied. For no apparent reason, he vented it all on his step-brother. “What are you still doing here? Hurry up and go after her! She’ll probably feign suicide again, so you better prove your innocence.”

　　In a split second, his utterance halted Yi Jun dead in his tracks.

　　“Oho, your brain seems to be functioning this time,” Jing Xi chuckled, “Truth to tell, all that I said earlier was nothing but a joke. Neither have I taken a fancy to her nor am I pursuing her. We just happened to visit the sacred tree together.”

　　Again, Yi Jun halted in his tracks.

　　In a truly inexplicable turn of events, it had momentarily thrown him off his guard. Without further ado, he probed, “Is… this all just for me to realize my mistake?”

　　Jing Xi questioned, “That’s right. Now, can you understand where I’m coming from?”

　　Yi Jun nodded his head frantically and exclaimed, “Yes!”

　　If it were not for the comparison, he would never be able to grasp the severity of the issue.

　　Jing Xi interrogated, “Now you know how much of a scumbag you are?”

　　Yi Jun conceded, “Yes!”

　　Jing Xi sneered, “Then, stop being an eyesore! You are totally out of Yumeng’s league with how scummy you are! So why don’t you scram?”

　　Upon hearing that, Yi Jun was at a loss for words.

　　‘No, this shouldn’t be happening. Under normal circumstances, weren’t you supposed to be assisting me in persuading Yumeng to forgive me after shedding light upon my mistakes?’