Chapter 12

I regret it, really.

If I had known it would turn out like this, I shouldn’t have provoked him from the beginning.

I shouldn’t have accepted his guidance and smoothly entered university;

I shouldn’t have accepted his help and successfully developed the app;

I shouldn’t have known that it was his arrangement and shamelessly accepted the phone;

I shouldn’t have lent him money, giving him the chance to repay me with a luxury mansion…

What you owe others, you’ll have to repay sooner or later.

But committing myself in this way, I truly can’t afford it!

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Pw Tsdtvkdt ypjle xl, “Fbswze R nbydtl xu xyfsa cu vbl oyu?”

No!

Don’t ask me!

I don’t want to interfere in any major decisions in your life anymore!

I said one sentence to him to make it clear: “Do what you want to do and become the person you want to be.”

Make your own decisions, so I won’t be held responsible in the future.

Years later, during a press conference, someone interviewed, “Mr. Du, why did you choose the highly challenging Financial Mathematics program back then? It must be said that this idea showed great foresight considering the unfavorable financial environment at that time.”

With so many people present, Du Hongting calmly replied, “It was my wife’s suggestion.”

Damn it.

When did I…?

After the start of graduate school, Du Hongting rented a larger house near our university.

I was doomed.

I pretended to be deaf and dumb for a while.

Du Hongting called me with a commanding tone, “Come to my place.”

Please, big brother, please don’t be like this, I’m scared!

The house he rented had an excellent location, just a five-minute walk from our dormitory, with a food street along the way.

For a poor guy who relied on a meal card for survival, the aroma wafting through the journey was a special test of willpower.

But I didn’t need that test.

I happily stumbled into the fat guy’s trap.

It’s not really my fault.

Just try eating cafeteria food for a week and then someone serves you a plate of fragrant spicy shrimp and crabs.

Add a large glass of ice-cold beer, and I was in heaven.

The scary thing is, when I drink too much, I lose all sense of propriety.

My behavior becomes loose, my words become frivolous, and my attitude becomes particularly arrogant.

Specifically, I would wrap my arm around the fat guy’s neck, play with his claws, and bite his ear, saying, “I want to sleep with you… I damn well want to sleep on your… bed…”

Looking back now, I realize I might have been resentful because he slept on my bed before.

Recalling it again, I’m horrified by how blatantly suggestive that statement was…

I didn’t expect Du Hongting to remain faithful, maybe he didn’t like others sleeping on his bed, but in any case, it didn’t happen.

He even managed to send me back to the dormitory before curfew.

I have to admit, he’s really cunning.

Temptation through food, a true gentleman.

It’s like putting a piece of cheese in front of a little mouse without setting a trap.

I repeatedly warned myself not to go, not to indulge…

And yet, I eagerly awaited the arrival of the weekend.

Waiting for Du Hongting’s call: “Come to my place.”

Excitedly running over to mooch food and drinks.

No limits, no principles, no dignity.

Completely forgetting to be mindful, so as not to deepen any misunderstandings.

One time, a new roommate arrived at the dorm, Liu Lijuan, a sophomore from the Finance Department.

Comrade Xiao Liu was particularly capable and immediately cooked a feast of braised prawns for everyone.

A clever woman can’t cook without rice, and considering how strict the dorm management was, I have no idea how she managed to make it so delicious.

My first thought was of the fat guy.

He loves eating prawns the most.

Thinking that it was the weekend and I hadn’t informed him, I went to his place to find him.

But when I knocked on the door, a beautiful lady opened it.

Oh dear.

How awkward.

The woman asked me who I was.

How should I respond…

The fat guy’s eating buddy?

Du Hongting’s friend without any… uh… intimate relationship?

He did mention something about me being his wife or something…

Anyway, I didn’t have the courage to ask her who she was.

She asked me what business I had with Du Hongting.

I clumsily raised the braised prawns in my hand and said, “My roommate made something delicious, and I just wanted to… let him smell how good it is.”

Then I went back with my braised prawns intact.

I hope his girlfriend doesn’t think I’m weird.

It’s only a five-minute walk from Du Hongting’s place to our dormitory.

But for some reason, it felt as long as a journey of 25,000 miles.

The whole way was bitter, embarrassing, and heart-wrenching. I wished I could sprout wings and fly back to the dormitory, pretending I hadn’t been to his place.

Why do I feel like this?

Didn’t I make it clear that I don’t have any feelings for the fat guy?

Didn’t I find his first kiss disgusting?

Didn’t I dislike it when he said he liked me?

He has a girlfriend now, why should I feel sad?

I should be happy.

I’ll go back and eat all the braised prawns myself!

Just as I stepped through the school gate, I heard a furious roar from behind, “Meng Qiqi!”

I was scared out of my wits.

I’ve never seen Du Hongting have such intense emotional fluctuations before, even though I’ve known him for so long.

I turned around, even more frightened.

He was panting, his round face red, sweat pouring down his forehead—the result of a person who lacks exercise suddenly running.

People around us slowed their pace to watch the show, and I quickly pulled him aside, but I couldn’t move him.

He stared at me, “Why are you running away?”

I nervously replied, “Running away? What are you talking about?”

Du Hongting’s gaze fell on my hand. “What’s this?”

The thing I was just eager to show him, suddenly I didn’t want to let him see it anymore.

“Let me see.” He suddenly reached out to grab it.

Reflexively, I swung my hand, and the lunchbox slipped out, with braised prawns scattered all over the ground.

I couldn’t believe myself. At that moment, I actually thought, if I picked them up quickly and they weren’t dirty, maybe I could still eat them…

Unfortunately, the sanitation worker came over immediately and swept them into the trash bin.

The calmness of the sanitation worker contrasted sharply with the tension between me and Du Hongting.

Du Hongting sighed, “You brought something for me, why didn’t you give me a heads-up?”

Ah, so he was blaming me for barging in and running into his girlfriend.

I felt frustrated.

I couldn’t help but ask, “Is your girlfriend upset?”

Du Hongting paused for a moment and coldly snorted, “Surprising that you know.”

What?

So my suspicions were confirmed?

That girl is indeed his girlfriend…

Suddenly, I felt suffocated, struggling to catch my breath, and the more I looked at him, the angrier I became.

I raised my voice, “What are you standing there for? Hurry up and comfort her!”

Du Hongting suddenly laughed, “Tell me, how should I comfort her?”

I couldn’t contain my anger, “Why are you asking me?”

He replied, “Aren’t you my girlfriend? If I don’t ask you, who should I ask?”

I said, “…”

He continued, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

I asked, “Who is that woman in your house?”

Du Hongting answered, “She’s my aunt.”