The three opposite her clearly hadn't expected her to say that; they froze on the spot.
Cheng Buxi: "Just repeat exactly what you said about me to the camera."
Her voice was soft and delicate, but every word was sharp. A thin layer of cold frost seemed to cover her eyes, clearly suppressing anger.
After she finished speaking, the three were obviously intimidated by her aura and didn't speak for a long time.
It was Hu Die who first recovered. "Sister Xiao, hurry up and say what you saw!"
Feng Yuan also shouted, "Yeah! We can all testify for you!"
Cheng Buxi said unhurriedly, "Mm, if you dare to say it, I dare to call the police."
A textbook-level counterattack.
Xiao Yingying wasn't stupid. She knew that once the video was recorded, the nature of the matter would change, and she didn't know what would happen at the police station. Her mind raced, but she didn't dare to utter a single word.
"Not saying anything..." Cheng Buxi knew she was outwardly strong but inwardly weak. She dared to make up baseless rumors as if there were no laws. She took two steps closer to her, her face as cold and stern as ever. "Then if I ever hear any rumors like this again, this silent video will be the evidence for when you end up in jail. How about that?"
Xiao Yingying panicked. She hadn't expected that someone who looked so easy to bully would become so relentless when pushed. She jumped up from the chair and shouted at Cheng Buxi, "Who do you think you are!"
She had originally planned to go on a date with her rich boyfriend from the industrial park today and had spent the afternoon dressing up. But her boyfriend suddenly had to catch a flight for a business trip. Full of resentment, she took a taxi back and, at the school gate, happened to see Cheng Buxi getting out of an Audi—Audis also have varying levels of prestige.
The license plate starting with Jing A was one thing; the car model was another. At first glance, they seemed normal, but a plate with three 3s in a row made the owner's identity seem intriguing.
The more she thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. The only possibility was that Cheng Buxi had latched onto a sugar daddy, which led to the scene just now.
...
"Hey, where are you going?" Guan Qianru tried to stop Xiao Yingying.
"None of your business!"
"There's a dorm inspection tonight. It's so late, you..."
Her only response was the door slammed loudly and Hu Die slinking out of the dorm.
With the two loudmouths gone, the dorm instantly became peaceful.
Gao Yabin, who had witnessed the whole thing, shook her head and let out a meaningful cold laugh. "So this is what it means to lose both in argument and in presence."
Then she blinked and glanced at Cheng Buxi, whether in appreciation or something else, obviously surprised by her performance.
It was as if she were meeting her for the first time in the three years they had been dormmates.
...
That night, Xiao Yingying didn't return to the dorm at all. Feng Yuan also went to bed early out of guilt, not mentioning the incident again.
Maybe because she had slept in the car earlier, Cheng Buxi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She felt wide awake, but her thoughts were a mess.
She finally fell asleep just after two in the morning, only to dream of her childhood.
That dream was also about a car.
When she first came to the Lu family, she was very young, just over eight, in elementary school. Initially, Mrs. Lu had arranged for her to attend a private aristocratic school. She transferred to the attached elementary school only in the second semester of third grade.
The aristocratic school had a culture of comparing wealth. The young masters and princesses were chauffeured in luxury cars.
Cheng Buxi was good-looking and had a good personality—pretty, reserved, and quiet. She was like a little mascot, pleasing to the eye wherever she was placed. She didn't steal the limelight from the main character in the group, but she made the whole team look more impressive. These two natural traits helped her make many friends.
But unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. One day, when those so-called friends saw that the car picking her up from school was a very ordinary Volkswagen, their attitude toward her did a complete 180.
Lu Tingzhou had been educated in elite circles from a young age and had developed a leadership demeanor early on. In raising his younger sister, he shared his father's philosophy. With Lu Siyu as a precedent—indulgence and over-pampering didn't always yield good results—to avoid creating a second Lu Siyu, they were more restrained with Cheng Buxi. They chose clothes and necessities based on quality, not price.
Until one evening, when Cheng Buxi came home from school without even taking off her backpack, she rushed up to him. "Xiaoye gege, I want that car to pick me up! The zongzi car!"
Her eyes were full of urgency as she pointed at the entrance—a purebred Maybach 62S, very imposing in bright silver, with the leopard number four 7s.
That was her rich uncle's car. It was over six meters long and had a yellow license plate. That car could buy several houses in Beijing back then.
The Bai family was wealthy and powerful; Bai Nüshi was the only daughter. Her father and brother were forever at the top of the Hurun Rich List. "Flowing merchants, ironclad Bai family"—they were true-born aristocrats, the top-tier elite. Families with A-level assets were nothing compared to them.
After all these days, this was the first time the obedient and well-behaved younger sister had made a request. Even when she was picked up in the old Lexus that Lu Tingzhou's father had retired years ago, she had been perfectly happy.
Although it was an old Lexus, as old as could be, the Jing AG license plate on the back made it clear that no one should mess with it. But the kids from second-generation wealthy families only recognized car logos; they had no idea about the value of the license plate, nor did they know that the Volkswagen that picked her up every day was a Volkswagen Phaeton—not ordinary at all, a luxury car worth millions.
Lu Tingzhou keenly sensed something and asked her seriously, "Why do you want that specific car?"
Cheng Buxi was a coward at heart, but to make more friends, she went all out and said timidly, "I just want it..."
Meeting her elder brother's stern gaze only made her more rebellious.
"I just want it!"
Bai Nüshi, being wealthy, thought it was easy. She waved her hand and said, "Lao Liang, pick her up tomorrow in the most expensive car from the garage."
But Lu Tingzhou directly refused: "No."
"You're too young to be comparing like this."
"Take the bus for the next few days."
Cheng Buxi was dumbfounded.
Not only did she not get the coveted luxury car, but she also had to settle for the bus! Who could stand that?
Lu Tingzhou wasn't like his parents, who would soften. What he said was final. Even if the heavenly king came, it wouldn't change.
That day, Cheng Buxi wept loudly and declared she would sever ties with her elder brother. Lu Tingzhou tightened his jaw and let her have her tantrum.
She sulked for about seven or eight days, only calming down after a thunderstorm.
That night, she hugged her pillow and pitifully knocked on her elder brother's door.
"What's wrong?" Lu Tingzhou scanned her from head to toe, making sure she hadn't been bullied. She must have run over in a hurry—one shoe had fallen off, and her pajamas were loose, as if they were cast-offs from Lu Siyu.
He had just finished showering, wearing a robe, his hair casually tousled and still damp under the light. The robe was an elegant gray, making him look lazy and noble.
"It's thundering, Xiaoye gege..." She sniffled, trying to squeeze in.
Lu Tingzhou's eyes flickered, his throat moved, but he didn't relent. "Sleep alone."
Cheng Buxi woke up just after calling him that.
The weather was cold, but she had sweated through her sleep with night sweats.
The dorm was dimly lit, with the rhythmic sound of snoring from below and the occasional rustle of turning over and scratching. In the darkness, she could clearly hear her own pounding heart.
Scenes from her early years surfaced one after another, as if someone had opened the Pandora's box of her memories with a key. And the owner of that key was the person she had been chasing and calling "gege" in her dream.
It was only 6 a.m., and she was wide awake.
She wanted to wash her face to clear her head. As she got up, the back of her hand accidentally brushed against her contacts list. She had opened it last night and hesitated whether to call someone, but in the end, she didn't, and she forgot to exit the page before falling asleep.
Now, her finger accidentally touched it, and the call went through—it was speed dial number 1.
On the other end, he had also been disturbed by a long dream and woke up early. Seeing the caller ID, he froze for a moment.
The presidential suite in the hotel was airtight. The French high-end custom fabric curtains shut out the pale dawn outside. Morning dew still hung on the greenery by the window.
His throat felt dry, but his bright, clear eyes revealed a certain hidden excitement and anticipation. After connecting, there was a moment of silence. "Hello?"
By the time Cheng Buxi noticed, it was too late. The other party had picked up instantly.
It was as if she had been frozen. Her mind went blank. She realized belatedly that she should say something, but in her haste, she bumped her head against the bedpost, letting out a cry of pain.
On the other end: "..." There was a sharp intake of breath.
"Koukou, what's wrong?"
Author's note:
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