Ye Qingli felt that something had been off these past few days.
Every time she went out, people passing by would glance at her intentionally or unintentionally. At first, she thought there was something on her face or that she had gotten something on her clothes, but it turned out to be nothing.
The reason finally became clear on the third day.
Ye Qingli and Xu Yan met Zhou Nannan when they went to the cafeteria for lunch.
She walked toward them. Unlike that day, today her makeup was very light, almost looking sickly, but as she walked, her wavy hair swayed behind her, her bright and beautiful demeanor undiminished.
Just as they passed each other, Zhou Nannan put her hand on Ye Qingli's shoulder.
Ye Qingli turned around, her ponytail sweeping past her ear. Her small, palm-sized face with delicate features, long and curly eyelashes, made her look like she had a gentle smile even without expression.
Zhou Nannan paused. She had seen her before—she was also there when she went to the hotpot restaurant to find Xiao Yu that day, and she must have seen how embarrassed she was.
But she actually admired her a bit.
Zhou Nannan looked at her, smiled, and spoke the first words between them.
"I didn't expect you to be quite capable."
"What?" Ye Qingli was taken aback. The words were vague, and she didn't understand.
They weren't close, were they?
More accurately, they had only met once, not even acquaintances.
Just then, Xu Yan walked over. She was over 1.7 meters tall, and she sidestepped to stand in front of them, forming a human barrier. She looked at Zhou Nannan with a calm expression. "Senior, is there something you need? Qingqing and I are together all the time. She hasn't offended you, has she?"
She asked very directly.
Zhou Nannan was stunned. It sounded like she had bullied Ye Qingli, and she immediately showed displeasure. "I didn't say anything, did I? Isn't it impressive that she can handle Xiao Yu?"
"Handle? What Xiao Yu?"
Xu Yan abruptly turned her head and asked, "What's going on between you two?"
She didn't know either. Ye Qingli shook her head blankly. She hadn't seen Xiao Yu since he took her student ID last time.
Just thinking about it made her angry. Who was handling whom?
Seeing her expression, she really didn't know. Zhou Nannan sighed. She had originally thought Xiao Yu broke up with her because of Ye Qingli, but now it seemed those were just rumors. She withdrew her gaze from Ye Qingli and left with a "Go check the school forum," then turned and linked arms with her companion and walked away.
Ye Qingli was stunned for a moment, then remembered she hadn't checked the forum yet.
She and Xu Yan packed their food and hurried back.
On the way back, people kept staring at Ye Qingli. She suddenly regretted not wearing a mask. Xu Yan ran and laughed at the same time. "Qingqing, I've never been so noticed. What exactly did you do with Xiao Yu? You kept such a big thing a secret from your roommates. You're something."
Ye Qingli also found it amusing. "Even I, the person involved, was kept in the dark."
When they entered the dorm building, both were sweating from running. There were still three flights of stairs to climb. After entering the room, they gasped for breath, hands on their waists. Zhang Yan looked back and said, "Did a dog chase you two?"
"Pretty much," Xu Yan said, putting her hand on her shoulder. "You usually love watching dramas. Why haven't you checked the forum lately?"
"I've been busy binge-watching shows," Zhang Yan said as she took her phone and unlocked it. "What's up? Is there a big school event?"
"It seems to be about Qingqing. Zhou Nannan just mentioned it. Go take a look."
"Huh? About her?" Zhang Yan opened her mouth wide in shock. The first post was right there.
[Freshman Ye Qingli, who would have thought that under that innocent face she's a female Casanova! That big jerk Xiao Yu was completely played!]
[Those who weren't there didn't see Xu Qingsong grabbing Ye Qingli and not letting go. Probably Ye Qingli chose him later. Xiao Yu walked away without looking back, his face cold.]
[Damn, being fought over by two handsome guys. Such overwhelming fortune. When will I get to taste what it's like to be an emperor?]
[I don't get it. Since everyone's playing around, why did Ye Qingli choose Xu Qingsong over Xiao Yu? Dating this popular guy isn't a loss. Good-looking guy and girl, they look perfect together.]
[Above, I think you're right. Just in terms of looks, Ye Qingli still loses.]
[...]
"What the hell is this? What do you mean she loses? Am I not handsome enough?" Xu Qingsong frowned while scrolling through the posts, completely forgetting that these were all rumors, and kept complaining about his appearance.
Xiao Yu was lying on the bed playing games, his slender fingers moving swiftly on the screen, easily getting a pentakill. He relaxed his shoulders and sneered at the remark. "Losing means losing. The public has sharp eyes."
"Sharp eyes but no appreciation. Compared to a big jerk like you, I'm so devoted. I'm a rare find. I can only say that anyone who likes you needs to get their eyes checked."
"How am I a jerk? Never kissed, never touched. Just having the title makes me a jerk?"
"Hurting girls' hearts makes you a jerk." Xu Qingsong spoke with conviction. Although he had dated quite a few girlfriends, at least one of them he had genuine feelings for, but later she changed her mind. Otherwise, he wouldn't be playing with others' feelings now.
He had been hurt before. What about Xiao Yu?
Posts kept appearing on the forum, all envying his new girlfriend.
Those envious girls didn't know—only those who had dated him knew that Xiao Yu was like a piece of wood. Even if he dated, it never lasted more than a week. He was indifferent to everyone. When his girlfriend gave him gifts, he wouldn't accept them, and he wouldn't buy gifts for her unless she asked. He couldn't even say a proper word, always so rigid with everyone.
Zhou Nannan was an example. No one knew which number of ex-girlfriend she was that had been driven away by anger.
It was really just a title. Other than that, it was like dating the air.
Yet those girls still flocked to him. When dumped, they only felt unwillingness, and then another girl would end up with him. It was like some kind of spell.
...
The heat of these posts gradually subsided after a week.