Chapter 6 — The Ice-Cold Senior and the Fated Nickname

Waking up, a strange sense of emptiness lingered in my chest. Yet, remembering how Ruei had approached me solely because of a mistaken identity, I brushed all those complex feelings aside with a wave of my hand. I buried that dream deep within my heart, telling myself that what was gone was gone. The final exams were approaching, and the semester exam week was just around the corner. Lately, I had grown a bit lax in my studies, and a quiet sense of unease settled in my mind. I turned to my friend and asked, "Yue, should we start going to the library to reserve seats?" Every exam season, the four of us would form a "seat-claiming squad" at the library. But this time was different—our lineup had expanded. The headcount had doubled. Not only was Ting there, but his three brothers-in-arms had also joined the "reinforcements." They not only took charge of buying breakfast, but they even bickered over who got to run errands for water or watch over our belongings. Things reached a point where even someone as straightforward as Yue started to feel guilty. "Are we... taking advantage of them a little too much?" I quietly scribbled a note and handed it to Ting: "We can handle this ourselves, you really don't need to trouble yourselves." He replied, "It's nothing, just on the way." After a brief discussion, we decided to return the favor by treating them to milk tea. But just as my friends and I stepped out to collect the delivered drinks, we happened to run into a few female students from the dance department. As they walked past, they suddenly sneered, "Those who pretend to be innocent while framing others will get what's coming to them sooner or later." Liling was indeed very popular in the dance department. Yue, with her fiery temper, immediately flared up upon hearing that. "Who are you talking about? Whispering and plotting behind backs—no wonder you only dare to take cheap shots instead of facing us directly! Cowards!" The other side wasn't about to back down and instantly snapped back, "What did you say? If Liling isn't making an issue of it, it's only because she has a good heart!" Though I was gentle-natured, it didn't mean I would hide away while others spoke up on my behalf. I said in a cold voice, "Accusations require evidence, and defamation is illegal. Do you need me to call the police to sort this out?" The moment the word "police" was uttered, those girls visibly panicked. Arguing was one thing, but dragging the law into it was a game no one dared to play. Right in the middle of this tense standoff, Liling walked over. Those girls instantly clutched at her like a drowning man grasping a straw. "Liling, you've come at just the right time! Wasn't it Ying who harmed you?" "That's right! She couldn't stand you and Ruei being together, so she wanted to drive a wedge between you two!" Liling looked at me, her expression unexpectedly calm. "It wasn't Ying. She has no reason to do such a thing." As soon as those words left her mouth, let alone the other girls, even I was taken aback. Liling stood straight, her lips pressed into a firm line as she continued with conviction, "Ying, I had misunderstandings in the past and caused you hurt. I am sorry. I will not run away anymore. This matter, I will investigate it thoroughly. To give you—and to give myself—a fair answer." I could sense the absolute sincerity in her demeanor. I suggested, "If you don't know where to start the investigation, you could try posting a call for information on the campus forum to find others who have also been victimized and can provide clues." Someone capable of impersonating others so convincingly was certainly not doing this for the first time. Liling's eyes lit up, clearly grasping the intent behind my words. "Thank you, Ying." We exchanged a reassuring smile. The girls standing behind her glanced at each other awkwardly, clearly feeling quite ashamed.

Eventually, those girls stepped forward and offered an apology. I waved my hand dismissively, unwilling to hold onto any grudges. After all, it was merely a misunderstanding fueled by petty bickering. As long as words and actions did not cross the line, such youthful collisions would someday become nothing more than naive memories of college life. We would grow through these mistakes and evolve into better versions of ourselves. Because of the slight delay, by the time I headed back, I found Ting waiting outside for us. He took the milk tea, carried it for us, and asked, "Did something happen?" I gave him a brief summary of the events. Ting tilted his head and asked, "Do you want to help her?" I nodded. "Actually, it's not really for her sake. It just bothers me that someone is constantly deceiving girls on campus. It's despicable." Ting chuckled, reaching out to gently ruffle my hair. "I understand." I thought the matter had come to an end, but less than two days later, Ting sent me a document. "This guy is the most suspicious." True to form, the campus overlord moved with swift and decisive efficiency. I secretly gave him a mental thumbs-up.

The news that Liling had caught the fraudster instantly exploded across the campus forum. Even more shocking was the revelation that the culprit was actually a member of the student union executive board. Usually, he projected an image of enthusiasm, kindness, and broad social connections. Though his appearance was ordinary, he wasn't the type of guy girls would naturally dislike. When his facade was stripped away, as many as seventy or eighty female students came forward, claiming they had been conned by him. He had impersonated countless "handsome, popular playboys"—he was truly the king of emotional scams! The number of victims was simply too vast for the university administration to overlook. Ultimately, a severe disciplinary penalty was handed down. Knowing he could no longer remain on campus, he quietly withdrew from school. In the aftermath of the incident, Liling sent me a formal message of apology. She wrote: "I don't want to make excuses, but back then, I genuinely didn't know Ruei already had a girlfriend." I was well aware of that fact. Back then, I had simply assumed there were some guys who naturally disliked displaying affection outwardly, and given Ruei's personality, I didn't think much of it. As for Ting—a guy so cool and aloof he was once rumored to be "emotionally dead"—he had been willing to make our relationship public the very moment it was confirmed. That alone had been enough to shock and move me deeply. Yet, I had no idea that everything was only just beginning.

I had long since noticed Ting's subtle ways of showing off our relationship, but clearly, I had underestimated the extent of it. Even his closest brothers began to complain: "No way! The boss never used to post anything on his moments!" "Now he posts almost every day, and it's all just public displays of affection!" "The boss has changed; we're going to have to mute him!" Despite these threats, Ting remained completely unfazed. Clearly, in his heart, his old buddies no longer held any real weight. When it came to prioritizing romance over friendship, he executed it to absolute perfection! Whenever I bought milk tea for Ting, he would post on his moments: "Bought by my girlfriend." When Ting bought breakfast for me, he would post: "Food my girlfriend likes to eat." Even when he took me out on a date, he would snap a landscape photo from his perspective and write: "Waiting for my girlfriend, so happy." I was left speechless. It was utterly over the top, making one die of embarrassment. Yet... an inexplicable sweetness bloomed in the chest. Having received his "peaches," I couldn't help but "return the plums": "Heading downstairs to meet my boyfriend now~" Shortly after, a message chimed in. It was sent by my father.

"Yingying, why didn't you mention you had a new boyfriend? Come home for dinner once your exams are finished." I excitedly held up my phone to show Ting. His expression instantly froze, his limbs stiffening in awkward panic. Ting asked in a hushed voice, "Am, am I... am I acceptable?" Every single word radiated trembling guilt. But I had absolute confidence in my boyfriend: "Relax, even Ruei met my dad before." If my dad hadn't raised any objections to that guy, then Ting—who surpassed him by ten thousand times—how could he possibly be rejected? Hearing me say that, Ting's fighting spirit reignited fiercely: "We'll meet! We're definitely meeting!" But when Yue and Ting's three brothers heard the news, all of them shook their heads repeatedly, gazing at him with eyes full of profound sympathy. "Braising tofu with pork belly, everything has its natural counter..." "Just Ying alone is enough to keep the school tyrant in check, and now adding her dad to the mix..." "Ting, you're in danger... you're in real danger..."