Then, he grabbed Li Wanmei’s wrist and yanked her toward the exit, his roughness making her cry out in pain.

“Ahh!”

“What are you screaming for? Get moving to the damn hospital!”

“But… Yanchen, if I really am…”

“If what? You think I’d let you keep it? Are you insane?”

Only then did Li Wanmei let out a bitter, broken laugh. She lowered her head and followed Huang Yanchen in silence.

Once they vanished outside the party house, Jing Pengcheng clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Tsk. Kids these days.”

“Hey, don’t lump us with that monster!” Chen Yuzhe shot back instantly. “Huang Yanchen doesn’t represent young people—he’s barely human.”

Gu Chengjin sighed, a trace of regret in his voice. “That senior, Li Wanmei…”

Beside him, Xinyu nodded quietly. “Yeah. She’s so tragic. Her whole youth ruined by scum like him…”

Jing Pengcheng’s shoulders slumped. “Poor girl. When women pick the wrong man, the scars cut deeper. And she had to find a rare specimen like *him*.”

“Calling him scum’s too good for him,” Xinyu muttered.

Glancing at Chen Yuzhe, she noticed not a flicker of pity on his face.

“Senior… you don’t feel the same?”

“Me?” Chen Yuzhe just smirked, saying nothing.

Truth was, Chen Yuzhe saw Li Wanmei differently.

He’d never voice it aloud—people would crucify him for it.

His view was simple:

First, the pitiable always harbor something hateful. Second, doormats deserve to die alone.

*Serves her right.* Why become a doormat? Lose your brain just ’cause you like someone? Clinging to a walking red flag like Huang Yanchen wasn’t love—it was stupidity.

Chen Yuzhe didn’t believe in love. Li Wanmei’s devotion disgusted him.

Watching his closed-off expression, Xinyu felt a strange hollowness.

Chen Yuzhe grew more enigmatic by the second.

Sometimes he seemed to hold a tiger in his heart yet gentle as dew on roses. Other times—like now—he felt distant, ice-cold.

*Maybe he truly feels nothing for Senior Li.* This ruthless side of him unsettled her more than she expected.

But then, Chen Yuzhe had always been a shifting mist to her—unpredictable, dazzling.

He could radiate warmth for everyone, like when he caught Jiang Xiaoyao from falling. His gaze then held such fierce tenderness it made Xinyu’s chest ache.

Yet he could turn terrifying too—like moments ago, shielding Jiang Xiaoyao from rumors, standing alone against the storm.

So slight in frame, yet facing Huang Yanchen’s venom without flinching… He’d towered like a guardian. Solid. Unshakable.

*Actually… kind of handsome.*

The thought brought a bitter twist to Xinyu’s lips.

*Too bad.*

*None of it has anything to do with me.*

A dull pressure tightened in her chest. Her mood plummeted.

*What’s wrong with me…?*

“Whether she’s sick or not, Huang Yanchen’s finished at school,” Gu Chengjin said.

“Naturally.” Chen Yuzhe took a casual sip of wine. “I played that card to burn bridges. This ends with one of us broken. Let him come at me—I’ll wait. Right now? *He’s* the one sweating.”

Gu Chengjin’s eyes flickered over him, thoughtful, before looking away.

“But after this mess… no one’s in the mood to keep partying.”

Sure enough, upperclassmen began making excuses to leave. Chen Yuzhe ushered them out politely, stepping into Jiang Xiaoyao’s host role.

The freshmen lingered, reluctant, but the mood had soured. One by one, they drifted off too.

Soon only Chen Yuzhe, Gu Chengjin, and Xinyu remained.

“What’s next? Home? Campus? Or somewhere else?” Chen Yuzhe turned to them. “Chengjin’s got his car—he can drop you off.”

Xinyu shook her head. “I was heading back to my dorm, but…” She hesitated. “Senior… are you going to the hospital to see her?”

“Obviously. Can’t leave that fool alone with Han Cheng—he’d burn the place down trying to make tea.”

Gu Chengjin nodded. “I’ll go too. Hope she’s okay. Wait here—I’ll bring the car around.”

After he left, only Chen Yuzhe and Xinyu stood under the dim porch light.

Chen Yuzhe shoved his hands in his pockets, posture loose. “You coming to the hospital? No pressure—if you’d rather head back to your dorm, I can—”

“Senior,” Xinyu cut in softly.

He turned, puzzled.

“That rumor… about you and Senior Li dating…”

She lifted her eyes. Uncertainty flickered there, but she pushed on.

“…Is it true?”