Chapter 148: This Chick’s Got Issues
Luo Yuan’s been all sour on you ’cause he’s pining away for ya and can’t have ya, thanks to you hooking up with Lin Li.”
“But if you just make it crystal clear you’re all his, there’s no way he’d say no.”
“Really?” A flicker of hope sparked in Qin Ruoyao’s eyes.
“Absolutely.” Mother Qin smiled faintly. “My daughter’s so gorgeous, all you gotta do is play a little hard to get, and he’ll be all over you like white on rice.”
“Just listen to Mommy, tomorrow go to school looking like a million bucks.”
“Mm-hmm.” Qin Ruoyao nodded, her lashes still glistening with crystalline tears.
The next day.
Qin Ruoyao slipped into a pink dress that barely grazed her thighs, applied some makeup, paired it with stockings that made her legs look whiter and smoother than ever.
On her feet were a pair of white sneakers.
She donned a mask, added a baseball cap, concealing herself completely before stepping out the door.
As the campus flower of Shangqing University, Qin Ruoyao was already quite the topic.
Now, with her private video leaked—her alleged affair exposed—it had been three days, yet everyone was still buzzing about it.
“Tch, who would’ve thought Qin Ruoyao would stoop this low? She acts so high and mighty, but turns out she’s just another homewrecker.”
“Surely, Qin Ruoyao only went after Lin Li because his family’s loaded. If Lin Li were poor, I doubt she’d even give him the time of day.”
“And they called her pure? More like promiscuous!”
“From what I saw in that video, Qin Ruoyao seems pretty wild in bed. Tch, makes me itch to see if she’d sleep with me for a few grand.”
“Qin Ruoyao hasn’t shown up at school for days. Probably too ashamed to face people.”
Walking down the street, Qin Ruoyao couldn’t help but hear the barrage of insults and curses directed at her, seeping through even when she covered her ears.
Her eyes welled with tears as she quickened her pace; she didn’t want to hear any of it, not anymore.
“Hmm, something’s off.”
Wang Dahé stood nearby, eyeing Qin Ruoyao suspiciously.
“This woman’s definitely hiding something.”
Wang Dahé stroked his chin, muttering to himself.
“Wearing a mask, a hat, sneaking around like a thief—clear signs she’s avoiding people.”
“And look at that height, that figure, that outfit… tch.”
“Putting it all together, this has got to be Qin Ruoyao!”
The day Qin Ruoyao and Lin Li’s video blew up, Wang Dahé gleefully shared the news with Brother Lin Xuan.
Turns out, Brother Lin Xuan told him it was all part of a plan he and Luo Yuan cooked up.
Luo Yuan got close to Qin Ruoyao to obtain the video, while Brother Lin Xuan ensured it got played at Lin Li’s birthday party and leaked online.
And here he was left out of the loop!
Wang Dahé wasn’t having it. The moment he recognized Qin Ruoyao, his first thought was—if Qin Ruoyao didn’t want to show her face, then he’d expose her.
With that in mind, Wang Dahé strolled toward Qin Ruoyao, hand casually in pocket, cool as a cucumber.
“Hey there, classmate.” Wang Dahé blocked Qin Ruoyao’s path. “You’re hiding your face so thoroughly, must mean you’ve got something to hide, huh?”
Wang Dahé had always looked down on Qin Ruoyao because of Brother Lin Xuan’s obsession with her.
And Qin Ruoyao detested Wang Dahé right back.
“Get out of my way.” Qin Ruoyao’s voice deepened.
“Classmate, I’m from the student council. Acting so shady, I need to check your ID. Please remove your mask,” Wang Dahé demanded.
“I’ve got a rash on my face, not convenient.” Qin Ruoyao clutched her mask, avoiding his gaze.
“No worries, I’ll just take a peek.”
Before Qin Ruoyao could respond, Wang Dahé swiftly yanked off her hat.
Startled, Qin Ruoyao froze, giving Wang Dahé the perfect opportunity to rip off her mask as well.
Qin Ruoyao couldn’t come to terms with the fact that Lin Li had used her, treating her as nothing more than a pawn against Brother Lin Xuan.
Her dream of marrying into the illustrious Lin Family lay shattered.
Qin Ruoyao cried herself hoarse for several days at home.
She didn’t dare touch her phone.
Online, people called her names—slut, homewrecker, shameless—and dug up every detail about her personal life.
Her phone wouldn’t stop ringing, flooded with messages filled with hate and venom, and she refused to turn it back on.
She hid herself away, afraid to step outside lest people point and whisper.
Qin Ruoyao couldn’t comprehend how things had spiraled so out of control. Not long ago, she was the radiant, adored campus flower of Shangqing University, receiving love letters and gifts by the bucketload.
But everything changed.
Sitting on her bed, arms wrapped around her knees, face buried in them, Qin Ruoyao sobbed uncontrollably.
She thought of Luo Yuan.
She called Luo Yuan, seeking solace, but he didn’t pick up.
All her messages to him went unanswered, lost in the void.
“Could it be… Luo Yuan doesn’t want anything to do with me either?”
A wave of panic surged within Qin Ruoyao. She had nothing left now except Luo Yuan.
If even Luo Yuan abandoned her, what would she do?
“Yao Yao.” Mother Qin entered the room.
“Mom!” Qin Ruoyao clung to Mother Qin’s waist, crying pitifully. “Why are they all doing this to me? I didn’t know Lin Li already had a fiancée! I tried explaining I’m not the other woman, but they won’t listen!”
“Mom, it hurts so much. Everyone’s cursing me.”
Tears streamed down Qin Ruoyao’s face like an endless river.
Mother Qin tenderly stroked Qin Ruoyao’s hair, heartbroken but unsure how to fix the situation.
“Yao Yao,” Mother Qin sighed. “You should go back to school.”
Qin Ruoyao shook her head, crying. “Mom, I don’t want to go back! They’ll call me shameless, they’ll curse me. I can’t handle it.”
Just thinking about the disdainful looks from her classmates sent shivers down her spine.
“Yao Yao, your counselor just contacted me. If you don’t return to school tomorrow, they’ll process your expulsion.”
“Mom knows you don’t want to go, but Shangqing University has plenty of rich kids. You need to stay there, find yourself a wealthy boyfriend, secure your future, live comfortably for the rest of your life.”
“Oh, isn’t Luo Yuan’s family rich now? Start with him, use him as a stepping stone to snag a real billionaire later.”
Mother Qin rubbed Qin Ruoyao’s hair earnestly. “Yao Yao, us common folk need men to climb into the upper echelons of society. Mom doesn’t want you to end up like her, married to an ordinary man, worrying about money every single day.”
Qin Ruoyao stopped crying.
Luo Yuan…
But lately, Luo Yuan’s attitude towards her had grown cold. He hadn’t replied to her messages or answered her calls for days. Would Luo Yuan really still be with her?
Qin Ruoyao recounted everything that had happened between her and Luo Yuan to Mother Qin.
“Foolish girl.” Mother Qin sighed helplessly.
