The female roommate who had just spoken was named Xia Qiuzi.
She, Xu Qingshuang, and Lu Bei had been high school classmates who entered the same university together, making them old acquaintances of a sort.
However, her relationship with Lu Bei was far from good; it could even be said that they were fundamentally opposed in their values.
Only Xu Qingshuang considered her to be her best roommate and closest confidante.
"What you've been teaching me, I don't want to learn. And I don't want to deal with that many people."
"Besides... it's useless anyway. I can't even tame a single idiot." Xu Qingshuang returned to her bed, hugging the teddy bear Lu Bei had given her for her birthday.
Her calves, encased in black silk stockings, kicked restlessly against the mattress as she puffed out her cheeks in a sulk.
"How is it useless? Let me tell you some good news."
Xia Qiuzi smiled faintly, then took out her phone and pulled up a photo.
Saved right there was the lineup for the campus singing contest a month from now.
"Lu Bei... that hateful jerk, that big villain, is he participating too?"
"Is he doing this for me again? He's so annoying."
Xu Qingshuang's eyes lit up visibly when she saw the photo.
Subconsciously, she uttered a derogatory remark about Lu Bei to elevate herself.
Yet... after recalling what she had experienced earlier that day,
Xu Qingshuang instantly wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.
"Then again, maybe he's not doing it for me."
Accompanied by a wave of dejection she hadn't even noticed in her own voice, Xu Qingshuang's expression grew increasingly grim.
Even if that bad guy really did enter the singing contest, it didn't necessarily mean he was going to confess to her.
Who knows, maybe he entered this singing contest for the sake of some other girl.
"Hehe, our little princess Qingshuang, losing your confidence just like that? You're the campus belle of Huda, after all."
Xia Qiuzi threw her arm around Xu Qingshuang's shoulders.
Feeling Xu Qingshuang's delicate skin, a flash of jealousy crossed her eyes.
Yet she masked it well; in the eyes of the other roommates and Xu Qingshuang, she remained their best sister.
"But... he said he doesn't like me anymore."
Xu Qingshuang lowered her voice and replied softly, reluctant to let too many people know her current predicament.
"Idiot, even simps have tempers. It's normal for them to blow off steam occasionally. Besides,"
"Just think about it, Lu Bei has been chasing you for so many years. Isn't there a concept called sunk cost? How could he possibly give you up just like that?"
As Xia Qiuzi reeled off one comforting remark after another,
Xu Qingshuang's emotions gradually settled down.
Right, Big Brother Lu Bei couldn't possibly give up on pursuing and loving her so easily.
The only reason he had said such heartless things to her earlier was just to spite her.
Of course... her previous guess had been completely right.
The guy couldn't even admit it after she called him out.
Thinking of this, Xu Qingshuang's mood improved vastly, and a smile began to tug at the corners of her lips.
"Idiot, what are you so happy about? You're the campus belle; there are plenty of guys chasing you. There are lots of simps who care about you just as much as Lu Bei does."
"As a girl, you need to cast a wider net instead of getting hung up on just one guy. Did you learn nothing from everything I taught you?"
Xia Qiuzi jabbed Xu Qingshuang on the forehead in exasperation.
Clearly, she disagreed entirely with the thoughts the girl she had coached was currently harboring.
Aren't men just playthings, after all?
"It's different. I'm not like Sister Xia, I just can't accept other boys."
Xu Qingshuang shook her head repeatedly, rejecting Xia Qiuzi's advice.
"Didn't you still reject Lu Bei's confession following my advice, though? Honestly, why not keep playing hard to get with multiple men the way I taught you?"
"Hey, stupid Shushuang, you're not actually planning to throw Lu Bei a bone, are you?"
Xia Qiuzi looked suspiciously at her best friend and roommate.
To be honest, she didn't like Lu Bei.
Or rather... she detested the kind of men who were overly earnest, lacked wildness, and had no passion.
Such people were always talking about responsibility and pure love.
If one were to partner with a man like that, having male best friends and good brothers would probably all become pipedreams.
Tch, that simply wouldn't do.
Without those cute little guys around, a sophisticated girl's wallet would end up deflated.
If you really want a sophisticated girl to be devoted to you, even if you aren't a diamond-tier bachelor, you at least need to be a second-generation rich kid.
Please, broke guys with zero material foundation, stop trying to muscle in on pure love.
"Ahaha, I really can't accept Sister Xia's perspective."
"But I won't agree to Lu Bei anyway."
"Mm, just like Sister Xia said, I'm going to keep stringing Lu Bei along, making him unable to have me so that he becomes completely dependent on me."
Xu Qingshuang clenched her small fist and shook it, a spark of revenge burning in her eyes.
Hmph, does he really think singing a love song in a contest is going to work?
She would never forgive this bastard!
"Though I don't get what's going on in your head, maintaining this momentum is the right move. Let that bastard Lu Bei know that girls aren't to be trifled with."
"Exactly, exactly. That little simp refuses to walk the righteous path and resorts to crooked tricks; it's about time we taught him a lesson."
"Hehe, that little simp is probably still secretly practicing love songs, completely unaware that our Qingshuang plans to reject him all over again."
"Just imagining how hard he prepared for all this time, only for Qingshuang to still refuse to forgive him, makes me want to laugh."
Xia Qiuzi encouraged Xu Qingshuang with an affirming tone, and the other roommates chimed in as well.
These remarks and the collective validation provided Xu Qingshuang with a massive boost of confidence, temporarily turning her back into that haughty "little princess."
....................
"Registrations cannot be refunded, Junior. Look, there's nothing I can do; it's a rule set by our president."
A fierce argument was taking place at the school's registration desk.
Early the next morning,
Lu Bei had come to the school to tell the registration desk that he wanted to withdraw from the competition.
However... the senior student in charge of registration handed him a difficult answer.
"It's just an ordinary competition; does it have to be this strict?"
Lu Bei frowned, feeling dissatisfied with this bureaucratic student union attitude.
"That's right, it's not like it's a big deal and it won't take up much time. What are you turning it down for?"
"Lu, the lover boy, aren't you supposed to be deeply affectionate? Isn't this singing contest a great opportunity to confess? Don't tell me you're getting cold feet at the last minute."
The senior in charge of registration matters looked back at Lu Bei with a puzzled expression, looking entirely unable to fathom what on earth he was thinking.