At Media University at this moment, Song Xinxin and Li Xuan were sitting on the swing, chatting.
"The post you put out yesterday really scared me to death. I was so afraid you'd do something desperate, kneeling and begging that guy not to abandon you..." Li Xuan said with dramatic exaggeration. "What I was most afraid of was that you'd hurt yourself for that scumbag. I called Teacher Qiu right away and asked him to keep an eye on you today and make sure you didn't do anything foolish."
"No wonder... I was wondering why Teacher Qiu was giving me such a strange look today..."
Listening to Li Xuan, Song Xinxin felt a warm glow in her heart. With a best friend like Li Xuan around, she felt at complete peace.
Especially thinking about how Li Xuan had taken time off to come back and help her, that warmth spread even deeper. In her past life, she had been utterly lovesick; although she had a great best friend, she hadn't understood much about Li Xuan's life. She hadn't known who Li Xuan liked, or what kind of guys she preferred. Even Li Xuan's background was something she only discovered later, after seeing news reports about her suicide, realizing that Li Xuan was actually the daughter of a prominent, high-status family.
Before, her mind had been entirely consumed by Yuan Lai. Blinded by infatuation, she had ended up with not a single person to talk to, let alone a loyal best friend she could open her heart to.
"I thought Teacher Qiu was totally normal today, and unusually handsome, too. Didn't you notice? When Teacher Qiu was chewing those people out, he was so imposing, tall and mighty, like a god descended from the heavens that people didn't even dare to look straight at," Li Xuan described with theatrical flair.
Fortunately, Teacher Qiu had helped out today; otherwise, things wouldn't have been resolved so easily.
"True. We should properly thank Teacher Qiu another day," Song Xinxin said thoughtfully.
"I agree we should thank Teacher Qiu properly. Once I'm done shooting my scenes, we'll go together!" Li Xuan always managed to look cheerful. "But seriously, are you really planning to break up with Yuan Lai?" Remembering how devoted Song Xinxin used to be to Yuan Lai, Li Xuan couldn't help feeling a bit worried.
"He's acted like that, and you still expect me not to break up with him? Do you take me for a fool?" Song Xinxin countered.
"Weren't you a fool before? I seem to remember an old saying about a broken lotus root still connected by its fibers. I'm really afraid he'll sweet-talk you and coax you right back." Recalling past arguments between Song Xinxin and Yuan Lai—where every single time, Yuan Lai managed to sweet-talk her back into place—this was precisely what worried Li Xuan.
"I am not turning back this time!" Remembering her death in the roaring fire, recalling the triumphant look in Yuan Lai's eyes, and reflecting on all that had happened in the past. If falling into a pit once didn't teach her to be wiser, she really would be a lost cause.
Song Xinxin closed her eyes and pushed hard against the ground, swinging herself high into the air. The swing soared up and down. With her eyes closed, she felt the wind roaring past her ears and the sensation of her body rising and falling. Each ascent and descent felt like a complete cycle of reincarnation.
"Alright, I'll trust you this once. But you must never pull a stunt like that to worry me again. Today's incident is a one-time thing," Li Xuan warned. She didn't want to dwell on it too much; perhaps if neither of them mentioned it again, it would blow over quickly. Constantly bringing it up would only make it linger.
"Fine, fine, I promise, I promise," Song Xinxin said obediently.
"That's more like it."
"When are you heading back to the crew?"
"If you hadn't brought it up, I would've completely forgotten. I have to go back tonight—I've got scenes first thing tomorrow morning." Mentioning the return to the crew clearly dampened Li Xuan's spirits; being apart meant going days without seeing each other.
Sensing her shift in mood, Song Xinxin walked up behind her and gently pushed the swing, comforting her, "You have to go back early so you can finish shooting sooner, and once you're done filming, you can come back to see me all the sooner!"
"Right, I put so much effort into landing this role, I can't slack off! I'm heading back right now. Getting back early means I can review my script and practice." With that, Li Xuan hopped down from the swing.
Seeing Li Xuan's brightened mood, Song Xinxin smiled. "Alright, I'll walk you out!" With that, the two of them walked side by side toward the school gate.
As they strolled along the tree-lined path, Yuan Lai suddenly burst out from hiding, holding a small spray bottle and misting the air right in front of them.
Li Xuan opened her mouth to curse, but suddenly her mind went blank, and she lost consciousness entirely. Song Xinxin suffered the exact same fate, collapsing before she could react.
Seeing both of them down, Yuan Lai dragged Song Xinxin into the nearby shrubbery to hide her first. Then he came back, helped Li Xuan up, and nervously led her over to a van parked by the gate, knocking on the door.
The van door slid open, and he respectfully bundled Li Xuan inside, making sure to greet the gang boss along the way.
The gang boss looked pleased when he saw only one person brought in, and asked, "What about the other one?"
Hearing this, Yuan Lai looked troubled and pleaded with the gang boss, "Boss... um... she's my girlfriend. Could you... let her go?"
Hearing that, the gang boss wore an expression of utter contempt. He slapped Yuan Lai lightly across the face and threatened, "Who was it that said they'd bring anyone I wanted? Now you're playing the devoted lover with me? Let me tell you straight: if you don't bring her over, I'll rip you apart right here and now!"Hearing the gang leader threaten to break his legs, Yuan Lai's face instantly turned pale with terror. He was truly terrified. With no other choice, he could only agree, then return to the campus once more to find Song Xinxin, who had been left hidden in the shrubbery.
Just as Yuan Lai was supporting Song Xinxin toward the school gate, Meng Qingyan was walking in. The two brushed past each other, but Meng Qingyan did not notice the woman Yuan Lai was supporting.
Right after they passed each other, Meng Qingyan felt an inexplicable sensation. He turned his head back for no apparent reason, glancing in the direction Yuan Lai had left, and then at the gang leader, who stood grinning wickedly in front of the van.
At that moment, the school administrator called. Meng Qingyan answered the phone, and as soon as the line connected, he heard the administrator's anxious voice: "I'm so sorry, President Meng, but I can't reach Song Xinxin. Her phone goes unanswered, and her roommates have no idea where she is."
Hearing this, a dark premonition settled into Meng Qingyan's heart. He asked, "May I ask what Song Xinxin is wearing today?"
The person on the other end hesitated for a moment before replying, "Let's see... oh, I remember now. She's wearing a light blue floral dress today."
"A light blue floral dress? Are you sure?" Meng Qingyan repeated, his eyes widening. The woman the man had just been supporting was wearing precisely a light blue floral dress.
"I'm sure. The four of them were being reprimanded in the office today, and I remember very clearly that Song Xinxin was wearing a light blue floral dress. It looked like she also had a red string anklet with a jade gourd bell on her foot," the administrator recalled.
Meng Qingyan, on his end of the line, recalled the way the woman had been walking when the man supported her: her soles hadn't been touching the ground at all; it looked as though she were being dragged along. What chilled him even more was that the woman's left foot truly had worn a red string anklet, and a crisp sound of a bell had been clearly audible as she walked.
Disregarding everything else, he hung up on the school administrator and immediately called his assistant, instructing him to gather a group of thugs and follow his mobile location. He also gave one specific order: do not call him President Meng outside. No matter what, he did not want to expose his identity this early.
The assistant agreed on the other end and immediately set about making preparations.
Meanwhile, Meng Qingyan rushed to the school gate. By the time he arrived, he happened to see the gang leader talking with Yuan Lai.
Yuan Lai's head was lowered low, respectful and deferential. The gang leader patted Yuan Lai's shoulder with a smile and said, "Not bad, kid! Don't worry, from now on in Nancheng, nobody will ever give you trouble again!"
"About that... boss... Song Xinxin..." Yuan Lai wanted to push the matter further.
Hearing this, the gang leader delivered a fierce punch straight to his stomach. "Let me repeat myself: I want both of them, not just one... If you understand, get the hell out of here, or I'll break all three of your legs!"
Gang members operated without any sense of honor; once they were done with someone, a beating followed. This was a common occurrence, and Yuan Lai knew he was no match for these people. Stricken with pain and powerless to resist, he had no choice but to turn and leave.
Though filled with lingering resentment, he had no choice but to bow his head. To Yuan Lai, these people from the underworld were beyond his ability to provoke. Yet the fury inside him had nowhere to go, trapped and festering in a deeply uncomfortable knot.
Hiding and watching from the side, Meng Qingyan covertly texted the van's license plate number to his assistant, asking him to run a check and track its location.
Seeing that Yuan Lai had left, the thugs cheerfully slammed the van doors shut, climbed inside, and drove off toward the outskirts of the city.
Meng Qingyan got into his car and followed at a distance. To protect his identity, he was driving a very ordinary car.
A shell of his former self, Yuan Lai walked aimlessly across the campus. In the span of a single day, he had transformed from a devoted, handsome man into a universally reviled scoundrel.
In the past, no matter when it was, whenever he wanted her, Song Xinxin would instantly stand by his side—accompanying him, comforting him, encouraging him... Yet now, he had actually delivered Song Xinxin into the bed of another man.
He despised his own uselessness, despised his own stupidity, and despised his failure to distinguish between genuine affection and false pretenses.
He had schemed and plotted, only for the trap to spring on himself.
At that moment, he suddenly caught sight of Lin Miaoke making a phone call in a corner. Drawn in, he crept closer to listen. Just a few words were enough to make his hair stand on end.
In the corner, Lin Miaoke spoke into her phone with triumph: "Both of them were caught? I told you Yuan Lai is a spineless coward—for his own sake, he'd hand the woman he loves over to another man's bed. Remember! Take clear photos, and record a video too. I'll make sure they never stand a chance in the entertainment industry again. If convenient, you can make them disappear for good."
Lin Miaoke's words were like sharp blades piercing deep into Yuan Lai's heart. So this entire scheme had been arranged by Lin Miaoke all along! This venomous woman had first seduced him with her beauty, planting improper desires in his mind, and now she was using him to hand the woman he loved most over to others... This matter could not simply end here.