Liu Fengying had no intention of lingering in conversation any longer than necessary with someone she hated. What was more, it was quite obvious to her that the more attention she gave He Rui, the happier he became.
"It's good that you're an intelligent person; that means you'll understand what I'm about to say right away…," she addressed He Rui. Although her calm demeanor seemed unchanged, the temperature around her appeared to drop by several degrees.
Seeing Liu Fengying suddenly look like a boss ready to fire an employee, He Rui began to panic. Surely it wasn't possible for him to be rejected without even getting the chance to start courting her… right?
"Uh, did I do something wrong?" he ventured, trying to salvage the situation. As long as it wasn't something extreme—like cutting off an arm—he was willing to change anything to please Liu Fengying.
Naturally, his pleading look had no effect on her. On the contrary, like someone about to kill a cockroach only for it to start moving just before the blow lands, she felt even more compelled to strike harder.
"It's not about what you did, but rather about what you were planning to do…," she replied, lightly gesturing with her head toward Hua Shu.
She had no intention of going into further detail, as she didn't want Hua Shu to become the subject of gossip for any eavesdroppers. In any case, since He Rui undoubtedly felt guilty, he should have been able to understand even from that much.
"…?" Hua Shu was confused as to why she had suddenly been brought into the conversation. Could it be that Liu Fengying was outraged by the way He Rui had intended to use her as a stepping stone?
Unlike Hua Shu, it only took He Rui a few moments to grasp the implications of Liu Fengying's gesture. It was no wonder his face turned pale; if he had correctly deduced what she wanted to say, didn't that mean the very thing he feared most had already happened?
"Umm, ah, I don't understand what you mean…," He Rui had no choice but to play dumb. He knew that if he tried to justify himself, he would only dig himself deeper.
Of course, it didn't help that he had no idea which part of what he had said to Hua Shu had tipped Liu Fengying off to his intentions. How was he supposed to come up with a strategy to get out of this situation if he couldn't even identify the problem that needed fixing?
But was there any chance Liu Fengying would believe his act? Setting aside the fact that she was already convinced she was right, He Rui's emotional control—shaken by the unexpected accusation—was far from ideal. In fact, in this case, it wouldn't have been an exaggeration to say that his guilt was written all over his face.
"Well, it seems you're not quite as smart as I thought…," Liu Fengying remarked in an ironic tone. It was obvious she didn't believe him; she was merely taking advantage of the opportunity to mock him.
"...," He Rui didn't know what to think of Liu Fengying's reaction. Honestly, such malicious behavior didn't suit the perfect image he had constructed of her in his mind at all.
Still, it helped him find the answer to a question that had crossed his mind—namely, what Liu Fengying and Hua Shu could possibly have in common to get along so well despite their different temperaments. Well, it seemed that what united them was their venomous tongues.
However, if this realization didn't particularly please He Rui, he would soon wish that Liu Fengying and Hua Shu were more alike, because he was about to discover that, unlike Hua Shu, Liu Fengying not only had a sharp tongue, but poisonous fangs as well.
More precisely, this became apparent right after the line with which Liu Fengying continued the conversation—one that left He Rui incapable of saying anything else.
"Even if you don't understand now, you'd better understand eventually. I'm saying this for your own good, because if you don't give up those plans of yours, I intend to make sure that a year from now, the only position you'll be able to hold in this city will be that of a street sweeper."
Although Liu Fengying kept a casual tone, it was enough to meet her cold gaze to realize she wasn't joking. Honestly, that contrast made her seem even more terrifying; it was as if ruining someone's life was a trivial matter to her.
"...!" A chill ran down He Rui's spine. After all, the person standing before him had, in another life, spent hundreds of years taking other people's lives. As a young man raised in modern society, who had never killed anything larger than a cockroach in his entire life, how could he withstand the pressure Liu Fengying radiated when she became serious?
It didn't help that aside from being Hua Shu's classmate, he knew nothing else about Liu Fengying. Thinking that someone capable of such an oppressive presence couldn't possibly have an ordinary background, He Rui began imagining all kinds of identities for her—from the daughter of an influential politician to the daughter of a mafia boss.
In any case, being thoroughly frightened at the moment, He Rui didn't dare take Liu Fengying's warning lightly. As for his romantic feelings toward her, they diminished considerably. It could be said that his situation was similar to that of someone who likes tigers—when standing face to face with a living, breathing tiger, would he still feel like petting it?
Liu Fengying took pleasure in seeing He Rui so utterly bewildered; he looked like a man who had lost absolutely everything.
"That's all I had to say to you. Now, if you'll excuse me, my friend and I would like to enjoy a peaceful dinner, so I must insist that you leave…," Liu Fengying continued. She believed she had already wasted far more time on He Rui than someone of his caliber deserved.
It could be said that this was the blow that finally knocked He Rui out. For someone as proud as him, what could be more humiliating than being chased away like a stray dog in full view of everyone? This added to the sting of knowing that his underhanded plans had been discovered by the one he liked—no wonder that day would probably remain the worst of his life.
But what could he do? Setting aside the fact that he had no idea how to salvage the situation, he was afraid of irritating Liu Fengying even further if he didn't comply. Who knew—perhaps as early as tomorrow he would be fired from the school where he worked. And so he hurried toward the restaurant's exit, trying not to see anything around him. It wasn't that he had forgotten about the friend waiting for him at the table; he simply didn't want to deal, more than necessary, with the ironic gazes of the other patrons.
"Ha, ha, looks like it's not easy for him to come to terms with the fact that he's no Long Aotian…," Hua Shu chuckled, watching He Rui leave with his tail between his legs. It could be said that it was a true delight for her to see how miserably He Rui had failed in his attempt to court Liu Fengying.
Of course, the main reason she enjoyed He Rui's failure so much was that she still believed he had planned to use her to get closer to Liu Fengying. But it was also true that, in a way, she felt avenged; tired of his airs of moral superiority, she had long hoped that someone would eventually put him in his place.
As for Liu Fengying's performance, Hua Shu felt it deserved eleven points out of ten. Not only had the pressure she radiated almost left He Rui unable to breathe, but she had also known exactly how to strike at his weak points.
Honestly, seeing Liu Fengying like this made Hua Shu's heart race. But wasn't she the same person who used to mock the female leads of wife-chasing crematorium novels, always fascinated by their official partner's domineering attitude—usually a CEO or a movie king? Now, finding herself in a similar situation, she felt as though she had been slapped across the face.
Of course, she had no intention of confessing this to Liu Fengying. Wouldn't that be like handing her, on a silver platter, perfect material for teasing? She could almost hear Liu Fengying using all kinds of domineering lines on her, such as: "Congratulations, woman, you've successfully caught my attention," or "Woman, don't play with fire."
Still, these thoughts didn't stop Hua Shu from continuing to badmouth He Rui.
"And he even acted so morally superior to everyone else, yet look at the roundabout method he resorted to just to make sure you couldn't refuse him. At least the others who came before him made their intentions clear from the start. Besides, after finding out you're my classmate, didn't he realize what a huge age gap there is between the two of you? You could say he wanted to be like an old cow eating tender grass…"
"Ahem…," Liu Fengying choked slightly when she heard Hua Shu's words. In a way, didn't the saying about the "old cow eating tender grass" apply to her as well? And not just when she teased Hua Shu, but even in the case of Teacher Wei—after all, her soul was nearly four hundred years old.
"What's wrong?" Hua Shu was surprised by Liu Fengying's interruption. Did she want to tell her to be careful not to be overheard? But she wouldn't have minded that at all—on the contrary, she wanted everyone to know what kind of scumbag He Rui really was beneath his cultured veneer.
Naturally, Liu Fengying couldn't tell Hua Shu what she had been thinking. She probably wouldn't have said it even if Hua Shu had known her secret, since she didn't want to give her a reason to laugh at her.
However, she thought this would be a good opportunity to correct the mistake she had noticed Hua Shu making about He Rui—specifically, about who his true target had been when he came to their table.
It wasn't as though she wanted to do this just to amuse herself by seeing Hua Shu's reaction—well, maybe just a little. But she believed Hua Shu needed to be aware of He Rui's intentions toward her, so she could protect herself in case malicious ideas started sprouting in his mind again once he had calmed down. After all, from the living, you can expect anything; only the dead are no longer capable of surprises.
"You got one part of that wrong." Liu Fengying leaned closer to Hua Shu, as if about to share a great secret.
When Hua Shu was all ears, she continued in a sober, revelatory tone: "The tender grass that made him come here… wasn't me."