Compared to Shu Lanzhou, who had suddenly turned prickly and rebellious, Huang Tiantian was sweet, adorable, obedient, and sensible. But most importantly, to Du Yifan—
She had eyes only for him. Everything she did put him first. She practically catered to his every whim!
Du Yifan admitted that he did like Shu Lanzhou—but he liked the old Shu Lanzhou, the one who had been gentle and compliant. How could this current Shu Lanzhou, who opposed them at every turn, ever compare to the utterly agreeable Huang Tiantian?
"Senior, I'm taking Tiantian and heading off first," Du Yifan said. "Honestly, you should stop bothering about Shu Lanzhou. You try to care about her, and she doesn't even appreciate it. Keep going like this, and she's bound to get tricked—money, love, everything. She'll regret it when the time comes."
In Du Yifan's eyes, Shu Lanzhou was courting disaster. It was only a matter of time before she came crawling back to them!
"Enough. If you're leaving, then go already," Luo Jialin said impatiently, waving him off. But he didn't move from where he stood by the restaurant door.
Mu Yaning's words had left Luo Jialin deeply unsettled.
At school, both publicly and privately, he was always the gentleman—respected by teachers, admired by classmates. No one had ever confronted or humiliated him like that before.
She accused him of lying through his teeth. But where had he gone wrong? Why did Mu Yaning have to embarrass him like that?
All he'd ever done was genuinely care about Shu Lanzhou. Was that a crime?
Truly ungrateful!
"Brother Jialin?" Lin Muyao tugged gingerly at his sleeve. "Senior Du's right. If she doesn't appreciate your kindness, why keep worrying about her?"
"She's surrounded now by national scholarship winners and elite teammates. How could she possibly see any value in us—just a third-place team?"
"If you really care so much," she added cautiously, "why not focus on this collaboration with the research institute? If we achieve results faster, maybe… maybe she'll…"
Lin Muyao didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear: Shu Lanzhou was just another status-chaser. She wasn't worth their concern!
Even though Luo Jialin knew Shu Lanzhou wasn't that kind of person, hearing Lin Muyao's words still brought him some measure of comfort.
"You're right. Our research comes first," he said quietly. "Ruoshi, Tianhua—come to my place tonight. Let's discuss our next steps."
With the institute collaboration secured, Luo Jialin had brought them both into the project. As for Guo Jialiang—though he'd invited him to dinner, Luo Jialin had no intention of involving him in the research planning.
"Brother Jialin, can I come too?" Lin Muyao pleaded, her voice small.
"I can help! I can organize materials, handle the preliminary work. I might not be as good as Shu Lanzhou, but I earned my spot here fair and square."
She looked up at him with wide, hopeful eyes, terrified he would shut her out.
If Shu Lanzhou hadn't repeatedly outshone her, she wouldn't be so marginalized in the team now!
"This project is with the research institute. You're not qualified," Luo Jialin said coldly, brushing her hand off.
"Have Jialiang take you home. It's late. Don't loiter around."
Without another glance, he turned and left with Tianhua and Fang Ruoshi, getting into the car without so much as a backward look—treating her no differently than an ordinary classmate.
"Wait—" Lin Muyao stumbled after him, reaching out in vain. But with her injuries and her high heels, she nearly fell.
Guo Jialiang caught her just in time.
"Didn't expect it, huh?" he sneered. "With Shu Lanzhou around, Luo Jialin doesn't even see you anymore. That guy only cares about ability."
"Now that he knows all those materials were prepared by Shu Lanzhou, he must be eating his heart out. Hates me even more now. Honestly, if not for you, he wouldn't have even invited me tonight."
Originally, Guo Jialiang had called Lin Muyao, offering to treat her to dinner. But before she could leave, Luo Jialin had messaged the group, inviting everyone out—apparently to celebrate Du Yifan's family investing in their project and Du Yifan finding a girlfriend.
Lin Muyao steadied herself, gritting her teeth. "I will make him see me. He's mine."
To her, Luo Jialin was a prize she had to win.
Guo Jialiang hated the way her eyes always chased after Luo Jialin.
Why did everyone in the team orbit around Luo Jialin? Shu Lanzhou had been like that; now Lin Muyao too. Was he really so invisible to them?
Forget Shu Lanzhou. But Lin Muyao—weren't they the same kind of people? Hadn't he suffered enough for her? How could her eyes still see only other men?
"Come on. I'll take you home," Guo Jialiang said gruffly, yanking her arm.
Lin Muyao winced in pain.
"What's wrong?" Guo Jialiang frowned, suspicious.
Lin Muyao's eyes welled with tears as she remembered her original plan. "It's all because of you," she whispered.
"My mom found out you got expelled. She didn't want you anywhere near the research institute. But I begged her. I begged and begged until she finally agreed—after giving me a beating."
"She hit you?" Guo Jialiang's expression froze, his chest tightening. He hadn't imagined she'd actually been punished for helping him.
"Where are you hurt? Let me see," he said anxiously.
Lin Muyao flushed. "It's… on my back. You can't see it. It's fine. Just knowing what I went through for you is enough. Promise me you'll be good to me."
"I will," Guo Jialiang said hoarsely, his grip tightening around her hand. "I'll get you some medicine. Wait here—I need to see those injuries. Lin Muyao, just wait."
He brought her back to his place.
Originally, Lin Muyao hadn't wanted to come. She didn't even like Guo Jialiang; in her eyes, he wasn't even worth a fraction of Luo Jialin.
But after being humiliated by Luo Jialin earlier, she wanted to see how far Guo Jialiang would go for her.
So what if Luo Jialin didn't care? There were always men willing to lower themselves for her.
With that thought, she slowly undid her blouse, revealing the whip marks across her back.
Guo Jialiang's breath caught at the sight.
She wasn't lying. She'd really been hurt—and so badly!
His eyes burned red as he gently applied ointment, his touch trembling with care.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry," he murmured. "It's my fault. I dragged you into this. I swear, I'll do well at the institute. I won't let Director Lin down. I won't let her hurt you again."
His tenderness made Lin Muyao feel deeply satisfied.
Lying on his bed, she turned her head to look at him.
"Will you listen to me from now on?" she asked softly. "Will you do whatever I say? Be good to me? Spoil me always?"
"Of course," Guo Jialiang said without hesitation. A girl who'd suffered for him—didn't that mean she cared for him too?
The thought sent a rush of warmth through him.
"From now on, I'm your dog," he vowed. "You tell me where to go, I'll go. Who to bite, I'll bite. I swear I'll obey you."
He'd never had a girlfriend before. Never been this close to a woman.
As his fingers brushed her bare skin, an unfamiliar heat stirred within him.
His mind filled with dangerous fantasies.
She'd bared herself to him—for him. Didn't that mean…
He bent lower, lips hovering near the wounds, breath warm against her skin.
"Does it hurt?" he whispered. "Don't hold it in if it does."
Lin Muyao saw the tenderness in his eyes—and felt a flicker of contempt.
How easy it is to fool a man like this, she thought.
If only Luo Jialin could look at me this way.
For a fleeting moment, she wondered: if she showed him these scars… would he ache for her too?
She hadn't yet decided when she felt something… unfamiliar spreading across her back.