After chatting with Jiang Qingqing for a while, she said she was tired and logged off to sleep. I, however, couldn't fall asleep. My mind kept racing—how could I get leverage over her?
The truth was, if I wanted to stop Jiang Qingqing from tormenting me, I needed to find her weakness. Only then would she fear me.
Lost in these thoughts, I eventually drifted off. The next morning, Yan She came banging on my door. Half-asleep, I buried my head under the covers, but she wasn't having it. She unlocked my door and barged in.
(Life at Yan She's is brutal. She has a key to my room, but I don't have one to hers. And I can't even enter her space without permission.)
"Zhang Cheng, get up!" she yelled.
I rolled over, ignoring her.
Furious, she marched to my bed and yanked the blanket off me.
(I sleep in just boxers.)
"Seriously?!" I scrambled to cover myself. "Ever heard of privacy?!"
Yan She smirked. "Aw, is little Zhang Cheng embarrassed?"
"Obviously! Get out!"
She crossed her arms. "Nope. You're coming on my morning run."
I refused—until she threatened to cut my allowance. (Game over.)
As I dressed, she watched, critiquing my "scrawny" frame.
The run itself was torture. Yan She's stamina put me to shame. Gasping for air, I lagged far behind while she laughed.
"Pathetic. How will you ever provide for a family?"
"With my brain, not my legs."
She snorted. "Prove it. Get first in class, then talk."
Back home, she showered (twice a day—her OCD ritual), and I logged into QQ. Two messages waited: one from Xia Shi (last night), one from Gou Mao (30 mins ago).
Gou Mao wanted to meet at our usual spot—Hongyun World, an arcade packed with gambling machines. I agreed to meet after lunch.
Before leaving, a weird notification popped up: a girl named "Little Woman" added me. Her first message?
"I hate you."
Confused, I asked who she was—but she went offline. Her locked profile gave no clues. (Probably a prank.)
Yan She emerged from her room, flawless after an hour of primping. She twirled. "Well? Stunning, right?"
I swallowed hard. "Yeah."
"Am I the prettiest woman you've ever seen?"
(Survival mode: ON) "Obviously."
Satisfied, she left, telling me to fend for myself for lunch.