Chapter 9: She Really Thinks She's a Queen

Lin Qianfan raised an eyebrow and took a sip of tea.

“Whether she cries or eats has nothing to do with me.”

Li Yanzi was stunned for a moment, then snapped angrily, “Lin Qianfan, are you even human?”

“Xu Qian has been so good to you, and yet you treat her like this?”

“You’re nothing but an ungrateful ingrate!”

Listening to her barrage of accusations, Lin Qianfan just smiled.

“Li Yanzi, don’t you feel any guilt saying those things?”

“When has Xu Qian ever been good to me?”

Li Yanzi was so stunned she couldn’t reply, her face flushed red. Pointing at Lin Qianfan, she stomped her foot in frustration.

“You… you’re hopeless!”

“Treating Xu Qian like this, one day you’ll get what’s coming to you!”

Lin Qianfan was too lazy to argue further. He picked up his chopsticks, took the only piece of twice-cooked pork from the bowl, and placed it into Xia Ruo’s bowl.

“Xia Ruo, eat more.”

The moment he did this, the entire restaurant fell silent.

The guys from the dorm stared wide-eyed, their gazes flicking between Lin Qianfan and Xia Ruo.

Li Yanzi was trembling with rage, even her hand pointing at Lin Qianfan was shaking.

“Lin Qianfan, have you lost your mind? You actually gave Xia Ruo meat right in front of me?”

Lin Qianfan calmly put down his chopsticks and looked up at her.

“I like Xia Ruo. I’m going to pursue her.”

The dorm guys were stunned at first, then burst into cheers.

“Awesome, Qianfan! Straight-up confession!”

“Bro, today we’re witnessing history!”

Xia Ruo lowered her head, her cheeks burning red, nearly dropping her chopsticks.

“Lin Qianfan, you…” Her voice was as soft as a whisper. “Don’t say things like that.”

But Lin Qianfan looked at her seriously.

“I’m not joking. I’m serious.”

“From today on, I’ll work hard to win you over. I hope you won’t reject me.”

Xia Ruo’s face turned even redder as she kept her head down, unable to utter a word.

Li Yanzi was so furious she nearly lost her balance, pointing at Lin Qianfan and cursing, “Lin Qianfan, you’re not human!”

“Xu Qian was so good to you, and you’d turn your back on her for Xia Ruo?”

“I’m definitely telling Xu Qian what you said today!”

“Just you wait!”

After cursing, she stormed out of the restaurant.

Lin Qianfan picked up his chopsticks again and placed another piece of food into Xia Ruo’s bowl.

“Eat more, don’t just stand there in a daze.”

Xia Ruo looked up at him, seemed like she wanted to say something, but in the end, said nothing and quietly ate.

Yong Pan watched them and clicked his tongue.

“Qianfan, you’re too thoughtful. You’ve got me wanting you to feed me some meat too.”

Lin Qianfan shot him a glare. “Stop distracting me, eat your food.”

Yong Pan chuckled, raised his bowl, and started eating enthusiastically as the restaurant’s atmosphere gradually returned to calm.

After finishing, Lin Qianfan paid the bill and left the restaurant with Xia Ruo and the dorm guys.

The wind on the street was chilly. Xia Ruo walked last, pulling up the collar of her jacket.

Lin Qianfan glanced at her, took off his jacket, and handed it to her. “Put this on, don’t catch a cold.”

Xia Ruo hesitated, shaking her head. “I’m not cold.”

Lin Qianfan ignored her and draped the jacket over her shoulders. “Stop being stubborn. Put it on.”

She lowered her head, holding the jacket’s edges, and softly murmured an affirmative.

The dorm guys were ahead, laughing and chatting.

By the time they returned to school, night had fully fallen.

Lin Qianfan saw Xia Ruo safely into the girls’ dormitory, standing there until she entered before turning to leave.

The next day, unpleasant rumors began circulating around the school.

“Hasn’t Lin Qianfan always liked Xu Qian? Why is he suddenly so close to Xia Ruo?”

“Tsk, Xia Ruo acts all high and mighty, but she’s so scheming behind the scenes.”

“Xia Ruo’s just an ordinary girl. How could Lin Qianfan possibly like her?”

“Don’t judge a book by its cover. Maybe Xia Ruo used some tricks.”

These words spread rapidly, soon becoming known throughout the school.

Xia Ruo kept her head down all day, walking close to the walls, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

On his way to class, Lin Qianfan heard the whispers around him, his expression growing colder by the moment.

“Qianfan, did you hear? Everyone’s talking about you and Xia Ruo.”

Yong Pan leaned in and lowered his voice.

Lin Qianfan glanced at him. “Let them talk. I don’t care.”

Yong Pan patted his shoulder. “Bro, nice attitude.”

Lin Qianfan said no more but worried about Xia Ruo—how she was holding up.

Entering the classroom, he looked at Xia Ruo.

“Don’t mind the rumors. If anything happens, just tell me.”

Xia Ruo lowered her head, softly responding with a “Hmm,” though she felt uneasy inside.

At that moment, Xu Qian suddenly pushed open the classroom door and walked in.

She stood before Lin Qianfan’s desk, arms crossed, coldly staring at him.

“Lin Qianfan, we need to talk.”

The classmates immediately quieted down, turning to watch.

“Say what you need to say.” Lin Qianfan didn’t look up, continuing to work on his problem.

Xu Qian bit her lip, lowering her voice further. “I mean privately.”

Only then did Lin Qianfan look up and glance at her. “Fine, meet me on the playground.”

Xu Qian turned and left the classroom. Lin Qianfan tossed down his pen and stood up.

Yong Pan tugged at him. “Are you really going? That woman’s up to no good.”

Lin Qianfan patted his hand. “Relax, I know what I’m doing.”

On the playground, Xu Qian stood beneath a tree, hands in her pockets, waiting for Lin Qianfan.

Seeing him approaching from a distance, she straightened, expression blank.

“Speak. What is it?” Lin Qianfan stopped, hands in his uniform pockets.

Xu Qian took a deep breath. “Lin Qianfan, I agree to be your girlfriend.”

Lin Qianfan scoffed.

“But I have one condition: you must humiliate Xia Ruo in front of the entire school.”

Hearing that, Lin Qianfan’s smile vanished instantly. His gaze froze on her, his expression chillingly cold.

“Xu Qian, are you insane?”

Xu Qian was taken aback by his words; her face darkened.

“Lin Qianfan, don’t forget—you liked me first.”

“I agree now, but you refuse me for that Xia Ruo?”

“What does she have going for her? Poor, no background, so what if she’s smart? What can she bring you?”

Lin Qianfan sneered.

“Xu Qian, you really have opened my eyes.”

“Who do you think you are? Why should I listen to you?”

“Oh, and humiliating Xia Ruo in front of the whole school? Do you really think you’re some queen?”

Hearing this, Xu Qian trembled with fury, pointing at Lin Qianfan and cursing.

“Lin Qianfan, look at yourself!”

“Ugly, dark-skinned, and dirt poor!”

“You’re only fit to be with someone like Xia Ruo!”