Chapter 22: I Shall

Meng Ziyi truly couldn’t endure Chu Fei’s teasing any longer.

She abruptly set down her bowl and chopsticks and shot to her feet with a sudden movement.

Secretary Jin, who was seated right beside Meng Ziyi, was startled by her reaction.

“What’s wrong, miss? Was the rice too hard and made you choke? Should I get you some water?”

Those words hit Meng Ziyi right where it hurt. Flustered and angry, she snapped, “Mind your own business! With so much food, can’t you keep your mouth shut?”

Are you kidding me? Just because you’re my boss, you think you can shut me up? That’s only something my future boyfriend would have the right to do!

Even though she thought this, Secretary Jin wisely chose to keep silent.

Meng Ziyi glared at the smug Chu Fei and then stormed off to the restroom.

Sometimes, you don’t have to retort with words—there are other ways to make a point.

Chu Fei thought to himself, “You want to tease me? What’s so special about being my senior? When I go a little crazy, not even I can handle myself.”

The delicate wife, Shen Miaoyu, asked, “What’s wrong with President Meng? Did I say something wrong?”

“It’s nothing. Just the tide coming in.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t need to concern yourself with grown-up affairs. Just eat.”

Chu Fei picked up a dish Shen Miaoyu disliked most and put it in her bowl. “Master said you can’t be picky with food. Whether it’s banana milk or anything else, you have to eat it.”

Monks always say that form is emptiness, and emptiness is form.

Chu Fei was nothing like those ascetics.

For him, whenever there’s emptiness, there’s desire!

After lunch, Meng Ziyi proposed taking Chu Fei and the others to the new company, so they could familiarize themselves and get all the necessary paperwork done.

Chu Fei had no interest in running a company, but there was nothing better to do at home, so he decided to tag along.

Perhaps they all knew Chu Fei was just going to be a hands-off boss.

Thus, the management and most of the projects for the new company were handed over to Shen Miaoyu, while Chu Fei was merely a figurehead.

By the time they finished everything and returned home, it was already past eight in the evening.

After taking a shower, Chu Fei finally picked up his phone and glanced through his WeChat messages.

All of the senior and junior disciples had a WeChat group together—and not just one.

There were seven of them, but eight groups. The real drama was always in the group chats!

When their master was present, everyone kept things proper.

In the other groups, though, with Chu Fei present, things escalated quickly.

“Little brother, your fourth senior sister will come visit you in a few days,” wrote Zhou Mi, the hugely popular celebrity and his fourth senior sister.

Chu Fei replied, “Looking forward to it, fourth sister! I’d like to play a doctor, a teacher, and a captain. Please help me polish my acting skills when the time comes!”

“I really can’t stand how you always get it immediately,” replied Xia Ziqing, renowned miracle doctor and second senior sister.

“Second sister, when it comes to your heart, everything you see is dirty!” The eldest senior sister, Qin Yitian, goddess of war, sent a ‘covering mouth with a mocking smile’ emoji.

Meng Ziyi wrote, “Little brother now has seven fiancées, plus one Shen Miaoyu. Where would he find time for you faded flowers?”

Xia Ziqing: “I know about the seven fiancées, but who’s this Shen Miaoyu?”

Zhou Mi: “Third sister, didn’t you tell me to keep this secret? Now you’re exposing it in the group—if fifth sister finds out… Oh, wait, she’s not in this group. Never mind.”

Qin Yitian sent a ‘vigilant’ emoji.

Xia Ziqing: “What do you mean? Eldest and fourth, you both know who Shen Miaoyu is?”

Meng Ziyi: “Actually, Shen Miaoyu is quite capable at work. I feel comfortable leaving the project in her hands.”

Zhou Mi: “Too bad she’s not one of the seven fiancées, or we’d have one less rival.”

Qin Yitian sent a ‘disappointed’ emoji.

Xia Ziqing: “Seriously, who the hell is Shen Miaoyu?”

Meng Ziyi: “This has to be kept secret from fifth sister. I don’t want to have to clean up after Shen Miaoyu.”

Zhou Mi: “Don’t worry, my horoscope clashes with fifth sister’s. I never chat with her privately.”

Qin Yitian sent a ‘received’ emoji.

Xia Ziqing: “Can someone please respond to me? What am I even in this group for?!”

Chu Fei: “You’re the mascot.”

Meng Ziyi: “+1.”

Zhou Mi: “+1.”

Qin Yitian sent a ‘+1’ emoji.

Xia Ziqing: “???”

After bantering for a while in the group, Chu Fei closed the chat and tapped the little red dot in his contacts list.

Jiang Yunqi’s profile picture was still there.

Chu Fei chuckled, “I shall now rescue you from the cold palace!”

…

Meanwhile.

In the women’s dormitory at Longcheng University.

Jiang Yunqi, who had sworn she’d be a dog if she ever paid Chu Fei any attention again, still couldn’t escape the law of true fragrance.

Every minute, she checked her phone to see if Chu Fei had accepted her friend request.

Luo Man, noticing how distracted she was, frowned. “Qiqi, why do you keep staring at your phone? Don’t tell me you’re still waiting for that guy to accept you?”

The other two girls in the dorm looked over at Jiang Yunqi when they heard this.

Their dorm was known as the most beautiful on campus.

Besides Jiang Yunqi, there was another campus belle, Guan Ya.

Unlike Jiang Yunqi, who was bold and seductive, Guan Ya, with her long legs and cool aura, kept everyone at arm’s length.

Luo Man and Qu Yiyi, though not as stunning as the two belles, were still among the brightest stars in many boys’ youthful memories.

Jiang Yunqi, her wine-red hair tied back, quickly put down her phone and feigned indifference.

“As if! Men only affect the timing of my period!”

As for what happened that morning, both Guan Ya and Qu Yiyi had heard something about it.

Every college has its forums and group chats, and any news about Jiang Yunqi spread like wildfire—no less than the rumors about some top celebrities.

Guan Ya wasn’t that interested in gossip.

But Qu Yiyi was notorious for it!

“Qiqi, everyone on campus is talking about it. What’s really going on between you and that guy?” Qu Yiyi asked.

Jiang Yunqi didn’t want to make things public, so she replied, “It’s complicated between us. I don’t even know how to explain…”

“Is he your ex?” Qu Yiyi probed further.

As Jiang Yangrong’s planted informant in the dorm, she had to get to the bottom of Jiang Yunqi’s relationship with Chu Fei.

Jiang Yunqi shook her head quickly. “No! I’ve never even dated anyone. Where would I get an ex from?”

Qu Yiyi grinned. “Good. I thought your taste was that bad—passing up Jiang Yangrong, the rich heir, to get tangled up with some penniless guy!”

Luo Man offered a fair comment.

Qu Yiyi snorted, “You’re all too young. Love without material foundation is just a pile of sand!”

“I’ve seen the photos. That guy was wearing a shabby old robe—no designer brands anywhere in sight!”

“He’s clearly poor. He’s not good enough for you!”

Guan Ya, who had been silent, suddenly said, “I actually think he’s pretty handsome.”

“What good is handsome? You can’t eat it!” Qu Yiyi, speaking as the experienced one, tried to talk Jiang Yunqi out of it.

“Don’t waste your time on that country bumpkin. Jiang Shao invited us to a bar tonight—are you coming?”

Just as she finished speaking, Jiang Yunqi’s phone rang.

She immediately opened WeChat and exclaimed excitedly, “He accepted!”

“So what if he did? Why are you so thrilled?” Luo Man rolled her eyes, feeling her best friend was completely under his thumb.

Jiang Yunqi coughed, “I’m not!”

Qu Yiyi, meanwhile, was already scheming. She gave Jiang Yunqi a sly grin.

“So, do you want to invite him out? We’re heading to the bar anyway—let’s check him out for ourselves!”