Chapter 81: Emotions Still Suppressed

“I… temptation?

Of course there’s temptation.

That relaxed feeling—Shen Ran did know it well. She really enjoyed being with Su Yichen, but…

Difficult? If she knew it was impossible and still stayed by his side, wouldn’t that put Su Yichen in a tough spot?

He already has Tong Ya and Lizi by his side.

The private room door was pushed open, and dishes were slowly brought in.

The two girls seemed to have reached an unspoken understanding at that moment. Mo Qingqiu didn’t speak, and Shen Ran remained silent.

Mo Qingqiu spoke up. “Let’s have lunch.”

“Mm.”

Shen Ran naturally responded.

The atmosphere between them was a little strange.

Shen Ran picked up her chopsticks, glanced at the four dishes and one soup on the table, and reached for a piece of pan-fried golden brown tofu.

The tofu looked rich in color, smooth to the palate—just like…

Su Yichen’s lips.

‘Why am I… again…’

Shen Ran felt a private mix of embarrassment and annoyance.

She had been a relatively conservative girl since childhood; when had she ever had such reckless thoughts in her head?

But all Shen Ran could do was feel privately embarrassed.

If it were Tong Ya, she’d probably be excitedly sneaking her legs together right now.

Mo Qingqiu didn’t give an answer, and Mo Qingqiu wasn’t in a rush.

As a master-level fun-seeker, she knew well that patience is a virtue.

The more spectacular the performance, the longer the foreplay needed.

Mo Qingqiu had enough patience.

In this silence, lunch was half finished.

Shen Ran put down her chopsticks and said, “I’ve thought about it, I… Senior Qingqiu.”

“I’ll stay in the school literature and art union department… That resignation I just mentioned, consider it canceled. Sorry for the trouble, Senior.”

“It’s fine.”

Mo Qingqiu waved her hand. “It was just a casual thing, nothing complicated.”

“Okay.”

Shen Ran gritted her teeth, as if making an incredibly difficult decision, then continued, “Senior, about what you said earlier… that you’d help me… I thought about it, and I think it’s better to just let it be. Being friends with Su Yichen is enough.”

“Anyway, thank you for your kindness, Senior Qingqiu.”

“Mm, that’s fine too. Being friends is also a good way to accompany each other.”

Mo Qingqiu’s calm voice sounded. “When Su Yichen ends up with another girl in the future, you can also offer your sincere blessings as a friend.”

The girl’s words were light and casual, but to Shen Ran, they were like a steel knife stabbing into her chest, making it hard to breathe.

September 24, cloudy, 2 PM.

Mo Qingqiu leaned against the sofa, frowning as if lost in thought.

“I didn’t expect Shen Ran to be not only decisive but also so mentally strong…”

“Even this couldn’t tempt her?”

Mo Qingqiu clearly felt the script was getting a bit out of hand.

It started with Luo Yueli, Shen Ran, and Jiang Jingjie’s love triangle.

Just a decent seasoning for after-dinner conversation.

Then came the encounter with Su Yichen and Tong Ya…

That was when things started to get interesting.

But now, Mo Qingqiu felt…

The plot had once again exceeded her control.

Originally, Shen Ran should have left the stage, letting Su Yueli, Luo Yueli, and Tong Ya take the spotlight…

Mo Qingqiu was still very eager to see Tong Ya, the eldest miss born into a prestigious family, show her true colors.

Miss Tong, who would tear off her mask in a fit of fury—she would definitely be very attractive.

Before Shen Ran came today for lunch, Mo Qingqiu’s thoughts revolved around that point.

But…

After seeing Shen Ran’s current state…

It seemed the script had to change again.

A noble eldest miss showing her true colors was indeed very attractive, but…

Luring a good girl astray, and persuading a courtesan to reform—those were also things the eldest miss Mo wanted to see.

This wasn’t a trait unique to men; it was universal to all humans.

Men were like this, and women were the same.

Mo Qingqiu wasn’t unwilling to see Shen Ran break her principles and boundaries.

She’d had that thought before.

But now it was a bit troublesome.

Su Yichen seemed to have quite a charismatic personality, making Shen Ran admire him.

She wasn’t completely unreceptive; she was restraining herself.

“This woman is more stubborn than I thought. Even after all that guidance, she’s still only willing to be friends.”

Mo Qingqiu felt she needed to find an opportunity to contact Su Yichen and get to know this man thoroughly.

He was far from simple.

She had heard Su Yichen and Shen Ran’s conversation before, and she knew this man…

But…

She also needed to think of a way to handle Shen Ran.

Did Shen Ran have no thoughts?

No, she must have, otherwise she wouldn’t be so conflicted.

But why hadn’t she fallen?

It must be because the temptation wasn’t strong enough.

In the face of sufficient temptation, no boundaries or principles are unbreakable.

This truth was something Mo Qingqiu, born into a prestigious family and exposed to power since childhood, understood very well.

So what should she do… to have a catalyst effect…

As she thought, Mo Qingqiu’s eyes swept over a white document bag on the sofa to her right.

Suddenly, the girl’s peach blossom eyes curved, and the corners of her lips curled into an extremely ambiguous smile.

‘What if I create an environment, let them play by themselves for a while… maybe… there will be some unexpected surprises.’

‘Also, I absolutely must find a way to contact Su Yichen.’

‘King meets king.’

‘Or else…’

‘It’ll be hard to get this kindred spirit of mine to take the bait and get into character.’

Qingyue University, College of Liberal Arts, teaching building rooftop.

Su Yichen carried an unopened bottle of mineral water, leaning leisurely against the railing.

It was quite pleasant.

The matter with Shen Ran didn’t affect him much. Playing the boyfriend of a beautiful girl—for most men, that kind of thrilling thing…

To Su Yichen, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Not to mention how many times he’d dated across the void realms, just from his work as a “rental boyfriend” in a certain void realm to earn money, he’d taken on no fewer than fifty clients.

The only question was whether to wear glasses or not.

After thinking it over, Su Yichen felt it was better to wear them.

It was now 2:15 PM.

Later he’d head to Guanghan Palace and push forward the progress on the Twin Sisters.

Right now was the time to enjoy lunch on the rooftop.

With that thought, Su Yichen cast his gaze toward the instant noodles on the bench next to him.

Master Kang’s Braised Pork Ribs Flavor.

Originally he’d wanted to buy the Pickled Cabbage Flavor, but then he thought about it—that pickled cabbage was even less fragrant than something he could stomp out with his own feet.

He figured he’d just go with the classic Braised Pork Ribs Flavor.

As for the pickled cabbage, not to mention anything else, Su Yichen felt that if he just took off his glasses, what he stomped out might actually sell.

Why eat instant noodles?

Of course, because he was broke.

Even now, he was still a zero-income person.

From enrollment until now, aside from receiving a refund from Luo Yueli, not a single cent had come in.

Now, everything he had, including his VX wallet, didn’t exceed three hundred yuan.

The good part was that he wouldn’t starve; the bad part was that he couldn’t afford anything else but instant noodles.