You have a package delivered.

A flash of terror passed through his heart, immediately replaced by relief.

Before today, Chen Ling had always struck Zhang Peng as clever and cunning, but his actions and words were transparent enough for Zhang Peng to see through. Over the past month, his interactions with his father had grown more frequent, as his father seemed to have taken quite an interest in this young man. Under his father’s guidance, Zhang Peng had carefully cultivated his relationship with Chen Ling, handling it step by step.

But today, Chen Ling had seen through all of it. Not only that, but he had even recognized the tests his father had set for him. Was Chen Ling right about this? That was what truly unsettled Zhang Peng.

As a son, he knew his father all too well. It was almost unbelievable: Zhang Peng had enjoyed studying as a child, but his father would often encourage him to skip class. Even his first taste of alcohol had been poured by his father—Zhang Peng was only twelve at the time. Though he had always been modest by nature, the daily chauffeured rides in his youth and the imported BMW he drove now were all forced on him by his father. When Zhang Peng began middle school, his father even prompted him to pursue girls and gave him tips.

“You need to look the part of a spoiled rich kid, so others won’t see you as a threat too soon.”

Yet at home, out of the public eye, Zhang Peng’s life was one of rigorous self-discipline.

So when he got into university, everyone except his parents and himself was utterly shocked. That lawless playboy? The notorious womanizer? He got into college?

“Ah, just goes to show—like father, like son. Must’ve paid his way in!” his father had joked at the celebratory dinner after receiving the acceptance letter.

His father had even chosen Qujiang Business and Technology University for him. It wasn’t that Zhang Peng couldn’t get into a better school; it was because several renowned professors there were highly respected in the province, and even top-level information was accessible through them.

“I’ve paved the way for you. If you can carry the load, Pengcheng Group will be yours one day. If you can’t, just live your life as a wealthy heir and forget about business.”

His father was determined to test him in every possible way, but Zhang Peng had assumed those trials would begin after graduation. Yet with a single sentence, Chen Ling had awakened him to the truth.

But Chen Ling had never even met his father—how could he so accurately guess his father’s intentions? Zhang Peng felt a wave of gratitude—such a person was his friend!

“What personal matters are you dealing with? Need any help?” Zhang Peng asked Chen Ling sincerely.

His standards for friendship were high, but once he acknowledged someone as a friend, he treated them with utmost loyalty.

Chen Ling thought for a moment. “One is Ruan Hui. He came back this time—he definitely has an agenda.” He gestured behind him.

“Him?” Zhang Peng laughed. “That kid’s up to no good, I can tell. That’s easy enough to handle—I’ll get a couple of guys together and rough him up a bit. He’ll behave after that.”

“That’s not the right approach,” Chen Ling objected. “With someone like him, you have to crush him completely in one go, leave him with no thought of revenge. He knows us too well—if he tried to set us up, we’d never see it coming.”

Zhang Peng blinked. “You’ve got a point. So, what do you propose?”

“Let’s play along for now, see what he’s really up to. Oh, and call Sheng along—I need you to come with me to the Institute of Technology for a bit…”

Based on Chen Ling’s judgment, among those who might hold a grudge against him, Zhou Jing—publicly rejected by Liu Xinyue last time—was definitely one.

After all, most hatred between people can be traced to just two words: love and profit.

These days, Zhou Jing was far from happy. After being rejected by Liu Xinyue in front of everyone, he’d tried to reflect on why he’d failed.

He concluded: he wasn’t romantic enough—not passionate enough!

Hadn’t Chen Ling managed to kiss Liu Xinyue right in public? Fortune favors the bold!

So, a few nights later, he went to the girls’ dormitory, arranged candles in a giant heart shape, and maxed out his credit card buying roses to scatter on the ground.

Yes, he was going to confess his love to Liu Xinyue! As long as she wasn’t married, he still had a chance.

After night fell, he got a few classmates to help set the scene, then waited patiently.

But he waited and waited. The dorm matron locked the doors, and Liu Xinyue never showed up. Instead, he stood there sweating under the dorm building, his lonely figure once again going viral on the university forum, captioned: “The loneliness of one is the carnival of many.”

The next day, he was even scolded by the college administration for violating campus rules—littering, they called it, because of the rose petals he’d scattered everywhere.

If not for the kindness of one of Liu Xinyue’s roommates, who told him she hadn’t been staying in the dorm lately, Zhou Jing might have continued waiting like a fool.

But this only drove him madder—if Liu Xinyue wasn’t in her dorm, where was she staying?

Zhou Jing didn’t dare think about it, but every sleepless night, as he tossed and turned, he imagined Liu Xinyue surrendering herself beneath another man…

That man, of course, was Chen Ling.

That unremarkable face was etched deeply into Zhou Jing’s mind!

This miserable mood stayed with Zhou Jing, so much so that he didn’t even go out with friends over the National Day holiday. He holed up in his dorm, endlessly watching movies, projecting Liu Xinyue onto every female lead, fantasizing himself as the hero. After two days, his dorm floor was once again covered in tissues.

Zhang Peng was at the wheel, Chen Ling riding shotgun, and Bao Zhenhai and Bu Chunsheng in the back as they drove into Qujiang Institute of Technology.

In 2008, it was rare enough for university students to own a car, let alone a flashy BMW. Their arrival immediately drew stares, and they drove straight to the men’s dormitory, where they all got out.

In truth, when Chen Ling mentioned coming to deal with a romantic rival, Zhang Peng was a bit surprised. He’d dined with Liu Xinyue and the others a few times, and judging by the way she clung to Chen Ling, even Daniel Wu couldn’t take her away—how could any rival hope to compete?

He smoked thoughtfully.

Meanwhile, Chen Ling pulled out his phone and called Zhou Jing directly. With tens of thousands of students in the QQ group, it had only taken him seconds to dig up Zhou Jing’s contact.

At that very moment, Zhou Jing was preparing to use a few more tissues while watching a video starring Kirara Asuka. Just as he was about to reach his goal, a phone call startled him so much he instantly lost all his enthusiasm. Left hanging in that uncomfortable state, blood rushed to his head, he felt short of breath, and his face went pale.

“Hello?” He answered, hearing a stranger’s voice on the other end.

“Zhou Jing, there’s a package for you—come down to collect it.”

“Huh? I didn’t order anything…”

“The sender is Liu Xinyue. Are you sure it’s not yours?”

“!!!”

Zhou Jing dashed out, hastily tightening his belt as he ran downstairs.

Before he could react, two people flanked him, hooked their arms around his neck, and dragged him into a corner.

Finally, Zhou Jing saw Chen Ling and instantly looked as if he’d seen a ghost. He would recognize that face anywhere—after all, every sleepless night, when he thought of Liu Xinyue, the male lead in his visions was always Chen Ling.

This man had become his living nightmare.