Xu Qingqing had broken up with Xie Lianqing yet again.
The reason? She had failed her CET-4 exam, and instead of comforting her, her boyfriend had the audacity to laugh when he heard her score.
Chuckling, he teased in that infuriatingly gentle voice of his, "Hmm, did you skip the listening section?"
Xu Qingqing: "…?"
Sure, she might be academically challenged, but even she had her pride!
And just like that, with a single remark, the young miss Xu flew into a rage and dumped her boyfriend on the spot.
……
Outside the library, Xu Qingqing stormed off with such fury that her strides could only be described as "disowning all relatives." The moment she left, the students who had been pretending to mind their own business immediately whipped out their phones, eagerly spreading the hottest gossip—"Xu Qingqing and Xie Lianqing are breaking up!!"
At A University, everyone knew Xu Qingqing.
She was breathtakingly beautiful, having driven into campus on her first day in a sports car and instantly earning the title of campus belle, with suitors lining up one after another. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for everyone to realize Xu Qingqing’s true nature—a drama queen through and through.
Yes, Xu Qingqing was gorgeous, sweet-voiced, and came from a wealthy family. She had the princess syndrome, but she also had the princess life to match—a certified, high-maintenance diva.
Since starting university, she had gone through several relationships, none lasting longer than a month, and the shortest ending in half a day.
One poor fool had been bragging to his group chats in the morning about landing the campus belle, only to be dumped by afternoon because the milk tea he bought her wasn’t precisely 75°C.
His face had turned green with shock, clutching the offending drink in sheer disbelief.
Among Xu Qingqing’s ex-boyfriends, similar breakup reasons were the norm—so much so that everyone eventually accepted that when it came to being extra, Xu Qingqing was simply gifted.
Just as people were placing bets on who her next boyfriend would be, Xu Qingqing and Xie Lianqing got together.
Like Xu Qingqing, Xie Lianqing was a legend at A University.
Hailing from a top-tier elite family, he was stunningly handsome, a prodigy who had skipped grades effortlessly, studied abroad, and returned to join the Xie conglomerate. Not long ago, he had been invited back to the university as a guest speaker.
If life were a script, Xie Lianqing would undoubtedly be the protagonist—the golden boy holding all the aces.
Though he had long graduated, A University still buzzed with tales of his brilliance.
Professors and students alike would say the same thing when his name came up: "He truly is an exceptional genius."
Compared to Xu Qingqing, Xie Lianqing had no shortage of admirers either. Yet during his time at the university, he had never dated anyone, earning him the reputation of an untouchable ice prince.
So when these two seemingly incompatible people got together—!!!
Even more shocking? According to insiders, they had actually dated before, only to break up. And those flings Xu Qingqing had after starting university? Apparently, they were just to spite Xie Lianqing.
Some believed the rumors, others didn’t—but everyone was dying to know when they’d finally call it quits.
Like now, for instance. Onlookers pretended to chat or stroll casually while frantically typing away on their phones.
A new post exploded on A University’s forum: "Drama Queen and God Xie Are Fighting AGAIN!! [Pics][Pics]"
The thread instantly went HOT.
Replies flooded in within seconds—
"Damn, how many times is this now?"
"I was sitting right behind them in the library—heard the diva yell about breaking up. How does Xie Lianqing put up with this?"
"Say what you will, but Xu Qingqing is seriously gorgeous in these pics…"
"^ This. With a face like that, I’d gladly be her simp!"
As the university’s most notorious drama queen, Xu Qingqing had the looks to back it up. Her features were flawlessly delicate, her figure curvaceous, her skin so fair it seemed to glow—an undeniable beauty.
Even when angry, she was a vision. Now, with her cheeks puffed and curls whipping in the wind, she stomped ahead like a force of nature.
After about ten meters, her boyfriend finally caught up.
"Qingqing?"
The fact that he took this long only added fuel to her fury. She gasped, "You only caught up NOW?!"
Xie Lianqing, well-versed in his girlfriend’s logic, held up a stack of books. "Grabbing these." Xu Qingqing had stormed off so fast she’d left her things behind, forcing him to gather everything before chasing after her.
The excuse was barely acceptable. Xu Qingqing’s anger dimmed slightly.
She had been ready for a full-blown fight, but stopping to scold him had already killed her momentum. Instead, she huffed, "You laughed at me."
Xie Lianqing frowned. "I didn’t."
He genuinely hadn’t meant to! Skipping the listening section might sound absurd for most, but Xu Qingqing had once overslept and missed an entire exam. Given how abysmal her score was, he’d thought it wasn’t entirely impossible.
Xu Qingqing glared. "You DID!"
"Fine, I did." Xie Lianqing surrendered, apologizing on reflex. "My bad."
Since dating Xu Qingqing, he had mastered the art of immediate apologies—regardless of whether he understood the reason, agreed with it, or was even at fault.
Thankfully, none of the surrounding students overheard, or a few more hearts would’ve shattered that night.
Xie Lianqing solemnly apologized for his reaction to her grades and promised to personally tutor her so she’d pass the next CET-4.
Once Xu Qingqing was sufficiently appeased, the two walked off hand in hand, sweetly heading to the campus cafeteria.
The spectators, initially hyped for drama, could only sigh (or squeal) as the showdown turned into a sugar rush. Once again, phones were whipped out to spread the latest updates, proving their dedication as professional gossipers.
……
After parting ways with Xie Lianqing at the dormitory, Xu Qingqing skipped into the hallway, humming to herself. Given their fame at A University, news of their library spat had already flooded the forums.
As she passed other dorm rooms, snippets of conversation drifted out—
"She’s so high-maintenance, threatening to break up over nothing…"
"How long before Xie Lianqing gets fed up and dumps her?"
"Pretty face can’t make up for that temper. I give it two weeks max…"
"One week?"
Xu Qingqing had heard it all before. She let the words go in one ear and out the other, pretending not to notice.
She remembered her mother—a woman known for her gentle, virtuous demeanor, the epitome of grace in their social circle. For over a decade, she had devoted herself to her family, only for her childhood sweetheart husband to cheat anyway.
From then on, Xu Qingqing decided that being meek and accommodating was bullsht. Men were all trash—ungrateful, worthless creatures.
She’d rather be an insufferable diva than a patient, long-suffering girlfriend or wife.
Xu Qingqing’s dorm was technically a double, but her roommate had taken a leave of absence shortly after enrollment, leaving her alone most of the time.
Exhausted from a day of studying, Xu Qingqing collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep almost instantly.
In her dream, she sat in the middle of a classroom, a book laid out before her. A gentle breeze swept through, flipping the pages one by one, and Xu Qingqing saw many familiar names written there.
...
When she woke up, it was already dark outside.
Xu Qingqing didn’t have time to dwell on how long she’d been asleep—her mind was still reeling from the plot she’d just witnessed in her dream.
She had discovered, to her shock, that she was living inside a novel!
Her boyfriend, Xie Lianqing, was the protagonist. The book chronicled the legendary rise of this young heir from an elite family as he became a titan of the business world.
But while her boyfriend was the male lead, Xu Qingqing was not the female lead.
She was the male lead’s spoiled, high-maintenance first love—a cannon-fodder side character. In the book, her specialty was making endless demands on her boyfriend, with a side hobby of breaking up with him for no reason. She was so insufferable that even the heavens and earth would rage at her antics.
After countless breakups and makeups with Xie Lianqing, she finally succeeded in ruining herself—right before their wedding.
After her death, the now-powerful business mogul Xie Lianqing grieved for a long time, only to gradually find solace in the arms of the novel’s female lead—Xu Qingqing’s stepsister, Bai Youlan.
Soon, they got together.
Apparently, it was because of Xu Qingqing’s existence that Xie Lianqing came to realize just how kind, innocent, gentle, and considerate Bai Youlan was.
In the end, the two even visited Xu Qingqing’s grave to pay their respects, with Bai Youlan silently thanking her in her heart—if it weren’t for Xu Qingqing’s untimely death, she would never have gotten together with the man she had long admired.
So, strictly speaking, Xu Qingqing was nothing more than a disposable plot device in the book, a stepping stone to pave the way for the main couple’s romance.
Heaven knew that when she read this part, Xu Qingqing nearly flew into a rage and swore to scatter the ashes of this despicable couple to the winds.
Who the hell starts a relationship at someone’s grave? That’s just evil!
But just as she reached this part, the book dissolved into specks of light and vanished into the air. She never got to see the rest of the plot. For some reason, no matter how absurd the story seemed, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it might actually be true.
So when she woke up, Xu Qingqing was in a terrible mood.
Outside, the sky was pitch black. After a moment’s thought, she picked up her phone and called Xie Lianqing.
As for whether it was too late and he might be sleeping?
Goodness, she was a spoiled drama queen—since when did she care about her boyfriend’s comfort?!
The call took a while to connect. The moment Xie Lianqing answered, Xu Qingqing blurted out, "Xie Lianqing, can you write me an 800-word essay proving your love for me?"
Startled awake, Xie Lianqing checked the time and fell silent.
After a pause, his voice came out hoarse. "...Baby, it’s 3 a.m."
Of course Xu Qingqing knew what time it was—she was doing this on purpose! Why should she be lying awake, tormented by her nightmare, while Xie Lianqing, the root of all her misery, slept soundly?
Xu Qingqing’s life philosophy was simple: If someone made her unhappy, she’d make sure their entire family suffered too—even if it was just in a dream.
She immediately demanded, "Are you writing it or not?"
Xie Lianqing took a deep breath. "I’ll write it, of course..." If he refused, he had no doubt Xu Qingqing would tear him apart.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, glanced out the window, and said calmly, "How about in a couple of days? I’m in the middle of a project right now... I’ll give it to you next time we meet."
As the only son of his family, he wasn’t like other idle rich heirs. His father had high expectations for him, and he was already handling real responsibilities in the company’s board of directors, swamped with work every day. Even the time he stole to see his girlfriend was squeezed out with great difficulty—precious and rare.
Not long before Xu Qingqing’s call, he had been reviewing the company’s latest proposal.
Xie Lianqing’s reasoning was perfectly sound, and his tone was utterly sincere. If he had a more understanding girlfriend, she would’ve melted with guilt, immediately retracting her demand and maybe even rushing to cook him a nourishing soup.
At the very least, she would’ve softly murmured, "Don’t overwork yourself. Try not to stay up too late."
Unfortunately, Xie Lianqing’s girlfriend was Xu Qingqing.
A drama queen.
A master of melodrama and unreasonable demands.
Before he could even finish, she exploded: "Liar!!"
Xie Lianqing’s temple throbbed—he knew this was going south.
