Military training had barely ended when Su Yuan dragged Zhang Yanyan toward the private restaurant beside the school, swinging her arm and pleading sweetly, “Cousin, the people in my dorm said the sweet-and-sour ribs and squirrel-shaped mandarin fish here are amazing. We absolutely have to try them today. I’ve been craving them forever.”
“If you want to eat them, Auntie Chen can make them for you. Her cooking is pretty good too,” Zhang Yanyan said helplessly, allowing herself to be pulled along.
“Auntie Chen’s cooking is delicious, but food from outside tastes different. We should come out and try something new once in a while.”
Su Yuan pouted as she pushed open the door of the private restaurant. The interior was tastefully decorated, and there weren’t many customers. By the window sat a young man and woman—it was Song Ze and Zhou Nian.
Zhou Nian also spotted Zhang Yanyan and Su Yuan. She lifted her teacup and took a sip, then deliberately set it down with a heavy clack. She snorted coldly at them, rolled her eyes dramatically, and wore an expression of utter disdain.
Su Yuan was completely baffled by the sudden snort. Frowning, she stepped forward with her hands on her hips. “What’s your problem? Have we done anything to you? You’re snorting at us just for walking past you. What’s wrong with you?”
Zhou Nian looked up and shot Su Yuan a glance, her tone sharp. “I snorted. So what? Do you own this restaurant? If I don’t like the sight of someone, can’t I snort?”
“How can you be so unreasonable?” Su Yuan’s face flushed with anger. She reached out, ready to argue with Zhou Nian, but Zhang Yanyan grabbed her and held her back.
Zhang Yanyan stepped forward, fixing Zhou Nian with a cold gaze. Her voice was calm, but carried a bone-chilling edge. “Zhou Nian, if you’re sick, go to a hospital. If there’s something wrong with your brain, make an appointment with neurology. Don’t stand around in public making a nuisance of yourself and ruining everyone else’s appetite.”
With that, she took Su Yuan’s hand and turned to the server. “Excuse me, we’d like a private room. Somewhere quiet.”
“Of course, miss. Right this way.” The server hurriedly led them upstairs to a private room.
As Su Yuan was pulled along, she glanced back and glared at Zhou Nian. She muttered under her breath, “What’s wrong with that woman? Cousin, who is she? Why does she seem to hate you so much?”
The two of them entered the private room. The server poured them tea and left. Zhang Yanyan leaned back in her chair and took a sip before slowly saying, “Her name is Zhou Nian. She’s in the Computer Science Department and Song Ze’s girlfriend. During our freshman year, Song Ze spread rumors about me and slandered me. She helped him target me. He manipulated her completely—she’s a textbook case of someone who loses all sense when she falls in love.”
“Song Ze? You mean that scumbag who spread rumors about you—the one you told me about last time?”
Su Yuan’s eyes widened. She slapped the table angrily. “So that’s who he is! That guy is seriously vile. And his girlfriend is no better—she targeted you without even finding out the truth. Has someone slammed a door on her head?”
“Exactly,” Zhang Yanyan said. “There’s no reasoning with someone that stupid. Song Ze has her completely brainwashed. Nothing anyone says will get through to her.”
“That’s infuriating!” Su Yuan picked up the menu and flipped through it furiously. “Forget it. We’ll just enjoy our own meal. Don’t let people like that ruin our mood. We’re going to eat until we can’t move!”
Zhang Yanyan smiled, took the menu, and ordered several dishes Su Yuan liked, along with two lighter ones. After calling out to the server, she set the menu down and began chatting with Su Yuan about games.
“I downloaded that new competitive game you mentioned yesterday. Want to play together when we get back tonight?”
“Really?” Su Yuan’s eyes lit up. “That’s great, Cousin! I played a round yesterday and got completely sabotaged by my teammates. You’re good at the game—carry me tonight!”
“We’ll see how you perform.” Zhang Yanyan raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes.
The two were chatting happily when Zhang Yanyan got up to use the restroom. The moment she stepped out of the private room, Zhou Nian blocked her at the corner of the hallway. Zhou Nian leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, her face filled with mocking amusement.
“Zhang Yanyan, you’re really something now,” Zhou Nian said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Having someone powerful backing you makes all the difference, doesn’t it? Now you can bully people whenever you feel like it? Song Ze didn’t want you, so you’re jealous of me and deliberately showing off in front of me. Do you think I’m afraid of you?”
Zhang Yanyan stopped and looked at her coldly, finding the whole thing rather amusing. “Jealous of you? Zhou Nian, you must be living in a dream.
“I’d have to be blind to envy someone who’s being played by a scumbag. Song Ze and that new transfer student, Tang Tang, have been openly flirting. They were even hugging and cuddling by the classroom door. Are you blind, or are you just pretending not to see it?”
“You’re lying!” Zhou Nian straightened abruptly, her face turning red. “Tangtang just transferred here and has a lot she doesn’t understand. Song Ze was only helping her. Tangtang was the one pestering him—it has nothing to do with Song Ze! You just can’t stand the fact that Song Ze and I are together, so you’re trying to drive us apart!”
“Me? Trying to drive you apart?” Zhang Yanyan scoffed. “Zhou Nian, try using your brain. Song Ze showed his true colors back in our freshman year. He’s a complete bastard, with absolutely no integrity. Now he’s cheating on you, and you’re still defending him. Has he brainwashed you?”
She took a step forward and looked Zhou Nian straight in the eye, enunciating every word. “I’m only going to warn you once today. Song Ze and Tang Tang have been involved for quite some time. He likes Tang Tang’s gentleness, but he’s unwilling to give up everything you do for him, so he’s trying to have both of you. If you keep refusing to face reality, whatever happens to you in the end will be your own fault.”
“Stop trying to scare me!” Zhou Nian took a step back. Her eyes darted away, but she still stubbornly refused to yield. “I don’t believe you. Song Ze only has me in his heart. You’re just jealous of me!”
“Believe me or don’t. It’s up to you.” Zhang Yanyan spread her hands, her tone indifferent. “I’m only giving you a well-intentioned warning. If you insist on jumping into the pit, no one else can save you. I’m no saint. You should be grateful I bothered to warn you even once.”
With that, she walked around Zhou Nian and headed straight for the restroom. In her mind, she said to Eighteen, “Eighteen, starting now, monitor Song Ze and Tang Tang’s movements around the clock, along with all their communications. WeChat, text messages, phone calls—don’t miss a thing. Let’s see how they plan to handle this. We can’t let them escape legal punishment like they did in the original storyline.”
[Understood.]
“Also, investigate everything about the Tang Corporation, including its legitimate businesses and whatever it’s doing behind the scenes. I want all of its dirt.”
A cold glint flashed in Zhang Yanyan’s eyes. “Since Tang Tang wants to throw herself into this, I’ll take down the Tang Corporation along with her.”
[Retrieving information related to the Tang Corporation. The host may also assist with the investigation using her own hacking skills.]
“Eighteen, are you joking? I’m not at home right now.”
[…]
Zhang Yanyan curled her lips into a smile. After washing her hands, she left the restroom and returned to the private room. Su Yuan was lying across the table, playing on her phone. The moment she saw Zhang Yanyan come in, she immediately looked up.
“Cousin, what took you so long? The dishes are almost all here.”
“Nothing much. I ran into a classmate and chatted for a bit.” Zhang Yanyan sat down, picked up her chopsticks, and placed a piece of sweet-and-sour rib in Su Yuan’s bowl. “Eat up. Don’t let unpleasant people ruin your mood.”
“Mm-hmm.” Su Yuan took the spare rib and began eating heartily, instantly banishing Zhou Nian from her mind.
