[Economics Building Hallway — September 17, Wednesday, 12:05 PM]
The hallway air felt thick with body heat and anticipation. Bodies surrounded Lin Feng and Xiao Yue like a living wall. Phones glowed from every angle, screens recording, fingers typing frantically.
Lin Feng's body was still angled protectively, his free arm creating a barrier between Xiao Yue and the students pressing from behind. Someone's backpack pushed against his shoulder. Another student tried to shove closer, and he shifted his weight to block them.
"About that question earlier—"
Xiao Yue tilted her head up to look at him from within the shelter of his stance. The hood shadowed most of her face, but her dark eyes caught the fluorescent lights overhead.
"The date?"
Her voice carried just loud enough for the students nearest them to hear.
"Yes."
Students around them immediately leaned in closer. Phones aimed tighter. The press of bodies intensified.
"Are they talking about a date?"
"Oh my god, they're going on a date!"
Xiao Yue's eyes scanned the crowd slowly, moving across excited faces and glowing screens.
Then she found who she was looking for.
Su Qingxue stood near the classroom exit, caught between the dispersing crowd and students still blocking the hallway.
She had tried to leave, her body angled toward the stairwell, but the press of bodies made movement impossible. Students were still flooding out from other classrooms, creating a bottleneck.
Her phone was tucked away in her bag now. She had already sent her messages to Long Tian, already committed to checking Zhang Tingting's dorm. She just needed to get out of this hallway.
But she could not move. The crowd blocked every direction.
And despite herself, her eyes kept tracking back to Lin Feng and Xiao Yue at the center of the chaos. She told herself she was just observing for the mission.
But her hands were shaking.
Xiao Yue's gaze locked on her rival.
Then her chin tilted down. The movement was slow and deliberate. The physical gesture unmistakable.
Looking down at her.
Not just physically. In every way that mattered.
There you are, you whore.
The satisfaction that flooded through Xiao Yue was cold and sharp and perfect.
The whore who used my Lin Feng for four years.
The one who bled him dry.
Now watch as I show you how to be affectionate while not looking like some eye-glazed zombie.
She let the dismissal show in her eyes, in the tilt of her chin, in the way she looked at Su Qingxue for exactly two seconds before looking away again.
Victory euphoria hit her like a wave of warmth spreading through her chest. She had just destroyed Su Qingxue in front of hundreds of witnesses. Made her watch the claiming happen in real time with no way to stop it.
She stepped forward. Two deliberate steps that took her out from behind Lin Feng's protective stance and placed her directly in view of the entire crowd. His arm dropped slightly in surprise.
Now everyone could see her clearly. Center stage.
Her hand tightened on Lin Feng's, pulling him slightly forward with her. She was still riding that victory high, and the euphoria made her bold.
"I'd like that."
Her voice carried satisfaction through the hallway, clear and steady.
"Very much."
She was enthusiastic. Genuinely happy, and she wanted everyone to witness it.
Perfect afternoon.
The students erupted.
"She said yes!"
"She stepped OUT—"
"They're going on a date!"
"This is INSANE!"
Xiao Yue smiled beneath her hood. Then her expression shifted to something more serious. Her fingers loosened slightly on Lin Feng's hand but did not let go.
"But you need to remember something."
Lin Feng looked down at her. His eyebrows raised slightly. "What's that?"
She spun.
The turn was dramatic and precise. Her skirt fluttered in the motion, fabric catching air. Every student's attention snapped to the movement like a magnet.
And once again, her hood fell off.
The fluorescent hallway lights caught her face fully. Long jet black hair fell like silk around her shoulders, framing delicate features. Pale skin that seemed to glow even under harsh institutional lighting. Deep dark eyes that held depths most people never noticed.
She was not pretty in the conventional campus belle way. Su Qingxue was pretty. Polished. Maintained through forty minutes of daily makeup and expensive salon treatments.
Xiao Yue was beautiful in a way that made people forget to breathe. Ethereal beauty that existed without effort. Petite and graceful, like she had been born knowing exactly how to move.
Hauntingly beautiful. Beauty that could only be described as one only immortals possessed.
Heads turned in unison. Phones raised higher. The noise level dropped for just a second.
Then the students erupted again.
"Did she just—"
"OH MY GOD—"
"That SPIN though—"
"She's... beautiful..."
Xiao Yue's fingers came up before Lin Feng could respond. She pressed two fingers gently against his lips, silencing whatever he had been about to say.
"You won't be able to do anything about this problem anyway."
Her voice came out matter-of-fact. Almost cheerful.
"Not when you're the source of the problem."
No accusation. No anger.
"You want both of us. Maybe more."
Just cold analytical truth delivered with complete confidence.
Students nearby who caught her words lost their minds.
"What did she say?!"
"Did she say both—"
"Both? Is there a second girl?"
"She shut him up TWICE—"
"This is PEAK CINEMA—"
Xiao Yue brought the finger that had touched Lin Feng's mouth to her own lips. The movement was slow and deliberate, giving every phone camera time to capture it.
She kissed it gently. Let her lips linger for just a moment.
Then she smiled at him.
The student reactions detonated.
"DID SHE JUST—"
"THAT'S AN INDIRECT KISS—"
"PUBLIC INTIMACY—"
"She has him WRAPPED—"
"I'm posting this EVERYWHERE—"
Xiao Yue glanced at Su Qingxue again, this time with her hood off. The look was quick and dismissive, lasting barely a second.
Like checking if trash had been properly discarded.
Then her attention returned to Lin Feng as if Su Qingxue had never existed at all.
"You're welcome."
She linked her arm through his, the movement smooth and natural. Her shoulderleaned into his side.
"Now. You owe me a date. Let's go."
Lin Feng stood frozen for a moment. His mind genuinely caught off guard despite all his training and experience.
Intelligence training had prepared him for interrogations. Enhanced interrogations that pushed the boundaries of psychological endurance — psychological warfare designed to break trained operatives.
But nothing had prepared him for Xiao Yue stepping out of his protection to claim him publicly in front of the entire hallway.
"You did that on purpose."
His voice came out dry and resigned.
"Obviously."
Her tone carried satisfaction and absolutely no shame whatsoever.
The student chaos continued around them like a living thing. Phones were everywhere, screens glowing. Videos uploading in real-time. Messages flying across campus networks at lightspeed.
This moment would be talked about for weeks.
The crowd started to part slowly. Students stepped back, too shocked by what they had just witnessed to keep blocking the couple's path. The wall of bodies opened like water flowing around a stone.
-------------------
[12:08 PM]
Su Qingxue stood at the crowd's edge, her back pressed against the cold hallway wall.
Her hands trembled around her phone. The plastic case felt slick with sweat from her palms.
She had just watched the entire thing unfold in front of hundreds of witnesses.
The downward glance. The spin. The hood falling. That face. The finger kiss. The public claiming.
Her chest felt tight, like someone had wrapped bands around her ribs and was pulling them tighter with each breath.
That girl…
Does she really want to pick a fight with me?
Her jaw clenched. Anger surged hot and righteous through her veins.
Just you wait. When Brother Tian becomes successful, I will also look down on you.
I'll make you regret this.
But even as the thought formed, even as the anger burned bright and justified—
Heat.
Different heat. The wrong heat.
It started as warmth in her chest, then spread downward through her stomach. Lower. The sensation felt foreign and unwelcome and completely wrong.
But still—
Her breath caught in her throat.
Why does this feel—
She shoved the thought down hard before it could finish forming. Refused to let it complete itself.
No! I'm just angry. That's all. I'm just furious at being humiliated.
But her body was not listening to that explanation, no matter how many times she repeated it in her mind.
The heat kept spreading through her like liquid fire. Her pulse raced faster than it should for simple anger. Something low in her stomach tightened and clenched in a way that had absolutely nothing to do with rage.
This is wrong.
Something is definitely wrong here…
Around her, students were still talking excitedly, but their voices sounded distant and muffled. Someone brushed past her shoulder. The normal sounds of campus life continued while she stood frozen against the wall.
She had watched Xiao Yue claim Lin Feng publicly. Watched her step out from his protection and take center stage. Watched her establish complete dominance without hesitation. Watched her win everything.
This should make me angrier. It does. It DOES. But replaying it—seeing her do that— Why does the heat intensify? Why does watching her—
She pressed her thighs together slightly. The movement was unconscious, automatic, her body responding without permission from her mind.
No. Stop. This isn't—
Her face burned hotter than before. The flush spreading across her cheeks had nothing to do with humiliation now.
It came from something else entirely.
Something she could not name even if she wanted to.
Something she absolutely did not want to acknowledge.
Through the gaps in the dispersing crowd, she could see Lin Feng and Xiao Yue walking away. Their backs to her. Hand in hand. Moving together toward the exit.
Then Xiao Yue glanced back over her shoulder.
Not at Su Qingxue specifically. Just a casual backward glance, like someone checking if they had dropped something.
Like checking if trash had been properly discarded and forgotten.
The casual dismissiveness hit harder than any direct confrontation could have.
She didn't even care enough to look at me properly. I'm beneath her. I'm completely inferior to her. And that should—it should make me want to—
But instead—
Her breath hitched in her chest.
The tightness low in her stomach intensified into something almost painful.
What is WRONG with me?
She clutched her phone tighter between both hands. The edges dug into her palms. She needed something solid to hold onto, something real and tangible to ground herself in reality.
I have Long Tian. He's better than Lin Feng in every way that matters.
I should be happy I escaped.
I should be relieved that he doesn't bother me anymore.
But her body was responding to Xiao Yue's dominance in ways that made absolutely no sense. Ways that contradicted everything she thought she knew about herself. Ways that frightened her.
Ways she absolutely could not acknowledge.
This feeling.
Her hands trembled as she watched them disappear around the corner. Gone from sight. Moving forward together while she stood frozen and confused and frightened.
I've felt this before.
The memory hit her like cold water.
At the restaurant two days ago. When Lin Feng had looked at her hands but didn't even bother to look at her face.
When he had walked away without a single backward glance with that hooded girl, leaving her standing alone in front of three hundred witnesses.
That same confusing heat spreading through her body. That same unexplainable tightness low in her stomach. That same breathless sensation that felt nothing like anger despite what she told herself.
She had buried that feeling immediately. Told herself it was rage at being dismissed.
It's just anger. That's all it was. But it's happening again right now. Stronger. Why? Why why why—
The question echoed in her mind with no answer she was willing to accept.
-------------------
Su Qingxue pressed her back harder against the hallway wall. The cold concrete helped ground her slightly.
She forced herself to breathe.
In.
Out.
Slower.
Her breath was coming too fast. Her face felt too hot. Her body was responding in ways that made no sense, and she needed to regain control.
Why does watching me being dominated make me feel like—
Stop!
She pressed her shoulders back against the wall hard enough that it hurt.
Remember why you're here.
I'm Long Tian's girlfriend now.
The thought cut through the confusion like ice water poured over her head.
Long Tian is my boyfriend. The man who actually cares about me.
Not Lin Feng. Not that... that scoundrel who just humiliated me.
Her hands steadied slightly around her phone. The trembling eased just a fraction.
Yes, Brother Tian told me to forget about Lin Feng.
He's not worth my energy.
Instead, I should focus on finding Tingting. She should be in the dorm room now.
She looked down at her phone. At the messages she had sent earlier. Long Tian's response clear and direct.
He had given her a task. A mission. Something concrete to focus on instead of this confusing mess.
The heat began to fade from her body. Slowly. Reluctantly. Like water draining from a basin.
This was just humiliation. That's all. Normal humiliation.
Nothing else.
Nothing strange.
Just... just do what Brother Tian asked.
Su Qingxue straightened her posture deliberately. She smoothed her skirt with trembling hands that were already steadier than before. Fixed her hair with practiced movements. Checked her makeup with her phone's camera.
The campus belle mask sliding back into place piece by piece.
Zhang Tingting. The dorm. That's where I need to go.
That's what Brother Tian asked me to do.
The confusing heat was buried now. Locked away in a deep place inside herself that she would not examine. Would not think about. Would not acknowledge existed.
Just stick to what Brother Tian wants from me.
The thought was comforting. Safe. Solid ground beneath her feet when everything else felt like quicksand.
Long Tian represented everything that made sense in her world. Kindness. Care. Validation. Someone who saw her as valuable and important. Someone who gave her direction when she felt lost.
Not... not whatever that confusing darkness was when Xiao Yue had looked down at her with such casual dismissal.
Or when Lin Feng doesn't even bother to look at her.
As if looking at her risks dirtying his eyes.
Yes… those are different things. Keep them separate.
The mission: Go to the dorm. Find Tingting.
The feelings: Don't think about them. They're not real. Lin Feng is nothing. That hooded girl is just full of plastic surgery. It's just humiliation.
Plain and simple.
Nothing big at all.
And nothing more.
Su Qingxue pushed off from the wall. The hallway was emptying now, students heading to lunch in groups.
Her eyes tracked the direction Lin Feng and Xiao Yue had gone one last time. The empty hallway stretched ahead, afternoon light streaming through windows at the far end.
They're going on a date somewhere off campus.
Let them go.
Brother Tian said to forget about him.
So I'll forget it.
She turned away deliberately. Tucked her phone into her designer bag. Took one last deep breath. Let it out slowly.
Mission. Focus on the mission.
I'm Long Tian's girlfriend.
He needs me. And I'll do everything for him.
And nothing else matters.
Su Qingxue walked toward the dormitory buildings with measured steps. Her footsteps were steady now. Controlled. The campus belle composure fully restored.
The confusion was buried deep where she would not look at it.
Don't think about it.
Don't think about it!
Don't think about it Qingxue!
-------------------
[12:20 PM]
Lin Feng and Xiao Yue walked through the hallway together, hand in hand.
The crowd parted automatically as Lin Feng and Xiao Yue moved forward. All eyes tracked the couple's progress through the corridor.
Whispers erupted from every direction, overlapping and building into a constant buzz of excitement.
"That's them!"
"That's the couple!"
"Look how close they're walking!"
"Her hood's back up though—"
"Haven't you seen the restaurant video? It's definitely her!"
"You have the video?! Share it! Sharing is caring!"
Xiao Yue had pulled her hood back up after the dramatic reveal, but she held her head high beneath the fabric.
Her entire posture radiated satisfaction at the reactions surrounding them.
Her hand gripped Lin Feng's possessively, fingers laced tight through his. Her shoulder pressed close to his side as they walked in perfect sync.
This right here — this is mine. Weiwei could never walk beside Lin Feng openly.
Everyone sees them as siblings.
When she tries, I won't be the only one calling her 'incest whore.'
Hmmm… Maybe I should try spreading that term early on for everyone to use.
They navigated the crowded hallway in comfortable silence. Autumn sunlight streamed through the tall windows, painting golden rectangles across the polished floor.
Their footsteps echoed softly beneath the constant murmur of student conversation. The exit lay ahead, visible through the glass doors at the corridor's end.
The attention from hundreds of eyes did not bother either of them. They moved together with easy familiarity, just being with each other. Hand in hand. Moving forward as one unit through the chaos they had created.
Xiao Yue glanced up at Lin Feng. That satisfied smile still played across her lips beneath the hood's shadow.
"That went well."
Lin Feng's voice came out dry and resigned. "Your definition of 'well' is deeply concerning."
"She tried to take my seat." Xiao Yue's tone stayed light, almost playful. "What did she expect?"
"Not a public declaration that we share a bed, probably."
"Are you telling me to lie? That's bad!"
"Technically honest while being maximally misleading."
"What? Want me to give them detailed accounts of last night?"
Her eyes widened with fake innocence as she looked up at him. The expression did not match the calculating mind behind those dark eyes whatsoever.
"No. Please don't."
Lin Feng could not help the small smile that tugged at his lips despite himself.
"Actually, this is okay too. It serves our purposes."
Xiao Yue's smile widened with genuine pleasure at his approval. "You're welcome."
Lin Feng sighed internally as they continued walking.
She's going to get the last word. She always does.
Students continued reacting around them as they passed through the corridor. Conversations stopped mid-sentence as people turned to watch. Phones tracked their movement from every angle.
"They're so cute though—"
"Right?! Holding hands so openly—"
"Lin Feng really upgraded—"
"From worshiping the campus belle to living with mystery girl—"
"That's serious character development—"
"I want what they have!"
Phones were still recording from every direction. Messages were still spreading across social media at exponential speed. The campus legend was still growing with each passing minute.
Lin Feng and Xiao Yue walked together naturally through it all. Their steps matched without conscious effort. Their bodies moved in sync like they had been walking together for years rather than days. The comfortable intimacy of two people who simply fit.
They pushed through the glass doors at the corridor's end. Afternoon sunlight hit them full force as they stepped outside onto the campus pathways.
Heading toward their first official date at Moonlight Café.
-------------------
[Lin Group Headquarters — President's Office — 12:25 PM]
Lin Weiwei stood in front of Lin Qingwan's desk, hands clasped in front of her with professional composure.
Her long jet-black hair was pulled back in a perfect ponytail, and her posture remained flawlessly straight despite having been standing there for several minutes already.
Beside her stood a wheeled cart absolutely packed with stacks upon stacks of printed paper.
Technical specifications, architecture diagrams, implementation frameworks—the cart groaned under the weight of documentation she had spent hours preparing and printing.
She had just arrived after printing what felt like half the forest, having skipped her Computer Science class entirely without a second thought.
You think I will just allow you—you damn stalker bitch—to go wild without me doing something about it?
Her fingers tightened slightly where they were clasped, the only outward sign of her internal aggression.
Hmmm... Let me show you how I, Weiwei, do things.
On the other side of the office desk, Lin Qingwan remained reclined elegantly in her executive chair, her silver hair catching the afternoon light streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
One hand held her tablet while the other rested gracefully on the armrest.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the screen, completely absorbed in whatever she was watching, as if Lin Weiwei were not even there.
The tablet glowed in front of her while that ever-present smile kept widening with each passing second.
"Oh my."
Lin Weiwei's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. Her weight shifted slightly from one foot to the other—a tiny crack in her perfect composure.
Lin Qingwan tapped her screen with one elegant finger, and a video played at medium-high volume.
It was footage from the economics class with students everywhere and phones recording from every angle.
Lin Feng's classroom.
And there, a hooded figure's voice cut through with devastating clarity.
"I'm the woman who sleeps with Lin Feng."
The lecture hall on screen exploded into absolute chaos, and Lin Qingwan's shoulders started shaking with barely contained mirth.
"Pfft—Ahahahaha!"
Lin Qingwan let out a full, genuine laugh that made her silver hair shimmer as her whole body shook with delight.
She leaned back further in her chair, utterly relaxed and entertained.
"I slept beside him last night. I woke up beside him this morning."
Lin Qingwan wiped at the corner of one eye with a fingertip, still grinning.
"Oh my god— she actually said that—"
Her voice carried pure delight.
"In front of that Su Qingxue—"
Lin Weiwei remained standing rigidly in front of the desk.
Her hands tightened where they were clasped, knuckles showing white for just a moment before she forced them to relax.
A muscle in her jaw twitched once.
Then, another notification chimed on Lin Qingwan's screen.
"Oh! There's a second video—"
She tapped the screen eagerly, and new footage began playing.
This time, it was from a hallway, even more recent than the last video.
It was still the same hooded girl, but now her hood had fallen off during a dramatic spin.
Her long black hair falling like silk around a face that made the camera shake slightly.
"Wait, is she—"
The girl's fingers pressed against Lin Feng's lips on screen.
"You won't be able to do anything about this problem anyway."
Her voice came out matter-of-fact and almost cheerful.
"Not when you're the source of the problem."
Then came the line that made Lin Qingwan lean forward with widening eyes.
"You want both of us. Maybe more."
Lin Weiwei had waited long enough.
She reached for the top stack of papers from the cart with deliberate calm and placed them directly on Lin Qingwan's desk with measured precision, right in her elder sister's line of sight.
The movement caught Lin Qingwan's attention peripherally.
Her eyes flicked from the tablet screen—right as students on screen began losing their minds—to the papers now sitting in front of her.
The title on the first page was clearly visible.
Her smile remained perfectly in place, but something shifted behind her eyes.
Quick and unreadable.
Then her hand moved, setting the tablet down on the desk with the video still playing in the background.
Student chaos continued from the speakers, but her attention had completely shifted.
"Weiwei."
Her voice had changed, traces of laughter fading into sharp curiosity.
Her smile never wavered.
"What is all this?"
"Elder Sister."
Lin Weiwei's tone stayed perfectly even.
"You might find this interesting."
Lin Qingwan picked up the first page, her elegant fingers holding it with sudden focus.
Her eyes scanned the title, then moved to the abstract below it.
The technical framework outlined by Lin Weiwei herself.
That smile stayed fixed on her face, giving absolutely nothing away.
But her entire posture had shifted from relaxed entertainment to engaged attention.
She turned to the second page.
Then the third.
Her silver hair fell forward slightly as she leaned over the desk, reading now with focused intensity that shut out everything else.
Even the video still playing quietly from her forgotten tablet.
Lin Weiwei stood perfectly still and watched her elder sister's face carefully.
Still smiling. Still completely unreadable.
But she's paying attention now. Complete attention.
Lin Qingwan flipped through another page.
Then another.
Her smile grew wider.
Just slightly. Just enough to notice if you were paying very close attention.
She finally reached the final page of the first proposal and set it aside with care before picking up the second document from the stack.
Her eyes moved faster now, scanning through the pages with increasing speed as connections began forming in her mind.
Then her shoulders started shaking again.
"Weiwei."
"Yes, Elder Sister?"
Lin Qingwan looked up from the papers.
Her smile had spread into something even brighter and almost predatory in its sharpness.
"This is—"
She couldn't finish the sentence because another laugh burst out, but it was different from before.
Not amusement at campus drama anymore.
This was pure delight.
Genuine, unfiltered delight at what she was reading.
"Pfft—Ahahaha!"
She set the papers down carefully and pressed both hands flat against the polished surface of her desk.
Her shoulders shook with laughter that wouldn't stop, and her eyes were actually tearing up now.
"Oh dear heavens, this is going to be perfect—"
More laughter escaped as she wiped at her eyes, and somehow her makeup remained flawless despite the tears of mirth.
Lin Weiwei's lips curved upward into a small smile.
Not a full expression of satisfaction, but quiet confidence in her elder sister's reaction.
Lin Qingwan took a breath and tried to compose herself, but another wave of delighted laughter hit almost immediately.
She looked at the technical proposals spread across her desk, then back up at her sister-in-law standing calmly in front of her.
"Ahahaha! Haa! Weiwei — You really prepared for war."
"I told you, Elder Sister."
Lin Weiwei's voice stayed steady and calm.
"I've been preparing my entire life for this."
Lin Qingwan glanced at her watch, the elegant timepiece showing 12:30 PM exactly.
Her smile widened with knowing amusement as she looked back up at Lin Weiwei.
"Your Little Brother and his mystery girlfriend on their first official date."
Lin Weiwei's expression didn't change, though something flickered behind her dark eyes for just a fraction of a second.
Lin Qingwan's laughter softened to quiet, satisfied amusement as she tapped the stack of proposals with one manicured nail.
The sound was sharp and deliberate in the suddenly quiet office.
"Conference Room A. Four o'clock sharp."
Her eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"I cannot wait to see what will happen next!"
Lin Weiwei's lips curved upward slightly again.
Four o'clock.
Just a few more hours.
Let her enjoy her café date while she can.
Let her think she's winning the public battle.
Lin Qingwan leaned back in her executive chair with that unreadable smile still fixed perfectly in place.
"This is going to be very entertaining."
"Ehehehe!"
Her laughter echoed through the presidential office once more, lighter now but full of genuine anticipation.
Outside the glass walls, executive assistants glanced at each other with obvious curiosity.
Their hands paused over keyboards and eyes met across the open workspace.
Their president was laughing.
Really laughing.
Not the polite professional smile she wore in meetings or the measured amusement at board presentations.
Real laughter that carried through the soundproofed glass.
Whatever was in those technical documents their president's stepsister had brought—
Whatever was about to happen at four o'clock—
It was going to be very interesting indeed.
-------------------
[END CHAPTER 40R]