195: thought

After taking Xia Mengling to her rented apartment, the girl held Shen Qian's hand, looking at him with pitiful, pleading eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Xie Wan bullied me. She said that when we're seniors, she wants to have a child with you, and told me not to compete with her because I definitely can't win."

"Oh~ So that's her plan!"

"She's scheming against you. That woman is terrifying. You can't just be fooled because she's pretty."

Shen Qian smiled, picked up the girl, and then gently placed her on the bed.

"With you watching out for me, how could I be easily fooled? See, her intentions have already been exposed by you, haven't they?"

"I'm a little worried."

"Worried that I'll really have a child with her? What's there to worry about?"

"Then you won't?"

"Not necessarily."

"Brother~~~"

Xia Mengling acted coquettishly, hoping Shen Qian would give her a satisfactory answer.

"Acting cute won't help. 'Not necessarily' means not necessarily. But one thing I can confirm is that this matter is up to me. Do you understand what I mean?"

"So, no matter what she tells you, as long as it's about me, my will takes precedence. Like now, even if you act cute, I won't make you any firm promises."

"Even if Xie Wan really asks later, I won't do something I don't want to just because she asks."

"Even though I love you, and I love her too."

Although the answer wasn't entirely satisfactory, Xia Mengling still got what she wanted from another perspective.

Shen Qian's words sounded a bit heartless. After all, both girls liked him so much, and they were talking about having his child. But Shen Qian only cared about one thing: his own will.

His own will would never change because others loved him.

Some might think he loved no one but himself, but as someone who experienced it, Xia Mengling could feel Shen Qian's love. It was an extremely pure love, though it couldn't override this man's will. But wasn't that exactly this man's charm?

Xia Mengling felt much more at ease, hugged Shen Qian, and kissed him again.

"Then, can I visit you at your school often later?"

"Did she say we're not at the same school to provoke you?"

Shen Qian naturally knew why Xia Mengling said that.

"Yes, I really regret it now. If only I had applied to Hushi University back then."

"Silly, can't you tell she's deliberately provoking you? Her goal is to make you run back and forth more. The more you do, the more unbalanced you'll feel."

"Once you feel unbalanced, you'll need an outlet. The best outlet is me, or if you don't come to me..."

Before Shen Qian could finish, Xia Mengling understood. That woman wanted her to quarrel with Shen Qian. The more they quarreled, the more cracks would appear in their relationship. Without realizing it, she had already fallen into the trap.

Seeing Xia Mengling stunned, Shen Qian laughed.

"Figured it out now?"

"Brother~ I'm angry! What kind of women are around you!"

"Actually, you just need to remember one thing: when I'm with you, my eyes are only on you. Once that's clear, many things become easier to accept."

After that, Shen Qian didn't say anything more. He hugged Xia Mengling for a while longer, applied some anti-swelling ointment, kissed her, and then left.

In the villa, Du Xixi and Xie Wan looked at each other. Then, Du Xixi showed a slightly ambiguous smile.

"How do you feel?"

Xie Wan didn't know what to say for a moment.

"It's normal to feel sore. I was sore that time too. Later, I discussed it with others. Among men, Shen Qian is like this." Du Xixi said, giving a thumbs-up.

"But he's usually quite gentle. It's just unavoidable given his advantages. You rest first. I'll buy some anti-swelling ointment for you."

Listening to Du Xixi chatter on, Xie Wan couldn't help feeling a bit guilty. After all, she and Shen Qian had deceived this girl quite badly. But some things are better kept secret forever. Anyway, things are now moving along a safe track.

"Xixi, you wanted me to be with him because you didn't want to deal with the other girls alone, right?"

Having her thoughts exposed, Du Xixi's expression changed slightly, but she didn't stop talking.

"Aren't you also quite fond of him?"

As she spoke, she herself felt less confident. After all, if others knew about this, what kind of person would she be? To keep a man for herself, she even pushed her best friend toward him.

Xie Wan took Du Xixi's hand.

"I've thought it through. I don't blame you. I just talked with that Xia Mengling. That girl might seem carefree, but she's quite scheming too. You probably aren't a match for her."

"I'm willing to help you, to deal with these potential unstable factors."

Xie Wan spoke so calmly, but Du Xixi was even more moved, her guilt constantly tugging at her conscience.

She had ten thousand reasons to convince herself, and ten thousand and one reasons telling her this was wrong.

Now that Xie Wan said this, the water had already been spilled. Even if she wanted to regret it, it was too late.

Her gaze gradually became firm as she hugged Xie Wan.

"Thank you, Xiao Wan. Really, thank you."

But she couldn't see that Xie Wan's expression had also become complicated. Nor could she hear Xie Wan's inner thoughts at that moment.

"Xixi, I'm helping you so much. For my own happiness, you should be willing to step aside voluntarily, right?"

After leaving Xia Mengling's rented apartment, Shen Qian didn't immediately return to Xie Wan. Instead, he went to another residential area not far from Normal University. The security there was good, and after contacting the homeowner, Shen Qian was allowed in.

Just as he stepped out of the elevator, a girl in pajamas hugged Shen Qian.

"Missed me that much?"

"I'm sniffing to see if the scent of other women on you has faded. Otherwise, I won't let you into my place."

Without another word, Shen Qian picked up Yu Ziwei. With one elevator per household, the door was slightly ajar. He just hooked it with his foot, and it opened, while Yu Ziwei reached out to close it.

Upon entering the room and seeing the array of things on the bed, Shen Qian thought he was quite experienced, having been with so many women. But when he actually saw these things, he realized how shallow his knowledge still was.

"All these were sponsored by that Simp Guy?"

"Yeah, wasn't that your idea?"

"Does that Simp Guy know about it?"

"He probably does. Ever since these things arrived and I showed them off a bit in the dorm, he hasn't contacted me for days. I guess his heart is most likely broken."

Shen Qian closed the door and leaned against the wall.

"Since Simp Guy has gifted them, show me."

Yu Ziwei tugged at the collar of her pajamas.

"There's a set right in here. Knowing you were coming, I put it on. If you want to see, come get it yourself."