#44: Cheng Mi Doesn’t Like Me Anymore

That night, Cheng Mi didn’t wait for Li Chu to come home.

Her calls, of course, were not answered; they were like stones sinking into the sea.

Si Huiru came home from work and prepared a table full of food, but at dinnertime, there were only Cheng Mi and her at the table.

Li Yeheng had only a two-day vacation and had already flown back to Jiacheng for work, so he hadn’t been home for a few days. Si Tingyan was kept late by his teacher at the school’s physics lab and would be home later tonight. Cheng Mi learned this from Si Huiru.

As for Li Chu, Si Huiru called her, and Li Chu answered.

Si Huiru told her to come home for dinner, but Li Chu said she was already back at school.

Li Chu had only asked for a few days off this time, and by her estimate, it was time for her to go back. However, Cheng Mi knew that what she told Si Huiru about being back at school was a lie.

She was definitely with Chen Zhaochi now.

If Li Chu had gone to the station in the afternoon, she would have gone alone and wouldn’t have asked Chen Zhaochi to pick her up.

And Chen Zhaochi was not the kind of person who would go out of his way just to take a girl to the station.

That meal was just Cheng Mi and Si Huiru. After Cheng Mi finished eating, she went back to her room. Si Tingyan still hadn’t returned.

Over the next two days, even Si Huiru started to notice that something was off between them.

Si Huiru privately asked Cheng Mi: “Cheng Mi, are you and Xiao Yan having a fight?”

Cheng Mi was about to leave for school. She smiled and said, “No, why do you say that?”

Si Huiru had always been worried that the children wouldn’t get along. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Cheng Mi say this: “Nothing, Xiao Yan has been in a bad mood lately. Maybe the pressure from his studies is getting to him.”

Cheng Mi went to get the folding umbrella hanging on the wall. Her hand paused for a moment, then she continued to take it down. Her tone was calm and casual: “Has his temper been bad lately?”

After all, he was her own son, whom Si Huiru had watched grow up. She said, “Maybe it’s not that obvious.”

Si Tingyan was better at hiding things than most people.

Cheng Mi curled her lips slightly: “Oh, well, then I’ll try to be more mindful of his mood lately.”

Si Huiru was afraid of wronging Cheng Mi and quickly waved her hands: “No, no, you don’t have to. Xiao Yan can handle his own emotions.”

To put it bluntly, Si Tingyan didn’t like people bothering him.

Cheng Mi smiled. Her phone vibrated, and she glanced at it. She said to Si Huiru, “I’m going now. My friends are downstairs.”

It was Zheng Hongkai and Cheng Yao. They had been hanging out with Cheng Mi a lot lately.

Every day, going to and from school, and during and after class, this group of guys would automatically cling to Cheng Mi.

Cheng Mi didn’t care and wasn’t overly repulsed. She let them be, not wanting to waste her breath.

But the gossip about her continued to spread wildly and relentlessly.

In this small high school, studies were boring. The faces and stories of handsome boys and beautiful girls were a distraction outside of class, especially with the recent commotion around Cheng Mi.

Human nature loves to be nosy, and the more commotion there is, the more people love to get involved, no matter the environment.

These past few days, everyone had been talking about Si Tingyan and Cheng Mi.

It was an open secret that Cheng Mi had been pursuing Si Tingyan. After it was revealed that they were step-siblings, the matter became even more of a big deal.

And these past few days, Cheng Mi had clearly stopped pursuing Si Tingyan.

She was hanging out with other guys all day and hadn’t been seen looking for Si Tingyan again.

Among those guys, Cheng Yao was not bad-looking. He had also been talked about by girls at school before, and he was quite high-profile. Everyone knew that he was pursuing Cheng Mi.

Even without the forum, people’s mouths were still not sealed.

Many people at school were saying that Cheng Mi was a scumbag, that she was such a flirt, and that she was already with another guy and didn’t want Si Tingyan anymore.

They said she had promised to get him in a month, but she got bored before the thirty days were up.

Cheng Yao was handsome, but Si Tingyan was much better looking. They all said Cheng Mi must be blind.

They also said that with her bad character, it was a blessing that she hadn’t been two-timing.

Over those few days, neither Cheng Mi nor Si Tingyan could find peace at school.

________________________________________

Li Chu’s university wasn’t far from Fengxun, a four to five-hour drive.

The next day, Li Chu had no classes, so she took a bus back to Fengxun, but she didn’t go home. Instead, she went straight to a certain bar by the river.

Chen Zhaochi was a DJ there.

Inside the bar, amidst the vibrating music and wild dancing, Chen Zhaochi on the stage was a bit dazzling.

Li Chu was soon spotted by Chen Zhaochi. She didn’t go to him; instead, she went to the booth that Chen Zhaochi usually sat at.

Chen Zhaochi didn’t come over immediately. After Li Chu had two drinks, he finally arrived.

He sat down on the sofa, draped an arm behind Li Chu, and leaned in to get a wine glass: “How many have you had?”

Li Chu said: “One.”

Chen Zhaochi scoffed, not even glancing at the bottle on the table. He said, “Two.”

Li Chu looked at him.

Chen Zhaochi also looked at her: “Li Chu, this is my wine. Do you think I don’t know how much you’ve had?”

“Don’t lie to me in front of me that you can’t drink.” Chen Zhaochi smiled.

He then pinched her chin, turned her to face him: “I know you can drink a lot.”

As he said this, he brought the wine glass to her lips and pried them open.

The sharp liquid instantly slid into her lips, burning her stomach with a fiery sensation.

Unlike other girls, Li Chu wasn’t helpless at all. After he had forced a few sips down her, she raised her hand to push Chen Zhaochi’s hand away: “What if I told you to stop forcing me to drink?”

Chen Zhaochi stared at her, not smiling.

Two seconds later, he said, “Beg me.”

Li Chu looked at him and didn’t say a word.

Chen Zhaochi smiled, pushing the wine glass further into her lips: “Then keep drinking.”

This time, Li Chu didn’t say anything to him again.

She was incredibly stubborn.

And Chen Zhaochi was a pervert who wouldn’t respond to either kindness or force. If she didn’t open her mouth, he was even less likely to let her go.

He really poured the entire glass of wine down her throat until not a single drop was left.

He poured the wine so quickly and violently that Li Chu had no time to catch her breath. Some of the wine trickled out from the corner of her mouth.

Chen Zhaochi reached out, his thumb wiping across her pale skin without a hint of apology: “Tsk, I’ll be gentler next time.”

Li Chu slapped his hand away and reached for her own wine glass.

Just as she was about to drink, Chen Zhaochi took it away. He said, “Did I tell you that you could drink?”

He slammed the wine glass down on the table, then Chen Zhaochi leaned in.

The smell of wine and his scent crowded into Li Chu’s jaw area.

Chen Zhaochi tilted his head slightly, his chin resting against Li Chu’s jaw, his lips wandering on her skin. The hand he had on her waist was so tight it felt like it would break her.

“Li Chu, are you really not afraid of death?”

“Afraid of what?” Li Chu didn’t even flinch.

Chen Zhaochi was at her ear. He loosened his grip on her waist and moved his hand to her face, his thumb stroking her cheek.

“If you want to get revenge on me, I welcome it. But Li Chu, if I kill you, you can’t blame me.”

Li Chu was bold, unlike the other girls who would flirt in Chen Zhaochi’s arms. She often defied him.

Just like now, she lightly pushed him away, reached for the wine glass he had taken from her, and said, “Who said I wanted to get revenge on you?”

This time, Chen Zhaochi didn’t stop her. He draped an arm over the back of the sofa and watched her.

Li Chu said, “Chen Zhaochi, I hate you.”

She picked up the wine glass, leaning back into his arm: “But I hate Cheng Mi even more. She’s the one who killed Jiang Xunzhi. If it weren’t for her, none of this would have happened.”

Chen Zhaochi looked at her profile, his tone was playful: “You’re cursing me in front of me and talking about your ex. Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?”

Li Chu looked at him: “Go ahead.”

“Do you really think I won’t?” Chen Zhaochi was still as nonchalant as ever.

He then took his phone, pressed a few buttons, and threw the phone into Li Chu’s hand: “Listen to this.”

It was an audio file. Li Chu held the wine in one hand and tapped on the phone with the other.

Chen Zhaochi’s voice immediately rang out: “How can you be so much of a failure? You tried to seduce Li Yeheng, but you only managed to lead him to another woman’s bed.”

A second later, it was still Chen Zhaochi’s voice.

“Now that you can’t seduce Li Yeheng, you’re going after his wife’s son? To disgust the couple and destroy their marriage? Is it necessary to love Li Yeheng so much, Cheng Mi?”

“And, Li Yeheng isn’t even interested in a little woman like you. No matter how many guys you date, he won’t even look at you.”

“You’re getting with his stepson, but he doesn’t want you.”

Then, it was Cheng Mi’s voice.

“So what? Does it matter to you?”

She didn’t deny it, which was an indirect admission.

Li Chu listened expressionlessly until no more words came from the phone. She asked: “That day downstairs, was that all you talked about with her?”

Chen Zhaochi: “What else?”

Li Chu threw the phone back to him: “Why are you giving this to me?”

Chen Zhaochi put the phone back in her hand: “Why are you in such a hurry to give it back? It’s not over yet.”

Li Chu held the phone.

Chen Zhaochi gestured to the phone with his chin: “Don’t you hate Cheng Mi?”

Li Chu looked at him: “So?”

Chen Zhaochi’s dark thoughts were trying to lead her: “She likes your dad. Don’t you find that disgusting?”

Li Chu turned back, her tone carrying a hint of agreement: “Disgusting, yes. We fell out over it.”

“Really?” Chen Zhaochi smirked. “That doesn’t sound like you, Li Chu. Aren’t you supposed to go to great lengths for your friends? Weren’t you and Cheng Mi the closest of friends?”

Li Chu opened the audio file again and listened to it slowly, like a patient deep in a state of madness. She said, “We were once. Not anymore.”

There was a faint hint of hatred in her voice.

Chen Zhaochi: “Well, now there’s an opportunity for you to prove it.”

With just that one sentence, Li Chu immediately knew what Chen Zhaochi wanted her to do.

It was hard to tell if this was a psychic connection or just that all crazy people were the same.

He said, “Post it.”

Li Chu didn’t look at him. She was still listening to the audio file slowly.

Chen Zhaochi challenged her: “Are you scared to post it?”

Li Chu didn’t respond to him. She directly switched to an app on his phone, logged into her own account, and posted it without hesitation.

This post would undoubtedly stir up a storm, but she did it as easily as throwing a stone.

Then she threw the phone back to Chen Zhaochi: “What do you think?”

________________________________________

The audio file posted from Li Chu’s account really went viral the next day.

When it was first posted, it was in the early morning, so not many people saw it. But as soon as the sun rose, everyone’s desire to snoop woke up with it.

Li Chu’s account was for sharing photography. She would post daily photos of food, drink, and fun, as well as some photos with unique composition and color schemes.

Everything seemed alive through her lens. Some were living brilliantly, and some were walking in pain.

This style had a large group of fans who were very active online.

That audio file quickly spread to countless phones.

This time, the commotion wasn’t just at Feng Gao; it had also stirred up a storm online.

Cheng Mi was now inextricably tied to words like “foxy vixen,” “homewrecker,” “schemer,” and so on.

Because in that audio file, she hadn’t denied anything.

And some people dug up that Cheng Mi and Li Chu used to be best friends. The guy Cheng Mi was trying to seduce in the audio was Li Chu’s dad, so the two friends must have fallen out over this.

The fact that the audio was posted from Li Chu’s account gave it a very high degree of credibility. There was no need to doubt its authenticity.

A normal person wouldn’t be so cruel as to stab their friend in the back unless they absolutely hated them.

The online discussions were rampant. The students at Fengxun High School were even more shocked. They hadn’t stopped being surprised these past few days, from Cheng Mi’s past scandals, to her being the older step-sister of Si Tingyan whom she was pursuing, to now, her seducing Si Tingyan to break up his stepfather and mother’s marriage.

While the rumors were running wild, Cheng Mi was watching Zheng Hongkai and Cheng Yao play basketball.

It was the second class of the afternoon, one of Cheng Mi’s physical education classes for the week.

Cheng Yao wasn’t in their class, but he had skipped class to play basketball with Zheng Hongkai and the others. To put it bluntly, he came to find Cheng Mi.

Cheng Mi was sitting on a chair next to the basketball hoop when she received a text message from Jiang Mingzhou, who had already signed her to his film and television company.

Most of the online rumors had already been handled by the PR team. He also asked Cheng Mi a question.

[Did you do those things?]

[I pursued someone, but I didn’t break up a marriage.]

Jiang Mingzhou replied that he understood and told her to not participate in too many activities recently.

He was basically telling her to lay low for a few days and wait for the storm to pass.

Just after Cheng Mi finished texting Jiang Mingzhou, the basketball that Zheng Hongkai and the others were playing with flew over, out of control.

Cheng Mi noticed it in the corner of her eye, but when she looked up, the basketball was already right in front of her, fast and urgent.

She couldn’t dodge it. In the blink of an eye, the basketball hit her hand. Cheng Mi hissed in pain, and her phone fell to the ground with a crisp thud.

The basketball bounced away. Cheng Yao, who had rushed over, failed to block the ball from hitting Cheng Mi and yelled at the guys, “Didn’t you f*cking see there was someone here?”

The guys, seeing how flustered Cheng Yao was, enjoyed the show and made a joke out of it: “He’s getting flustered, he’s getting flustered. Why are you so flustered, Cheng Yao? Worried about your wife?”

Cheng Yao grabbed a bottle of mineral water nearby and threw it at them: “F*ck off.”

The guys laughed heartily and came over to ask Cheng Mi if she was okay.

The basketball had hit her so fast and hard that Cheng Mi’s delicate right index finger was swollen.

“Damn,” Zheng Hongkai leaned in, “Are you okay?”

Cheng Yao scolded his friend: “You call this okay?”

The group was about to make another joke, but Cheng Mi picked up her phone, wanting to go to the school infirmary.

Cheng Yao said, “Let’s go to the school infirmary.”

Cheng Mi’s phone wasn’t broken, only the screen had a small scratch from the floor. She looked up and smiled at them: “You guys keep playing. I’ll go by myself.”

She said that, then stood up and left.

Zheng Hongkai bumped Cheng Yao from behind, gesturing for him to go after her: “Go on, don’t just stand there like an idiot. Do you need your friends to help you get a girl? Damn it, if it were me, I’d have already gotten her.”

Cheng Yao: “Get lost. I don’t need you to teach me.”

He walked backward, giving them the middle finger: “I’ll be in bed with her faster than all of you.”

Cheng Mi hadn’t walked far when Cheng Yao caught up with her from behind: “I’ll go with you.”

When they got to the school infirmary, the female school doctor was brewing some traditional Chinese medicine for a boarding student.

The school doctor checked Cheng Mi’s finger and said it wasn’t a big deal. Just ice it and put on some ointment when she got home.

The icing needed some time. After the school doctor helped Cheng Mi, she went back to her own business in the inner room.

Cheng Mi told Cheng Yao to go back, but he refused: “Why would I go back? I’m not listening to class anyway.”

Since he wouldn’t leave, Cheng Mi didn’t bother to argue anymore.

She sat on a bed in the infirmary, next to a window. She got up from the bed and leaned against the window to get some fresh air.

The infirmary was on the third floor. Looking out, there was a lush green canopy, and the sunlight was like a thin veil. The shadows of the leaves danced in the gentle breeze.

Not far across from them was an old, dilapidated building with a sports field.

Cheng Yao leaned against the window beside Cheng Mi and chatted with her casually.

This kind of environment made it easy for romance to blossom, especially with a face like Cheng Mi’s, which could instantly make someone have improper thoughts.

Cheng Yao was very experienced. He lowered his head, trying to kiss Cheng Mi.

Neither of them noticed a figure walking by downstairs.

At the same time, Zheng Hongkai and his friends were secretly watching from the hallway outside, holding back their laughter and frantically taking pictures with their phones at this scene.

However, the scene that would have made their blood boil didn’t happen.

Just as Cheng Yao was about to kiss her, Cheng Mi gently pushed him away with a light smile.

________________________________________

Five minutes later, a person suddenly walked into the infirmary.

The school doctor was bottling the brewed Chinese medicine. She was startled and turned her head to see a familiar student.

The school doctor was a bit surprised: “Si Tingyan?”

“Why are you running so fast?” She then looked anxious: “Is your heart bothering you?”

As she said this, she was about to put down the clay pot of Chinese medicine and go over to him.

Si Tingyan, however, asked: “Teacher, may I ask where the person who was here just now went?”

Si Tingyan’s face was a little pale after the intense exercise, making his eyes seem a bit chilling and scary.

The school doctor was slightly stunned but quickly reacted: “Are you talking about the little girl and her boyfri-”

The female school doctor almost got carried away by the joke from those kids in the hallway just now. The word “boyfriend” on the tip of her tongue was abruptly changed to “classmate.”

But this made it even more deliberate.

Making the three words “her boyfriend” stick firmly in people’s minds.

Si Tingyan had passed by the building downstairs when he saw two figures leaning against the window, their bodies overlapping.

He recognized Cheng Mi at a glance.

The school doctor said: “They left. They took some ointment and left.”

________________________________________

The moment class ended, Qi Yunmiao and her friends gathered in the hallway.

Especially today, with all the gossip, they were even more eager to talk about a certain person.

They hated Cheng Mi the most. Seeing her in trouble recently, they were all secretly overjoyed and said that she deserved it.

Their anger was raging, but they also felt a sense of relief.

Especially Fu Shenwei, who was forced to drink several mouthfuls of water in the girls’ restroom by Cheng Mi last time. She hadn’t settled that score with Cheng Mi, so now she felt a great sense of satisfaction: “Do you know what Cheng Mi performed for us?”

“What?”

“Instant karma.”

The girls’ laughter was cute and charming.

One girl said: “She’s so cheap. Doing so many bad things.”

“Right?” Fu Shenwei snorted. “Look at her, she can’t even protect herself, but she still has the energy to fall in love. It’s so fake.”

She then made a face as if she was about to throw up.

At this moment, Qi Yunmiao spoke: “She’s with Cheng Yao?”

“Oh right, I didn’t show you. They’ve all seen it.” Fu Shenwei went to get her phone.

Qi Yunmiao’s classroom was on the floor above, and she had just come down.

Fu Shenwei showed her her phone: “Look, my brother sent this to me. Cheng Yao is my brother’s friend, and this photo is still fresh.”

This “brother” was not her actual brother, just a self-proclaimed one.

In the photo, Cheng Yao and Cheng Mi looked like they were about to kiss.

Fu Shenwei said: “My brother said he’s almost gotten her, so I’m sure they’re together.”

Another girl who had just come over to look said, “But they haven’t kissed yet, have they?”

“They’re so close,” Fu Shenwei rolled her eyes, “Do you think a slut like Cheng Mi would refuse to be kissed? She must be thrilled.”

“I think so too. Cheng Mi would definitely kiss Cheng Yao. She loves to flirt with guys, so what is she trying to pretend to be?”

Qi Yunmiao was surrounded by the girls, drinking her Coke.

They didn’t notice the person who was turning the corner of the hallway at this moment.

Fu Shenwei said: “I actually believed she was seriously pursuing Si Tingyan at first. Pfft, she was just playing around.”

A girl chimed in: “It hasn’t even been a month, and she’s already bored. How much of a player is she?”

Fu Shenwei: “She wasn’t even pursuing Si Tingyan. She was just using him to make other guys mad, okay?”

A girl saw Si Tingyan walking up behind Fu Shenwei and started to give her a meaningful look.

Qi Yunmiao also saw Si Tingyan, but she didn’t stop Fu Shenwei and looked at Si Tingyan with a very calm expression.

Fu Shenwei was talking with great enthusiasm and didn’t notice the subtle looks at all: “She doesn’t even like Si Tingyan. She likes that old man, okay? She’s with someone else now.”

Si Tingyan was getting closer. The girl’s face changed color, and she heavily tugged on Fu Shenwei’s school uniform.

Fu Shenwei was unhappy: “What?”

The girl gestured behind her with her eyes.

The bell for class rang at that moment.

Fu Shenwei, looking confused, turned around.

It was just as Si Tingyan was passing her. Fu Shenwei’s face turned pale as she met his indifferent profile.

Si Tingyan walked past as if he hadn’t seen them.

Even when he wasn’t making eye contact or talking to people, he had an aura that made people afraid to speak. Fu Shenwei’s legs felt a little weak.

The class bell had already rung, and it was the last class. Everyone stopped standing in the hallway and went back to their respective classes.

Fu Shenwei wasn’t in the same class as Qi Yunmiao and the others. She was the only top student among her group of friends, a student in Class 11 of the second year.

What’s more, after the seat change last month, she was now Si Tingyan’s deskmate.

Fu Shenwei felt a little guilty for gossiping behind his back, especially since she was talking about Si Tingyan and he had heard it with his own ears.

She was actually a little afraid of Si Tingyan. She had been for a long time and didn’t dare to say a word to him.

Their seats were in the third row by the window. Fu Shenwei was a bit on edge during that class. She didn’t hear a single word of the classical Chinese explanation from the teacher on the podium.

But Si Tingyan was completely unaffected, completing two physics competition test papers.

Fu Shenwei was tense and flustered, and every minute was an ordeal. It wasn’t until the final school bell rang that she finally let out a sigh of relief.

Si Tingyan quickly packed his things and left. His desk was very neat.

It was Fu Shenwei’s turn to be on duty today. Another girl who was on duty with her came over and called her: “Shenwei, it’s time to clean the classroom.”

After saying that, she saw her forehead: “Hey, are you hot? Why are you sweating?”

Fu Shenwei wiped the sweat away: “Yeah, it’s so hot.”

In reality, it was a mix of nervousness and excitement. Even the palms of her hands were sweating.

She got up and went to the back of the classroom to get a broom. The people in the classroom left one by one until only she and three other students who were on duty were left.

A student was closing a window. When Fu Shenwei swept past their row of seats, the corner of her school uniform accidentally brushed against a textbook on Si Tingyan’s desk.

With a whoosh, the textbook fell to the ground.

Fu Shenwei quickly knelt down to pick it up, intending to dust it off and put it back on the desk.

Suddenly, she caught sight of a note on the floor. Fu Shenwei reached out and picked it up.

She glanced at it casually but was immediately stunned. The note was clearly in Si Tingyan’s handwriting.

• Cheng Mi lied to me.

• She said she would pursue me for thirty days, but she didn’t.

• She’s with someone else.

• Cheng Mi doesn’t like me anymore.