Chapter 16

The bright red circle sat silently but demanding attention on her new friend list. Gu An’an threw her phone out and then grabbed it back.
Staring at the friend request list, her brows knitted tightly enough to crush a fly.
She hesitated for a long time. This feeling was like a high-pressure boss sending you a friend request, you don’t want to accept, but do you dare reject it?
Gu An’an thought carefully. She didn’t dare, so she obediently tapped “Accept.”
Luckily, the BOSS didn’t seem interested in chatting; it was as if he had added her just out of courtesy for Grandpa Xie’s sake. Once accepted, he quietly lay dormant in her list.
Gu An’an held her phone with trembling hands.
Half an hour passed, and when she confirmed he wasn’t going to send any messages to attack her, she slowly suppressed the terrifying, hair-raising feeling that had shot through her the instant she saw Xie Jinxing’s friend request.
Good. It really was just out of courtesy.
Gu An’an couldn’t help but recall the day Liang Chengli added her as a friend, it had been exactly the same. Rich people were all so cold and taciturn.
Thinking that, she opened Xie Jinxing’s profile picture.
And wow, compared to Liang Chengli, who was from the same generation, Xie Jinxing’s profile picture was in a completely different style. It was a big, grinning golden retriever, groomed to shiny perfection, wearing a blue lace bow tie around its neck.
Just from this dog, Gu An’an somehow felt the essence of a British gentleman’s dog.
Xie Jinxing’s WeChat name was straightforward, just his real name. Basically, a “no name changes, ever” kind of guy.
She opened the chat window. The system showed a meaningless prompt: “You have added Xie Jinxing and can now chat.”
Thinking carefully, Xie Jinxing was one of the key people. To stand undefeated under enemy fire, understanding him was the first step to defeating him. Gu An’an snapped the cap back on her moisturizer and plopped onto the bed.
Then she closed the app. She didn’t know what to say.
She hesitated, opened it again, and closed it. Still didn’t know what to say.
Honestly, it wasn’t cowardice. It was that she felt sending a message to Xie Jinxing in the middle of the night would seem a bit suspicious. Especially since he was a wealthy young man, rich and handsome.
After 10 PM, even sending him a single period would feel strange. Gu An’an was terrified Xie Jinxing would think she was bitter about Grandpa Xie canceling her engagement with Lu Xingyu and would turn her attention toward him.
If he misunderstood her intentions and developed ill feelings toward her, that would be extremely unfair. Su Ruan already disliked her; Xie Jinxing adding on top would be the last straw. If the male and female leads ended up in a mixed double showdown, she would literally want to jump into the sea.
Or, maybe just casually spy on the CEO’s social media?
Her fingers hovered over the golden retriever’s head, stiff and slightly trembling, but she couldn’t press it.
Really, just viewing it wouldn’t leave a trace, right?
Would WeChat’s stealth browsing actually work? She didn’t want it to be like that one social platform in middle school, where she had uploaded a profile picture and got called out in a group chat for seven days straight.
Damn it, why did Xie Jinxing add her on WeChat in the middle of the night?
Where did he even get his WeChat account?
The more she thought, the more uneasy she became. Surely he hadn’t overheard her secretly criticizing him, had he?
She threw the phone aside and decided not to think anymore, collapsing into bed.
Half-asleep, her phone buzzed twice. Gu An’an scratched her cheek, turned over, and put her legs on the blanket, completely unaware the screen had lit up.
A message from Xie Jinxing arrived at 12:40 AM.
It lit up for two seconds, then went dark.
It clearly read: “Tell your principal that the Jingchuan basketball game will start on time.”
Gu An’an didn’t see it, and if she had, she probably wouldn’t dare respond. A CEO sending a message at 12 AM...
There had been a minor incident at the Xie family banquet. To experienced businessmen, it wasn’t a big deal; others laughed at it for a few days, and that was it. Only the people involved truly cared.
Xie Jinxing had been forcibly pulled back home by Grandpa Xie, doubling his workload. He used to have time to hang out with friends and relax, but now he had to be a flying executive to quickly get familiar with Xie Corporation’s core industries.
He was often spotted at airports.
Laughable, Su Ruan’s height didn’t even meet the minimum for flight attendants. She couldn’t get on a plane even if she worked hard.
Su Ruan couldn’t leverage the heroine advantage, which made Gu An’an very happy.
The next day, Gu An’an woke up and told the principal the good news.
The old man happily twirled in his office, then stuffed a handful of sesame candies into her hand: “Thank you, Gu An’an. When your seniors have successful careers, they won’t forget your help today.”
Gu An’an: “No, no, principal, you’re too kind. I didn’t really do anything.”
She said just that.
Cradling the ridiculously sweet sesame candies, Gu An’an obediently went to class. Because of her weak foundation, it was difficult to follow along. The counselor had been observing her and, seeing her sincere effort, gave some advice:
If directing is too hard, maybe double-major in acting.
Although Jingchuan’s acting program wasn’t as complete as some film schools, it offered channels to help students find jobs. The counselor claimed Gu An’an’s looks would give her an advantage in acting.
Gu An’an considered it and decided she still wanted to focus on directing.
Without messy conflicts, she enjoyed a calm campus life.
But others weren’t so lucky.
Su Ruan’s actions at the Xie banquet had completely angered Shen Shan. Previously, Shen Shan disliked her but didn’t go too far. She just verbally attacked her and isolated her in small cliques.
But Shen Shan’s circle was different from Su Ruan’s, they weren’t even in the same department. Her petty actions didn’t hurt Su Ruan much. Su Ruan would cry a little, pause dramatically, and usually Shen Shan’s schemes would backfire. That’s why Shen Shan now had a poor reputation at school.
After this incident, both sides escalated their conflict.
Shen Shan began genuinely attacking Su Ruan. Though a naive “white sweet,” she had grown up around wealthy families and knew how to leverage her advantage to strangle someone’s finances.
For example, she was a student council officer. She cut off Su Ruan’s financial aid.
Or when arranging part-time work for impoverished students, she removed Su Ruan’s name.
Or when Jingchuan and other companies allocated summer internships, she snatched Su Ruan’s spot.
Su Ruan was only a freshman and hadn’t joined the student council, so her retaliation options were limited.
Even so, her actions had a significant effect.
Because of her popularity, everything Su Ruan did was noticed. Shen Shan used her school supporters or bystanders to document Su Ruan’s suffering, looking haggard, crying with red eyes, eating free rice in the cafeteria, holding hospital bills, fainting from exhaustion…
These images broke people’s hearts.
Bystanders began sympathizing with Su Ruan. Jingchuan had many wealthy students, but the majority came from ordinary middle-class families, so they empathized.
The incident was ultimately about a rich girl teaching someone a lesson, but the more it was discussed, the bigger the impact.
Photos became videos with context and emotional music. Somehow, it spread beyond the department to the whole school.
The principal was alarmed.
Su Ruan’s every move topped the confession wall and campus forum.
Jingchuan, a media university, had students analyzing how the school treated financially struggling students.
In reality, it wasn’t the school; it was the rich second generation punishing the poor.
The more people learned, the more outrageous it seemed, even students from other universities peeked in.
Shen Shan’s attempt to deal with Su Ruan backfired spectacularly.
Abusing power, spoiled rich girl, school bully, the labels stuck firmly on her forehead. Shen Shan refused to admit wrong, insisting Su Ruan was pretending.
The principal couldn’t convince her and didn’t dare punish her lightly, so they called the parents.
Shen Shan’s father was summoned. His personal intervention didn’t satisfy Shen Shan, but he compensated Su Ruan generously. To quell public opinion, he promised to cover Su Ruan’s tuition for the next three and a half years.
Shen Shan was furious but had to calm down.
“Stealing the chicken and losing the rice” that was Shen Shan.
Gu An’an watched the two battle silently, feeling a bit sorry for Shen Shan. Clearly, she had every advantage but lost so badly. But then she remembered that someone else had drugged Xie Jinxing without consequence, and the Shen family had her back. Suddenly, Gu An’an felt there was no need to pity Shen Shan, better to pity herself.
Gu An’an had no say in how the Shen family dealt with the school.
As the weather got hotter, her long hair became a nightmare, especially since the air conditioner in her rental broke. Without air conditioning at night, she felt like she was dying.
After thinking it over, she spent ten yuan at the neighborhood salon.
Today, she had to chop her seaweed-like wavy hair!
The salon was small but packed.
Elderly people sat outside reading newspapers, sipping tea, or playing chess and Mahjong. Even haircuts required waiting.
Gu An’an waited an hour.
Inside, Tony, the hairstylist, admired her hair, loving its quality. When washing it, he shamelessly suggested: “If you cut it into a buzz cut, I won’t charge you, and I’ll give you 250 yuan. It grows fast, two months and it’s back to normal.”
To hell with your 250 yuan!
Did you want to buzz it? You’re asking for my life!
Ignoring Tony’s tempting whispers, Gu An’an cut her hair to below her shoulder blades.
But at the very end, she succumbed to the “30% off styling” offer and paid 688 for a French perm. :)
Tony swore it was the trendiest winter style, promising she’d look more fashionable than foreigners.
Afterward, Gu An’an thought he had seriously overestimated. This was no French perm, more like a messy noodle hairstyle.
She had been through cannon fodder roles, exhausting swims, but never cried. Today, this ugly hairstyle made her cry.
Through the mirror, they locked eyes.
“...Or maybe you should dye it yellow?” Tony nervously suggested.
Gu An’an held back tears and refused.
She tied two low, fluffy pigtails, grabbed a box of hair ties, and ran out.
It took her three days to recover emotionally. But stepping out for the first time, no, she hadn’t even left the house yet, when Xie Youjun broke her composure with a single line:
“Oh, it’s An’an sister!” Xie Youjun stood at her door with a large bag. “Just now, I saw a big mushroom, I thought it was my roommate’s aunt.”
Gu An’an stiffened. Then broke down.
She shed a single dramatic tear: “What are you doing here?!”
Realizing he said the wrong thing, Xie Youjun laughed and apologized: “Ah, An’an, don’t be mad. I was just joking. You’re so pretty, there’s no way you’re my roommate’s aunt. I brought you some goodies~”
He held up the bags, which jingled heavily.
Gu An’an wanted to refuse but saw there were plenty of delicious things inside. Giving up food out of pride was foolish.
She wasn’t foolish.
“Give it here,” she said, hand outstretched. “Take it and go.”
Xie Youjun chuckled and went inside.
She noticed someone behind him, head down, focused, serious even in the hot weather in formal attire.
He looked fresh, not sweating.
He glanced at Gu An’an. She stared back.
Then Gu An’an hugged her head in panic: “Uncle is here too?!”
“Just heading the same way, giving him a lift.”
Xie Jinxing’s gaze lingered on her messy hair for three seconds, then subtly looked away. His straight lips curled slightly, not noticeable, but definitely there.
“...”
“Quite a lot of hair.”
The humiliation hit her like a punch. Gu An’an wished she could sink into the floor: “Average, third in the world.”
Xie Jinxing’s lips twitched: “Not inviting me in?”
The new haircut was ugly, but her strong facial features carried it off.
She’d tied her hair into loose low pigtails for convenience. Sunlight through the window hit from behind, turning her black hair into a gradient of dark to light brown, fluffy like a little animal.
Gu An’an stepped aside helplessly.
At that moment, she regretted not just getting a buzz cut.
Xie Jinxing walked in slowly. As he brushed past, a faint woody scent lingered near her nose.
Gu An’an held her breath, leaning back to avoid touching him. Suddenly, she noticed that the slime on top of his head that had finally reached 20 had mysteriously dropped five points.
It jumped to 19.
Gu An’an: “?” Huh???
Wasn’t it 15 on banquet day? Did it go up?
She stared at his back, expression twisted.
So, what kind of quirk is this person, that he gets so happy seeing her ugly?