Chapter 28
946 Words
Feng Xiao Zhi seemed surprised by the trust and gave her a pat on the shoulder without a word.
“When did you check in?” Xu Mei asked.
“Today,” Feng Xiao Zhi replied. “Meiqing and Bei Qiyan were already here. I asked, and they said another roommate had checked in but didn’t stay over. I didn’t know it was you, so I just guessed you had something to do. That was it. I never heard any rumors.”
Xu Mei was more wary of Meiqing than Bei Qiyan. But Meiqing hadn’t even arrived when Xu Mei left yesterday.
“Let’s go back to the dorm and ask,” Xu Mei said with a sigh.
“They won’t admit it,” Feng Xiao Zhi said.
“It doesn’t matter. The rumor’s cleared up.” Xu Mei showed her WeChat notifications. “But here’s what’s bothering me: even if Meiqing and Bei Qiyan said I didn’t come back and guessed I was with a guy, why would so many people add me on WeChat? Especially guys?”
“Disgusting,” Feng Xiao Zhi cursed under her breath. “Honestly… it’s like someone deliberately posted something. Like saying you were… available. You get what I mean.”
“I do,” Xu Mei nodded. That’s what she feared. “Even if they didn’t like me, it’s the first day of school. That kind of hatred doesn’t make sense. Not unless…”
“Unless you had enemies before,” Feng Xiao Zhi said. “Who knows your WeChat?”
Xu Mei stayed silent for a while. “Let’s go back first.”
Back in the dorm, the other two weren’t there—probably hiding. But they had to come back eventually.
And they did—right at lights out. When they opened the door, they saw Xu Mei under her desk lamp, waiting.
Bei Qiyan visibly trembled. Meiqing looked stiff but composed.
“It’s late, so let’s cut to the chase.” Xu Mei stood on her chair. “You’ve heard what happened today. I just want the truth. Be honest—save us all time.”
She was giving them a way out. If they hadn’t gone too far, she could let it go.
“It—it’s my fault,” Bei Qiyan admitted, voice shaking. “I heard you on the phone with a guy yesterday. Then you left and never came back. Meiqing noticed your luggage and asked, so I told her. Then we guessed where you went. Meiqing joked maybe you went out with some hot guy. The girls from next door were visiting and overheard. I’m so sorry…”
“I…” Meiqing tried to defend herself, but found she had nothing to say.
“That’s all?” Xu Mei raised a brow.
“That’s all,” Bei Qiyan muttered.
“Are you sure?” Xu Mei’s tone darkened. “No discussions about someone seeing me with a guy?”
They both flinched—clearly, she’d guessed right.
“Yes. Someone said they saw you talking with two guys. They didn’t know you, but Bei described your clothes. She said you’re prettier than Xu Liang, and they got jealous…”
Meiqing gave a half-hearted shrug. “Sorry. I didn’t expect it to spread to the guys.”
Xu Mei hadn’t expected them to turn on each other so quickly.
“You didn’t post anything about me, like some ‘ad’?” Xu Mei asked.
They froze, then both shook their heads.
“Absolutely not!”
“I don’t even have your WeChat!”
They didn’t seem to be lying.
“If nothing goes wrong, we’ll be roommates for four years,” Xu Mei said. “We’ll share space, food, and everything. I won’t expect us to be best friends, but we can at least avoid stabbing each other in the back. I hate betrayal. If you’re telling the truth, this is over. I hope there won’t be a next time. When I get serious… even I don’t know what I’m capable of.”
Feng Xiao Zhi shot the girls a glare but Xu Mei shook her head. This wasn’t over.
Most of the guys who added her weren’t even from their department—many were from engineering. No way Meiqing and Bei Qiyan had that kind of reach.
Someone else was behind this.
But until she figured it out, she had to keep things calm.
“This was my fault,” Meiqing quickly apologized. “I’ll defend you if anyone ever spreads rumors again.”
Just like in the original story—she could bend when needed.
“I’m sorry, Xu Mei,” Bei Qiyan added, voice breaking. “You even helped me yesterday… I’d never try to hurt you. I just admire how pretty you are. I didn’t mean it like they made it sound… It’s my fault. Yell at me, hit me—just, I’m really sorry…”
She choked up, eyes red with tears. A classic fragile act—just like in the book.
But unlike the main character Xu Liang, she had no halo to protect her.
“It’s over,” Xu Mei said, lying back on her bed. “Let’s sleep.”
She stared at the ceiling in the dark, troubled.
She’d handled her roommates totally differently from the original Xu Mei—yet she’d still clashed with them on day one.
No matter how she tried, would fate always pull her back to its original course?
Would Fu Shuyang still turn dark in the end?
No. Xu Mei rolled over.
She didn’t believe in fate.
And she would never let Fu Shuyang fall into darkness.
- Writer
