A flurry of news

Chen Yuan didn't take her seriously at all.

That sense of being ignored drove Zhao Yuqi crazy.

It made her feel defeated, as if her charm was fading.

Chen Yuan had gone to great lengths for Lin Shutong in the past.

So why wasn't he doing the same for her?

Was she really less important than Lin Shutong?

Women tend to compare themselves to others,

especially the more beautiful ones.

If Chen Yuan had given in today—sending her gifts and boosting her popularity—

Zhao Yuqi would've believed she had him under her control.

No matter how rich he was, in the end, he'd still be at her feet, right?

From a psychological standpoint,

people are naturally drawn to what they can't easily obtain.

The harder it is to get something, the more precious it feels.

The more you ignore her, the more she craves your attention.

Of course, this only works if she's already intrigued and has some level of affection for you.

Women often say they like men who treat them well,

men who spoil them, love them, and never make them upset.

But honestly, guys like that often end up single.

If you start chasing her from the beginning,

you've already lost the balance of power, becoming just another "nice guy."

It's not about money; even rich men can turn into "nice guys"

when they're too eager.

Chen Yuan had gotten drunk over the whole Lin Shutong situation,

and accidentally stood Zhao Yuqi up.

She was pissed,

but the more upset she was, the more she cared.

And the more she cared, the more important Chen Yuan became in her eyes.

Sometimes, making a woman angry isn't necessarily a bad thing;

it all depends on how you handle it afterward.

If you mess up, it's over.

But handle it right, and you could turn things around, even make her fall harder.

"Xiao Fei, I'm not streaming today. Not in the mood,"

Zhao Yuqi said, shutting down her stream.

She didn't sleep at all that night.

The next morning,

Chen Yuan stretched lazily.

He grabbed his phone to check the time.

"What the heck? Why's it off?"

"Oh, right, I turned it off myself!"

"Wait… didn't I have something important to do yesterday?"

Suddenly, he shot up in bed.

Sunlight was pouring through the window,

and his heart sank.

"Damn it, I stood up Zhao Yuqi, the campus beauty!"

"And Xu Lele invited me over for dinner last night.

It's already the next morning?"

"Did I seriously stand up two girls? Ugh!"

Chen Yuan slapped his foggy head.

Drinking had messed everything up!

Recalling what he'd missed,

he quickly powered his phone back on.

Within seconds, a flood of notifications came through.

Over 20 missed calls and more than 300 unread WeChat messages.

Lin Shutong, Xu Lele, Zhao Yuqi—

even Sun Rui had called him?

He ignored the missed calls for now

and opened his unread messages.

Lin Shutong:

"Chen Yuan, why didn't you pick up my calls?"

"I'm heartbroken. I know I messed up. Please, don't treat me like this!"

"I've realized I can't live without you!"

"Please don't ignore me!"

"Just reply with one word, anything!"

Xu Lele:

"Chen Yuan, why didn't you pick up?"

"Weren't you coming over for dinner last night?"

"I cooked for you, even got a bottle of wine ready!"

"Don't you like me anymore? Is it because I have too many guy friends?

I can delete them all if that's what's bothering you!"

"I'll delete them right now!"

Zhao Yuqi:

"Chen Yuan, what's going on? Why did you stand me up?"

"I know you're rich and don't care about me, but you still need to keep your promises!"

"How could you back out like that?"

Sun Rui:

"Sorry if this is too forward, but I need to tell you—I like you!"

"I haven't been able to forget that heroic moment of yours at the internet café.

Lin Shutong doesn't appreciate you, but I do.

I can give you what she never could!"

Chen Yuan felt his scalp tingle,

overwhelmed by the barrage of messages.

These women were terrifying!

Why were they acting like he was their boyfriend?

He had only ever seen them as a way to make money.

Did they misunderstand something?

Whether it was Xu Lele or Zhao Yuqi,

from the start, Chen Yuan's goal had been clear.

He was just using them as "cash cows."

Now that they had spent money on him,

why were they suddenly talking about feelings?

Did these women all want to talk about love with rich guys, but money with poor ones?

Couldn't they just pick one and stick to it?

And what was up with Sun Rui?

She was completely out of nowhere!

"Ugh, so annoying!"

"Waking up to be bombarded by girls is just exhausting,"

Chen Yuan muttered in frustration.

"Dude, are you asking for a beating? Talking like that first thing in the morning,

especially when the rest of us in the dorm are all single!"

"Exactly! I say we kick him out of room 503!"

"Agreed! Both hands up for that!"

Just then,

another WeChat message popped up on Chen Yuan's phone.

"Hey, Mr. Yan, it's Xiao Hong.

You mentioned coming over to check out the house yesterday.

Any chance you'll have time today?"

It was from Hong Yuanqiao.

Chen Yuan suddenly remembered

he had promised to go see the house today.

"Mr. Hong, I'm free today. Just send me the location, and I'll grab a cab over," Chen Yuan replied.

"Grab a cab?"

Hong Yuanqiao replied with a confused emoji.

Wasn't Mr. Yan super rich?

Why would he need to take a cab?

"Oh! My driver went home to visit family a few days ago!"

Chen Yuan quickly responded.

"That explains it!

Since your driver's out, I'll send one of my company drivers to pick you up.

Just drop me your location!"

"Sounds good!"

Chen Yuan agreed.

Since he had already promised to check out the house,

he was fully prepared to buy it.

But the money wasn't for him to spend.

He needed someone to spend it for him.

After a moment's thought, Chen Yuan called Zhao Yuqi.

"Chen Yuan, you finally decided to call back!" Zhao Yuqi's voice was cold.

"Sorry, Zhao President.

Something came up yesterday, but I'll explain later.

Right now, could you meet me? I've got something important to discuss."

"What is it?"

"Just meet me at the school gate at 9:30. I'll explain then.

Don't be late!"