Chapter 41 Forgive[Part 3]

"Ningning, did you know? The forum is buzzing about you and Zhou Yi, and there's even talk of a love triangle," Zhang Lili said, poking Su Ning's shoulder.

Su Ning scoffed indifferently. "These people are just bored, always jumping to conclusions at the slightest hint of gossip. Let them talk."

"But they're saying Zhou Yi used to be Chu Han's lapdog, and they're making it sound so convincing," Zhang Lili pressed.

Su Ning paused her writing and looked up at Zhang Lili. "So what? Lili, I've just confirmed that Zhou Yi has been putting on an act. I'm certain of it. So, in my opinion, whatever he had with Chu Han was just a show."

Zhang Lili nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. After all, Zhou Yi just walked back to the classroom with you. If he were really Chu Han's lapdog, he would've followed her to the cafeteria."

While Zhang Lili was still speculating about Zhou Yi and Chu Han, Zhou Yi himself had already received a friend request from Chu Han. Without hesitation, he accepted it. There were also several other friend requests from strangers. He accepted the ones he recognized and rejected the rest. That's just how distant and cool he came across—after all, not everyone could casually add the campus heartthrob on WeChat.

At the same time, Zhou Yi had several unread messages on his phone.

[Xiao Xi: Yi-Gege, I saw you on the forum today. I didn't know you were so famous at school!]

[Xin Loves Candy: Yi-Gege, want to grab some bubble tea tonight? My treat~]

[Ah- Zhi: Yi-Gege, what's going on with you and Su Ning? Everyone's talking about you. Want to hang out and clear your mind?]

The rest were messages from people he didn't care about, so he didn't bother replying. He was determined to keep his distant and cool demeanor intact.

Zhou Yi first replied to Qiao Xi and Xia Qiuzhi.

[Zhou Yi: There's a lot of nonsense about me on the forum, Xiao Xi. Don't believe any of it.]

[Zhou Yi: No need, Ah-Zhi. I'm afraid Wang Xuan might get upset if he finds out we met.]

Then he opened Wang Yixin's chat window. After some thought, he decided not to reject her invitation.

[Sure, meet me outside the classroom after class.]

Zhou Yi deliberately orchestrated this arrangement to provoke a little jealousy in Su Ning. Sometimes, a flicker of envy could be the spark needed for deeper feelings.

[Xin Loves Candy: Yay! I'll wait for you outside your classroom after class, gege. Can't wait, hehe~]

Wang Yixin was quite skilled at charming men. With someone as cold as Zhou Yi, she knew to act more lively. In front of others, she was the epitome of an aloof goddess.

As Zhou Yi was about to put his phone away and sleep, Chu Han and Xia Qiuzhi's chat windows lit up again.

[Han: When do you have time to talk alone? I don't think we should end things like this, Yi-Gege.]

[Zhou Yi: You have a boyfriend. It's not appropriate for us to meet alone. Why don't you bring him along?]

Would Chu Han dare? Zhou Yi had thrown her a curveball. Bringing Gao Wenhao to meet Zhou Yi would be like dancing on Gao Wenhao's grave. But she was desperate to uncover the secrets about Zhou Yi. Compared to Gao Wenhao's unpredictable temper, she much preferred the Zhou Yi, who used to dote on her.

[Han: I'll think about it. I'm sorry, you know how jealous Wenhao can get. I'm afraid he might target you.]

Chu Han's words shifted all the blame onto Gao Wenhao, as if her past mistreatment of Zhou Yi was entirely Gao Wenhao's fault. Zhou Yi didn't respond, leaving Chu Han feeling a bit dejected. Who would've thought she'd be the one waiting for Zhou Yi to reply? What goes around comes around… but what was she thinking? Chu Han quickly shook off those strange thoughts. Her priority now was to confirm whether Zhou Yi was really a rich second-generation heir.

[Ah-Zhi: He won't get mad. If he does, then he's being unreasonable. We've been friends for so many years. Should we really care about what others think?]

Zhou Yi smirked sarcastically. In Xia Qiuzhi's eyes, Wang Xuan was never an outsider before. But now that she wanted to win him back, Wang Xuan suddenly became "someone else."

[Zhou Yi: I'll let you know when I'm free. My schedule is pretty packed these days.]

The underlying message was clear: I'm in high demand, so you'll have to be patient.

Xia Qiuzhi's eyes widened slightly. Was Zhou Yi implying that she was now just another name on his list, to be seen only when he felt like it? She felt a pang of frustration. She used to be certain of her top spot in Zhou Yi's heart, but not anymore. Zhou Yi was no longer the same person. He was now the white-shirted heartthrob praised by countless girls on the forum. She had even seen the post about three girls surrounding him at lunch. Her Yi-Gege no longer had her in his heart. For some reason, Xia Qiuzhi felt a deep sense of loss. She never thought this person would become so important to her, yet now she found herself constantly worrying about losing him.

[Xia Qiuzhi's regret value +10, affection value +10.]

With a satisfied mental note, Zhou Yi drifted off to sleep in a good mood.

The next morning, with no classes scheduled, Zhou Yi made a call from his dorm balcony and then headed straight to the office to find Liu Wei. He wanted to move off-campus; living in the dorm was too inconvenient for his romantic pursuits.

"Applying for off-campus housing?"

"Yes, teacher."

"Have your parents call me."

"May I borrow your phone, teacher?"

Liu Wei handed his phone to Zhou Yi, and soon the call connected.

"Hello, is this Teacher Liu?"

A graceful woman's voice came through the phone, so elegant that one could almost picture a refined lady on the other end.

Liu Wei instinctively softened his tone. "Ah, yes, hello. Are you Zhou Yi's mother?"

The woman chuckled. "Yes, our Xiao Yi has special circumstances. As parents, we'd like to spend more time with him. I hope you can understand."

Liu Wei nodded. "Of course, of course. No problem."

"Thank you for your understanding."

"It's my pleasure."

After a few polite exchanges, they hung up. The woman wasn't actually Zhou Yi's mother but a voice actress he had hired. And just like that, Zhou Yi was no longer required to live in the dorm.

Zhou Yi planned to buy an apartment. With his assets now reaching eight million, spending a million on a place wasn't unreasonable, right?

Before the first class in the afternoon, Zhou Yi opened a real estate app and started browsing seriously. Zhang Wu glanced over and turned green with envy. Was Zhou Yi really looking at properties worth over a million? Could he actually be a rich second-generation heir?