"Who are you?" he asked bluntly, unable to hide the edge in his tone.
The woman's smile faltered a little at his directness but quickly regained her composer. "We met a long time ago, at a company event. I guess you've forgotten me. But I haven't forgotten you."
Qin Yuheng stood still, trying to recall the event she was referring to but couldn't do so. "Whatever," he said coldly, brushing past her without another glance.
Looking at his back, the woman sighed then her lips curved into a triumphant smile, glancing discreetly at a corner nearby as if signaling someone or something, then left without a word.
-------
Beijing Medical College...
The four girls sat on their seats, listening to the lecture. The air was filled with the soft sound of pens scratching on paper and the occasional click of a keyboard.
A girl sitting in front turned around and whispered, "Shen Ning, is your group assignment done?"
Shen Ning blinked, momentarily snapped out of her concentration. "Huh? Oh, yeah. It's done. What about yours?"
The girl, Rong Yu, pursed her lips and shot a glance at her two groupmates seated nearby. "Not yet," she admitted softly. Her tone was casual, but her eyes flickered
Her groupmates exchanged silent glances and smiled maliciously.
------
When the lecture ended, the four friends decided to use the 45-minute break to double-check their project before submission. They huddled around a table in a corner of the library, reviewing each part meticulously.
Zhao Min sat at the side, carefully examining her diagrams. The detailed illustrations and labels had taken hours to perfect, and she felt a quiet pride in her work.
Just as she leaned forward to adjust something, a loud splash interrupted the silence. A bright red liquid spilled across the table, seeping into her drawings.
"What did you do?!" Zhao Min exclaimed, standing up abruptly and pulling her ruined papers away from the spreading stain.
Rong Yu stood next to her, holding an empty cup, her expression feigning innocence. "Oops," she said flatly, a thinly veiled smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I spoiled your work."
Her insincere tone and the glint in her eyes made it clear—it wasn't an accident.
"You did it intentionally!" Yun Xi shot up from her seat, her voice sharp with anger.
Rong Yu raised an eyebrow, still not looking the least bit guilty. "Didn't you see? I tripped over and almost fell," she replied coolly, her tone laced with mockery.
"That's a lie!" Zhao Min snapped, clutching the ruined drawings in her hands. "There was no way you 'tripped' in an open space like this. Moreover, who brings these things to the library!"
Lu Nan stepped forward, her arms crossed as she glared at Rong Yu. "What's your problem? We've worked hard on this. Do you think this is funny?"
Rong Yu shrugged, tossing the empty cup into a nearby bin. "Relax," she said dismissively. "It's just some drawings. You can redo them."
Lu Nan clenched her fists. "Why don't you redo them if you think it's no big deal?"
Shen Ning, who had been silent until now, stepped between them, her voice calm but firm. "Rong Yu, whether it was intentional or not, you should apologize. Zhao Min put a lot of effort into this."
Rong Yu's lips twitched into a false smile. "Sorry," she said curtly, her tone devoid of sincerity.
Shen Ning gazed at Rong Yu, her eyes narrowing slightly. She smiled, "We will see if it's intentional or not."
Rong Yu snorted and left.
Zhao Min was on the verge of crying. The assignment includes lots of drawings. Only two were left unstained.
Shen Ning pursed her lips. "Let's... redo these today. Now only ten minutes are left, let's go back to the class."
Zhao Min's eyes were red. "It took me a lot of days to finish it. And we have to submit it the day after tomorrow."
Lu Nan patted her shoulder. "We will do it together."
Zhao Min replied, "Sorry."
Shen Ning smiled. "Don't say sorry. It's a group work to be begin with and it's not your fault."
They returned to the class dejectedly yet determined to overcome the setback outweighing Rong Yu's pettiness.
-------
After returning to their dorm, Shen Ning called Qin Yuheng but he didn't answer, maybe he was in a meeting. So she decided not to waste time and texted him— There's an issue with the assignment so I won't be able to come for two days. Don't worry I am fine.
Satisfied, she put her phone down and turned her focus on Zhao Min's drawings and didn't notice that after texting her phone was out of battery.
From the other side of the table, Yun Xi's exaggerated wail broke the quiet atmosphere. "Zhao Min, your work was way harder than mine!"
Later that night...
When Qin Yuheng returned home, he was eager to see Shen Ning. He hadn't seen his wife for two days and missed her terribly.
He walked through the door excitedly, but the housekeeper and Aunt Rong were there instead.
"Uncle Zhao, is Ah Ning back?" he asked, his voice full of anticipation.
"No, young madam didn't come back. Was she supposed to return today?" the housekeeper replied.
"Of course, she said she would be back today." He pulled out his phone to call her, but it wasn't reachable. He then noticed a WeChat message from her: [There's an issue with the assignment, so I won't be able to come for two days. Don't worry, I'm fine.]
Concerned, he called Nine. "Is young madam at the dormitory?"
"Yes, sir."
"Ok... Inform me if something happens."