Zheng Jiayue looked at the disconnected call, her expression deeply conflicted.

“What’s wrong?” Ji Yang asked knowingly, his tone gentle.

Zheng Jiayue set her phone aside and wrapped her arms around his neck, pouting. “I don’t like being pressured by others. It makes me feel like a pushover, even though I know she really wants an expensive dress, and that 100,000 yuan isn’t a big deal to me. But it still feels uncomfortable. On the other hand, part of me thinks that 100,000 yuan would give her a nice way to end her college years.”

In short, she was annoyed but also felt a bit sorry for her and inclined to give in.

“Jiajia, you need to have a clear sense of money,” Ji Yang said, somewhat exasperated, holding her around the waist. “If I’m not working, I don’t have any income. I can make sure your lifestyle isn’t affected, but we’re under no obligation to satisfy her desires.”

“Everyone has their own life to live. She wants too much. Human nature is greedy, and you won’t be able to satisfy her.”

Looking at him, Zheng Jiayue suddenly realized that A-Yang had resigned from the company, so he didn’t have a salary anymore.

“Sigh… since it’s her last request, I won’t say anything. I’ll transfer some money to your card so you two don’t end up second-guessing each other. You’re still roommates, and I don’t want her treating you poorly, which would worry me.” Ji Yang took out his phone, pretending to concede.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jiayue immediately said, “100,000 yuan is a price she can’t handle. It’s beyond her budget.”

She wasn’t trying to use money to maintain the friendship, but seeing Ji Yang thinking about her and after that scene at the hospital, she felt that Ji Yang would soon be very short on money. 100,000 was a lot, and she needed to be sensible and thrifty.

Ji Yang thought for a moment and then said, “I’m also worried she’ll hold it against you, accuse you of not wanting to spend money on her, and say that you look down on her because she’s poor. But I think people need to live within their means. She’s trying too hard to pretend and is a bit vain.”

This gave Zheng Jiayue pause. What she considered normal expenses were high for Ning Wen. The other girl did sometimes seem to be deliberately comparing herself. Those were definitely bad signs.

“Enough about her. I need to think about how to work hard and support you.” Ji Yang gently shifted the topic, pulling her into his embrace.

Zheng Jiayue lightly hit him, not using any real strength. “As long as we don’t starve together, it’s enough.”

“You won’t starve. I’ll make sure you’re full,” Ji Yang whispered into her ear, his words laced with an intimacy that suddenly made her recall their playful evening the night before. Her face flushed red, and she nestled into his arms, her eyes brimming with sweetness.

In her heart, Ning Wen could never compare to her A-Yang.

---

Inside the mall.

Ning Wen waited for five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes…

Her phone remained silent.

She started to wonder if there was a signal problem, but the reception bar was full. Usually, when she acted this way, Zheng Jiayue would quickly send the money, always considerate of her fragile ego. What was going on this time?

“Miss, will you be paying the deposit with a card or cash?” the sales associate asked with a polite smile.

“Forget it!” Ning Wen snapped and headed for the exit, silently cursing Zheng Jiayue.

Looking down on me because I don’t have money? she fumed. If I’d been born into the Zheng family, I’d have money, too! What makes her so special? It’s just family money, so why does she get to look down on me?!

“Miss.” The sales associate’s face turned cold, and she blocked her way. “You’ve been discussing this dress with us for three hours, we created sample designs and sketches, and we even brought out several items from our stock. It’s after-hours now, so if you’re not going to proceed, you’ll need to cover our time costs before leaving.”

She had hoped to get an overtime bonus from this, and now that Ning Wen was backing out, they weren’t going to let her leave so easily.

“I decide whether I buy or not—why should I pay extra?” Ning Wen’s face darkened.

“There is a charge of 300 yuan in this case.” The sales associate nodded. “Once you pay, you’re free to leave. Cash or card?”

After some back-and-forth, Ning Wen couldn’t argue her way out and finally took 300 yuan from her purse, throwing it over with a sneer, “Who doesn’t have a few hundred bucks? Consider it charity!”

With that, she turned and strutted out with her head held high.

“Who hasn’t seen a few hundred yuan? Acting rich when you’re broke! If it weren’t for Miss Zheng, would we even have given her the time of day?”

“Exactly! Pretending to be a lady when she can’t afford custom dresses. It’s laughable!”

“Those fake designer shoes and bags—does she think no one can tell?”

…

The taunting voices of the sales associates echoed behind her, and Ning Wen’s face flushed red with anger as she hurried out, inwardly blaming everything on Zheng Jiayue and feeling a surge of resentment.

---

Ji Yang spent two days resting, and by then, the bruise at the corner of his mouth had faded, which gave Zheng Jiayue some relief.

That weekend, she returned to her dormitory.

When Ning Wen saw her, she still felt a bitter resentment inside, but she concealed it well, greeting her with a smile, “Jiayue, what did you bring? Is it for me?”

Over the past few years, Ning Wen had worked carefully to alienate Zheng Jiayue from the other two dormmates, so they barely interacted with her. This left Zheng Jiayue with only Ning Wen, who made sure to badmouth the others, positioning herself as the “kindest” friend.

In the past, Zheng Jiayue would have responded casually. With her innocent personality, a doting family, and Ji Yang’s love, she hadn’t given it much thought. As a result, her other two roommates became increasingly distant and uninterested in interacting with her.

“I brought something for all three of you.” Zheng Jiayue smiled, handing Ning Wen her share before walking over to the desk of Li Yuer, one of her other roommates. “This is for you.”

Li Yuer looked pleasantly surprised. “Thank you.”

The other roommate, Chen Ke, was also a bit taken aback. Typically, Ning Wen monopolized everything, even putting on an act in front of them. They had simply assumed that Zheng Jiayue was naive.

The gift was a pastry from Li Fu Ji, an expensive and popular bakery where people queued for hours. The roommates couldn’t refuse, and a hint of gratitude stirred in them.

“No problem. You should eat it while it’s still warm,” Zheng Jiayue said kindly, returning to her seat.

Her A-Yang had been right—she shouldn’t have isolated herself. Buying just one gift each time could easily breed resentment. They were all roommates and should get along peacefully.

They were all adults now, close to graduation, and might never see each other again afterward. It was important to cherish this time together.

Ning Wen held her pastry bag with growing frustration, but with others around, she couldn’t say anything. She decided that once they went out to eat, she’d try to “re-educate” Zheng Jiayue.

“Oh, right, Yuer. Didn’t you mention wanting to switch internship companies? My family’s company is hiring interns,” Zheng Jiayue said, turning to Li Yuer.

“Really?” Li Yuer’s voice was full of excitement.

“Yes, we’re currently looking for people. If you’re interested, I can reserve a spot for you, but you’ll still need to fill out an application and go through the interview,” Zheng Jiayue replied.

“Could I apply, too?” Chen Ke quickly asked.

The Zheng Corporation was a major company, and the chance to intern there was valuable, offering plenty of opportunities to learn.

“Isn’t it a bit late to switch internship companies?” Ning Wen interjected.

The main source of tension between Zheng Jiayue and her two other roommates had always been her arrangement of an internship exclusively for herself. If they all got internship opportunities, wouldn’t things smooth out?

If that happened, Ning Wen’s ability to manipulate Zheng Jiayue or benefit from her would be much more challenging.

“What’s so bad about it? We’d all just be interns,” Chen Ke said slowly, giving Ning Wen a glance. “Don’t tell me you don’t want us to go?”

Though Ning Wen put on a friendly facade, both Chen Ke and Li Yuer were well aware of her two-faced nature.

“Of course not!” Ning Wen replied, looking awkward. She then added, “Ji Corporation isn’t taking any more interns, or I would’ve recommended you both to come there. Our department is still under the general manager, and the benefits are great!”

Compared to the Zheng Corporation, Ji Corporation did have some advantages, and being under Ji Yang’s department gave her more visibility. She felt that the Zheng Corporation didn’t compare; Zheng Jiayue was just tossing some scraps to the others.

Seeing Ning Wen’s smug expression, the two roommates exchanged glances, annoyed. To an outsider, it might seem like Ji Yang was her boyfriend—she was shameless.

“A-Yang isn’t with Ji Corporation anymore,” Zheng Jiayue said suddenly.

Ning Wen’s face froze. “The general manager isn’t at Ji Corporation anymore?”

Spending so much time around Zheng Jiayue, she had come to know Ji Yang well—he was talented, considerate, and undoubtedly a “great catch.”

Her goal was to sleep with Ji Yang!

Since Zheng Jiayue viewed Ji Yang as her entire world, Ning Wen wanted to steal him from her and see her suffer the agony of despair.

Winning against Zheng Jiayue just this once would be enough for her. The thought made her blood race.

“He resigned,” Zheng Jiayue replied. “He didn’t want to keep working there—the job was too exhausting.”

“Your boyfriend’s so talented; even if he quit, he’ll definitely find a new job,” Li Yuer said, trying to comfort her, and any lingering grievances she’d held toward Zheng Jiayue faded.

Helping her wasn’t an obligation, and she was learning to appreciate it.

“Yeah, I think so, too,” Chen Ke chimed in.

Ning Wen was stunned, her mind reeling. Her main purpose for going to Ji Corporation had been to get closer to Ji Yang; after all, he was attractive and charismatic.

Learning he’d resigned so suddenly was hard to accept.

Zheng Jiayue, however, didn’t seem sad or worried.

When Li Yuer and Chen Ke left the room, Ning Wen turned to Zheng Jiayue and said, “Jiayue, they both already have internships. Isn’t sending them to the Zheng Corporation overdoing it?”

With Ji Yang gone, she had no one to back her up at Ji Corporation and figured it might be better to go to Zheng’s company instead. This made her jealous and frustrated, though she kept her feelings hidden.

“I’m just offering them a chance. If they want to go, they can. It’s no big deal,” Zheng Jiayue replied.

If she could recommend Ning Wen, she could certainly recommend the others as well. It was simply a matter of fairness, just as A-Yang had suggested—otherwise, it would create misunderstandings and make things harder to get along.

Frustrated, Ning Wen looked at Zheng Jiayue, who seemed oblivious, and reluctantly held back, instead voicing a concern. “Jiayue, with Ji Yang out of work and you about to graduate, what are you two going to do? Staying with him would mean living a tougher life.”

A wealthy heiress dating a jobless, unfavored son—how ridiculous! If she kept planting seeds of doubt, maybe they’d break up.

“A tougher life is fine,” Zheng Jiayue said casually, her voice softening. “A-Yang wouldn’t let me suffer too much; he said he’d work even harder for us.”

Her words were full of trust. With him, she never suffered—life was always sweet.

“That’s true. Ji Yang adores you; of course he wouldn’t let you struggle,” Ning Wen joked, adding, “You’ve never had to put up with hardship with him around. Someone is definitely the general manager’s precious darling.”

She often flattered her like this, having grown used to it.

Ji Yang was, indeed, a great guy—honest, responsible, and someone she’d set her sights on long ago. If she could just get close enough to him, even have his child, she’d confidently secure her place. She’d love to see Zheng Jiayue heartbroken, reeling from the betrayal.

She wanted Zheng Jiayue to feel the pain of having her man taken away, so she’d finally stop looking down on her!

But with Ji Yang now gone from Ji Corporation, things were more complicated. While she’d been there, she’d heard rumors about Ji Wei being highly favored by Ji’s father and that he’d recently shown interest in her. She could probably get close to him if she wanted.

“Don’t say that.” Zheng Jiayue’s expression grew more serious as she said earnestly, “I can’t bear to see him fighting alone. I’m about to start my own studio, so I won’t drag him down—I’ll work hard to be his support.”

Ning Wen was momentarily speechless, only managing a forced laugh.

Zheng Jiayue’s major was fashion design, and she had a strong background in art from years of study. Ning Wen couldn’t help feeling resentful—if she’d had the same opportunities, she would be even better. It was just a matter of birth!

“I heard Ji Corporation has an intense competition among interns. Those who don’t perform well enough lose their chance for a permanent position. It’s quite tough, so do your best, Ning Wen,” Zheng Jiayue reminded her.

Ning Wen’s smile grew even more forced. “I know.”

She’d only gotten in because of connections and had relied on Ji Yang’s name to intimidate others, which had already caused some resentment. Now that he was gone, things were looking tough.

Next week was the announcement of the intern evaluations, and she started feeling uneasy. Would she have to lower herself to curry favor with Ji Wei?

“It’s almost time for dinner; let me treat you! I meant to take you out last night after shopping, but you left early, so it didn’t happen,” Ning Wen said, casually bringing up the previous night.

“I had something come up last night.” Zheng Jiayue, who never discussed her personal matters related to Ji Yang and the Ji family, looked apologetic. “Sorry, I can’t tonight either; A-Yang is picking me up, and we’re going to the movies together.”

She didn’t mention the dress at all, as though the whole issue had been forgotten.

Ning Wen forced a smile. “Next time, then. I’ll remember! There’s a new restaurant on the floor with the dress shop—it’s quite good.”

She didn’t believe Zheng Jiayue hadn’t noticed her intentions!

Zheng Jiayue glanced down at the message Ji Yang had just sent her, her cheeks turning pink as she bit her lip shyly. After a pause, she replied absentmindedly, “Oh, that one with the spicy beef? A-Yang and I went there yesterday. The beef was a bit too strong and spicy; if you eat it, you’ll probably break out.”

A wave of anger burned in Ning Wen’s chest as she forced herself to reply, “They must have less spicy options, though. You love spicy food, so that’s all that matters. I don’t mind!”

“My period’s coming up soon, and A-Yang would definitely scold me if I ate spicy food.” Zheng Jiayue shook her head with an embarrassed smile. “I’ll treat you to something lighter next time.”

To Ning Wen, this was all just a show of affection, and she inwardly cursed Zheng Jiayue over and over. Is she flaunting just because she has a man? She’s doing this on purpose.

No matter how angry she felt, Ning Wen didn’t dare show it, keeping up her “best friend” facade. She watched as Zheng Jiayue headed downstairs, grinding her teeth in rage, her eyes brimming with envy and hatred.

Downstairs, Zheng Jiayue ran into the arms of a handsome man. He wrapped his arms around her, saying something that made her look up and laugh, embracing his waist with a bright, blissful smile.

Her cute, happy expression pierced Ning Wen’s heart. Her long fingernails dug into her palms, though she didn’t even feel the pain.

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