Fish-Lipped Humans

"Are you sure Wang Qin will listen to you? If she goes looking for Jiang Yunlu, won't you blow your top?"

Ye Minghui sat with his legs crossed, holding a glass of sparkling water. Sunk halfway into the soft sofa, his head rested on a woman's thighs, his expression exuding a careless indifference.

His fingertips tapped lightly against the rim of the glass. The faint friction between skin and glass was clearly audible in the quiet room.

Zhou Nianqian swirled the wine glass in his hand. The ice cubes clinked gently against the sides, echoing the fleeting flash of confidence in his eyes.

"Blow my top? Would she dare? The pressure I've put on her is no joke. In her eyes, how could a mere one-year friendship compare to the rest of her family's lives? As soon as she spills those secrets, she'll lose absolutely everything."

His words carried a certain conviction, even a touch of cruelty.

He always felt he was too smart for his own good, and he had never intended to waste that brilliance on dull, tedious studying.

That would simply be a waste of God-given talent.

He studied Ye Minghui's lazy demeanor, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes before being replaced by a playful look. He lifted his chin and gestured, "What about you? Didn't you say you'd help me handle that Cai Junhuang? From the looks of it, you seem like you've got nothing to do."

Hearing this, Ye Minghui scoffed and casually set his glass of sparkling water on the coffee table with a soft thud.

"Handle my ass. That guy Fang Jun messed everything up for me. But it doesn't matter, I have my ways to deal with those two."

"And what do you plan to do about that girl, Xie Yuling?"

"Nothing much. I've already got people looking into girls like her. There's always some dirty laundry I can use."

Zhou Nianqian set down his wine glass, a sudden trace of curiosity rising in his heart, or rather, a playful urge to ask a question he already knew the answer to.

"Is your way of liking someone just obtaining them by any means necessary?"

Ye Minghui acted as if he had just heard a joke. He spread his hands in a matter-of-fact manner.

"Well, what else? It's not like I'm going to like her forever. I just like her right now. Since I want her now, she has to be mine. Once I have her and the novelty wears off, I'll naturally let her go. After all, a melon is just meant to quench your thirst. Does it really matter if it's sweet?"

His tone was frivolous, treating emotion as pure desire. His instrumental rationality was chilling.

"If your sister heard you say that, she'd probably come over and beat you to death with her handbag," Zhou Nianqian joked.

Ye Minghui curled his lips dismissively, showing a mix of mockery and familial intimacy.

"Tch, isn't she exactly the same? The number of people she's played with is only more than mine, never less. She just wears the cloak of an elite; at their core, there's no difference."

His assessment of his sister was surprisingly objective, or perhaps it was just the unspoken mutual understanding and irony shared between siblings.

Ye Minghui didn't care in the slightest.

As if suddenly remembering something, his eyes shifted as he turned to Zhou Nianqian. "Right, is there any news on Lin Mo over in Tianjing? Didn't you send people to keep an eye on him?"

Zhou Nianqian picked up his glass again, gently swirling the amber liquid.

"He's only been there a week, what kind of feedback could there be? Be patient and wait a little longer. When the time comes, I'll arrange a few romantic encounters for him, add a little alcohol as a catalyst, and I refuse to believe he won't make a mistake. Tianjing is a world of endless temptations. With a few girls throwing themselves at him, is Lin Mo supposed to be some kind of saint?"

His words carried an almost pathological smugness, as if he had already foreseen Lin Mo's downfall.

Lin Mo was only going to the national competition for a short while.

But he would come back eventually.

To prevent any outcomes he didn't want to see, Zhou Nianqian was determined to make special arrangements for him.

He firmly believed that in an unfamiliar environment, faced with a meticulously designed honey trap, very few men could resist.

Especially a young teenage boy.

Just snap a few photos, record a video, and he would have all the leverage he needed.

At this thought, Zhou Nianqian took another joyful sip of his drink.

He could almost picture the scene: Lin Mo's reputation left in ruins by those scandals, losing absolutely everything.

A subtle, indescribable smile crept onto Zhou Nianqian's lips. The scales of victory seemed to have already tipped in his favor.

This was what it meant to strategize and command from a distance.

--System: I just have to say it, foolish humans.--

"Fang Jun, Cai Junhuang, both of you come with me for a moment."

Chen Xiaoya stood at the classroom door, her face expressionless as she called the two of them to the office.

Fang Jun and Cai Junhuang exchanged glances, feeling somewhat at a loss.

"What's wrong? Did you get caught not handing in your homework?" Fang Jun asked casually.

"I handed in my homework! Why do you have to go too, then?" Cai Junhuang retorted fiercely.

"Now that you mention it, that makes sense. After all, I finished my homework during evening self-study and handed it right in."

Cai Junhuang nudged him with her elbow. "Stop overthinking it, let's go."

The two headed straight for the office.

As soon as they walked in and stood by the door, they noticed the stares of quite a few teachers directed at them.

Feeling these gazes, Fang Jun suddenly felt a wave of panic.

But on second thought, that didn't make sense. His grades hadn't dropped recently; in fact, they were steadily improving.

And Cai Junhuang had even less to worry about; she was far above the passing line for the art exam.

Thinking of this, Fang Jun took two quick steps forward and looked at Chen Xiaoya with a beaming smile.

"What's going on? I've been very well-behaved, you know."

As everyone knows, people who claim to be well-behaved are usually anything but.

However, Chen Xiaoya's expression didn't change. She just looked at Cai Junhuang, then at Fang Jun, and clicked open her email on the computer.

A photo immediately popped up from the email.

"Look at this. Is this the two of you?"

Fang Jun took a closer look. That handsome side profile and agile posture—who else could it be but him!

However, the photo captured the exact moment he was pulling Cai Junhuang along as they ran.

It was from the night Cai Junhuang was being harassed by Ye Minghui.

"Oh, so it's this." As soon as Fang Jun saw it, he knew exactly who had taken the photo.

Chen Xiaoya frowned. "What do you mean, 'Oh, so it's this'?! This email appeared directly in the inboxes of every single teacher today. Even the principal came to ask me what was going on!"

Fang Jun sneered coldly and turned to look at Cai Junhuang. "You tell her. If I say it, the teacher will definitely be suspicious, but if you explain, she'll definitely listen."

Cai Junhuang didn't hesitate. Suddenly, a stream of clear tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes.

In an instant, she completely startled Chen Xiaoya.

"Waaah! Teacher!"

Frightened, Chen Xiaoya immediately tried to comfort her. "What's wrong?! What happened? Take your time and tell me."

"The night before last, I had just come out of the dance studio... Ye Minghui drove his car to the intersection, honking his horn and harassing me. He kept telling me to get in his car. I refused, and Fang Jun happened to be walking by. He helped me call the police and took me away; otherwise, I was really so scared at the time."

Fang Jun immediately jumped in. "That's right! I even have the record of calling the police... Uh, I didn't bring my phone to school today, but I have the dispatch record. I can go home at noon or in the afternoon to get my phone and show it to you."