Extreme Dilemma: [Failure Reward: Du Wanyi's Hatred]

Boys' Dormitory.

The principal stood at the door of Room 250 and knocked again.

"Knock, knock."

"Student, are you in there?"

"Useless fool, just open the door already!"

Dormitory Aunt wore an expression of exasperation as she kicked her own son—a pudgy, bald-headed man—squarely in the rear, sending him stumbling several feet away. She then grabbed the keys and prepared to unlock the door herself.

"Oww… tsk…"

The principal rolled twice on the ground before stopping. Truly, his "kind old mother" hadn’t lost any of her strength over the years. If this kept up, he’d probably spend the rest of his life under her "tender" care.

"Niu Fen, come here."

Dormitory Aunt inserted the spare key into the lock but paused, as if remembering something. She then turned to her freshly kicked son with a "loving" smile and beckoned him over.

Principal: "…"

His instincts told him nothing good would come of this.

It was hard to imagine that the principal of Great Sea City’s elite academy—a man of culture—had such a… down-to-earth name.

The original intention had been to inspire diligence, but unfortunately, his father’s surname was Niu (Cow), resulting in the rather abstract name "Niu Fen" (Cow Strive).

He had considered changing it, but the name had been bestowed by his "kind old mother," who was immensely proud of her profound and meaningful choice. Altering it would require getting past her first.

For the sake of his reputation and dignity, the principal had once mustered the courage to protest.

He was nearly beaten into a meat patty. After that, he accepted his fate, deciding that "Niu Fen" wasn’t so bad after all. In fact, the more he heard it, the more it grew on him. A fine name indeed!

The principal patted the dust off his round belly and waddled over as instructed, twisting the key in the lock.

Click.

The door opened.

The principal blinked in confusion. "That was easy. Why’d you make me do it, Mom?"

"Oh, forgot to mention. This guy might be the young master’s boyfriend. Could end up being the young madam someday. Didn’t want to barge in and risk making an enemy, so I figured I’d let you handle it."

Dormitory Aunt delivered this bombshell with perfect calm.

Principal: "???"

"Mom, am I even your real son?!" he cried, staring at his "kind old mother" in disbelief.

Most people got "dad jokes." He got "mom traps."

Dormitory Aunt pondered for a moment. "Probably. You’re pudgy, cowardly, and utterly useless, but you’re ugly in the exact same way as your father, so I’d say yes."

Principal: "…"

After entering and searching the room, they found no trace of Ye Cheng.

"Seems he’s not back yet. Well, we’ve wasted enough time. Let’s head down and report to the young master. Come on, Niu Fen." Dormitory Aunt cast one last glance inside, shook her head, and shut the door. She clasped her hands behind her back, instantly reverting to the image of a harmless elderly woman.

The principal scurried after her like an overgrown puppy, his plump frame wobbling comically. "Uh, Mom, could you maybe not call me by my full name in public? I’m a grown man, you know—"

"HYAH!"

THUD!

The principal was sent flying another few feet, landing in a crumpled heap. Dormitory Aunt didn’t even glance back as she marched downstairs, muttering under her breath.

"Talking back to me now…"

Downstairs.

The female bodyguard stared blankly at the empty car.

Where was the young master? How did the very large, very noticeable young master just vanish from the vehicle?

"Girl, why are you just standing there?"

Dormitory Aunt’s voice came from behind. The bodyguard turned to see a muscular elder with a dragon tattoo spanning her shoulders, effortlessly dragging a dozen unconscious men by their collars before dumping them unceremoniously in a hallway corner.

"The other one isn’t back yet… Young master, remember this old granny? Heh, I sent you those New Year’s—"

Dormitory Aunt, having cleared the "obstacles," adopted the same fawning expression as the principal earlier, rubbing her hands together like a fly as she approached the car—only to find it empty.

"Where’d he go?" Dormitory Aunt’s face scrunched in confusion.

Female Bodyguard: "…"

"Girl, where’s the young master? He was just sitting here! Did he run off?!" Dormitory Aunt gasped dramatically.

A few minutes later.

The bodyguard and Dormitory Aunt stood frozen in the security room, watching the surveillance footage of the young mistress opening the car door herself and hobbling away on her cane.

"Why’d the young master leave?"

"Er… Senior, I’m not sure."

"But based on this old granny’s decades of observation, it must be something extremely urgent. The young mistress has always been composed—for her to rush off like this, my guess? She’s off to catch a cheating scandal!"

Female Bodyguard: "…"

As the elder continued her wild speculation, the bodyguard coughed awkwardly. "Senior, the car has a dashcam…"

"WHAT?!"

Dormitory Aunt’s gossipy excitement vanished instantly. She stiffened, then dramatically collapsed to the floor like a felled tree.

Female Bodyguard: "…"

---

Student Council President’s Office.

Ye Cheng found himself trapped in a bizarre state of limbo.

Dongfang Zhixia ordered him to stay down as her footstool.

Shen Qinghan demanded he get up.

Unable to stand or kneel, Ye Cheng settled on a compromise—transforming into a "human ergonomic chair."

A stool was fine, but now, upgraded to a chair. Perfectly logical, right?

In practice, this meant Ye Cheng squatting in a horse stance while…

He blinked innocently at the council president, whose rage meter seemed ready to explode.

Dongfang Zhixia: "…"

Her face flushed crimson, fists clenched. Idiot! Who would even sit on something like that?!

After a visible struggle to control her temper, Dongfang Zhixia first shot a glare at the "chair" impersonator, then turned her frosty gaze to Shen Qinghan.

"Miss Shen, this is my office. Barging in uninvited is rather impolite. By the rules, this warrants disciplinary action—but out of respect for our… history, I’ll let it slide if you leave now."

Her tone dripped with arrogance, making Ye Cheng break out in a cold sweat. This is the clash of titans… truly terrifying. But can’t the extras like me escape first?

Ye Cheng’s signature "instant surrender" tactic usually kept him unscathed—but this time, no matter which side’s non-stick pan he chose, he’d end up fried.

The current situation had somehow been propped up by Ye Cheng, the master of avoiding blame, without leaning toward either side.

Logically, Ye Cheng should have stood firmly on the young mistress’s side, but… now, under the oppressive authority of the president, he was forced to remain neutral. The best he could do was try to compensate the young mistress later with a couple of abstract dolls.

"Oh." Shen Qinghan replied with an indifferent expression.

After responding to the president’s "threat," she averted her gaze from Dongfang Zhixia and turned it toward Ye Cheng, who was still holding a horse stance.

Their eyes met, and for some inexplicable reason, Ye Cheng felt a pang of guilt—like a cheater caught red-handed. He couldn’t bring himself to face the young mistress’s current stare.

Shifting his eyes away nervously, Shen Qinghan narrowed her gaze at him and silently raised the small cane in her hand.

Thud!

Ye Cheng: "…"

"Stop messing around, young mistress, right now—"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The young man from Great Sea City’s welfare home immediately snapped to attention!

"I’m hungry." Shen Qinghan’s lips parted slightly as her icy voice cut through the unnaturally silent office. Dongfang Zhixia narrowed her eyes, watching Shen Qinghan’s "emotional neglect" with displeasure.

This had always been the case since childhood. No matter what Dongfang Zhixia did, Shen Qinghan never paid her any attention, making it seem like she was talking to herself—like a clown.

The pinnacle of humiliation was Shen Qinghan’s brand of cold indifference. Dongfang Zhixia had even issued a "challenge," yet the young mistress left her on read.

No, worse—she didn’t even read it. She simply ignored it.

If that wasn’t emotional neglect, what was?

When they were younger, Dongfang Zhixia had been eager to interact with Shen Qinghan. After all, in their social circle, status dictated everything. Unequal status meant unequal footing in relationships, and most people around them were sycophants, always fawning and flattering no matter the situation.

Dongfang Zhixia despised it—the hypocrisy, the fear of genuine connection. She’d rather be alone than endure fake friendships.

Finding someone of equal standing was already an extremely rare condition. In Great Sea City, the number of people who met the criteria could be counted on one hand, and Shen Qinghan was the perfect match.

Dongfang Zhixia had been thrilled at first—only to realize later that she might have celebrated too soon.

No matter what she said or did, Shen Qinghan responded with the same cold indifference, making it abundantly clear she had zero interest. Once or twice was tolerable, but every single time? Dongfang Zhixia’s patience wore thin.

"You self-righteous brat! You’ll never have any friends in your life!"

That was what Dongfang Zhixia had blurted out in frustration after yet another failed attempt at befriending the young mistress. From that moment on, she retaliated with the same cold shoulder.

But even that furious outburst seemed to have been met with Shen Qinghan’s signature indifference—just a flat "Oh" before she moved on as if nothing had happened.

And so, the young mistress earned a permanent spot on Dongfang Zhixia’s revenge list. The humiliation from years ago had never faded, and she had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike back.

She had assumed the young mistress would remain friendless forever—unlike her, who at least had a certain fool at home. In that regard, she had won.

But then, not long ago, she saw them—Shen Qinghan and Ye Cheng, both out late at night.

Unexpectedly, it seemed her words from years ago had been proven wrong. Even someone as aloof and self-righteous as Shen Qinghan could find a kindred spirit?

Hah!

Found one, did she?

What if she stole him away? Would the young mistress finally lose her composure? Would she still be able to respond with a detached "Hmm" or "Oh"?

How delightful that would be…

But then, Dongfang Zhixia overplayed her hand. She had only meant to provoke the self-righteous young mistress by making that scoundrel kiss her cheek—but instead, he went straight for her lips.

Ruined. Everything was ruined. All of Dongfang Zhixia’s dignity, built up over the years, had crumbled in an instant. The worst part? She had no one to blame but herself—she had brought this upon herself.

And yet… it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

At least it hadn’t turned into something unbearable. Maybe…

"Ah, the young lady of the Du family truly is noble. Even something as simple as ‘I’m hungry, go eat’ is beyond your comprehension? Why tell me? Do you expect me to feed you?"

Dongfang Zhixia’s words dripped with sarcasm as she sneered at the girl who had subjected her to endless emotional neglect.

There was a hint of resentment born from dashed hopes—she had once placed her expectations on Shen Qinghan, hoping they could become close friends. Instead, she was met with cold indifference.

Assuming she’d be ignored again, Dongfang Zhixia prepared to pile on the pressure. After all, she had gone to great lengths today to clean up the mess caused by a certain idiot—there was no way he wouldn’t side with her now, right?

Initially, she had just wanted to get back at Shen Qinghan for all the past slights, but now, she didn’t care. After enduring so much neglect, she was used to it.

What she wanted now was for Ye Cheng to pick a side—hers, hers, or hers.

Maybe his heart leaned toward Shen Qinghan, but in Dongfang Zhixia’s eyes, she had leverage over him. Even a spineless coward like him should know which side to choose.

But before she could speak, the young mistress’s icy voice cut in.

"Don’t flatter yourself. I wasn’t talking to you."

Dongfang Zhixia: "???"

For the first time ever, Shen Qinghan had actually retaliated instead of ignoring her.

"I’m hungry."

The young mistress repeated herself. There were only four people in the office—who could she possibly be talking to? Oh, what a mystery…

[Host, follow your heart—make the ultimate choice: lose the young mistress before you forever, or betray the kindness of Dongfang Zhixia, who went out of her way to help you.]

[Reward: Charm +1]

[Failure Penalty: Du Wanyi’s Hatred]

Ye Cheng: "???"

Now of all times?!

He was about to curse, but then he realized—this was his golden finger coming to his rescue!

But wait, who was Du Wanyi?

And what did "betraying Dongfang Zhixia’s kindness" mean? Wasn’t the president…

"Darling, are you planning to sneak off to eat with another woman behind my back?"

Dongfang Zhixia’s voice, sickeningly sweet, came from behind. Her lips curled into a familiar smile as she stared at Shen Qinghan, her eyes brimming with confidence.

Today, she was determined to claim him.