The Betrayal of Childhood Sweethearts

Shen Qingling smiled. Song Zhining was quite interesting—not at all the aloof, privileged young lady he had imagined.

The young man sat by the window, gazing at the scenery outside.

There was still some time before they reached the school, so he put on his headphones to listen to music, shutting out the noise of the outside world.

"Host, Song Zhining's affection level for you has reached 85. I have to admit, you really have a way with people."

"This girl’s not bad. She’s practically falling for you just by overthinking things."

"After all, she’s only a B-tier character, and she hasn’t been influenced by the male lead yet. There’s still a good chance of successfully winning her over."

"Naive girls like her are easy to handle. Complicated people, though—that’s another story."

Shen Qingling and System 077 chatted idly, unaware that someone had recognized him and secretly snapped a photo, posting it online.

Jiangcheng was the second-largest city in China after the capital, economically prosperous and home to the highest number of universities in the country. Because of this, college students could be seen everywhere.

Jiangcheng had a forum app for students called "Serendipity."

At first, only Jiangcheng students posted and browsed there, but over time, it evolved into a nationwide platform for gossip, casual chats, and making friends. Occasionally, discussions about the entertainment industry or supernatural events would pop up too.

The app was somewhat like a hybrid of Reddit and old-school forums from Shen Qingling’s world.

[OP: Guess who I just ran into! Shen Qingling, the guy trending on Weibo right now, is sitting right next to me!]

[L1: Holy crap, it really is him. He looks even hotter in person—did you use any filters?]

[L2: Everyone knows cameras make people look worse. OP’s pic is clearly raw, and Shen Qingling’s looks are undeniable.]

[L3: Weird, how come no one’s talked about him before? Someone this handsome should’ve been famous ages ago.]

[L4: Jiangcheng University student here (raises hand). Actually, there have been posts about him before, but people always accused them of being heavily photoshopped lol.]

[L5: If I hadn’t seen his photos on Weibo today, I wouldn’t have believed someone could actually look like this.]

...

Shen Qingling’s phone suddenly buzzed. He opened it to see a message from a contact named Chu Jiaojiao.

Chu Jiaojiao...

Shen Qingling remembered her. In the original story, she was his childhood sweetheart.

They had both grown up in the same orphanage. Once, a couple came to adopt a child, and Shen Qingling gave the opportunity to Chu Jiaojiao.

After being adopted, Chu Jiaojiao gained a normal life, but the two never lost touch.

Her new home wasn’t far from the orphanage, so Shen Qingling would wait for her every day to walk to school together. Her adoptive parents knew him well, and the two grew up side by side.

Shen Qingling had been good to her, reserving what little tenderness he had for her alone. Yet she never appreciated it.

In the original story, she accepted a bribe from Gu Yijin and, after Shen Qingling was framed, publicly accused him of sexually assaulting her—repeatedly.

She claimed she was timid and weak, afraid no one would believe her because Shen Qingling was a top student with an impeccable reputation. The version of him she painted was a hypocritical, twisted rapist.

Chu Jiaojiao’s tearful performance on camera won her widespread sympathy and deepened public hatred for Shen Qingling.

They had attended the same elementary, middle, and high schools, only parting ways in college.

Former classmates who knew how close they were—how inseparable they’d once been—found her accusations all too believable. Many girls had even envied Chu Jiaojiao for receiving Shen Qingling’s care and affection.

So when she spoke, no one doubted her. Why would a childhood friend lie?

Because of Chu Jiaojiao’s slander, the rumors became accepted as truth. Everyone went from suspecting to fully believing that Shen Qingling had attempted to kidnap and rape Song Zhining.

Shen Qingling didn’t know—nor did he care—what Chu Jiaojiao truly felt about the original host. After what she did in the story, forgiveness was off the table.

This time, his arrival had altered events, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t already conspired with Gu Yijin behind the scenes. Given the chance, she would still betray him.

In his eyes, Chu Jiaojiao was already condemned. There would be no redemption.

Shen Qingling tapped open her message. To his irritation, she was still pinned at the top of his contacts. He quickly removed her from the favorites list.

She didn’t deserve the spot.

[Jiaojiao: Qingling! You’re trending on Serendipity’s hot posts! A classmate of mine snapped a pic of you on the bus, haha. Everyone’s saying how hot you are!]

Shen Qingling lowered his gaze, a cold smirk forming. If not for knowing the original plot, Chu Jiaojiao’s facade would’ve been flawless—no one could’ve guessed her true nature.

Outwardly, she was a lively, innocent girl, full of admiration and dependence for Shen Qingling. But in reality... just 100,000 yuan was enough to buy her betrayal, to sell out their years of friendship and bury him alive.

Some childhood bonds were truly cheap.

Just then, the system chimed: "Detected potential target for conquest: Chu Jiaojiao."

A character panel appeared before Shen Qingling.

[Name: Chu Jiaojiao]

[Goddess Tier: A]

[Identity: Shen Qingling’s childhood sweetheart]

[Personality: Selfish, vain, two-faced]

[Plot Relevance: 30%]

[Ending: Insufficient points to unlock]

"Ding! Side quest triggered: Obtain Chu Jiaojiao’s remorse value. Reward: Points. Host, will you accept the side quest?"

"100,000 points for Chu Jiaojiao’s remorse?"

Shen Qingling frowned. Having to deal with a woman like her was bad enough—why was there a side quest about her too?

"Correct. Chu Jiaojiao and the original host share an inseparable bond. She is one of the key figures responsible for his tragic fate, so her remorse holds significant value to him."

"Fine, I’ll take the quest. No reason to pass up 100,000 points. Sooner or later, she’ll dig her own grave—Gu Yijin will definitely try to buy her off to undermine me."

"So the host must not only win her affection but also extract her remorse, turning her into a useful pawn. However, gaining the affection of such a selfish woman won’t be easy."

"Not easy? I wouldn’t say that."

In his view, the original host had spoiled her rotten. What she needed was a taste of indifference—a slap before the candy—to realize how bleak her life would be without Shen Qingling.

[Shen Qingling: Noted.]

He replied with just two words, nothing more.

Chu Jiaojiao frowned at his curt response.

She wasn’t angry—just puzzled.

Although Shen Qingling was usually indifferent toward women, he had always been gentle with her—never replying to her in such a cold tone.

What was going on today? Had something happened to put him in a bad mood?

That couldn’t be... Shouldn’t he be happy after saving someone?

Chu Jiaojiao sent another message.

[Chu Jiaojiao: Qingling, what’s wrong? Are you upset?]

[Shen Qingling: No.]

[Chu Jiaojiao: Then why are you only giving me three-word replies? You’ve never been like this before. How about you come visit me at my school this weekend?]

After sending that, Chu Jiaojiao smirked disdainfully.

She knew Shen Qingling too well—no matter what happened, the moment they met, he would treat her with the same unwavering devotion.

Just a simp.

Countless women couldn’t even dream of getting close to the campus heartthrob, yet he bent over backward for her, reduced to nothing more than a backup option—a pathetic simp. How could she not revel in that?