Chapter 6: Mangosteen

Gu Manni was wearing a red strapless dress. Her movements were so wild that she stepped on the hem, and the dress slid down, making the cleavage at her chest even more obvious.

She prided herself on her stunning looks and refused to believe he wouldn't be tempted.

"You just don't like women. That doesn't mean you don't like me."

She spoke up. "Maybe if you sleep with me once, you'll fall for me."

Fu Yan's expression stayed flat. He'd seen this kind of thing far too many times to be surprised.

He was curious about Shen Wang's reaction, though.

Shen Wang was a notorious bad seed who played with everything—except women.

Shen Wang curled his lips. "Sure."

"Take your clothes off right now, and I'll agree."

Fu Yan's eyes went wide. He knew any man would be moved by a woman like Gu Manni.

"Only Brother Wang could play it like this."

Gu Manni didn't hesitate for a second and started to undress.

Shen Wang's fingers suddenly clamped down, a suffocating pressure shooting straight to the top of her head.

He shoved her onto the sofa in disgust. "You know how many people have slept with you. Touching you makes me sick."

He picked up the schoolbag nearby, slung it over one shoulder, and looked at her with contempt. "I'm not interested in you. Don't come bothering me again."

With that, he left the room.

Fu Yan hurried after him. "Brother Wang, wait for me!"

The moment he touched Shen Wang's shoulder, Shen Wang grabbed his hand and twisted it back.

Fu Yan howled in pain, dropping to his knees.

"Brother Wang, it hurts... hurts, hurts, hurts."

Shen Wang let go and flung him off. "Give me the money."

"What money?"

"The bribe money you took."

Fu Yan scrambled to his feet and pressed his palms together. "Brother Wang, I won't do it again. I've never done anything to cross you before—this semester I'm really strapped."

Shen Wang ignored the excuse and pulled up his payment code, holding it out.

"Cut the crap."

Fu Yan had no choice. Reluctantly, he took out his phone, scanned the code, and transferred three thousand yuan.

Shen Wang sneered at the number. "Unbelievable. Three thousand yuan and you're bought."

Fu Yan's heart bled. Three thousand yuan!

Once, three thousand had meant nothing to him. Things were different now.

The old man at home wouldn't give him a cent of pocket money.

When Shen Wang got home, he found Wen Nianqi online, in a duo queue.

His knuckles went white around the phone.

He gritted his teeth. "Wen Nianqi. You've really got some nerve."

...

University dormitory.

Wen Nianqi had just finished a game.

Messages exploded into the chat box.

Shen Yan [Playing games with someone behind my back?]

[Do you have a death wish?]

[I've been too soft on you lately. Too indulgent. Your wings have grown.]

[Was it fun, playing with that trash?]

[Do I need to put you in your place?]

[Speak!]

Wen Nianqi's head buzzed.

Had Shen Wang eaten gunpowder today?

She'd played with other people like this before.

Shen Wang was famously unpredictable. If she didn't reply right now, she'd be hunted down and killed offline!

Panicked, Wen Nianqi typed furiously.

Kitten [Baby, what's wrong? The person I was playing with is a girl.]

[I didn't mean to not tell you. I got up at seven this morning. I thought you were already asleep, and I didn't want to wake you. o̴̶̷᷄ ·̭ o̴̶̷̥᷅]

After sending the whole explanation, Wen Nianqi's heart pounded.

She hadn't done anything against the rules!

"Lord Shen Wang, please spare my life. I'll save up slowly and pay you back."

Switzerland.

Shen Wang stood steeped in the dark, his chest heaving violently.

He didn't know why he was this angry.

Ding—

An eerie silence stretched on.

Finally, a message came through.

Wen Nianqi opened it at once.

Shen Yan [Answer the call.]

The next second, a voice call came in.

Wen Nianqi didn't dare hesitate and hit accept immediately.

She didn't dare speak, wanting to feel out his mood first.

Shen Wang said, "Say something."

She'd rushed back to the dorm early for sign-in. It was too hot, there was no AC, and the whole dorm had skipped class.

There were other people in the room.

Wen Nianqi pulled the blanket over herself and whispered, "I really didn't mean to not tell you. I just explained it."

"Mm."

Mm?

What did a single "mm" mean?

Wen Nianqi stammered, "I'm sorry, okay? Don't be angry."

"Next time I'll be on time for sure. I left home at seven, got to school at seven-thirty, signed in at eight, then went back to the dorm. I only played for an hour."

A cold laugh came through the phone.

Shen Wang was so angry his teeth ached. He bit out each word. "Only?"

"Are you asking to die?"

At the word die, alarm bells screamed in Wen Nianqi's head.

In her last life, he'd said the same thing—that he'd *die* her—and in the end, she really had died.

Wen Nianqi couldn't read the tyrant's temper.

Feeling wronged, she said, "But you never tell me anything either..."

Her voice was thin and soft, deliberately hushed, and it came out utterly aggrieved.

Shen Wang could picture the expression on her face as she said it.

"You're blaming me?"

Seeing that he wasn't angry, Wen Nianqi instantly turned into a whining mess.

"It's true, though. You're so possessive—you know everything I do and eat every day. But what about me? We're so far apart, and I don't feel safe either."

"Maybe you go out drinking with girls, or celebrate a female friend's birthday. Even if it's understandable, I'd get jealous."

Shen Wang froze for a moment, then raised his eyebrows toward the night view beyond the floor-to-ceiling window.

Was she acting cute?

Wen Nianqi had acted cute with him before, but it was always too deliberate—all to ask him for money.

Shen Wang found it annoying and usually just transferred money to shut it down.

But today.

He didn't feel annoyed.

He even thought what she said... made sense.

"I understand."

"What?"

Wen Nianqi exclaimed. She'd only wanted to make the tyrant impatient so he'd hang up. What was he saying now?

It was fine?

Shen Wang spoke. "Last night I went to a girl's birthday banquet. She wanted to sleep with me."

He didn't even realize he was explaining himself.

"So did you sleep with her?"

Shen Wang spoke as if deliberately emphasizing it. "I don't like women. And I don't like you."

Wen Nianqi rolled her eyes.

*I don't like you either.*

Who would like a psycho!

"Then why are you still in an online relationship with me?"

Shen Wang said, "Don't misunderstand. It's purely because I'm bored and I think you're good at games."

In front of the screen, Wen Nianqi repeated his words in a mocking tone, pulling the ugliest face she could.

"Oh."

Wen Nianqi had known this all along.

This person had no feelings for her whatsoever. To be precise, Shen Wang had no feelings for anyone!

Shen Wang said, "I give you money, you provide emotional value. That's enough."

"What if I don't want to provide emotional value anymore?"

"You can try." Shen Wang snorted coldly. "Do you still not get it? This relationship has always been mine to control."

Then he hung up.

Wen Nianqi flung her phone aside.

To hell with him.

Why was this man so overbearing!

Had she kidnapped children in her last life?

To end up stuck with a lunatic like this.

"Nianqi, what's wrong?"

Su Qinghe, on the bunk across from her, heard the commotion. Worried something had happened, she tapped on Wen Nianqi's bed curtain.