Chapter 86: A Tangled Mess Part 1

Even the most oblivious person would have realized by now that the dessert and the accompanying note were prepared specifically for her by Qin Jiashu.

Xu Yinian had never been the type of person who could easily or comfortably accept someone else’s intense affection. Qin Jiashu had not only noticed this, but she had also chosen a gentle, unassuming way to reassure her.

It wasn’t until her heart was filled with that lingering sweetness that she realized what it felt like to be truly cared for.

“Se… Senior…”

Xu Yinian’s lips, still dusted with a bit of cream, parted unconsciously as she stammered out the words.

Her voice finally prompted Lu Zhou to turn around.

From the doorway, Qin Jiashu had already seen the usual crowd gathered around Xu Yinian. It seemed the girl was a natural at attracting attention wherever she went.

She felt a flicker of disdainful hostility toward the newcomer. Who is this “non-mainstream” punk with the dyed red hair? she thought, until she caught a proper look at that familiar face.

“Qin Jiashu?!”

The moment she saw her ex-girlfriend, Lu Zhou’s composed expression shattered. The name escaped her lips before she could stop it.

Even Qin Jiashu, usually so sultry and composed with her fox-like eyes, suffered a rare moment of visible panic.

Why is Lu Zhou here?!

Her first instinct was a spike of pure dread—her disastrous history as a “scumbag” player could absolutely not reach Xu Yinian’s ears…

Xu Yinian finally snapped out of her daze over the cake. She realized the gravity of the situation: these two were ex-girlfriends.

It wasn’t just their past romantic entanglement that made things awkward; it was the fact that, at this very moment, neither of them likely realized their current target was the exact same person.

The awkwardness and discomfort on Xu Yinian’s face were so blatant that Qin Jiashu knew instantly that Ji Yan must have leaked the “ex-girlfriend” gossip to her.

She felt like she could kill Ji Yan.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that this was Ji Yan’s retaliation for her taking Xu Yinian away the previous night.

What a calculated move.

Qin Jiashu’s lips curled into a cold smirk, a sharp departure from her usual flirtatious air.

Lu Zhou also assumed this was Ji Yan’s handiwork. However, she wasn’t as deeply invested as Qin Jiashu, nor had she spent as much effort trying to maintain a “pure-hearted lover” persona.

Sinking back into the sofa, Lu Zhou’s gaze lazily swept over Qin Jiashu’s neatly manicured nails. “Well… your tastes certainly have changed.”

Is that so? Lu Zhou thought. Xu Yinian is so soft; who could she possibly “top”?

Hearing that loaded comment, Xu Yinian licked her dry lips. Does Lu Zhou already know that Senior Qin is pursuing me?

Qin Jiashu practically wore her “Top’s Virtue” on her sleeve, refusing to even acknowledge Lu Zhou’s existence.

Looking at Xu Yinian’s darting, evasive gaze, a bitter, helpless smile flickered in her beautiful eyes. She whispered three words:

“I am sorry.”

The apology was so unexpected that Xu Yinian froze, looking up in confusion as the stunning woman stepped closer.

Lu Zhou frowned as well.

She knew Qin Jiashu was a master at using just a few words to leave someone’s head spinning. Usually, it was others who had to coax and beg for her attention, and she was the type to dump people without a second thought.

Never had she seen her this serious, or this humble.

“The thing between Lu Zhou and me was fake,” Qin Jiashu said. “But it’s true that I had the despicable idea of getting close to Ji Yan, so I became her friend’s girlfriend in name only.”

“Xu Yinian, I didn’t want to hide it from you. I was just… afraid you would hate me for being such a mess.”

As she reached the last sentence, the panic and loss in Qin Jiashu’s eyes became even clearer.

It was… fake?

But just being looked at like that by Qin Jiashu made Xu Yinian’s heart ache. She shook her head involuntarily, her voice a soft, spellbound whisper. “I… I don’t hate you.”

Qin Jiashu leaned down, her hand reaching out to gently brush away a stray crumb of cream from the corner of Xu Yinian’s mouth.

“But you only ‘don’t hate’ me as a senior and a friend. Blame my greed, for I want more than that.”

Xu Yinian remembered Qin Jiashu’s confession. She remembered the sweetness of being prioritized. Yet, she didn’t know how to respond to such a fiery pursuit.

“Her relationship with me might have been fake, but that doesn’t mean her history with her other exes was fake too,” Lu Zhou interrupted, waiting politely for the silence to stretch before she spoke with a beaming, treacherous smile.

Is she crazy?!

Why is Lu Zhou tearing me down for no reason?

Qin Jiashu didn’t dare show too much in front of Xu Yinian, but when she turned her head, her bitter vulnerability vanished, replaced by a gaze sharp enough to draw blood.

In some ways, she and Lu Zhou were the same—they both played the field and never interfered with each other. Even when she was chasing Ji Yan while being Lu Zhou’s “fake girlfriend,” they had never been this disrespectful to one another.

Just then, a mocking snicker came from behind.

“Qin Jiashu, how does it feel to have your walls picked apart?”

The group looked up simultaneously as Ji Yan and Shen Ruoshuang descended the stairs, one after the other.

Knowing they were both here wasn’t surprising, but as she processed the double meaning in those words, Qin Jiashu’s face darkened.

Lu Zhou… couldn’t possibly have her eyes on Xu Yinian too, could she?

Ji Yan stepped off the last stair and fixed her gaze on the girl curled up in the corner of the sofa. “Xu Yinian, keep your eyes open. Look at how well these two conspire together.”

“Th-this is a public place!”

Xu Yinian was so startled she actually looked up.

Sure enough, people were trickling out of the dining room, drawn by the commotion. They were immediately stunned by the sight of the four women facing off—it was a visual feast of high-tier beauties, almost overwhelming in its intensity.

“Senior Qin! You’re here?”

One of the class committee members was from the Broadcasting Station. Qin Jiashu had contacted her this morning to secure her temporary spot at the party.

Qin Jiashu was forced to pull her chaotic thoughts together and nodded in greeting.

The committee member noticed the bizarre atmosphere and asked tentatively, “Senior, do you know them?”

Qin Jiashu’s temple throbbed. Know them?

One ex-girlfriend, one former crush, one current pursuit, and one love rival.