"Look, isn't this the scumbag Chen Yuan that was exposed on the campus forum?"
"Oh my, it's really him, that darn scumbag!"
"I haven't checked the campus forum, but someone in our class group posted his photos, calling for everyone to expose him!"
"I actually know this guy. He used to hang around the girls' dormitory building all the time. I wondered why he looked so familiar. Turns out, he's not just a scumbag; he's also a pervert peeping Tom!"
Chen Yuan clearly underestimated the power of the campus forum. He never expected that on his way here, so many girls would recognize him and point fingers at him. His photos had even made their way into various class group chats. In the age of information on the internet, news, whether good or bad, could travel far and wide. With someone intentionally tarnishing his reputation, Chen Yuan had unwittingly become a pariah that everyone wanted to condemn.
He originally had thoughts about trying his luck today to develop a few more 'bootlicker' relationships. But now, when those girls saw him, they treated him like a plague, trying to avoid him at all costs. How could he proceed with his plans now?
The power of public opinion could indeed be overwhelming. Online violence was no less severe than real-world violence.
At this moment, his phone rang, and it was a call from Lin Shutong.
Chen Yuan hesitated for a moment and then answered it.
"Hello, Chen Yuan, I've learned about what's happening on the campus forum. I never expected that simply delivering breakfast to you would lead to such a significant negative impact. But don't worry, no matter what others say or how they insult you, I won't leave your side. Because I know you're not the scumbag others are saying. It was my mistake before, and now I regret it every minute. Please, can you give me another chance?"
Lin Shutong's voice trembled, and her tone was sincere, even with a touch of humility. Just as Chen Yuan had been to her in the past.
Listening to such earnest words, Chen Yuan's heart was inexplicably moved. He remembered the time when he first met Lin Shutong, how he saw her as a lovely and delightful girl, almost like an adorable elf. His feelings for Lin Shutong weren't something he could explain in a few words. Perhaps, initially, he pursued her to forget Xiao Ruoyu, but he had to admit that there was a period when he genuinely liked Lin Shutong, and that affection was deep. Lin Shutong held a special place in his heart, far surpassing Xu Lele, and even the campus beauty, Zhao Yuqi.
He had once wished that Lin Shutong would genuinely love him. But now, everything had changed, and he couldn't turn back time. He still remembered that day when they broke up, how she had said such wicked and humiliating things, trampling on his dignity. And now, just because she discovered that he had money, she wanted to reconcile? She was being too pragmatic.
"You're too late. I don't love you anymore. Please don't bother me in the future," Chen Yuan said, his tone cold and indifferent, then hung up the phone.
"No! Chen Yuan, you can't treat me this way!" Lin Shutong screamed and called back.
Chen Yuan refused once again.
She called again.
This time, Chen Yuan simply turned off his phone.
"Beep, the number you dialed is currently turned off. Please try again later..."
Hearing the AI voice from her phone, Lin Shutong's phone slipped from her hand. At that moment, she felt as if her heart had been pricked by needles, aching like never before. It felt like her strength had been entirely drained, and she dropped to the ground, crying uncontrollably.
"Why? Why is my heart hurting so much?"
"It hurts!"
Lin Shutong cried and shouted, her desperation heartbreaking. Sitting alone on the street, she spoke to the phone that couldn't connect and poured out her emotions. It was the most painful moment she had experienced in her twenty-plus years of life.
She had genuinely fallen in love with Chen Yuan. Why couldn't he give her another chance?
"Why? Why won't you give me another chance!"
"I love you, I genuinely love you!"
Crying and screaming, Lin Shutong sat on the street, her words filled with sorrow.
Meanwhile, Chen Yuan, feeling a bit down, was oblivious to the fact that he had something to do that evening. He was supposed to visit Xu Lele's home, as she had personally invited him for a homemade dinner. Zhao Yuqi also had an important live streaming event in the evening, and she was expecting the support of the internet celebrity 'Lonely Cigarette.' But in his current drunken state, he had turned off his phone. Unintentionally, he stood them up.
At 8 o'clock in the evening, Zhao Yuqi started her live stream. By 10 o'clock at night, the viewership in her stream remained unusually low.
"Kiki, have you managed to contact Chen Yuan? It's been two hours, why hasn't he shown up?" an anxious Wu Xiaofei inquired.
Since Chen Yuan hadn't arrived, there were no substantial gifts to be rewarded. This meant they couldn't make it to the hourly rankings. Zhao Yuqi had already been streaming for two hours, but the number of viewers in her stream was just over two thousand, a far cry from the usual thirty thousand viewers she had on previous days. Even the sales from her live stream merchandise were far from ideal.
"I talked to him in the morning, and he agreed. How could I have known he would stand me up?" Zhao Yuqi was close to exploding with anger. As a renowned campus beauty, she was used to ordering guys around, and they'd obey her without hesitation.
This live stream was vital, as it concerned a significant advertising client. The success of her live stream and product sales were pivotal in evaluating her personal online influence and future potential. To be certain of her success, she had personally visited Chen Yuan in the morning to deliver breakfast and even gifted him an Apple phone as a gesture of goodwill. However, Chen Yuan had still flaked on her. It was utterly unforgivable!
"Perhaps, Chen Yuan had an urgent matter to deal with, and he didn't have the time to think of me. His phone isn't answering, and he's not responding to messages. There must be something important going on," Zhao Yuqi tried to justify Chen Yuan's actions.
"What kind of matter is so important that it makes you go back on your word? Moreover, do you realize that 'Lonely Cigarette,' that one big spender, is trending again? In the morning, he gifted over twelve thousand super rockets to the shark streamer 'Little Deep.' It's over twelve million! He could afford to gift tens of millions to a shark streamer in the morning but not make time to see you in the evening! It's clear he doesn't prioritize you," Wu Xiaofei said.
After Wu Xiaofei finished speaking, Zhao Yuqi hastily pulled out another phone and checked Weibo's trending topics. Sure enough, "Shark's Number One Tycoon Lonely Cigarette" was the fifth-highest trending topic. Upon clicking, the feed was full of screenshots of rockets. There were even screenshots of streamer "Little Deep" breaking 4 billion viewers in her live stream.
"Damn it, this is too much!" Zhao Yuqi felt her teeth itch with frustration. As a campus beauty, she had never been disregarded by guys like this before. She had assumed that Chen Yuan was almost within her grasp, never to escape her clutches.
She had genuinely fallen in love with Chen Yuan.
A woman's love is like the wind
She had assumed that Chen Yuan was almost within her grasp, never to escape her clutches.
Average female mindset.