"I really never expected Long Aotian to be this kind of person. I didn’t notice anything unusual in our daily interactions. Are you sure you’re not lying to me?" Shen Mengjie’s bewildered expression, tinged with innocent doubt, greatly satisfied Ye Liangchen’s desire to perform. "Sometimes, you can’t judge a person just by their appearance. Long Aotian is a master of disguise. If you hadn’t met me, you’d only end up hurt when his true nature is revealed." "I know it must be shocking for me to tell you all this out of the blue. You probably think, ‘How could there be such a terrible person in the world?’ But the truth is, Long Aotian’s vileness goes far beyond your imagination." Ye Liangchen spoke with such heartfelt sincerity that he nearly dropped to his knees to swear an oath, afraid Shen Mengjie wouldn’t believe him. The reason he went to such lengths was that he saw in Shen Mengjie the hope of defeating Long Aotian and reclaiming everything that rightfully belonged to him. He wanted to use Shen Mengjie to prove to Hu Yuying, Li Qingxue, and Lin Wanning that they had misjudged Long Aotian—that he was nothing but a womanizing scoundrel who chased after every new thrill. Only then could he make them lose faith in Long Aotian. On the other hand, the more passionately he portrayed himself now, the deeper an impression he would leave on Shen Mengjie. From there, everything would unfold just as in his dreams—he would become their little sun, their one and only beloved. "Don’t be . I... I believe you." Seeing Ye Liangchen kneel, ready to swear an oath, Shen Mengjie took a step back—whether intentionally or not, she ended up standing right in front of him. Coincidentally, her finger brushed her phone, switching it to camera mode. Hearing Shen Mengjie say she believed him, Ye Liangchen flicked his hair with confidence and flashed a smile. "Thank you for trusting me. I knew my efforts wouldn’t be in vain." "Could you... stand up first?" Only then did Ye Liangchen realize he was still kneeling. He quickly rose, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, I got carried away." "You must really hate Long Aotian, don’t you?" Shen Mengjie asked softly. In Ye Liangchen’s words, Long Aotian was nothing short of a heinous villain. They must have had quite the dramatic history. Shen Mengjie was enjoying the entertainment and wanted to know more about their past. Of course, some parts might be exaggerated, but there was no denying this was an amusing little diversion. Ye Liangchen clenched his fists tightly. "Hate him? How could I not?" "There’s a café ahead. Let me treat you to coffee?" Shen Mengjie offered gently, not wanting to stand around like a fool any longer. "How inconsiderate of me. A gentleman should be the one treating you, Mengjie." Ye Liangchen smirked. Perfect. He had clearly piqued her interest—she didn’t even object to him calling her "Mengjie." Ah, his irresistible, effortless charm. Inside the café, Shen Mengjie crossed her legs and quietly observed Ye Liangchen. "Mengjie, give me a moment to gather my thoughts." Ye Liangchen took a deep breath, replaying the memory of Long Aotian slapping him in his mind. Follow current novels on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕥⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥 The next second, his fists tightened again. "Hate him? Of course I do." "You have no idea what he’s put me through." In Ye Liangchen’s version of events: He met, befriended, grew close to, and fell in love with a precious girl—only for Long Aotian to take advantage of his absence and force himself on her. Then there was his childhood sweetheart, the girl he’d known for nine years. Just because Long Aotian glanced at her on her way to the restroom, he pressured her into dating him instead. Ye Liangchen, in his desperate attempt to stop Long Aotian’s evil schemes, nearly missed his college entrance exams. Thankfully, his academic foundation was solid, and he still managed to get into a prestigious university in the capital. But the worst of it? His childhood friend was also harassed by Long Aotian. Just yesterday, he’d been at the music academy’s entrance—not by coincidence, but to protect her from harm. It was only by sheer luck that he ended up meeting Shen Mengjie instead. Shen Mengjie listened to the convoluted tale as if it were a story. In short, Long Aotian was the villain, and Ye Liangchen the righteous hero. Then, Shen Mengjie’s phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, she gave Ye Liangchen an apologetic look. "I need to take this." Ye Liangchen nodded with a smile. After hearing his tragic backstory, he was certain Shen Mengjie had been deeply moved. "Xiao Jing? What’s up?" "Alright, I’ll head back right away." Hanging up, she turned to Ye Liangchen. "I have to return to campus." "Can we exchange QQ info?" Shen Mengjie’s cheeks flushed slightly as she nodded in a demure manner. "If you ever have any plans to deal with that despicable Long Aotian... be sure to let me know." "Don’t worry. For your sake, I won’t let him hurt you again." Watching Shen Mengjie walk away, Ye Liangchen smirked confidently, flicking his hair. Everything was going exactly as planned. Once outside the café, Shen Mengjie took out her phone and turned off the pre-set alarm. Her lips curled into a sensual, knowing smile. Stretching lazily, she headed back toward campus. The tree-lined path rustled in the wind, shedding occasional yellowed leaves. When the weather turned colder, these leaves would blanket the ground—how beautiful that would be. Kneeling down, she picked up a leaf. Her mood suddenly brightened. Opening her class group chat, she found Long Aotian’s profile and sent a friend request, along with a message: [This is Shen Mengjie. Hey, Long Aotian, did you offend someone?] A reply came quickly: [Hmm, how’d you know I pissed off a woman?] Though he responded, he didn’t accept the friend request. [Long Aotian, I’m being serious here. Can you take this seriously?] [Who else could I have offended besides you?] "Fair point." Shen Mengjie could tell Long Aotian at least had some sense of morality. [Fine. Apologize, and I’ll let it go.] [One punch from me, and you’d be crying for hours. Believe it?] Upon reading the message, Shen Mengjie was so furious that she stomped her feet in frustration. Unfortunately, Long Aotian never replied to her again. "You big idiot! Fine, I’ll just see how Ye Liangchen plans to mess with you!" "What a despicable man!!!!" Originally, Shen Mengjie had been looking forward to seeing Long Aotian get humiliated by Ye Liangchen. Little did she know, a storm targeting her was already silently brewing...