You are all bad women! Don't come over!

"I’m off now!"

After saying that, Liu Bo called out and got into his car.

Shen Mochen nodded and saw a group of five people not far off, joking around: Cai Yuncui, Catherine, Gu Yange, Liu Chaoyan, and the school heartthrob Zhao Yuji.

Shen Mochen tilted his head. He remembered Gu Yange saying that Zhao Yuji seemed not to want others to know about his engagement, yet now he was quite close with Liu Chaoyan. However, walking and chatting together could still be considered as ordinary friends, and it could not prove anything, nor would others make random guesses.

Shen Mochen did not leave immediately but paused for a while.

It seemed Catherine was about to part ways with them, and she glanced faintly at Shen Mochen. Thus, the others also followed her gaze toward him, making it too late for him to leave.

Anyway, he was Cai Yuncui’s "brother," Catherine’s boyfriend, and even had greeted Liu Chaoyan twice before. It wouldn’t be good to pretend not to see them, especially since they were already walking toward him.

"Hello, Shen Mochen," Zhao Yuji was the first to speak, all smiles, "Congratulations! You were finally cleared of all accusations yesterday! I’m really sorry, because I have been close with Director Wu for a long time. He insisted on talking, so I had to leave first."

"It’s alright, I appreciate that you spoke up for me," Shen Mochen responded with a smile.

Even though this guy was just trying to elevate himself in front of everyone.

"I owe you an apology. After all, I know Gao Le too. I didn’t expect him to do such a thing to you; I am truly sorry."

You should be sorry, Shen Mochen thought coldly to himself.

You’re distancing yourself too quickly, aren’t you? Didn’t you say before that Gao Le was your friend? And now you only "know" him?

You think I don’t know that Gao Le is your lackey? If it weren’t for you, how would Gao Le have had a chance to turn things around after being publicly scolded by Gu Yange? If it weren’t for you, how could Gao Le possibly isolate me again within a day? If it weren’t for you, how could the rumors about me spread so quickly throughout the school?

During his days in the slums, Shen Mochen saw the dirtiest side of human nature; it was like hell, where every despicable aspect of humanity was magnified countless times. So Zhao Yuji’s performance was simply amateurish in his eyes.

Utterly boring.

But, as much as he cursed inwardly, when faced with a hypocrite offering a smile, one can only opt to not slap the smiling face—especially since he was from the Zhao family. It was best not to burn bridges if possible.

"Of course, this has nothing to do with you, Zhao Yuji. You don’t have to apologize. It was all Gao Le’s fault, and I’ve already forgiven him — after all, beauty can cause trouble…" Shen Mochen said, laughing as he teased Gu Yange by the end.

Gu Yange’s cheeks turned a slight red, and under the sunset, she looked slightly tipsy, shyly retorting, "I’m not really a beauty… Hmph, I’ve rejected him so many times!"

Catherine then spoke indifferently to Shen Mochen, "Are you going home now? I’m about to leave too. Today Teacher Cai is going out to eat; do you want me to drive you home?"

Her tone was very calm, and somewhat cold. Shen Mochen felt she was still likely sulking but didn’t take it to heart.

"No need, I rode my bike here." Shen Mochen smiled and shook his bike keys, thinking as a boyfriend, he should assert his presence. He then added, "Kajiena, aren’t you going to eat with Teacher Cai and the others?"

"Not this time; we just happened to meet and chatted for a while."

Catherine, facing rejection, showed no particular expression, nodded, and prepared to leave. Stay tuned with novelbuddy

"Then, Shen Mochen, would you like to join us for dinner?"

Gu Yange mustered her courage, hopefully tugging at Shen Mochen’s sleeve.

Zhao Yuji looked at Gu Yange in shock, "My dear sister, should I admire your courage or your audacity?

While Catherine hasn’t even gone far, you already can’t wait to steal her man?

Or do you think your reasons are sufficient to mask your true intentions? But now, who in school doesn’t know you are Shen Mochen’s loyal follower? Do you think Catherine is a fool?

Besides, such things should be done stealthily! Are you really trying to steal him right in front of her?"

"Shen Mochen is probably very busy, so let’s not bother him," Zhao Yuji frowned at Gu Yange, signaling her not to provoke Catherine.

After finishing, he glanced at Catherine’s reaction; she indeed paused her steps to leave.

Shen Mochen also chuckled dryly. He admired Gu Yange’s courage deep down but, unfortunately, he didn’t have the nerve to do it in front of Catherine, especially given that it was a dinner among the elite—what business did a commoner like him have there?

"Thank you for your invitation, but I have some private matters to attend to, so I won’t be joining you..."

Cai Yuncui’s lips moved as if she wanted to say something but remained silent. Liu Chaoyan glanced over and gave a quiet, polite smile.

She already knew the relationship between Shen Mochen and Catherine and saw that Gu Yange’s affection for Shen Mochen was unrequited; she did not join Gu Yange in provoking Catherine.

Gu Yange, realizing her blunder, glanced cautiously at Catherine and decided to back down silently.

"Let’s go," Catherine said, linking arms with Shen Mochen, "I’ll accompany you to the bike shed."

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Zhao Yuji watched their intimacy with a flash of jealousy in his eyes, but it soon returned to calm.

Shen Mochen glanced awkwardly over the others—Zhao Yuji was all smiles, Cai Yuncui had a complex bittersweet smile, Gu Yange was biting her lip in a mix of resignation and frustration, and Liu Chaoyan looked the most natural with a gentle, polite smile, almost like a perfect sculpture.

But if Catherine could notice him always looking at Liu Chaoyan, then Liu Chaoyan must have noticed too.

"By the way, does anyone like donuts?" Catherine suddenly remembered.

"Chaoyan loves donuts!" exclaimed Cai Yuncui.

"I have a box here, homemade, but I don’t like them... and no one at home does either." Catherine took out a container from her bag and handed it to Liu Chaoyan, "If you want, feel free to share it."

Liu Chaoyan’s eyes lit up appropriately, "Oh, thank you so much. Miss Alexandrova, can I share it with others?"

"Of course, it’s yours now, do whatever you like with it," Catherine replied generously as she originally planned to throw them away.

Liu Chaoyan nodded, opened the container, and first handed a piece to Gu Yange, then to Cai Yuncui and Zhao Yuji.

However, what was peculiar was that her hand never touched the donuts themselves; instead, a few swirls of wind kept the donuts floating above her hand.

So this was a superpower? Catherine didn’t immediately leave upon witnessing this, but instead, curiously watched a little longer.

However, Shen Mochen watched as Liu Chaoyan distributed the donuts to others, his gaze suddenly becoming hollow. It was as if thunder had exploded in his heart.

"Would you like one too, Shen?"

Noticing Shen Mochen staring blankly at her, Liu Chaoyan smiled and picked up a piece for him, offering it in front of him.