Locking away my heart and love! Going back to 2000 to be a top student again.

She frowned and watched for a while, and only after confirming that there was no intimate physical contact between the two did she slowly look away.

I took out my phone and texted him to ask where he was.

This time, he answered very quickly.

A few friends from Beijing came to visit, so I'm meeting up now and will be heading back soon.

Xu Su slowly let out a sigh of relief, then frowned again.

She disliked the feeling of being so insecure and anxious about a man, and her mood instantly soured.

His terrible mood reached its peak when he drank the glass of wine that another woman had poured for him.

They almost couldn't resist going over to confront him.

Jiang Chusheng, who was standing next to her and was the initiator of the club activities, noticed that she was frequently distracted. He followed her gaze and his pupils contracted slightly.

He said, "Should we go ask? It shouldn't be what you think."

Although they were rivals in love, he didn't want to upset her.

It's just pouring a glass of wine; it's nothing special for this kind of occasion.

Xu Su was annoyed. After watching for a few seconds, she picked up her wine glass and drank it down.

She had long since developed a high alcohol tolerance, and it wasn't until she had drunk two bottles of red wine that she felt slightly tipsy.

His gaze was no longer fixed on that booth.

Slightly tipsy, she got up to go to the restroom. Afraid of being recognized, she deliberately took Jiang Chusheng's hat and put it on as she passed by.

She even wore a face mask.

The bar was noisy, but their booths, though also noisy, allowed them to communicate without any problems.

Xu Su could even hear a playful voice calling out to Brother Chen, "You've been in Shanghai for five years now, haven't you? You're really keeping a mistress here, aren't you?"

Shen Chen chuckled but didn't say anything.

"He's even quit smoking," someone nearby said. "He must have met his true love. Why doesn't he bring her to meet us?"

"I'm still in school, I don't have time." Shen Chen held his phone, looked at the chat history on the screen, his fingers twitched, but he ultimately resisted the urge to send another message.

His words surprised those present.

"Is this the only one in five years, or was someone else replaced midway through?"

If this is the only one in five years, they'd still be in school right now...

"Are you playing a raising simulation game?"

Shen Chen leaned back on the sofa, holding a glass of wine in his hand, and slowly took a sip. "It's about nurturing."

“Sure, our Brother Chen really knows how to play. He’s raised her so well. She’s like a flower bud, and he’s trained her little by little to her liking.”

“And she’s clean,” someone said with a knowing smile. “What could be cleaner than a girl you raised yourself?”

Shen Chen frowned slightly, about to say something.

Someone asked, "When will you bring it back to the capital so everyone can see it?"

“I won’t take it back,” Shen Chen said seriously, his smile fading. “I’ll never take it back in my entire life.”

The capital city was his stronghold, yet he wasn't even willing to bring his people back. Everyone's first thought was that he was just keeping them as pets for fun.

Xu Su himself also thinks so.

True love and child brides are all fake.

I really want her to be clean, innocent, and fun.

She had considered whether he was just using her for a moment of fun or if he genuinely intended to have a future with her, and she was prepared for either possibility.

She's young, she's beautiful, she has many suitors, and she can afford to lose.

But fate always loves to play tricks on people.

She never expected that when the truth was finally revealed, she, who thought she was well prepared, would be so utterly defeated.

That heart she always thought hadn't been moved much had actually fallen quite deep inside.

Almost fled.

For a moment, she was even afraid that he would see her standing in the corner, having heard everything he said.

If that's the case, what would he do?

Should I continue acting to deceive her, or... just confess everything?

Such cowardice should not be displayed in her.

She shouldn't be like this; why should she run away like this for him?

develop?

clean?

Training?

So that's what he wanted.

Having figured everything out, Xu Su trembled slightly from the unbearable pain until her arm was grasped and Jiang Chusheng caught up with her.

"Susu, what's wrong?"

The boy's clear voice entered her ears, and Xu Su suddenly came back to her senses. She looked up at him blankly.

Jiang Chusheng frowned slightly and pulled her out of the bar.

A cool night breeze woke them both up.

His gaze fell on her reddened eyelids, and he couldn't help but stroke them. "If you're not happy with him, you can break up. Xu Su, you promised me that you would try being with me after breaking up with him. I've never forgotten that."

Xu Su blinked rapidly, trying to force back her tears.

But tears still welled up uncontrollably.

Jiang Chusheng felt heartbroken and could no longer restrain himself from pulling her into his arms.

"What happened? What did you hear there?"

She left the table to go to the restroom, and when she came back, she lost control of her emotions.

His reminder brought back the phrase "I will never take her back to the capital" to her mind.

Xu Su gripped the corner of his hoodie, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I feel like a joke."

She actually thought he truly loved her.

The autumn in Shanghai was frighteningly cold, and Xu Su was still shivering in his arms.

But since they were planning to drink today, neither of them drove.

Jiang Chusheng looked at the hotel across the street and said, "Should I take you back, or should we get a room across the street to calm down?"

She couldn't go back to her dorm anymore, and there was no way she could go back to Shen Chen's place. She had no other choice.

As soon as Xu Su entered the room, her phone started ringing incessantly.

She glanced at it and immediately turned off the phone.

Only the words "clean," "raised," and "trained" kept echoing in my mind.

She wondered if he would lose interest in her and decide to let her go if she didn't meet these criteria.

…………

On the other end, the phone's message indicating that the phone was switched off made Shen Chen frown.

Based on the time, she should be in her dorm room right now, so her phone shouldn't be out of battery.

She's a night owl, there's no way she'd be asleep right now.

So, how did it turn off?

Shen Chen was always extremely cautious about Xu Su's affairs, so he immediately called a designated driver and went directly to the university town.

Xu Su did not hide the fact that she had a boyfriend from her classmates, and Shen Chen's face had also been seen before.

So when he went downstairs to look for him, the dorm supervisor immediately said, "He hasn't come back from the club gathering."

Shen Chen's heart skipped a beat. It was already one in the morning, and she still hadn't returned.

The phone is still switched off.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind. He asked, "Which club is it?"

Why would the dormitory supervisor ask such detailed questions?

Fortunately, this was no challenge for Young Master Shen.

A phone call was made, and someone replied in less than ten minutes.

They even found out the club's name, the meeting place, and that the founder was Jiang Chusheng.

He stared intently at the name, his fingers tightening one by one, before pulling out his phone and dialing again.