When Shen Mengjie saw Long Aotian and Lin Wanning walking out of the hotel together, her first reaction was to assume she must have been mistaken.
But in reality, she wasn’t wrong—Lin Wanning’s icy elegance and breathtaking beauty were the kind that left an indelible impression after just one glance.
Watching the two chatting and laughing as they walked into the distance, Shen Mengjie instinctively followed them.
She saw them enter a bubble tea shop, watched as Long Aotian escorted Lin Wanning back to the entrance of the music conservatory, observed Lin Wanning rising on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on Long Aotian’s cheek, and noted the resigned yet fond way Long Aotian ruffled her long hair afterward.
A wicked smile curled at Shen Mengjie’s lips. "I told you we’re the same kind of people."
The area around the university was always bustling, especially at this hour of the evening.
Suddenly, a figure stepped into his path. Long Aotian slammed on the brakes, but even so, the person in front of him was visibly startled.
"Long Aotian! Could you slow down?" Shen Mengjie planted her hands on her hips, feigning irritation. "You almost sent me flying."
Recognizing her, Long Aotian exhaled in relief before offering an apologetic smile. "I hit the brakes in time. You okay?"
Shen Mengjie rolled her eyes. "No, I’m not. You scared me."
Seeing Long Aotian flounder for a response, she couldn’t help but smirk.
This was exactly how men like him were—the moment you played the victim, even if you were being unreasonable, they’d be at a loss.
"What’s the rush, anyway?" Shen Mengjie knew better than to push too hard right now. Instead, she needed to ease him into a relaxed state.
"Picking someone up."
"Perfect. Drop me off at the artificial lake first."
Long Aotian glanced at his phone.
"What, you nearly run me over, and now you won’t even do me this little favor?" Shen Mengjie shot him a sidelong look.
The easiest and most effective way to handle someone with a strong moral compass was to be deliberately unreasonable.
"Fine. But what are you going there for so late?"
Long Aotian turned the scooter around and motioned for her to hop on.
"Why the interrogation?" Shen Mengjie deliberately leaned close to his ear, her tone teasing. "Trying to keep tabs on me?"
"Never mind. Shouldn’t have asked."
When they reached the lake, Long Aotian stopped. "We’re here."
Shen Mengjie dismounted, stretching lazily in front of him before sauntering toward the water.
"Hey, my helmet." Long Aotian called after her.
Earlier, she had insisted on wearing it, claiming she didn’t trust his riding skills enough to risk being thrown off.
Shen Mengjie turned back, amused. "Thought you didn’t want it. Come get it yourself."
She tilted her head up, exposing the delicate curve of her neck. "Go on, take it off."
"I should’ve dumped you on the road!" Long Aotian reached over to unfasten the buckle and retrieve the helmet.
Shen Mengjie studied him, her gaze flickering with unreadable thoughts. Then, in one swift motion, she looped her arms around his neck, stood on her toes, and pressed her lips to his.
The moment their mouths touched, Long Aotian shoved her away.
"What the hell are you doing?" He gripped her wrist tightly, glaring at her. "Are you out of your mind?"
Faced with his anger, Shen Mengjie merely chuckled. "Does it bother you that much?"
But when she saw his frown deepen, she shrugged, her playful demeanor fading. "It’s just been a while since I kissed anyone. I didn’t think you’d care."
"I thought we were the same. I assumed you’d enjoy it too."
In her eyes, Long Aotian had to crave that kind of thrill—why else would he be sneaking around with Lin Wanning while dating Hu Yuying?
Shen Mengjie knew she was attractive, nearly on par with Lin Wanning herself.
Yet the fury in Long Aotian’s eyes was unmistakably real. For once, she softened her tone.
"If you don’t want me telling Huang Fei about this, don’t pull another stunt like that."
With that, he wrenched his hand free, put on his helmet, and sped off without another word.
Watching him leave, Shen Mengjie’s expression remained unreadable.
"You alright?" A concerned voice broke the silence as Ye Liangchen and Xue Shaohua emerged from the trees, eyeing her with worry.
"Did you get it?" Shen Mengjie asked calmly.
"Yeah!" Xue Shaohua grinned down at his phone, already relishing Long Aotian’s impending downfall.
On the screen was a photo of Long Aotian and Shen Mengjie kissing.
After a quick glance, Shen Mengjie forwarded the image to herself and deleted it from Xue Shaohua’s phone.
Xue Shaohua tensed. "Why’d you delete it? I was gonna—"
Shen Mengjie cut him off with a look. "I have a copy now. And don’t you think keeping that photo would be risky for me too?"
Her gaze shifted, a hint of amusement returning. "That earring looks good on you, by the way. Really suits your style."
Xue Shaohua flushed, biting his lip and tossing his hair with exaggerated flair. "Just got them today. You noticed? Stop paying so much attention to me—I might accidentally unleash too much charm!"
Ahem. Ye Liangchen cleared his throat pointedly, angling his head to show off the studs in both ears.
"Wow, so sexy," Shen Mengjie cooed.
Ye Liangchen fought back a grin, his nostrils flaring comically from the effort.
To most women, such blatantly manipulative flattery would be nauseating.
But to these two, it was nothing less than genuine admiration from a sweet girl who simply couldn’t help but speak her mind.
At first, both had pursued Shen Mengjie with ulterior motives.
Yet somewhere along the way—without even realizing it—they had been tamed into her eager lapdogs.
With a disdainful glance at the two, Shen Mengjie turned her attention to the photo on her phone, a faint smirk curling at the corners of her lips...