After Dumping the Student Council President, I Got Held Back - Chapter 5

Though Ling Xiang had long adjusted her mindset, treating her role as Ruan Qingcheng’s “girlfriend” as a job, that didn’t mean she could endlessly endure playing this insincere game of fake affection with the young lady.

Many praised Ling Xiang’s gentle nature, but even a clay figure has its limits.

Ruan Qingcheng remained silent, but Zhao Qiu, sitting beside her, chimed in with a playful laugh, patting the sofa next to her. “Sis-in-law, come sit!”

Taking a deep breath, Ling Xiang moved to the sofa.

Zhao Qiu scrutinized Ling Xiang’s face as if appraising someone else’s wares before grabbing a bottle of high-proof vodka and pouring a full glass. “You’re late, Sis-in-law. You have to drink a penalty shot, right?”

All eyes in the room turned to them, filled with teasing curiosity.

Everyone knew that Miss Ruan didn’t take this relationship seriously, and her rich friends naturally never saw Ling Xiang as Ruan Qingcheng’s real girlfriend. After all, it was just a game to be discarded when the mood changed.

What surprised them, however, was that this was the longest relationship Miss Ruan had maintained with any of her partners. Some had been discarded within a week.

Ling Xiang glanced at Ruan Qingcheng, who was lounging lazily. Her slender fingers held a wine glass, and her red lips parted slightly as she took a sip of red wine, her smile enigmatic.

No one seemed inclined to intervene.

Ling Xiang knew her limits with alcohol. After this drink, she wouldn’t be able to sleep properly, and she had to meet with her advisor tomorrow to discuss her thesis. There was no need to make things harder for herself.

“I’ll pass,” Ling Xiang began to refuse. “I—”

“Drink,” the girl who had been silent suddenly said, her tone lazy yet laced with an invisible chill.

Ling Xiang fell silent.

Ruan Qingcheng was telling her to drink.

She had a feeling Miss Ruan was in a strange mood tonight.

Should she drink?

Still hesitating, the phone in her hand vibrated. Ling Xiang glanced down at the notification: “Ruan Qingcheng” had just transferred ten thousand yuan to her account.

She glanced sideways. Ruan Qingcheng was putting down her phone.

Again? Again with the money, trying to insult me? Does she think a few bucks makes her special? She.

Ling Xiang picked up the wine glass, held her breath, and downed the contents in one go.

The high-proof alcohol burned her throat, making her cough and her throat feel raw and scorching. It tasted terrible, but… no one could refuse money.

No wonder these people looked down on her.

“Well done,” the others said, seeing Ling Xiang drink. They immediately followed suit, pouring glass after glass: “Sister-in-law, you only give Zhao Qiu face? Have a drink with me too?”

The catcalls and cheers rose in waves. Ling Xiang looked up at Ruan Qingcheng, who had moved to the edge of the sofa. Half her face was hidden in shadow, while the side illuminated by the light glowed with a porcelain-like, cold white luster.

She casually glanced at the rowdy group, her chin held high with an air of haughty elegance. She showed no intention of intervening. It was as if her girlfriend being pressured to drink was none of her concern, perhaps even something she secretly enjoyed.

Ling Xiang’s heart sank. She hadn’t had much hope for Ruan Qingcheng to begin with, and now that sliver of hope was completely shattered.

She grabbed a glass of wine, thinking of the ten thousand yuan. steeling herself, she downed it. At least I’m getting paid, she thought. Most people work a whole month and don’t make that much.

The wine burned, its bitter, spicy taste stinging her eyes and bringing tears to the corners of her eyes. The others continued to cheer, so she set down the empty glass and picked up another full one, draining it in one go.

After several consecutive glasses, the alcohol began to take hold. Ling Xiang’s mind remained clear, but her body grew warm and a slight dizziness set in.

She’d only started drinking after getting together with Ruan Qingcheng, and it was only then that she discovered she had a decent tolerance. It was uncomfortable, but she just couldn’t get drunk.

Just as she was about to drain another glass, the Young Miss, who had been silent throughout the entire scene, finally spoke: “Enough.”

Her words were like a command, soft and even a little languid, yet no one dared to make another sound. They obediently dispersed, leaving Ling Xiang alone.

Though all were the children of the wealthy, there was still a hierarchy within this elite circle. Ruan Qingcheng undoubtedly stood at the very top.

No one would dare defy her will.

Ling Xiang froze, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath to steady the rising intoxication.

“Continue your fun. Everything on this tab is on me,” Ruan Qingcheng said, standing up and picking up her purse. She casually brushed aside her long hair, which fell across her chest, and called out to Ling Xiang, “Come, let’s go back.”

So she’d been called out late at night, sat silently all evening, just to watch Ling Xiang be forced to drink?

Ling Xiang, feeling a wave of exasperation, pushed herself up from the coffee table and followed behind Ruan Qingcheng.

She gazed at the girl’s retreating figure. The thin straps of her black dress barely held the delicate line of her shoulders, while the daring open back revealed her beautiful spine under the flickering lights.

The Ruan Qingcheng in the bar was completely different from the one at school. Stripped of the perfect mask of the Student Council President, she was now like a bold, black butterfly, both alluring and defiant.

To others, she was utterly captivating. To Ling Xiang…

She was still just a little devil who loved to make things difficult.

As they left the bar, the cool night air helped clear Ling Xiang’s head, which was still hazy from the alcohol. Ruan Qingcheng stopped and turned to her, clearly annoyed by Ling Xiang’s wooden expression:

“I’m cold. You can’t even throw your girlfriend a jacket?”

Ling Xiang: “………”

If you’re cold, who’s to blame but yourself for dressing like this?

Muttering to herself, Ling Xiang still walked over, took off her suit jacket, and gently draped it over Ruan Qingcheng’s shoulders.

Ruan Qingcheng shot her a glare, grabbed the jacket collar, and sniffed it. “I don’t like the perfume you’re wearing today.”

 Ling Xiang held back for a moment before finally snapping, “This is the perfume you bought me earlier. You said you wanted me to wear it”

“I don’t like it anymore,” Ruan Qingcheng cut her off impatiently. “Got a problem?”

What kind of problem could she possibly have?

Ling Xiang fell silent. Ruan Qingcheng lost interest in talking to her, pulled out her phone from her purse, tossed the bag into Ling Xiang’s arms, and called for a driver.

This bag must be worth six figures. Ling Xiang felt the cool, smooth leather in her hands and silently estimated its value.

Holding the key to an apartment, Ling Xiang was forced to stand on the street corner in just a thin shirt, the cold wind biting at her. She felt a bit dizzy, her palms and the soles of her feet growing numb.

The alcohol was starting to kick in.

Ruan Qingcheng didn’t even bother helping her. As soon as the car pulled up, she opened the door and slid into the back seat. Ling Xiang hesitated for a second between the front and back, then followed her into the back.

If she’d chosen the front passenger seat, Ruan Qingcheng probably would have made her get out.

Ruan Qingcheng had also had a few drinks and was slightly tipsy. The moment Ling Xiang sat down, she leaned against her, using her as a “human pillow” and settling into a comfortable position.

The girl’s soft body pressed against Ling Xiang.

The closeness was overwhelming. Ling Xiang could smell a faint, sweet perfume from her neck. Having spent time with Ruan Qingcheng lately, she’d learned about different scents and recognized this one as similar to Dior’s Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet.

Suppressing a sudden, inexplicable restlessness, Ling Xiang closed her eyes.

It was probably the alcohol.

“Your tolerance is decent. You didn’t embarrass me,” the woman leaning against her suddenly said out of the blue.

Ling Xiang was already immune to Ruan Qingcheng’s way of evaluating her as if she were just another tool. She simply murmured a soft “Mm.”

Perhaps this Young Miss was satisfied with my many “tool-like qualities” that’s why I’ve lasted longer than anyone else.

She remembered that not long after she and Ruan Qingcheng had started dating, a girl had approached her at school.

The girl looked her up and down with a dismissive air, then said, “That’s it? You’re not even as pretty as I am.”

Ling Xiang was confused. “What are you talking about?”

“A substitute,” the girl said with a laugh, as if amused by Ling Xiang’s naivety. “You didn’t actually think Ruan Qingcheng liked you and asked you to be her girlfriend, did you?”

“What substitute?”

Ling Xiang had never truly believed Ruan Qingcheng loved her, but she had always been puzzled by Ruan Qingcheng’s acceptance of her inexplicable confession. Now, the word “substitute” seemed to offer a chilling answer.

“Of course, it’s the person Ruan Qingcheng truly loves. When we were dating, I saw a picture of that woman in her room.”

She stared at Ling Xiang, her face full of confusion. “You don’t even look as much like her as I do. How did you manage to last two months while I was dumped in just one?”

Is that really something to compare?Ling Xiang almost laughed at her.

The moment she learned she was a stand-in, Ling Xiang felt a complex mix of emotions. There was sadness, of course, but more than anything, relief. Relief that she’d found out the truth before giving her heart away completely.

Ruan Qingcheng was undeniably captivating, and for someone like Ling Xiang, who was already attracted to women, resisting her was nearly impossible.

As Ling Xiang left, the other woman had issued a parting threat: “Just wait and see. You won’t last more than two months either.”

Yet Ling Xiang lasted nearly half a year.

Ling Xiang thought she might as well apply for a Guinness World Record: “Longest Relationship with Ruan Qingcheng.”

“Still spacing out?” The spoiled voice interrupted her thoughts, her tone imperious. “We’re here. Put my shoes on.”

The moment she got into the car, the Young Miss casually kicked off her high heels and sprawled back without a care for her image.

The driver in front kept his eyes straight ahead, so only Ling Xiang could see this uninhibited side of Ruan Qingcheng.

After a moment, Ling Xiang bent down, picked up the heels, and gently cupped Ruan Qingcheng’s foot.

The girl’s foot was delicate and refined, with toes like perfectly rounded pearls, neatly aligned and utterly charming.

Around her slender ankle, a delicate platinum chain coiled, making her skin look even more like snow.

Ling Xiang had put this anklet on for Ruan Qingcheng earlier, at her command.

At that moment, Ling Xiang’s palms felt cool, and Ruan Qingcheng shivered. She lifted her foot and kicked Ling Xiang’s arm with a pout. “Why are you so cold!”

Ling Xiang: …

Young Miss, who was the one who took your coat and left you in just a thin shirt to freeze in the wind?

Helplessly, Ling Xiang quickly put the heels back on Ruan Qingcheng. The girl impatiently shoved Ling Xiang aside and got out of the car on her own.

Ling Xiang took a deep breath, silently repeating “ten thousand yuan” to herself.

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