Your Aloof Persona Has Crumbled - Chapter 57

Wen Shike couldn’t quite describe what she was feeling. “Sure.”

“Great, thank you. After we finish eating, I’ll go back to the dorm and grab the notes for you.” The girl offered a faint smile, appearing to be in an exceptionally good mood. “Oh, by the way, my name is Xu Lin.”

“If you give me the notes, what will you do?” Wen Shike asked.

“I can just look at what I noted down in my textbook. The ones I’m giving you are what I compiled later, and they’re in digital format, so I can just print another copy for myself.” Xu Lin glanced at Wen Shike, looking as if Wen Shike had just asked an incredibly foolish question.

Wen Shike: ?

“Alright,” Wen Shike nodded. “Let’s head to the cafeteria.”

She didn’t feel like talking anymore.

As expected of someone who liked Ming Wangxue, she was just as much of a headache as Ming Wangxue.

Lu Jingwei had an exam in the morning. She woke up very early, but because she spent some time reading, she still arrived right on the dot, only three minutes early to the exam room.

She didn’t wear a mask. Her university was one of the top art institutions in the country, celebrities practically ran rampant here on a regular basis, so someone of her current status didn’t really amount to much.

Of course, she still drew some attention.

However, it wasn’t because of her herself, but because her manager was Qiu Yu.

When Lu Jingwei came out of the exam room after finishing her test, two people immediately followed her out.

They were her classmates.

Truth be told, her relationship with her classmates was mediocre. Aside from group assignments, they rarely interacted. Moreover, the amount of time she actually spent learning at the university was quite short, managing to remember everyone’s names was already an achievement.

“Jingwei, how does it feel working under Qiu Yu? I heard Sister Qiu is supposed to be really strict.” The two smiled brightly, acting very warm and enthusiastic as if they were close friends.

“Sister Qiu is very nice and gentle,” Lu Jingwei said.

She remembered these two. They could be considered second generation wealthy heirs, though there was still a substantial gap between them and old-money heirs like Wen Shike, they were still very affluent.

They had their own social circle and didn’t share the same path as Lu Jingwei, so they usually never initiated conversations with her. From the start of school until now, they probably hadn’t spoken more than five sentences. Having them suddenly strike up a conversation made her feel a bit uneasy and completely bewildered.

“I’m going to your company in a couple of days for an interview. I don’t know if I’ll get chosen… I’m practically half a fan of Wen Shike… Wen Shike…” The speaker looked at Lu Jingwei, the underlying meaning in their eyes becoming rather obvious.

Lu Jingwei nodded, pretending not to understand the implication as she interrupted. “Good luck.”

“Is it possible to…” the other person pressed further.

Lu Jingwei sidestepped the hand that tried to pull at her, interrupting for the second time as she spoke seriously, “I’m just a very small-time employee at Yinxin. I really can’t help you with anything.”

The other person’s smile grew a bit awkward, making their point more explicit. “We just heard that you and Wen Shike have a really good relationship. It’s not like we’re asking you to say anything specific, just… could you help pull a few strings or something?”

“Yes, we are on good terms, but I’m sorry.” Lu Jingwei looked at them, still pretending not to catch their drift. “Furthermore, she doesn’t like helping people go through the back door. Yinxin is very fair. If you have qualities they look for, they will definitely keep you.”

Having said her piece, Lu Jingwei swiftly departed.

“She really put on airs after entering a big company.”

“She has a backer now, could she possibly be the same as before?”

“Does she really not get it, or is she just pretending? Whether Wen Shike refuses is Wen Shike’s business, what does it have to do with her?”

Lu Jingwei didn’t feel much about the gossip behind her back, after all, they weren’t the same kind of people.

She lowered her head to send a message to Wen Shike.

Lu Jingwei: I’ve finished my exam.

Wen Shike had just sat down in the cafeteria when she received Lu Jingwei’s message.

Wen Shike: I’m currently eating.

Lu Jingwei: Can people enter your university? Should I go to your campus and wait for you after I eat?

Wen Shike: You can come in. But you could also just rest at the hotel, and I’ll come find you.

Lu Jingwei: I’m not tired and don’t want to rest. I’ll go find you.

Wen Shike: Alright. Are you taking a taxi? The company can reimburse it.

Lu Jingwei: Okay.

Lu Jingwei had originally wanted to stroll around her own campus, but those two people had completely ruined her pleasant mood, leaving her with nothing but a desire to escape. She grabbed a quick bite at her university cafeteria, went back to the hotel to fetch her things, and took a taxi to Wen Shike’s university.

Wen Shike was eating very happily in her cafeteria. Her university cafeteria ranked number one on the list of China’s Top Ten University Cafeterias. Although that ranking was just an unofficial online list, it still went to show that her university’s cafeteria was truly excellent.

She ordered a university clay pot dish and dug in with gusto.

However, halfway through her meal, she received a message from Qiu Yu.

Sister Qiu: Eat less.

Wen Shike: ?

Then Qiu Yu sent a photo over.

Wen Shike: ???

She couldn’t tell which genius had taken it, but her entire face looked as if it were about to bury itself into the clay pot.

Wen Shike looked at the photo, comparing the angles.

There were too many people around, making it impossible to discern who did it.

How infuriating.

She logged onto Weibo, and sure enough, someone had tagged her in that photo.

Did You Scoop the Gossip: Ran into Wen Shike at school. Seems like she’s a total foodie. [Image]

The Eldest Miss’s Knight: Laughing my head off, I can’t take it, this angle, hahahahahahaha.

True Passerby: She actually eats at the cafeteria? I thought wealthy young ladies like her wouldn’t eat at cafeterias.

Haven’t Studied Today: Hahahahahahaha!

Have You Memorized Vocabulary: Why is she at school? Isn’t she recording a variety show?

Let Nature Take Its Course: Today is the CET-4 and CET-6 exams. Apparently Lu Jingwei went to take her exam too.

Can’t See Through Human Hearts: Who is the person sitting opposite the Eldest Miss? Does the Eldest Miss have friends at school too? I’m so envious, I want to eat face to face with the Eldest Miss too, boohoohoo.

Wen Shike felt like her aloof persona was crumbling.

She was clearly cold and elegant, yet somehow she had mysteriously turned into a comedic figure.

Sigh. Wen Shike elegantly wiped her mouth, then coolly put her phone down. She sat there waiting for Xu Lin to finish. Xu Lin ate very slowly, chewing thoroughly and savoring every bite, eventually finishing everything down to the last crumb.

For some reason, Wen Shike thought of Lu Jingwei.

Lu Jingwei also seemed to clear her bowl completely every time she ate.

Xu Lin finally finished eating.

Wen Shike lowered her head again to message Lu Jingwei, asking where she was.

Lu Jingwei: Stuck in traffic. Probably another ten minutes or so.

Wen Shike: Okay, I’ll pick you up when you arrive.

Lu Jingwei: No need, I can just go find you.

Wen Shike: Alright then. Don’t go walking around blindly. Our campus is huge. You can ride a shared electric moped, and I think there are campus buses too, but I’m not too familiar with those.

Lu Jingwei: Don’t worry, I really can find my way.

Wen Shike rarely visited the school’s dormitory area. Frankly, their batch had pretty good luck, their dorms were located in the new campus buildings. The new buildings were gorgeous, and there was a study room right on the first floor, which successfully alleviated some of the pressure on the university libraries. Of course, their university had several libraries.

Because she had been too lazy to move around much this morning, she had just gone to one of them.

Since Wen Shike wasn’t a resident of this dormitory, she could only stand outside the entrance and wait.

Standing outside the turnstiles, she noticed a girl walking out from not far away holding some books. Her long black hair fluttered in the wind. Wen Shike dazed for a few seconds as she stared at her, and the other party noticed Wen Shike too.

She cast a glance toward Wen Shike. Her expression was highly restrained, but Wen Shike could still detect the sheer bafflement in her eyes.

Wen Shike: ?

The other party scanned her face to pass through the turnstile and quickly walked away.

Wen Shike: I think I just saw my niece.

The Ancestor at Home: Zhenzhen?

Wen Shike: She ignored me…

The Ancestor at Home: Did you greet her then?

Wen Shike: No.

The Ancestor at Home: Then why on earth would she acknowledge you? Forget it, don’t bother her. That old man is a lunatic. If he finds out you two have any contact, he’ll probably give Zhenzhen trouble again.

Wen Shike: Fine.

Wen Shike sighed. Her niece really had a rather miserable life.

She glanced back toward the entrance, but the girl had long since vanished from sight.

That girl was named Song Zhen, the granddaughter of Wen Shike’s mother’s ex-husband. Wen Shike had always known of her existence, but because her mother’s marriage with her ex-husband had ended on an extremely unpleasant note, the two families generally had no interaction, and the two of them had never formally met.

Her mother used to show concern for Song Zhen, but whenever she showed any concern, Song Zhen would end up targeted by that terrible old man. Consequently, her mother eventually didn’t dare to contact Song Zhen anymore. As for Song Zhen’s father, her half-brother, he reportedly wasn’t any good either.

Wen Shike blinked, sighing in her heart.

Xu Lin came out, holding a thick stack of materials which she handed over to Wen Shike. “Just find a place to hang out. I’m heading back for a afternoon nap.”

Wen Shike: ?

“Alright, thank you. I’ll return these to you next time.”

“Sure, thanks.” Xu Lin nodded, then turned and walked away.

The two bid each other farewell with utter formality.

Holding the materials, Wen Shike looked down at her phone. Lu Jingwei had already arrived. After a moment of thought, she ultimately told Lu Jingwei to wait for her in the campus café first.

Lu Jingwei had actually arrived a bit earlier than Wen Shike. She found a seat, sat down, and waited quietly, looking out through the glass window with curiosity at the pedestrians on the road.

Who hadn’t agonized during childhood over whether they should go to University A or University B?

Wen Shike pushed open the door and entered the café. Scanning the room, she spotted Lu Jingwei zoning out.

“What are you thinking about?” She sat down across from Lu Jingwei.

“Thinking about what it feels like to go to school here.” Lu Jingwei pulled her gaze back, looking at Wen Shike before glancing at the things she had placed on the table. “What’s this?”

“Class notes from a classmate,” Wen Shike said. “There’s still a long time to go before the exam.”

“True.” Lu Jingwei lowered her head to look at her phone. Ming Wangxue had posted a lot of photos in their group chat.

Wen Shike felt that just sitting here idly was quite boring. “Want me to show you around the campus?”

Lu Jingwei declined. “No need. I’ll walk around by myself while you take your exam.”

“Alright then, let’s study.” Wen Shike flipped open the class notes and asked casually, “How did your exam go this morning?”

“Not bad, passing shouldn’t be an issue.” A smile surfaced on Lu Jingwei’s face. “Thank you for finding that tutor for me.”

“What’s there to thank me for? It’s what the company should do.” Wen Shike let out a chuckle as well. “As long as you passed, that’s what matters.”

Lu Jingwei looked at the tablet in her hands. After a few seconds of deliberation, she raised her head and decided to tell Wen Shike about what had happened earlier, though she omitted the part where they talked behind her back.

Wen Shike frowned. Previously, there had been all sorts of people pushed in front of her under the guise of introductions, which had made her incredibly uncomfortable. Even though they put it very subtly, who didn’t know what they actually meant? “Next time, just tell them outright that you already mentioned this kind of thing to me before, and ended up getting warned by me.”

It was honestly exasperating. She had no idea why so many people always wanted to take underhanded shortcuts. She didn’t know if they were overestimating themselves or underestimating her.

“Okay.” Lu Jingwei nodded.

“Sometimes you do need to be careful, but there’s no need to fear offending people either. With some people, the more you step back, the more they’ll push their boundaries.” Intuition told Wen Shike that Lu Jingwei had likely hidden a few details.

But as usual, if the other party didn’t say it, she wouldn’t press. At any rate, if they really entered Yinxin, she would find out who it was sooner or later.

She looked up at Lu Jingwei again. Sometimes she felt their relationship was excellent, yet at other times, it felt very distant, as if separated by a vast chasm.

She let out a soft sigh.

“Do you run into this kind of thing often?” Lu Jingwei was somewhat curious. She knew about these things, but she hadn’t expected someone to be bold enough to ask her to pull strings. Did they think she was an easy target?

The corners of Wen Shike’s mouth twitched into a frown. “It became more frequent after I turned of age. Forget it, let’s not talk about such disgusting matters.”

“Alright.” Lu Jingwei nodded.

As Wen Shike looked through Xu Lin’s notes, she had to admit they were quite impressive. The content was recorded very clearly, and there were even some of Xu Lin’s own insights and annotations. Though the phrases were brief, they hit right to the point.

She suddenly felt a wave of crisis.

So, why did she have to show off today for no reason?

If she really lost first place, it wouldn’t look good on her. Granted, only she and Xu Lin knew about that conversation, and based on the personality Xu Lin displayed, she wouldn’t go around blabbering about it either. Furthermore, when the grades were released, she likely wouldn’t even be at school…

Even so, it still felt extremely embarrassing.

Her toes were already curling inside her shoes.

Wen Shike flipped through the notes, her expression turning significantly graver.

Sensing the shift in Wen Shike’s mood and noting her solemn expression, Lu Jingwei became more earnest with her own studying as well.

Wen Shike headed to the exam room twenty minutes early, bringing only her exam supplies while leaving everything else with Lu Jingwei.

Lu Jingwei had originally intended to wander around Wen Shike’s university, but in the end, she remained in the café to wait for her. Ordering a cup of coffee, she continued reading her book. The café was filled with people working and studying, creating an excellent environment.

In reality, she had only wanted to check out the library, but Wen Shike told her that their university libraries required facial recognition scans. Since she was an outside student, she wouldn’t be able to get in.

Lu Jingwei sighed.

The CET-6 was a breeze for Wen Shike. She completed the entire exam with absolute ease. The English newspapers and periodicals she regularly read were far more difficult than the CET-6 reading comprehension section. When she came out, her mood was exceptionally relaxed, she had checked off a major task.

The others were much the same; after all, this was University A. Once everyone checked their answers and found them to be largely identical, they went their separate ways.

Wen Shike navigated swiftly through the crowd, running back toward the café.

After so much time, she didn’t know if Lu Jingwei had grown impatient waiting.

When she reached the café, Lu Jingwei was still maintaining the exact state she had been in when Wen Shike left. The fading light of the setting sun spilled over her body as she looked down at her tablet, habitually tucking a stray lock of hair that blocked her eyes behind her ear. Everything looked incredibly serene and beautiful.

Wen Shike’s footsteps subconsciously slowed down. Ultimately, she came to a halt right outside the glass window where Lu Jingwei sat, standing there just to look at her.

It took a moment before Lu Jingwei felt someone blocking her sunlight. A little bewildered, she looked up and spotted Wen Shike, freezing for a few seconds.

The corners of Wen Shike’s mouth curled up slightly as she walked inside.

“What were you doing standing outside?” Lu Jingwei didn’t understand.

“I wanted to see how long it would take you to notice me. Pack up, let’s go get dinner.” Wen Shike picked up her bag.

Lu Jingwei cast a somewhat helpless look at Wen Shike and packed up her tablet. The two walked out side by side. “What time is our flight?”

“I booked tickets for nine o’clock tomorrow morning. I didn’t feel like rushing for a flight tonight. Arriving over there in the dead of night is exhausting, and I wouldn’t be able to wake up in the morning.” Wen Shike said.

“Alright.” Lu Jingwei had no objections, but suddenly realized something. “But I’ve already checked out of my hotel. I thought we were leaving tonight.”

“It’s fine, you can stay with me. The bed is huge, it won’t be cramped at all.” Wen Shike chimed in very naturally.

Lu Jingwei cast a glance toward Wen Shike.

Wen Shike looked back at her. “Oh, of course, if you mind it, we can just open another room.”

“There’s no need for that, I don’t mind.” Lu Jingwei said. “I’m just afraid you’ll feel uncomfortable.”

“What’s there to be uncomfortable about?” Wen Shike said, though she had never actually slept in the same bed with anyone else before, she seemed to have slept alone since she was very small. “But you really don’t have to force yourself either. If you mind it, we can get another room, the company will reimburse it.”

Since Wen Shike said this every time, Lu Jingwei asked out of curiosity, “Will they really reimburse it?”

In truth, Wen Shike herself wasn’t entirely clear on whether it would be reimbursed. The two locked eyes.

In the end, they still chose to stay in one room.

Wen Shike had originally wanted to eat on campus, but remembering the photo taken earlier during the day, she opted instead to find a restaurant with better privacy.

The dishes were slightly light in flavor, but tasted quite good.

“How about we go find Fu Chenyuan?” Wen Shike scrolled through her phone and discovered that Fu Chenyuan had sent her a message three hours ago.

Fu the Grand Slam Best Actress Winner. Hahahahahahaha.

Fu the Grand Slam Best Actress Winner. The King of Foodies has got to be you.

With a dark expression, Wen Shike stared at the photo Fu Chenyuan had sent, and then changed Fu Chenyuan’s contact alias.

Fu So Annoying. Since you’re in A City, come find me. Listen to the demo of my new song.

Wen Shike: I’ll ask Lu Jingwei.

Fu So Annoying. Sure.

“Huh?” Lu Jingwei blanked for a moment. “Fu Chenyuan?”

“Yeah, she wants us to go over and listen to the demo of her new song. Since we don’t have anything to do tonight anyway, want to go?” Wen Shike asked.

“She probably only invited you…” Lu Jingwei always felt it wasn’t quite right for her to tag along.

Wen Shike knit her brows. “She knows I’m with you, so how could she only invite me? Besides, we’re all under the same company, we’re bound to meet eventually. There’s no need to feel out of place, she’s very familiar with people right off the bat.”

Speaking of being familiar right off the bat, Lu Jingwei thought back to that auntie in Chuan City.

“Alright then.” Lu Jingwei nodded. She was indeed a bit curious about Fu Chenyuan’s demo.

Fu Chenyuan had a space dedicated exclusively to her on the twenty-third floor of the Yinxin headquarters building, featuring her own private dance studio and a team office area.

Fu Chenyuan must have been very excited, as she actually ran down to the main entrance specifically to pick them up.

She wore a baseball cap and no makeup. Her face looked a bit gaunt, showing clearly that she hadn’t rested for a long time, but her expression was exhilarating.

“Long time no see, you’ve lost weight.” Fu Chenyuan patted Wen Shike’s shoulder, making no attempt to force her to interact warmly. Although she didn’t understand why Wen Shike insisted on maintaining an aloof persona in front of her own people, she just let her be.

She then looked at Lu Jingwei. “Hello, I’m Fu Chenyuan.”

“Hello, my name is Lu Jingwei.” Lu Jingwei froze for a second; she had intended to greet her first, but hadn’t expected Fu Chenyuan to beat her to it.

“Pretty good, highly promising.” Fu Chenyuan looked around. “Let’s go, let’s go, hurry upstairs. There’s been a car tailing me and snapping photos lately. Tsk, annoying.”

Lu Jingwei felt Fu Chenyuan was a bit different from what she had imagined. The three entered the elevator.

At seven or eight o’clock, there were still people working overtime in the company, though most had already left.

“It’s just been me over here. They stayed up with me for a long time, so I had them head back first.” Fu Chenyuan said.

“How long have you gone without sleep?”

“Don’t know, thirty something hours? It’s fine, just pulling an all-nighter.” Fu Chenyuan said nonchalantly. “Yesterday was incredible. Once inspiration hits, nothing can stop it. To be honest, after I came back from filming earlier, I felt like my brain was clogged with crap.”

“Do your fans know you talk about crap and piss all day long?” Wen Shike said with a hint of disdain.

Fu Chenyuan fell silent for two seconds, then gave Wen Shike a playful punch before looking at Lu Jingwei. “She usually talks like this, don’t you guys beat her up?”

“She’s the squad bully.”

Wen Shike looked at Lu Jingwei, the expression in her eyes practically screaming disbelief: ?

Who would have thought?

Lu Jingwei blinked, her expression serious before she let out a smile.

“Alright, don’t go threatening her.” Fu Chenyuan patted Lu Jingwei’s shoulder twice more. “You’ve suffered.”

Wen Shike wanted to roll her eyes but held back.

How was she a squad bully? Clearly, every single one of them was bullying her.

“Let’s go, let’s go, time to listen to the demo.” Fu Chenyuan called out.

Wen Shike and Lu Jingwei followed behind Fu Chenyuan. Wen Shike shot several glances at Lu Jingwei.

Lu Jingwei: ?

“I was joking.” Lu Jingwei said.

“Sigh, who knows if there isn’t a shred of truth hidden inside that joke.” Wen Shike sighed, clutching her heart.

Lu Jingwei covered her mouth and burst out laughing.

“Alright, alright, aren’t you two sharing a room anyway? As if you haven’t had enough time for pillow talk. You’re still whispering now that you’re at my place.” Fu Chenyuan turned her head, speaking with a touch of mock disdain.

Wen Shike: ?

Lu Jingwei: ?

“The focus today is my demo, alright!” Fu Chenyuan protested loudly.

“Yes, yes, yes.” Wen Shike was expressionless, her tone utterly dismissive.

“Tsk.” Fu Chenyuan let out a light snort. “Oh, right.”

Fu Chenyuan looked at Lu Jingwei. “I feel like you dance really well. Any interest in doing a collaboration?”