If You Don’t Go To Hell, Who Will? - Chapter 46

In the evening, I took Zhong Yuan to the study room. I pointed at the comments in that post, which were shocking to see, and questioned him sternly, “What’s going on?!”

Zhong Yuan rubbed my head and said with a smile, “I just spoke the truth.”

I knew he would answer like this! I grabbed his hand and said angrily, “But do you know that everyone will misunderstand because of this? Yesterday, Xia’er asked me for half a day, and you have no idea how excited she was! She even asked me…”

Zhong Yuan continued to smile and asked, “Asked you what?”

I shook my head and said, “Well, forget it; she didn’t want me to tell you.”

Zhong Yuan gently touched my cheek and said enticingly, “Tell me quietly; she won’t know.”

I turned my head and said, “No. If I promised not to say it, I shouldn’t say it. I had to be honest.”

Zhong Yuan said, “Okay, I won’t ask. I’ll just create another post and detail what we did last night.” He began to log into his forum account.

I hesitated for a moment but eventually held onto his hand. I found it strange that even though we hadn’t done anything last night, I felt incredibly guilty. Zhong Yuan was such a rascal! >_<

Zhong Yuan didn’t resist and turned to look at me, saying, “Go on, tell me.”

“Well, she asked me… if you were not capable…”

Zhong Yuan suddenly grasped my hand tightly, squinted his eyes, and looked at me with a dangerous gaze.

“And how did you answer?”

I replied honestly, “I said I didn’t know.” I not only kept my promise but also remained truthful.

Zhong Yuan suddenly held my shoulder, leaned close to my ear, and whispered, “You don’t know now, but you’ll find out in the future.”

I replied with a blank expression.

Zhong Yuan, you really don’t miss any opportunity to flirt with others… >_<

As I looked at the school forum webpage, I suddenly remembered the photo of Zhong Yuan and the campus beauty that I had seen not long ago. Even though I knew they were just friends, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy when I thought about how well they dressed together. It was strange how I had become so possessive.

Despite knowing that I was being unreasonable, I couldn’t resist. I pulled up that post again and pointed at the photo of the handsome guy and the beautiful girl, questioning Zhong Yuan, “When was this taken?”

Zhong Yuan stared at the photo for a while, deep in thought, and finally replied, “It seems like it was during a forum management speech? Or maybe some competition where we were in the same group… I can’t remember.”

I said somewhat bitterly, “Matching outfits, this is a blatant couple outfit! We’ve never even worn matching outfits…”

Zhong Yuan laughed and said, “Oh, are you jealous?”

I turned my head, feeling a bit awkward.

Zhong Yuan hooked his arm around my shoulder and grinned mischievously. “Oh, my jealous little blocked head.”

I thought angrily, Is it that amusing to see me jealous?

However, Zhong Yuan took advantage of my distraction and planted a firm kiss on my cheek, then whispered softly, “If you like it, we can wear matching outfits like this in the future, on a more formal occasion. I’ll hold your hand and step onto the stage, making a declaration to everyone… By the way, why does this scene feel more like a wedding?”

I remained silent.

I had initially thought Zhong Yuan was just teasing me, but little did I know that his words would come true later on.

…

Speaking of these past few days, just when the campus forum had calmed down from the gossip Zhong Yuan had stirred up, a new wave of gossip emerged. This time, it wasn’t just gossip; it was also hurtful, and it nearly led to an argument between Zhong Yuan and me.

One day, I logged into the campus forum, which I hadn’t visited in a while, and found a post discussing me. Thanks to Zhong Yuan, my popularity at school had significantly increased.

However, the content of this particular post saddened me deeply.

The OP( original poster) claimed to be a friend of a guy from the chemistry department who had heard that I, Mu’er, had broken some lab equipment, and now we had to wait for Zhong Yuan to pay for it. She went on to express her disapproval, asking if girls nowadays only date guys for their money and if I would still be with Zhong Yuan if he didn’t have money. The post seemed objective on the surface but was filled with the OP’s contempt for a certain materialistic girl—that’s me.

I felt speechless as I scrolled down, and my anger grew when I read the replies below.

Someone commented, “What’s the big deal? I saw her student ID photo accidentally the other day, and it was none other than our handsome Zhong!”

Others chimed in as well: “I agree with the person above. I saw her at the supermarket, and her student ID photo also prominently featured our handsome Zhong.”

Someone else said, “Is there really someone like her? Does this girl have any self-respect left?”

Another commented, “Can self-respect put food on the table? No, but face can.”

Yet another added, “That’s right. Just because she’s pretty, she can easily seduce a rich second-generation guy.”

Another voice joined in: “Rich second-generation guys aren’t that easy to seduce. You guys think Zhong Yuan is dumb. He’s just playing around.”

And so on…

The more I read, the more I felt stifled. While some people jumped in to defend me, including familiar figures like Little Second, the voices of defense were drowned out by the overwhelming ‘Mu’er Gold-Digger Theory.’ I couldn’t bear to continue reading the rest and closed the webpage directly.

I closed my eyes and tried to make sense of it all. Why was this happening?

The last time I broke a capacity flask, I had already paid Zhong Yuan back for the money he had lent me. As for using his campus card, it was our agreement, with the condition being that he could boss me around. These circumstances were not known to these people, so why were they spreading baseless rumors?

I knew Zhong Yuan had money, but I had never asked him for anything. There were even several times when he wanted to give me things, but I refused. First, I didn’t want to waste resources, and second, I wanted our relationship to be based on equality in love. After all, a couple’s feelings should not be influenced by a few clothes or bags, right? Moreover, Zhong Yuan was just an ordinary student. He had mentioned that his dad was a professor at an art college in France. This meant he wasn’t from a rich second generation. Even if he had money, how much could he have? There were plenty of wealthy people around, so why would I choose him for his money? Su Yan was the real rich second generation; why didn’t I date him? Besides, my dad had told me not to marry a wealthy man because he was worried I might be mistreated.

I had thought these things through in my mind, but when I saw those people practically tearing me apart with their words, I didn’t know how to defend myself or if defending myself would even make a difference. I remembered how, when Little Second was accused of cheating on a literature website in the past, she, despite her thick skin, was anxious and tearful, unable to respond properly. She had sworn curses wouldn’t work against profit-hungry individuals, and every word she said seemed to backfire. That day, Little Second was surrounded by us comforting her for a long time, but it was only after she cried in the arms of the eldest that she calmed down.

The terrifying thing about public opinion was that it didn’t rely on facts or reason. It could make more uninformed people believe and join in the condemnation. What little Second had experienced before, I was experiencing now. Where have we gone wrong?

I tried to console myself, but it didn’t work. All those sayings like “Rumors stop with the wise” and “The pure will always be pure” were meant for observers. When the situation was truly happening to me, I couldn’t remain calm.

…

The next day, with dark circles under my eyes, I met Zhong Yuan. He asked why I hadn’t slept well, but I was lazy and didn’t want to talk to him.

During lunch, I strongly demanded my meal card back, but Zhong Yuan responded without even looking up, “Your card has no money.”

Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal, but at that moment, his words sounded harsh to me. So, I replied in a sullen tone, “I know.”

Since Zhong Yuan hadn’t returned my meal card, I decided to report it lost and get a replacement. I had come to realize that since we became a couple, Zhong Yuan no longer bossed me around, but I was still benefiting from him. It was clear why others might have suspicions. I needed to cut off all financial transactions with him and become self-reliant and self-sufficient.

Apart from that, I intended to actively search for part-time jobs. I was interested in what that charming guy had mentioned—working as a billiards practice partner. So that evening, I told Zhong Yuan about it, and he immediately frowned, saying, “You’re not allowed!”

I became irritable and retorted, “What’s it to you?”

Zhong Yuan grabbed my wrist forcefully, his face darkening. “You’re my wife!”

I responded, “…”

Zhong Yuan continued, “Are you in desperate need of money? I’ll take care of you.”

His words hit me hard once again. I yanked my hand away from him forcefully and yelled, “Is having money so great?!”

I didn’t say anything more and just walked away, leaving him behind.

…

As I returned to the dormitory, I started to regret getting angry with Zhong Yuan. Honestly, he was innocent in this matter. Why couldn’t I remain calm?

I pondered while holding my phone, thinking about calling Zhong Yuan but not knowing how to start the conversation. In the end, I threw my phone aside and lay down on my bed, sighing deeply.

This was such a mess…

The next day, I woke up early and realized that my phone had run out of battery. If Zhong Yuan had tried to call me yesterday, what would I do?

Well, he was probably very angry yesterday.

I roughly tidied up and headed downstairs. Usually, Zhong Yuan would be waiting for me at this time, but today…

I felt a sense of melancholy and shrank into my collar as I walked out of the dormitory building.

From a distance, I could see a slender figure holding onto a battered bicycle, gazing in this direction. It was a cold winter morning, and he stood there quietly as if he had been standing there forever.

The sun had not yet risen, but I could almost imagine sunlight covering the ground.

Step by step, I walked towards him, and with each step, the guilt in my heart increased. When I reached him, I looked up at his face and opened my mouth, but I didn’t know what to say.

Zhong Yuan smiled and removed one glove, reaching out to pinch my cheek. The warmth of his fingertips brushed against my cheek, spreading warmth across my face.

I lowered my head, suddenly lacking the courage to meet his gaze.

Zhong Yuan chuckled softly and said in a gentle tone, “Still angry?”

I raised my head, unable to hold back the tears that started to flow. I took a step forward, embraced Zhong Yuan, buried my face in his chest, and cried as I said, “Zhong Yuan, I’m sorry…”

Zhong Yuan released one hand from the bicycle he had been holding, leaving it abandoned in a pile of snow. He then used both hands to embrace me tightly, rubbing his chin against my head, and said, “Good, why are you crying?”

I wiped my tears on Zhong Yuan’s scarf and continued, “Zhong Yuan, I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have gotten angry with you. I…”

Zhong Yuan interrupted me, “I already know.”

Huh? I raised my head and looked at him in surprise.

Zhong Yuan ruffled my hair and said, “I already know. I’ll deal with those people.”

Um…

A few days later, there was a sudden wave of computer hacking incidents in the school, and it was said that quite a few people were affected, mostly female students. The school took this very seriously and conducted investigations for a while, but for some reason, they were eventually dropped.

At this time, One-Two-Three-Four and the people from Zhong Yuan’s dormitory were occupying the movie club’s office, playing the game ‘Three Kingdoms Kill.’

I asked Zhong Yuan, “Did you have anything to do with this?”

Zhong Yuan calmly replied, “Most of it was done by Passerby A.”

Passerby A immediately confessed, “I was coerced! And I was gentle in my approach; most people only needed a system reinstall. Zhong Yuan was the worst; he wiped that poster’s hard drive!”

I scratched my head, puzzled. “Um, what does that mean?”

Zhong Yuan continued to stay calm. “It means I found a lot of viruses and adult content on his computer.”

Me: “And then?”

Zhong Yuan: “Then I wiped it all clean.”

Me: —

Zhong Yuan thought for a moment and added, “The poster was a male student from our class, I think. He once invited me to study together, but I didn’t go.”

I didn’t expect that the whole commotion that had lasted for days had such a backstory. Little Second summed it up: “A creepy guy was harassing a group of crazy girls.”

One of the outsiders patted her shoulder solemnly and said, “Two, you’re really wicked.”

Little second gave them a stern look, and passerby A immediately put on a serious expression and said, “But I like wicked people.”

Onlookers: -_-

And that was how it all ended. As for why the school didn’t pursue the matter further, Zhong Yuan and Passerby A just smiled and said, “Even if we told you, you wouldn’t understand.”

…

In fact, ever since that morning, when I saw Zhong Yuan waiting for me as usual, I suddenly realized that when two people are together, it’s really just about the two of them. Involving others only ties you up. Other people’s thoughts are always just thoughts, but your own happiness is real.

I didn’t end up searching for that part-time job at the club. Instead, Zhong Yuan’s uncle’s child needed an English tutor, and he recommended me. My English was pretty good, so I gladly accepted.

As for Zhong Yuan’s campus card, I continued to use it as usual, but I occasionally loaded some money into it.

In the words of Little Second, using Zhong Yuan’s card would just make others jealous.