"Old Ao had something come up today, so he couldn't make it."

"We, the Dynamic Duo, are here to protect you!" Li Longlong joked, trying to cheer up Huang Fei.

"Hah!" Huang Fei scoffed.

Though he laughed, it wasn’t quite the reaction Li Longlong had expected...

Seeing Huang Fei like this, Xu Shuai and Li Longlong wondered if he was disappointed that Old Ao hadn’t shown up.

They quickly explained, "Actually, Old Ao cares about you the most. He just had something urgent today."

"Yeah, when we left, he kept telling us to keep you company, knowing you’d be feeling down..."

Listening to their excuses, Huang Fei found it all laughable.

For his own good?

Sure, sure. Long Aotian had played his part well—kind to him, to Xu Shuai, to Li Longlong.

He couldn’t deny that. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have trusted Long Aotian like a brother, baring his soul to him.

But his kindness was just a cover for his twisted desires, wasn’t it?

Long Aotian knew full well that Huang Fei had feelings for Shen Mengjie. Yet, while pretending to be a good brother, he’d whispered that Shen Mengjie wasn’t right for him—all while sneaking around with her behind his back.

How perfect. He’d hidden it so well. Just perfect.

If it had been anyone else, Huang Fei might not have been this furious. Failing to win Shen Mengjie’s heart would’ve been his own fault—no shame in that.

But this? This was his so-called brother. Huang Fei felt like he’d wasted his sincerity on the wrong person. The whole thing made him sick to his stomach.

How could Long Aotian do something so disgusting?

Did it give him some sick sense of conquest?

But why drag him into this mess?

Today, news broke that Shen Mengjie was pregnant and expelled. And where was Long Aotian? Nowhere to be found.

Was he afraid of slipping up? Afraid Shen Mengjie would cling to him? Or just too cowardly to face him?

"Dude, what’s wrong with you? Old Ao just had something to deal with today," Xu Shuai said, noticing Huang Fei’s dark expression and trying to defend Long Aotian.

He understood Old Ao—everyone had their own life. Long Aotian had already done plenty for them before.

And honestly, even if Long Aotian had come today, what difference would it have made?

Was Huang Fei being too fixated on this?

The anger Huang Fei had been bottling up finally exploded when he heard Xu Shuai still making excuses for Long Aotian. He grabbed Xu Shuai by the collar and snarled, "You don’t know a damn thing!"

The sudden move caught everyone off guard—even Li Longlong was stunned.

Snapping back to reality, Li Longlong rushed to pull Huang Fei away. "Huang, what the hell are you doing?"

Xu Shuai stared at Huang Fei in disbelief. He never expected Huang Fei would lay hands on him.

"We all know you’re hurting, but don’t take it out on Xu Shuai! Let him go!"

Under Li Longlong’s words, Huang Fei slowly regained his composure. Deep down, he knew this wasn’t Xu Shuai’s fault. He’d lost control.

Releasing Xu Shuai, Huang Fei pressed a hand to his forehead, breathing heavily, his voice shaking. "Sorry... I just—I lost it for a second."

Xu Shuai stayed silent. He knew Huang Fei was upset, but attacking him? That stung.

......

In the hospital room.

Shen Mengjie listened to Wang Lijuan and Han Xiaojing’s careful words, but felt nothing.

Seeing her like this, the two girls didn’t know what else to say.

They knew Shen Mengjie was ruined—and the man responsible still hadn’t shown his face...

Wang Lijuan couldn’t take the suffocating atmosphere anymore. "Mengjie, just tell us who it is. He has to take responsibility."

Han Xiaojing nodded. Things had gone too far. Shen Mengjie shouldn’t bear this alone—the man had to step up.

If you can’t find the book by title, try searching the author—maybe it was renamed!

Faced with their concern and urgency, Shen Mengjie only shook her head, her expression blank.

If she’d wanted to drag him down, she would’ve done it long ago.

Seeing her still protecting the man, Wang Lijuan and Han Xiaojing felt a headache coming on.

Shen Mengjie used to be the type who never let anyone take advantage of her. How had she ended up like this?

Just then—

Li Longlong’s frantic voice echoed from outside.

At first, they thought Huang Fei had found out about Shen Mengjie’s situation and was struggling to accept it.

But the more they listened, the stranger it sounded.

Stepping out, they saw Xu Shuai’s collar rumpled from being grabbed, Huang Fei crouched against the wall, his voice thick with regret.

On one side, Shen Mengjie’s stubborn silence. On the other, her boyfriend getting manhandled.

Wang Lijuan’s mood soured further. She marched over and dragged Xu Shuai away without a word.

Watching them leave, Li Longlong turned back to Huang Fei, still hunched in the corner.

For some reason, he felt like something was breaking apart—something that could never be fixed.

"Huang, if you wanted Old Ao here, you didn’t have to go this far. We could’ve just called him."

"Old Ao’s solid. If we asked, he’d come."

"But you gotta cut him some slack. If he wasn’t busy, he’d have beaten us here..."

Huang Fei lifted his head, took a deep breath, and said, "Don’t bother. I wasn’t thinking straight earlier. I’ll apologize to Xu Shuai tomorrow."

"And don’t tell Long Aotian about this."

He wanted to see—would Long Aotian dare to show up? And when?

......

Under the cover of night.

Everyone had left.

Shen Mengjie’s phone buzzed once.

A glance confirmed it—her expulsion notice.

She closed her eyes, about to exit the screen, but accidentally swiped into her social feed.

The first post was two photos.

The first: Hu Yuying, Li Qingxue, and Lin Wanning posing together. The second: Long Aotian, looking exasperated but undeniably fond.

In that instant, every ounce of strength, every shield she’d built, crumbled.

Tears spilled uncontrollably, streaking down her cheeks in cold, wet trails.

Her phone vibrated again.

This time, a message from Ye Liangchen.

Another photo—Shen Xiu, grinning obsequiously as she counted money.

"Mom already approved of us. ‘Wife’—maybe it’s too soon to call you that, but it feels just right."

Disgust rose like a foul stench, an indescribable revulsion.

Delete. Block. Power off.

She knew she was lying to herself. But only this self-deception offered a fleeting peace.

She knew her life was over—ruined by her own hands.

Like a cage with no escape.

How could she ever break free?

......

If you can’t find the book by title, try searching the author—maybe it was renamed!