Chapter Sixty-One: Princess Syndrome

“How did she get hurt on her face?” Hong Chen strode forward, noticing Lin Yuxin was fast asleep. He didn't bother waking her, but his gaze lingered twice over her battered cheeks before he turned to Zhang Yan with a question.

“Was this Tao Rui and her friends?” Cao Zilin and Xu Le followed him in. When they saw Lin Yufei's bruised and swollen face, Cao Zilin suddenly remembered something and also looked to Zhang Yan.

Zhang Yan ignored Hong Chen, only nodding to Cao Zilin.

Cao Zilin’s expression turned bitter as she met Hong Chen’s eyes. “Tao Rui studies film and lives next door in Building W. I heard about it from my roommates. Last night, Tao Rui brought a group of girls and ganged up on a girl from the fourth-floor dorm. Turns out, it was your sister-in-law. Apparently, the whole mess started because of a man, someone named Li Yi.”

Zhang Yan suddenly interjected, “Li Yi is Lin Yufei’s boyfriend. Tao Rui is the third party. Lin Yufei broke up with Li Yi just recently. Yesterday, she went off on him all over the campus BBS and her social media, cursing his ancestors. Looks like Tao Rui got promoted from mistress to girlfriend and came to seek revenge for her man. Two women fighting over one man. If you ask me, neither the man nor the women are decent.”

Her last remark scolded all three—the two women and the man. Zhang Yan’s tongue was indeed venomous!

Hong Chen listened and shook his head, finding it all distasteful. He had no intention of getting involved in Lin Yufei’s petty drama. After thinking it over, he quietly instructed Cao Zilin about something, to which she nodded, “No problem. You wait downstairs. I’ll make sure she comes to you.”

Hong Chen then pushed Xu Le out of the dorm, heading downstairs to smoke and wait. Fifteen minutes later, Lin Yufei emerged wearing a mask, with Cao Zilin by her side. After handing Yufei over to Hong Chen, Cao Zilin left without lingering.

“What are you doing here, barging into my dorm and introducing yourself? Now all my classmates know I have a useless brother-in-law. Aren’t you embarrassed? I still have some pride.” Lin Yufei seemed wary of Cao Zilin, but once Zilin’s figure vanished, her true self surfaced, venting her frustrations onto Hong Chen. Her attitude was poor, her glare hostile, as if all her recent misfortune was his doing.

“Pride? You still have pride? Owing more than three million—where did you get the guts?” Hong Chen’s face darkened, his forceful tone shocking Yufei. Yet, she was used to being brash with him, so she stubbornly retorted, “My business is none of yours!”

Hong Chen’s voice rose sharply, “Do you think your sister can bail you out, or are you planning for the whole family to sleep on the streets? If you’re so tough, say it again.”

Lin Yufei was stunned. Hong Chen continued, “For your sake, your brilliant sister reached desperately for help and nearly fell into a trap last night—a pit she might never escape.”

Yufei’s expression changed. She asked anxiously, “What happened to my sister?”

Hong Chen didn’t answer directly. He pulled out his phone, dialed, and put it on speaker. “Have Lu Ke’er recount exactly what she did to Lin Yuxin last night, from start to finish.”

A voice replied, and half a minute later, a frightened female voice began, stumbling through her story, taking five whole minutes to finish.

Lin Yufei felt as if struck by lightning. Her heart trembled violently. Hong Chen continued, “Have the other three women tell their versions too.”

Over the next ten minutes, the voices of Liu Qian, Zhao Yan, and Ma Li came through, their accounts briefer but matching in detail.

The four women, along with Chen Feiyang, had been kept at Paradise Nightclub according to Hong Chen’s instructions the previous night.

Hong Chen hung up and looked into Lin Yufei’s eyes. “Is that your ideal brother-in-law? Did you think if Chen Feiyang had slept with your sister last night, she would shoulder your debt?”

Lin Yufei’s gaze drifted. She lowered her head and trembled all over. Even with her limited experience, she understood: when a man used such despicable means to get a woman, how could he possibly cherish her? Most likely, as so often happens online, he would take photos or videos to threaten her later.

After a while, she finally looked up and summoned the courage to ask, “So what happened next? My—my sister?”

Hong Chen’s eyes were sharp. “You shoved your sister into the pit yourself, and now you dare ask about her wellbeing?”

Lin Yufei recoiled, a mist gathering in her eyes.

Hong Chen gave a low, indifferent snort. “A high school classmate of your sister still had a conscience and sent me a message. I asked my boss for help. In the end, my boss called the nightclub manager, stopping Chen Feiyang from succeeding. Your sister drank herself unconscious and only woke up after a bottle of glucose.”

Lin Yufei’s body quivered, tears slipping from her eyes. Her heart felt as if pierced by knives—regret, guilt, and dread overwhelming her.

Seeing her reaction, Hong Chen pointed to Xu Le, about to introduce him when a mocking voice called out, “Well, Lin Yufei, coming out with a mask—what happened? Did someone splash acid on your face?”

Lin Yufei’s gaze shifted. She saw four girls approaching, some with cold faces, some with mocking smiles. Her pupils contracted; she suddenly felt anxious and uneasy.

Among them, the short-haired girl was Tao Rui, but the group’s core was the white-dressed girl—Shen Ruoshang—whose cold face and lofty gaze commanded the other three like stars around the moon.

“Take off the mask. Let Sister Shuang admire your legendary beauty.” Tao Rui strode ahead, reaching out to grab Lin Yufei’s face without asking.

Startled, Lin Yufei stepped back twice, crying out, “Tao Rui, what do you want now?”

“Are you deaf? Let Sister Shuang admire your unparalleled beauty. Step back again and we’ll fix you up today. Be good and come over.” Tao Rui missed her grab, clearly annoyed, her eyes turning vicious.

The other three girls watched coldly, neither intervening nor encouraging—an implicit approval.

Lin Yufei dared not retreat further, but didn’t step forward either. She glanced imploringly at Hong Chen, who said coolly, “One dress, eighteen thousand seven hundred.”

Yufei stiffened, a bitter self-mockery curling her lips. Others might not understand, but she knew Hong Chen was reminding her of her past ingratitude.

Hong Chen didn’t truly intend to stand aside. He shrugged, “Let’s go somewhere else.”

He turned and walked away, then urged, “Come on!”

Seeing Yufei hesitate, Tao Rui shouted, “Yufei, take one more step and see what happens!”

She shot Hong Chen a glare, warning, “Are you her new lover? Take my advice: stay away from this little tramp, or you’ll suffer for it.”

With that, she suddenly snatched at Yufei’s mask. Caught off guard, Yufei’s mask was yanked off, revealing her bruised face. She screamed and quickly covered her face, tears streaming again.

“Move your hands—ah!” Tao Rui wouldn’t let up, shouting, but her words ended in a shrill howl.

Hong Chen had struck. His fist landed on her jaw, a faint crack sounded, four teeth broke off and blood spewed from her mouth. The pain brought tears to her eyes.

The other three girls froze. Tao Rui went berserk, ignoring the pain and lunged at Hong Chen, but he glanced at her coldly—a look that chilled her to the bone. She didn’t dare advance, but cursed like a shrew, “How dare you hit me! Just wait, I’ll have you ruined!”

She reached for her phone to call reinforcements, but Hong Chen waved for Yufei to leave and started off.

“Stop!” Shen Ruoshang suddenly snapped coldly. “You think you can walk away after hitting my friend? The smartest thing you can do now is come over and apologize on your knees. If you leave, your whole family will suffer.”

Hong Chen looked up, seeing Shen Ruoshang’s cold arrogance—her gaze like that of someone looking at a pitiful ant. He replied icily, “I’ve said what I needed to. Believe it or not, it’s your responsibility.”

Hong Chen found it baffling. Was it that he was out of touch with the times, or was it that modern stories overemphasized female strength? In his mind, scholarly grace and gentle manners were what defined a female college student, yet now they all seemed afflicted with 'princess syndrome.'

Lin Yufei was like this, Tao Rui was like this, now even this cold, arrogant girl...

“Hong Chen, I beg you, please, do as Sister Shuang says. Apologize quickly, or our whole family is finished.” Before Hong Chen could decide, Yufei suddenly became agitated, her eyes full of pleading and terror. She trembled as if the sky were about to fall.