Chapter 101: Nothing Happened Between Us

"Oh right, did you call Meng Ran yet?"

"No, I didn't! I'd barely woken up when your call dragged me out of bed."

"I didn't see Wang Ying come back all afternoon, so I panicked and called you first."

At this moment, Ye Qiong's explanation seemed rather flimsy to Zhang Shen. So she had been going around in circles this whole time, and still hadn't actually called Wang Ying to find out what was going on.

"Miss Ye, then hurry up and call her already—what are you dawdling for?"

Ye Qiong shot Zhang Shen a glare. If it weren't for the fact that this whole mess was her own fault, she would have already torn him a new one.

"Hey, my dear girl, I haven't seen you all afternoon—where on earth are you?"

Wang Ying's voice on the other end of the line was perfectly calm, and she replied slowly, "Class is about to start, so of course I'm at school!"

"You're in the classroom?"

Ye Qiong sounded as though she had a hundred questions that needed Wang Ying's answers right this instant.

"Miss Ye, of course I'm in the classroom. Where else would I be? Hurry up and come over—class is about to begin."

Ye Qiong let out an "Oh" and hung up the phone. The look on her face no longer seemed as tense as before; evidently, that phone call had set her mind at ease.

"So, Miss Ye, has the mystery been solved now?"

Hearing the teasing note in Zhang Shen's words, Ye Qiong gave a cold snort and said, "It's nothing now. Let's head back!"

"Back?"

"Yes, she came back ages ago—she just didn't go to the dorm."

Zhang Shen found Ye Qiong's words even more confusing, so he pressed, "Then did she say where she went?"

Ye Qiong turned her head and looked straight at Zhang Shen. "If you want to know so badly, why don't you go ask her yourself?"

Seeing the provocative look in her eyes, Zhang Shen knew that the more anxious he was about Wang Ying, the more Ye Qiong would dig her finger right into his weak spot.

Since he clearly wasn't going to get the answer he wanted, Zhang Shen stopped worrying about it and turned to head back toward the classroom. Seeing that Zhang Shen wasn't going to press further, Ye Qiong simply followed behind him.

The two walked back one after the other. Ye Qiong had been planning to go up and whisper a few things to Wang Ying, but just then, the class bell rang at the most inconvenient moment.

Zhang Shen sat down next to Wang Ying. At that moment, he felt as though he were sitting on a stove, being slowly roasted.

Even though he could see that Wang Ying had no intention of acknowledging him at all, Zhang Shen ultimately chose to hold back what he wanted to say. What he didn't know was that Ye Qiong was at that very moment secretly texting Wang Ying.

"Xiaoying, where did you go at noon?"

"I just had Meng Ran accompany me out to buy something."

"Oh! And in between—did anything interesting happen?"

After all, in Ye Qiong's view, when two hot-blooded young people get together, it would almost be stranger if nothing happened at noon.

"What are you thinking? Do you really think Meng Ran is the same type of person as Zhang Shen?"

Poor Zhang Shen—getting hit even while lying flat on the ground.

Still, after seeing Wang Ying's reply, Ye Qiong actually spoke up this time in Zhang Shen's defense. "Xiaoying, this time you really did misjudge Zhang Shen. When I noticed you weren't back at noon, I called him right away. The two of us searched all through the park and couldn't find you anywhere."

"You were looking for me with him?"

Wang Ying sounded somewhat incredulous. She'd thought her attitude toward Zhang Shen over the past couple of days had been cold enough to freeze him out, yet he'd still been worried about her safety.

After Wang Ying simply replied with an "Oh," she didn't continue the conversation with Ye Qiong.

Four long hours dragged by, and another day of classes came to an end. After class, Zhang Shen had already gotten into the habit of walking alone toward the entrance. But to his surprise, Meng Ran burst out from behind and threw an arm around Zhang Shen's shoulder.

Zhang Shen was somewhat taken aback by Meng Ran's sudden gesture. Could this fatty be planning to "get revenge" for Wang Ying?

"Brother Zhang, I really have to thank you!"

"Thank me?"

Zhang Shen knew that without his own ridiculous behavior, Wang Ying wouldn't have misunderstood him—and without that misunderstanding, Wang Ying and Meng Ran might never have gotten together. In the end, the fault lay squarely with him.

"Of course! Without you, how could I ever be together with the great dream girl of my life?"

Hearing Meng Ran's words, Zhang Shen nearly threw up.

"Well then, cherish it while you can!"

Although he wasn't sure whether Wang Ying's feelings would last, Meng Ran's devotion to Wang Ying was the real thing—that, Zhang Shen could vouch for. The only prerequisite, of course, was making sure Wang Ying never discovered Meng Ran's many flaws.

"Thanks, Brother Zhang. And there's one more thing I want to tell you. When I accompanied Xiaoying out to buy something this afternoon, I said as many good things about you as I possibly could. Whether she'll change her opinion of you is up to fate now."

Zhang Shen found the fatty's words rather baffling. Was this guy genuinely kind-hearted, or just completely clueless? Why would he bring up things that would only make Wang Ying upset during their alone time together? At this point, Zhang Shen couldn't help but start worrying about the future of Wang Ying and Meng Ran's story.

Just as Zhang Shen had no idea how to respond, his phone rang.

At that moment, Zhang Shen could only feel that this call had come at the most perfect time.

"Hey! Little Yun, what's up? Did you miss me?"

With Meng Ran standing right next to him, Zhang Shen wanted him to get a taste of this kind of clinginess.

Unfortunately, Jiang Muyun had no idea what was really going on. She replied, "Zhang Shen, it's only been a few days and you've already become this frivolous? You really are making me see you in a new light."

Zhang Shen knew this was the sign before Jiang Muyun lost her temper, so he quickly broke free from Meng Ran's "clutches" and strode off into the distance.

"Little Yun, I was just joking with you just now—don't misunderstand. What made you think to call me?"

Jiang Muyun ignored his earlier weirdness and said, "Zheng Ke just called. He said dinner's at the Zheng residence tonight, and he asked me to bring you along."

"Zheng Ke's inviting me to dinner? Who else will be there?"

Faced with this sudden dinner invitation, Zhang Shen was rather puzzled.

"Also Wei Xiaorong. As for the rest, I don't know."

Hearing Jiang Muyun's answer, Zhang Shen couldn't help wondering to himself: "Could Zheng Tiande and Wei Xiaorong be planning a happy event?"

"Then should we bring something when we go?"

Jiang Muyun clearly hadn't caught the implication behind Zhang Shen's words and simply said, "Why would we bring anything? We're just going for a meal—why make such a big fuss?"

"Then come pick me up when it's time."

"In your dreams. Get here yourself!"