Su Rong truly hadn’t expected it.
A mere delivery guy—and he was this handsome?
That was practically illegal.
When Shen Ying said he was good-looking, Su Rong hadn’t thought much of it.
After all, there were tons of good-looking guys at the Film Academy.
But to be this handsome—that was straight-up dreamboat level.
A tall, well-defined nose, deep-set eyes, and though his hair was messy, it gave off a carefree, charming vibe.
Even just sitting on the motorbike, he looked tall and striking.
In Dragon King-type novels, the villains had to be outrageously good-looking.
Otherwise, how could they set off the protagonist’s triumphant rise?
In terms of appearance, Luo Xinghe really did qualify as campus heartthrob material.
Add to that the noble aura he’d carried since childhood—
Even girls meeting him for the first time would remember him vividly.
In that moment, Su Rong was nearly moved to tears.
Damn it, I messed up.
I shouldn’t have encouraged Shen Ying to call him first.
Why didn’t I run into a guy this perfect sooner?
Waaaah…
And just like that, her friendship with Shen Ying shattered over Luo Xinghe.
Luo Xinghe handed a helmet to Shen Ying and said, “Put this on. I’ll take you there on my bike.”
“If it’s only about an hour’s ride, we’ll be there in no time.”
“Just put your luggage in front.”
Shen Ying nervously bit her lip and nodded quickly. “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”
Luo Xinghe paused, then chuckled. “Why so nervous? I’m not going to eat you.”
Shen Ying smiled softly. “Thank you, Luo-ge, for taking me.”
“Mhm.”
The two of them rode off on the motorbike, leaving a trail behind.
Fengcheng was the largest and most populous second-tier city in China.
And surrounding Fengcheng were many smaller counties, also densely populated.
Shen Ying’s hometown was in Chu County, one of the more bustling and populous counties around Fengcheng.
At that moment in Chu County, Shen Ying’s uncle was at the market picking out fresh vegetables, preparing to cook.
Because of some compensation issue related to Shen Ying’s deceased father, she needed to come home to handle the matter.
Knowing his niece was coming home for dinner, the uncle naturally wanted to cook a feast for her.
“Old Ding, why’re you buying so many groceries today?”
The uncle smiled and replied, “My niece is coming back from Fengcheng to take care of some things. She’ll be eating at home.”
“It’s kind of like a reunion dinner, so I figured I’d buy a bit more.”
“You know how it is—Xiao Ying’s a college student in Fengcheng, she’s got a bright future ahead!”
The vegetable vendor auntie laughed loudly. “You’ve said that a hundred times already!”
“Last year, you told everyone Xiao Ying was going places—off to college in Fengcheng, making the family proud.”
Old Ding laughed along.
“Well then, I’ll take this spinach. Looks fresh. Give me two pounds.”
The vendor auntie skillfully packed it up and joked, “When Xiao Ying really makes it big, don’t forget us old neighbors.”
Old Ding took the veggies and said with a smile, “Of course not…”
He walked away from the stall, still grinning.
But the vendor auntie’s smile faded. As she tidied up the vegetables, she muttered in a disdainful voice,
“College student, huh.”
“Probably just selling her smile in the big city.”
“Someone said she’s studying to be some kind of actress.”
“As if an actress belongs in university. Ridiculous…”
The vegetable vendor uncle frowned and said, “Don’t say stuff like that.”
“It’s a different era now. They’re not ‘actresses’—they’re performers, actors.”
“Those people acting on TV dramas—aren’t they all actors?”
“I hear celebrities make good money.”
“Old Shen was never reliable. It’s Xiao Ying’s mother who raised her, and it wasn’t easy.”
“Now that Xiao Ying’s finally got prospects, once she starts earning good money…”
“Her mother deserves a few years of comfort.”
“This is a good thing. We should be happy for Xiao Ying and the Shen family.”
“We’re all neighbors after all…”
The vegetable vendor auntie’s face stiffened. She snapped sharply, “Oh, shut up.”
“What do you know about celebrities?”
“A young girl like her should just find a decent family to marry into. What’s the point of going to a big city for college—just trying to show off.”
“I heard people talking.”
“That so-called film university—anyone can get in if they pay enough.”
“Old Shen never did anything proper his whole life. Where did their family even get the money to send Xiao Ying to college?”
“I heard from Little Sun that Xiao Ying went to the city to work and made enough for tuition in just a few months.”
“And what kind of ‘decent’ work could that be?”
“Enjoy life? Heh, like her mother could even enjoy it.”
“You think I don’t know what those TV stars are really about?”
“Sleeping with people, smiling for them, drinking with them—it’s all the same stuff for money. What’s there to brag about!”
The vegetable vendor uncle sighed and didn’t respond.
Actually, they used to have a decent relationship as neighbors.
Back when Shen Ying’s father was alive, he gambled, drank, visited prostitutes—he was into everything. The Shen family was the worst off among all the neighbors.
Back then, everyone would help them out in small ways, openly or discreetly. You could say Xiao Ying grew up eating meals from a hundred households.
People pitied the Shen family’s situation, so they often gave discounts or little favors.
But somehow, things started to turn around for them.
One time, Shen Ying’s father got drunk and was hit by a truck while crossing the street. The driver had been up all night and was held fully responsible. The Shen family received a substantial compensation payout.
On top of that, Xiao Ying got excellent scores on her college entrance exams—enough to get into university in Fengcheng.
Suddenly, Shen Ying’s mother had made it through the hard times, and the Shen family became the envy of the neighborhood.
People are like that.
When someone else is doing poorly, they’re full of sympathy and pity.
But when that same person starts doing well, jealousy creeps in—resentment that the one they once pitied has now turned things around.
This time, Shen Ying returned home because her father’s compensation had finally been processed, and she came back to handle it.
The vendor auntie sneered, “I saw on the news, celebrities always have some scandal—today this, tomorrow that.”
“Xiao Ying doesn’t have money or connections. Her future? Just another one who sleeps around for success.”
“What’s there to be proud of?”
“She’s not even as good as my son, who graduated from vocational school and got a decent job with a good reputation.”
“And their Shen family thinks our son isn’t good enough? What a joke.”
This time, the vegetable vendor uncle got angry.
“Don’t bring up that brat. In what way is he worthy of Xiao Ying?”
“What’s so strange about her not liking him?”
“He never does anything proper, always out messing around with a bunch of punks, never home, and it’s all your doing.”
“Xiao Ying is at least a college student—you think she’d go for him? Ridiculous.”
The vendor auntie snapped back: “Bullshit! My son is a hundred times better than that Shen Ying.”
“If she doesn’t marry my son, that’s her loss.”
“Once she’s been passed around and used up, my son wouldn’t even look at her.”
“College student? More like a fancy brothel girl!”
Before she could finish her sentence, Old Ding walked up to the stall, face dark.
“Sis, don’t you think that’s going a bit too far?”
“We’re all neighbors—no need to talk like that.”
At first, the vendor auntie looked a bit embarrassed, caught gossiping behind someone’s back. It was, after all, pretty low behavior.
But when Old Ding spoke up, she flared up again.
“What, I’m just telling the truth! You want people to lie and sugarcoat things just to make you happy?”
Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel. Bonus chapters on reaching milestones. Happy reading!