I Heard I'm a Hearthrob - Chapter 5

Now I’m giving you what you want.

“I didn’t think about it that much. We just started talking.”

Qiu Shuang offered this dismissive explanation to Song Ya, who was buzzing with nervous energy.

“Where does she live? What’s her bl00d type? Does she have any bad habits? Do you even know if she has any contagious diseases? You’d be better off with Chen Wanjun!”

Despite Song Ya’s direct attack, the person sitting beside Qiu Shuang showed no sign of offense.

“Hello, Song Ya. You must be Shuangshuang’s best friend she’s always talking about. I’m her girlfriend, Chen Jining. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me directly. Qiu Shuang is a bit shy and might feel awkward.”

Song Ya rolled her eyes, the crude gesture clashing with her refined name. She scoffed inwardly, A fake is just a fake, no better than that b1tch Chen Wanjun.

Qiu Shuang glanced gratefully at Chen Jining, finally relieved to have someone share the brunt of Song Ya’s relentless questioning after all these years.

Song Ya was truly a formidable opponent. After their long conversation, this was the only impression she had left on Chen Jining.

Chen Jining’s curiosity about Qiu Shuang grew stronger by the day. It was truly rare to find so many peculiar individuals gathered around one person.

Could this person really see Qiu Shuang as just her best friend?

Observing the hostility and inexplicable possessiveness in the other woman’s eyes, Chen Jining thought, This is the most perfect plan I’ve ever devised, and the best bargain I’ve ever struck. “Dating” Qiu Shuang is simply ideal.

Her sample size for observation had just increased significantly.

In the quiet of the night, as everyone else slept soundly, one figure remained awake. The faint glow of a phone illuminated her beautiful face as Chen Wanjun silently scrolled through messages. Her gaze finally locked onto the image of two hands clasped together.

You said you liked me… So why are you with someone else? Liar…

Chen Wanjun bit her lip, her slender fingers clenching the phone so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Another sleepless night stretched before her.

Qiu Shuang stood outside the classroom, waiting quietly. She and Chen Jining were in different academic years, so it was already fortunate that they shared the same building for classes. Recently, Qiu Shuang had been making a point of avoiding Chen Jining, but fate had brought them together again.

Chen Wanjun sat quietly in the classroom, the only person present. Her mood seemed dark and troubled. Qiu Shuang bit her lower lip, a nervous habit she couldn’t control. Whenever she felt anxious or excited, she would instinctively bite until she drew bl00d, then lick the wound.

After a moment’s hesitation, Qiu Shuang quietly entered the room and cautiously took a seat in the back, choosing the farthest spot possible.

As soon as she sat down, Chen Wanjun suddenly turned to look at her.

“……”

Qiu Shuang held her breath, terrified by the intensity of Chen Wanjun’s gaze. To Chen Wanjun, this was further proof that Qiu Shuang was eager to distance herself now that she had a boyfriend.

She said she liked me so much, but after I rejected her, she didn’t even have the courage to try again. It seems her affection wasn’t so genuine after all.

A fickle woman deserves punishment…

“You’re dating someone now.”

“……Yes.”

“Hmph.”

Chen Wanjun’s sudden, cold laugh startled Qiu Shuang, who instinctively felt a pang of fear. She wasn’t a masochist; why would she enjoy being verbally abused? The thought of hearing those words again terrified her.

After all, once that pitiful flicker of longing and yearning faded, she doubted she’d have the patience to play out this twisted love drama with Chen Wanjun.

“Chen Wanjun, I’m sorry. I know my past obsession with you caused you so much trouble. I understand my mistakes now. I won’t disturb your life again, and I won’t cause you any further harm. I’m truly sorry for the pain I’ve caused you…”

“Shut up.”

“I’m sorry…”

“I said shut up!”

The sudden, inexplicable anger and accusations completely overwhelmed Qiu Shuang. She hadn’t expected this drastic measure to be so potent.

It wasn’t until Chen Wanjun strode toward her, grabbed her hand, and dragged her out of the classroom that Qiu Shuang finally realized what was happening.

“What are you doing?”

“Shut up and come with me.”

Qiu Shuang stared at Chen Wanjun, knowing her well enough to suspect that Chen Wanjun’s composure had finally cracked… and that she might be about to hit her.

Chen Wanjun watched Qiu Shuang obediently follow her out.

How did she get so thin? Is it because I rejected her?

“Your girlfriend doesn’t treat you well either, does she? You’ve lost so much weight.”

“Jining, she…”

“Ha! Calling her so intimately after only knowing her for a few days? You’re exactly as promiscuous as I imagined. You lesbians are all so casual, falling in love with every new face. Tell me, how did you seduce her?”

“Chen Wanjun, what are you implying?”

Qiu Shuang looked at her, bewildered. She couldn’t understand why someone she had known for so long had become like this, and why someone who claimed to love her would treat her this way.

When Qiu Shuang had confessed her feelings earlier, Chen Wanjun had rejected her and hurled insults. Qiu Shuang had told herself that no one was obligated to reciprocate someone else’s feelings.

This was her problem, but Chen Wanjun’s sudden accusations against Chen Jining made Qiu Shuang deeply unhappy.

This was between her and Chen Wanjun, with no third party involved. Why was Chen Wanjun directing such hostility toward a stranger?

Was it simply because Chen Jining was Qiu Shuang’s nominal girlfriend?

“Chen Wanjun, I’m sorry if my actions have given you a negative impression of the lesbian community. But Jining isn’t like that, and there was no seduction involved between us. We’re together because we share common interests and passions—nothing like what you’re implying. You can dislike me, criticize me, but please don’t drag her into this. Thank you.”

“Fine,” Chen Wanjun replied sharply. Before Qiu Shuang could react, Chen Wanjun suddenly pinned her against the wall.

“Are you going to hit me?” Qiu Shuang thought, turning her head and closing her eyes, bracing for an attack. If she strikes first, any retaliation will be self-defense.

Instead, she felt something warm and wet press against her neck.

Qiu Shuang opened her eyes to see Chen Wanjun’s hands gripping her shoulders tightly as she kissed her neck.

“Chen Wanjun, what are you doing?!”

“Isn’t this what you wanted?” Chen Wanjun licked her lips, her gaze lingering on the delicate skin of Qiu Shuang’s neck, where crimson marks bloomed like flowers against her pale complexion.

She didn’t understand why the other woman had confessed her feelings. It seemed obvious that she wanted to be with her, and that’s all couples did, right? Now that she had given Qiu Shuang what she wanted, did that mean she could break up with Chen Jining?

“I can give you what you want, but you have to break up with her first.”

“What exactly do you mean, Chen Wanjun? I really don’t understand.”

“Isn’t this what you wanted? What more could you possibly want? Me to take off my clothes and sleep with you…?”

Chen Wanjun paused.

“…I can agree to that, but you have to break up with her first. I won’t be a mistress.”

“Do you really think I like you just for that?”

Chen Wanjun felt she had already given the other woman what she wanted. Why was she still inexplicably upset?

Qiu Shuang wrenched her hands free. She tried to control her emotions, but tears still streamed down her face. This was nothing like what she had imagined. The cake really had gone bad. The part of her that had once genuinely cared for the other woman now seemed like a foolish fool.

She was crying for herself.

“I like you because I find you bright, generous, and confident. I admire the positive, upward-striving side of you and long to be like you. I don’t understand what signal I gave you that made you think I was only lusting after your body.”

“I simply like you—just Chen Wanjun as a person. It has nothing to do with your appearance. Whether you were more beautiful or more ordinary, I would still like Chen Wanjun.”

“…I don’t understand.”

“We shouldn’t see each other again.”

After these words, both fell into silence.

If he loved her, why didn’t he desire her body? If he loved her, why would he inexplicably be with someone else?

Chen Wanjun couldn’t understand because the man who had once loved her was a deeply wounded soul. He had dared to offer his true heart only once, and having missed that chance, it could never be reclaimed.

After class, Chen Jining waited for the other woman but eventually returned to her dorm. When she pushed open the door, she found Qiu Shuang lying in bed, clutching her head tightly under the covers.

Chen Jining immediately noticed that the other woman had been crying. She pulled back the blanket, her gaze lingering on the woman’s tear-reddened eyes before shifting to her vulnerable neck.

“What happened?”

“…It was Chen Wanjun.”

Chen Jining raised an eyebrow at the mention of that name. The situation was becoming increasingly intriguing, and another observer had entered the fray. She had initially assumed the problem was simply homophobia, but now it seemed far more complex.

“I’ll talk to her,” Chen Jining said before leaving the room.

Chen Wanjun sat dazedly beneath a willow tree. Even from a distance, Chen Jining could spot her—her strikingly distinctive and aggressively beautiful face made her stand out like she belonged to a different plane of existence.

Chen Jining hadn’t expected their meeting to unfold like this.

Chen Wanjun looked utterly lost, sitting beneath the willow tree like a helpless child.

“Are you Chen Wanjun? I’m Chen Jining. I think we need to talk.”