Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After hearing the full story of the cafeteria incident, Xiaxia wasn’t just fuming-she was righteously indignant.

As a member of the News Club herself, she was privy to some insider information. It turned out that Jiang Ke’er was a serial offender. As long as a guy had decent looks, family background, or grades, she would deliberately cozy up to him, attempting to make him fall head over heels for her.

She particularly targeted men who were already in relationships. She would intentionally make a move in person or leave ambiguous messages on WeChat. Even if she didn’t succeed in making the guy pursue her, she would still manage to plant a seed of doubt between the couple.

Looking at it this way, she didn’t actually like Ma Chenxuan; she just wanted to prove her own charm through these methods.

“But,” Xiaxia added, “your boyfriend shutting her down like that might have actually fired up her competitive spirit instead.”

She wasn’t wrong. There’s a concept called “sunk cost.” Jiang Ke’er had been hitting a brick wall with Ma Chenxuan every day lately, yet she only seemed more determined, refusing to give up until she reached her goal.

Moreover, I had a faint feeling she was brewing some kind of ultimate move.

That move came sooner than I expected. A few days later, Jiang Ke’er sent out an invitation in the News Club’s large group chat, inviting the entire club to go to karaoke over the weekend to celebrate her birthday.

“Everyone is coming, so you have to come too, Chenxuan-ge.” In the WeChat voice message, her voice had a playful lilt, sounding sweet and adorable.

I stopped Ma Chenxuan’s hand as he went to decline.

It was time for a final showdown.

Rather than continuing to endure her constant interference in our lives, it was better to clear things up in person and make a clean break.

“It should have been like this a long time ago,” Xiaxia said, supporting my decision. “As the old saying goes, a fly might not kill you, but it sure is disgusting. You’re a heroine who could uproot a willow tree with her bare hands-how can you keep letting a little ‘green tea’ girl intimidate you?”

“As the old saying goes, a small tree won’t grow straight without pruning, and a person won’t behave without a little fixing.”

“As the old saying goes, if you want to forge iron, you have to hold the tongs yourself; if you want to farm, you have to get in the field yourself.”

“As the old saying goes…”

I finally reached my limit and interrupted her. “Where are you getting all these ‘old sayings’ from?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Xiaxia said, swaying her head. “Just think about what clothes to wear and what makeup to put on this weekend. Don’t let her win on the vibes front. Besides, I don’t believe she can pull any more tricks out of her sleeve.”

We looked at each other and smiled. To be honest, I didn’t feel much trepidation about this gathering. In these situations, as long as the person being seduced stays firm and the couple trusts each other, no matter what tricks the other side uses, they won’t be able to shake the foundation of the relationship.

But we both forgot one old saying.

“Carelessness lost Jingzhou; pride lost Jieting.”

That was the last thought in my mind as I watched Jiang Ke’er’s body collapse.