Chapter Twenty-Nine

Meng Tianze and Yu Mufeng spent a lot of effort investigating the photos, but to no avail.

"How could this be?" Chu Lian exclaimed in surprise after hearing their story. The three of them hadn't had an easy time on campus lately; ambiguous, suspicious, and curious glances constantly followed them. Even her roommate had asked her if she really had feelings for her cousin. Chu Lian felt she couldn't convince everyone even if she had eight mouths. So she vowed to find the mastermind and clear her name. But now, her usually astute cousin was telling her they couldn't find anything? "Wasn't the person we hired competent enough?"

"How could the top genius of the Computer Science Department not be brilliant?" Yu Mufeng said irritably.

Meng Tianze gave a wry smile. "The innocent will clear themselves; things will get better once the novelty wears off."

"I just can't swallow this," Chu Lian said angrily.

Meng Tianze and Yu Mufeng exchanged a glance, and they felt better.

"But when we finally traced it back, we found out the post was sent from our department head's computer. What else could we do? Confront the department head? It's obviously an extremely foolish thing to do."

“Director Liu isn’t that kind of person,” Meng Tianze shook his head. “Besides, he simply doesn’t have that level of skill.” The photo had been edited, but the key point was that the style was too aesthetically pleasing, while the basic state of the person remained unchanged, so it couldn’t be called Photoshop. It can only be said that the person who took the candid photo was incredibly skilled, managing to capture the focus even in an ordinary photo.

"Are we just going to let it go like this?" Chu Lian was filled with resentment.

Meng Tianze reassured him, "This is the only way for now."

"What do you mean it can only be this way?" Long Jiu Mo arrived late to the gathering of several people.

"You must have heard about how our photos were sensationalized, right?" With the internet so developed these days, the speed of information dissemination is astonishing.

Long Jiu Mo nodded and smiled, "You are all celebrities now."

"Ninth Brother! You're still in the mood for jokes!" Chu Lian said unhappily, "You have no idea how awful their words were!"

“The innocent will clear themselves.” Long Jiu Mo shook his head. “Don’t worry too much about this kind of thing.”

Meng Tianze nodded approvingly. "After a while, no one will care. A little patience will calm things down."

“But!” Chu Lian protested.

"I must get to the bottom of this!" Yu Mufeng was also furious. Being photographed was one thing, but being treated like a clown, both openly and secretly, was something he couldn't swallow.

Meng Tianze shook his head and sighed as he watched the two of them get excited.

Long Jiu Mo looked at the various expressions on the faces of the people, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Despite extensive investigations, no progress has been made regarding the photo incident.

Chu Lian and Yu Mufeng couldn't help but feel a little disheartened. What disheartened them even more was Cheng Xiangbei's attitude; he always gave them an ambiguous smile whenever he saw them. That smile seemed to be saying, "You two are dating, aren't you? Don't hide it anymore, everyone knows!"

Who could bear the thought of their sweetheart pairing them up with someone else?!

"Ninth Brother, what do you think we should do?" Chu Lian asked pitifully.

"What to do?" Long Jiu Mo raised an eyebrow. "And Cheng Xiang Bei?"

“Ninth Brother…” Chu Lian tugged at his sleeve, acting like a little girl.

"If you like someone, you like them. What's there to be shy about?" Long Jiu Mo patted her head.

"Hmph, Cheng Xiangbei doesn't like women at all, what are you being shy about!" Yu Mufeng, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it and snorted.

"I'll make him like women!" Chu Lian retorted with a cold glare. "At least he'll have to get married and have children! What about you? You're just a rooster that can't lay eggs, what makes you think you can compete with me?"

"You!" Yu Mufeng slammed his hand on the table.

"Alright, alright, let's all take a step back," Long Jiu Mo advised. "You're too close to the situation to see clearly; you haven't grasped the core of the problem yet."

"Oh?" The two turned their heads at the same time, looking at Long Jiu Mo with a puzzled expression.

"Ninth Brother, what did you see?" Chu Lian asked anxiously.

Long Jiu Mo looked the two people up and down, but smiled without saying a word.

"Ninth Brother, stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me!" Yu Mufeng couldn't sit still any longer.

"Didn't you realize that the reason Cheng Xiangbei is keeping his distance from you is solely because of Lu Nan?"

"Huh?" The two exchanged a glance. "Is that really true?"

"Think about it yourselves," Long Jiu Mo said casually, arms crossed.

The two of them fell into recollection. Wherever Cheng Xiangbei was, Lu Nan would always be there, and every time they made plans with Cheng Xiangbei, his excuse was always Lu Nan. So...? As if struck by a sudden realization, the two of them understood.

"Ninth Brother, what do you think we should do?"

Long Jiu Mo chuckled and said slowly, "Have you heard the story of Yu Gong moving the mountain?"

The two nodded, could it be...?

"You mean, move Lu Nan away?" Chu Lian pondered this possibility.

"The Foolish Old Man Moving Mountains? That's too slow." Yu Mufeng said with dissatisfaction, "By the time we try our best to distance Xiang Bei and Lu Nan, it might not even work by graduation."

Chu Lian frowned and said, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Yu Mufeng shook his head. "I don't know either. But Ninth Brother should have a way, right?"

Seeing the expectant looks in their eyes, Long Jiu Mo said, "I do have a solution, but I don't know if you're willing to take the risk."

"Huh? What method? Tell me!"

Long Jiu Mo looked around and gestured for the two to come closer, then whispered the plan to them.

"Isn't this too risky?" Yu Mufeng's face turned pale after hearing his words. "And, wouldn't it be a crime?"

Long Jiu Mo shrugged. "That's why I said it was an adventure. Besides, you guys are such cowards, just take it as a joke."

"Is there no other way besides this?" Chu Lian asked, puzzled.

"You'll have to figure out the solution yourselves. This is the only approach I can offer."

After the group parted ways, Chu Lian and Yu Mufeng both fell silent.

Long Jiu Mo's suggestion was undeniably vicious, yet it was also the most effective method. What was the method? It all came down to photos. Lock Lu Nan in a secluded place, take some nude photos, or even more explicit ones, and use them to blackmail Cheng Xiang Bei, leaving him no choice but to comply.

With the film in hand, Cheng Xiangbei would be nothing more than a plaything. And once they had him, feelings might develop over time. The proposal sounded incredibly tempting, but wouldn't it involve a crime?

The two hesitated again and again, watching Cheng Xiangbei and Lu Nan's relationship grow stronger while they themselves grew more distant. Disappointment and longing intertwined, making their emotions waver even more violently.

"What should we do?" Chu Lian asked Yu Mufeng.

Watching Cheng Xiangbei and Lu Nan walk away together, Yu Mufeng gritted his teeth and said, "Don't hesitate any longer!"

If things continue like this, they'll never be able to get close to Cheng Xiangbei again in their entire lives.

"Aren't you afraid...?" Chu Lian felt a little flustered. No matter how vicious her thoughts were, they couldn't compare to the fear of actually having to act on them.

“If you don’t do it, Cheng Xiangbei will be mine alone when we succeed,” Yu Mufeng said coldly.

Seeing his cold gaze, Chu Lian gritted her teeth. "Deal!"

The goal has been agreed upon, but how do we implement it?

Both of them thought of Long Jiu Mo at the same time. He was the one who came up with the idea. So what's the action plan?

As expected, Long Jiu Mo was well-prepared. His thorough preparation aroused suspicion in Chu Yu and the other man. They were the ones who wanted to oppose Lu Nan, so why was Long Jiu Mo so proactive?

"Ninth Brother..." Looking at the action plan drawn up by Long Jiu Mo, Chu Lian asked in confusion, "Did you and Lu Nan have some kind of disagreement?"

“No,” Long Jiu Mo said casually, as if someone else was planning to kidnap Lu Nan.

"Then why..." Yu Mufeng asked cautiously.

"There's no reason why." Long Jiu Mo patted his shoulder and said, "Brother Jiu just couldn't bear to see you two troubled by love."

Is that so? The two looked at each other, both feeling that things weren't that simple.

Seeing the two of them hesitate, Long Jiu Mo didn't say anything. He didn't have any grudge against Lu Nan, but he had a huge grudge against Cheng Xiang Bei! He should have been admitted to a top university, but he ended up in a second-rate one. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel resentful.

For some, time can erase hatred. But for Long Jiu Mo, time not only failed to erode his resentment, but instead intensified it daily. Especially after reuniting with Cheng Lu and seeing their sweet and happy faces, he couldn't help but feel resentful. Seeing their triumphant faces while he was struggling only fueled his hatred.

Cheng Xiangbei, just you wait and see!

"Brother, can I borrow your card from Yayuan?" Chu Lian asked Meng Tianze on Friday night.

“Sure, what are you going there for?” Meng Tianze took out a card and handed it to Chu Lian.

"It's nothing, it's just a friend's birthday party, it's quiet there, isn't it?" Chu Lian smiled charmingly, stuffed the card into her bag, and swayed away.

Meng Tianze shook his head and chuckled, thinking how vain young girls these days were. Even for a simple birthday celebration, they had to go to the city's best private club. He hadn't given this ordinary card a second thought, but just twenty-four hours later, it brought him enormous trouble.

After receiving the card, Chu Lian called Long Jiu Mo. "Brother Jiu, we have a place, and it's very safe."

"Okay." Long Jiu Mo smiled and said, "I understand. I will arrange things tomorrow."

"Then, see you tomorrow?" Chu Lian asked anxiously.

"See you tomorrow."