Chapter 296: Chapter 296

"Mo Si is indeed my boyfriend, but the internship positions are already filled!" Li Si rejected decisively and without hesitation. She wouldn’t have minded being more tactful with other classmates, but for Ling Wei? That wasn’t necessary at all.

Ling Wei pleaded again in a low voice, "Li Si, you know that company belongs to your boyfriend. Who gets in depends on just his word! Can you just put in a good word for me?"

"After all, we’re still roommates, right? Let’s not even mention Du Juan; but look, you managed to get Liu Xiaole in, so why not me? Do we have some kind of grudge, or is there something else I’m missing?"

A deep and attractive male voice came from behind: "Missing a person!"

Li Si turned to look behind Ling Wei, smiling. She had already noticed Leng Mochen walking toward them long ago, but her mischievous side wanted to see what Ling Wei would say to stretch her views of the world.

Ling Wei’s anger surged up as she spun around. Her expression, to put it mildly, was a spectacle—caught between fury and trying to flash an alluring smile, only to realize it was far too late.

Leng Mochen completely ignored her, treating her like thin air. He walked up to Li Si with a warm smile, and gently ruffled her hair, "Why did you take so long?"

He had parked his car at the school gate and waited for ages without anyone coming out. Being curious, he wondered if someone had stopped her along the way. That last episode with her class monitor confessing his feelings at the campus entrance had been an alarm bell for him; his little troublemaker was becoming increasingly popular, and he had to keep his guard up.

If someone intercepted her halfway and stole her away, what could he do? As he casually walked into the school, he saw the scene unfold just now. Ling Wei’s little act deeply annoyed him.

Li Si stuck out her tongue playfully, "It’s not my fault this time!"

Ling Wei stood frozen in embarrassment, awkwardness written all over her face. Her gaze darted back and forth between Leng Mochen and Li Si, eventually landing on Leng Mochen himself. He seemed even more charismatic than before. But why wasn’t he looking at her, even once? Was she really that unattractive?

Leng Mochen took Li Si’s hand in his and cast a cold glance at Ling Wei. At the very moment Ling Wei’s heart swelled with hopeful delight, thinking she had finally caught Leng Mochen’s attention, his words promptly crushed her to the ground.

"Mo Si’s door will never open for you."

With that, he paid no mind to how deeply Ling Wei’s little heart had broken, and the two of them left sweetly hand in hand.

Ling Wei’s original stance remained unchanged, except for her clenched fists. Her sharp nails dug deep marks into her palms, yet she felt no pain.

How, exactly, was she any less than Li Si for Leng Mochen to treat her ? Was she not beautiful enough? There were tons of boys in school who secretly liked her. In fact, before Li Si came along, she had been the belle of the department.

But ever since Li Si arrived, things had gone downhill for her. What right did Li Si have? From what she’d heard, Li Si’s family wasn’t even better off than hers. At least she had her parents—what did Li Si have?

Oh, that woman once mentioned Li Si was an orphan, someone abandoned with no one to turn to. Could it be that Leng Mochen treated her well out of pity rather than love?

Ling Wei’s face reflected a storm of emotions. The more she thought, the more she believed she was right. People naturally sympathize with the weak. Li Si’s pitiful background, paired with her good looks, easily provoked others’ protective instincts.

Should she really work with that woman? Previously, she’d been disdainful; but now, she was starting to consider it...

Meanwhile, at the school gates, Leng Mochen and Li Si, who had been walking and laughing together, were intercepted by someone.

Li Si couldn’t help but rub her forehead in exasperation. She realized she’d been doing this gesture more frequently lately—it was practically becoming second nature.

The person blocking their path was Xu Yi. Leng Mochen shot him a cold, disinterested look; to him, Xu Yi was just a young boy who hadn’t fully grown up yet—hardly worth worrying about.

Li Si frowned in displeasure and questioned, "Do you need something?"

Any excitement Xu Yi felt upon seeing Li Si was instantly extinguished by her impatience and Leng Mochen’s frigid stare.

He lowered his head and shifted awkwardly, staring at his toes. "It’s nothing much—our class is planning a dinner tomorrow night, and we’re splitting the bill evenly at 100 yuan per person."

All the things he originally wanted to say remained stuck in his throat. The aura emanating from the man in front of him was too overpowering; it gave him the feeling this guy might physically put him in his place at any moment. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ ɴovelfire.net

This wasn’t at all like the image he had of Li Si’s fiancé. He had assumed an older guy, wealthy but not overly youthful, with perhaps a decent appearance but certainly not as sharp in build and demeanor as himself in his early twenties.

But now that he saw him in person, the gap between them wasn’t just minor—it was enormous.

Since Xu Yi could keep things strictly business, Li Si was willing to reciprocate. So long as he didn’t start spouting some irrational nonsense, she didn’t mind maintaining a surface-level cordial relationship as classmates.

"Class monitor, is it okay if I don’t go?" She genuinely didn’t feel like attending. Among her entire class, she was only close to Liu Xiaole; the others were just acquaintances—faces she recognized, but nothing deeply personal.