Chapter 145: Shen Anyu: Stay Calm, Stay Calm!
Su Hongmian's attire today was completely different from her usual noble, proud, and brand-name laden appearance, which typically made her stand out like a peacock in a flock of pigeons.
Usually, she was a walking billboard for high fashion—Gucci bags, Hermes scarves, limited edition heels that clicked authoritatively on the marble floors. But today, she was strikingly simple.
She didn't carry her signature luxury bags. She wore no makeup, her face completely bare yet flawless like porcelain. She was dressed in a simple, loose-fitting red dress that lacked any logos, and she wore flat sandals without stockings, revealing her fair and slender calves and delicately painted toenails.
Although she appeared barefaced and "dressed down," she was still stunning and eye-catching. The simplicity only highlighted her natural, aristocratic bone structure and cold, breathtaking beauty.
However, her usual sharp, commanding aura was dimmed. She looked fragile.
Especially at this moment, Su Hongmian seemed preoccupied, her eyes unfocused. She walked mechanically, almost bumping into a dining table before sidestepping at the last second.
Su Hongmian was indeed preoccupied. Her world had been shattered just twelve hours ago.
Last night, she had returned home expecting a normal family dinner. Instead, she received a revelation that shook the foundation of her existence.
Her mother, Su Wanqing—the widowed matriarch who had raised her for twenty years with a mix of strictness and love—had sat her down in the study. With trembling hands and teary eyes, Su Wanqing had told her personally:
"Hongmian... I am not your biological mother. And your father... he isn't who you think he is."
This was such a shock, so hard for Su Hongmian to accept, that she felt like the sky was falling. She didn't even stay at the Su Mansion. She fled.
She hadn't slept or eaten all last night. She wandered the streets of Modu in her car, her mind a chaotic mess of questions. Who am I? Where do I come from? Why did you lie to me?
Hungry and emotionally exhausted, she had planned to come to the university cafeteria for a quick, mindless meal—a place of normalcy—and then go find Shen Anyu.
She needed him. She needed his arms, his scent, his arrogant confidence that made everything seem manageable. She needed to bury her face in his chest and cry.
She was feeling down, dejected, and incredibly vulnerable.
However, as she walked in with her tray, she heard the hushed whispers and discussions around her.
"Hey, isn't that Su Hongmian?"
"Yeah, I heard she fought with Jiang Linlin over a guy at the gate a while back!"
"Really? The Ice Queen fighting over a man? Who is he?"
Su Hongmian raised her head in embarrassment and anger. She wanted to shout, "Shut up!" She wanted to deny the matter of her and Jiang Linlin fighting over a man.
Even though it was true—Shen Anyu had forced them into a compromising situation in the car—she couldn't admit it publicly! It was humiliating for the Eldest Miss of the Su Family to be part of a harem!
Recalling the last time she and Jiang Linlin were manipulated by Shen Anyu—the shameful sounds, the shared touches—Su Hongmian's delicate and beautiful face flushed slightly.
But then...
With a casual glance, her gaze froze.
At a table near the window, bathed in sunlight, sat the object of her thoughts.
Shen Anyu.
But he wasn't alone.
On his left sat Jiang Linlin, looking guilty and small. On his right sat Liu Mi—the famous "Fox Spirit" of Modu University—clinging to his arm like a limpet, smiling sweetly.
Snap.
Something inside Su Hongmian snapped. The sadness and confusion about her mother were instantly incinerated by a blaze of jealousy.
Her almond eyes went wide. Her entire being seemed to burn with raging fury.
"Shen Anyu!"
She stomped over, her sandals slapping the floor. She ignored the stares of hundreds of students. She slammed her tray down on the empty seat next to them.
Clang!
"Brother Shen! Why did you come to Modu University to find her and not me?"
She pointed a trembling finger at Jiang Linlin, then at Liu Mi.
As she spoke, Su Hongmian felt a little wronged in her heart. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes.
"I needed you! I was suffering all night! And you... you are here playing happy family with other women?"
Could it be that in Shen Anyu's heart, Jiang Linlin's position was higher than hers? Or worse, this Liu Mi?
"Husband??"
Liu Mi didn't flinch. Her long, charming foxy eyes narrowed into slits as she looked at Shen Anyu tenderly, but her voice carried a hidden dagger.
"Husband... are you also involved with Su Hongmian? The famous Iceberg Campus Belle?"
Jiang Linlin covered her face with her hands, not daring to show herself. She wanted to disappear into the floor.
'It's over! Su Hongmian is here too! The Three Kingdoms have gathered!'
Unlike the obedient and timid Jiang Linlin, Liu Mi was gentle on the outside but tough on the inside. On the surface, she was a smiling vixen, but when she decided to defend her territory, she wouldn't stop until there was blood.
Liu Mi was truly annoyed now.
'My scoundrel husband... you are too much of a playboy! It's one thing to have Linlin, my best friend. But Su Hongmian too? You really want to collect all the campus belles?'
As a fellow Modu University campus belle, Liu Mi knew Su Hongmian very well. They were rivals in popularity polls, rivals in fashion, and rivals in family status.
She knew that Su Hongmian came from an extraordinary family. The Su Family was a commercial giant. Su Hongmian was a billionaire heiress—rich, fair, and beautiful.
Such status and position meant she was a direct threat. She could compete for the "Main Wife" role!
This made Liu Mi extremely wary and instantly dislike Su Hongmian.
'I can accept Jiang Linlin. Linlin is soft. She has no ambition. She relies on me. I can control her.'
'But Su Hongmian... she is a Queen. She has the power and ambition to crush me. If she enters the harem, where will I stand?'
Liu Mi wouldn't believe that the proud young lady Su Hongmian would be willing to humble herself to be a mistress. So, she must be aiming for the top spot!
"Husband? Liu Mi called you 'Husband'?"
Su Hongmian was stunned by Liu Mi's address. Her face turned pale, then red with indignation.
"Shen Anyu! What's going on? Explain this!"
She looked at Shen Anyu through gritted teeth, her silver teeth gleaming dangerously.
Everyone in the cafeteria was in an uproar at this sight. The noise level exploded.
At this moment, whether they were queuing for food, eating noodles, or drinking soda, everyone stopped. Hundreds of pairs of eyes looked over, gleaming with the primal excitement of watching a car crash.
Some students even started recording and taking photos covertly.
Of course, they failed. Shen Anyu was surrounded by invisible [Nanometer Monitoring Robots] emitting a strange magnetic interference field, so their phone screens just showed static or blurred images.
But that didn't stop the gossip. The air buzzed with whispers:
"Good heavens! A Shura Field! A top-tier, god-level Shura Field!"
"We've got some major news! The headlines of the BBS forum are going to explode!"
"Oh my goodness, this guy Shen is amazing! He is a legend! He's actually involved with TWO... no, THREE of Modu University's campus belles? Jiang Linlin, Liu Mi, and now Su Hongmian?"
"Amazing! Amazing! Respect!"
"Some are dying of thirst, others are drowning in floods! I've been single for over twenty years, only accompanied by my left and right hands, and here these goddess campus belles are fighting over one man!"
"Comparing oneself to others is infuriating! I want to die!"
"Where is the great FFF Group? (The 'Burn the Couples' Brigade). Get out your torches! Burn, burn, burn! Burn these normies to death! Explode this harem protagonist!"
"This guy's in trouble now. Su Hongmian is known for her bad temper. She's a proud young lady with a black belt in Taekwondo! She might just slap him and teach the scumbag a good lesson!"
"I'm looking forward to it! Fight! Fight!"
"..."
At this moment, even the cafeteria aunties who served food stopped working. They leaned over the counters, munching on melon seeds they kept in their pockets, excitedly gathering around to watch the drama of the rich kids.
In the center of this storm, Shen Anyu remained unhurried.
His expression was still calm and composed, like a Buddha statue amidst chaos. He didn't sweat. He didn't panic. He didn't let go of Liu Mi's hand, nor did he push Jiang Linlin away.
He simply smiled as usual—a smile that was both charming and maddeningly arrogant.
He tapped the table with his index finger.
"Come. There's an empty seat here. Su Hongmian, stop standing there like a statue. Go get your food and sit down to eat."
He spoke with the authority of a patriarch commanding his wives.
"The braised pork ribs are good today. I recommend them."
Saying that, Shen Anyu stood up calmly, adjusting his suit jacket.
"I'll get some soup for everyone."
He walked towards the soup station with a leisurely stride. The crowd parted for him like the Red Sea for Moses.
The cafeteria aunties and the people queuing around him looked at Shen Anyu with admiration and awe.
"Good heavens... he's not even flustered? He's getting soup while his harem is burning?"
"That is the demeanor of a King! Only a King can handle such a Shura Field!"
Even the angry students made way for him, their faces full of gossip-watching expressions, afraid to disturb the show.
"Hmph!"
Su Hongmian gave a proud hmph, crossing her arms. Her beautiful eyes flashed with cold light as she watched Shen Anyu's retreating back.
She wanted to flip the table. She wanted to scream. But Shen Anyu's calmness acted like a bucket of cold water. If she made a scene now, she would look like a shrew, while he looked like a gentleman.
She gritted her teeth and didn't make things difficult for Shen Anyu in public. She coldly took a plate and went to get food, stomping her heels with every step.
Liu Mi remained seated, her chin resting on her hand. Her long, charming foxy eyes lifted, looking at Su Hongmian's back meaningfully.
She narrowed her eyes, calculating.
"It seems this proud young lady isn't foolish after all. She knows how to control herself in public. This is troublesome... she's a formidable opponent!"
Liu Mi had secretly wished that Su Hongmian would cause a big scene—maybe slap Shen Anyu or throw food. That would surely plummet Su Hongmian's standing in Shen Anyu's heart and make him lose face. Then Liu Mi could step in as the "sensible, comforting" girlfriend and seize the favor.
Unfortunately, Su Hongmian did not act as she wished.
In reality, if it hadn't been for the previous incident with Jiang Linlin where Su Hongmian learned her lesson about Shen Anyu's dominance, she might have made a scene. But after fighting alongside Jiang Linlin and submitting to Shen Anyu once, Su Hongmian's bottom line had already been broken. She knew Shen Anyu hated unruly women.
However, the always proud Su Hongmian was not willing to back down so easily.
When she returned with her tray, she slammed it down opposite Liu Mi.
Unlike Jiang Linlin, whom she tolerated as a "sister in suffering," she strongly disliked Liu Mi.
Both of them were Modu University campus belles. Both came from wealthy families in Modu. They had clashed before at social events.
Su Hongmian sat down. Liu Mi smiled—a fake, plastic smile.
Their gazes met across the cheap cafeteria table.
Crackle!
It was as if an invisible electric current clashed between them. Sparks flew. The air between them distorted with the pressure of their confrontation.
One was fire and ice. The other was a fox and a trap.
Their aura was extremely formidable, terrifying even the students sitting at the next table into silence.
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