Chapter 1584: Conflict Erupts

Xicheng was in great pain!

No, he was in excruciating pain!

After that quarrel with Nan Xiang, he regretted it as usual; once his emotions stabilized over an hour later, he wanted to contact Nan Xiang to apologize and make up. But Nan Xiang cursed him viciously and blocked him. Later, when he harassed her using other phones, she simply turned her phone off.

This wasn't the first time; he had plenty of experience.

He asked Gu Li whether Nan Xiang had returned to the apartment, only to receive a negative answer, and Gu Li and the others couldn't reach Nan Xiang either. It wasn't until the next morning that Gu Li replied with a message saying Nan Xiang had returned.

Once the seed of doubt is planted, it becomes uncontrollable; Xicheng finally learned patience.

He patiently followed Nan Xiang, wanting to see if she was truly innocent.

Then he got his wish: he watched helplessly as Nan Xiang went to a restaurant in the evening, waited for Wang Yan to arrive, ate dinner together with him, and then, chatting and laughing, went to a hotel.

Even at that moment, he still couldn't accept this reality, believing things weren't as he imagined. He sat dazed outside the hotel all night, and the next day saw Nan Xiang walking with a slight unnaturalness, yet her face glowing with satisfaction...

At that moment, Xicheng's heart shattered; no one understood Xicheng's sorrow and helplessness.

Although he himself hadn't been exclusive with Nan Xiang these past years, people are selfish and hold double standards; men especially possess a strong desire for control. He could mess around freely, but if Nan Xiang messed around, it was as if his life had been taken.

He suffered, he regretted, he felt helpless.

He wanted to go up and confront Nan Xiang, yet he dared not take that step, because it would leave no room for reconciliation.

So he could only watch helplessly as Nan Xiang got into a taxi and left, watching Wang Yan's gaze sweep over; he hurriedly dodged, and only relaxed after seeing Wang Yan stroll away casually, still unsure whether Wang Yan had actually seen him...

After silently licking his wounds for two days, Xicheng finally pulled himself together; he wanted to find Nan Xiang, wanted to explain everything clearly, and wanted both of them to reconcile.

So after all attempts at contact proved futile, he went to the apartment near the school, knocked directly on the door, wanting to speak with Nan Xiang face-to-face...

The door was knocked upon; shortly after, Tang Wanru opened it.

She had been leaning against the door, acting cheaply and posing provocatively, but upon seeing Xicheng at the doorway, she froze for a moment, then disgust appeared on her face. She didn't like Xicheng either; after all, this kind of small-time thug was truly rotten.

"Why is it you? What are you doing here?"

Xicheng pushed Tang Wanru aside: "Of course I'm here to find Nan Xiang; did you think I was here for you, you big ugly bitch?"

"How can you speak like that?" Tang Wanru glared at Xicheng.

"When have I ever spoken any differently?" Xicheng said with an air of complete justification.

At this point, Gu Li had walked over, her face bearing undisguised disgust: "Nan Xiang isn't here; you're not welcome here, get out immediately."

She stepped forward and pushed Xicheng, trying to shove him out.

"Fuck your mother."

Xicheng shoved Gu Li aside with a backhand, shouting loudly that Nan Xiang was inside and demanding she come out.

Lin Xiao also ran up to block Xicheng: "Leave immediately, or I'll call the police."

"Yes, get out now." Tang Wanru snapped out of it and joined in pushing him.

Tang Wanru was an athlete, after all; her strength was considerable, not only blocking Xicheng but also pushing him backward.

Gu Li, who had fallen to the ground, got up and joined in to help.

Seeing the three women working together in unison made Xicheng laugh with anger; he exerted even greater force, breaking free from their shoving.

Looking at Gu Li, whose face was icy and filled with disgust, he slapped her directly: "Fuck your mother, pretending to have such deep sisterly love. Gu Li, you bitch, if you hadn't sent me that photo, would I have quarreled with Nan Xiang? Would Nan Xiang have thrown herself into that Wang guy's arms?

Now you're acting innocent; when I slept with you, you were incredibly slutty. What a pity I didn't take more photos back then to show everyone your slutty appearance."

Xicheng's words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky. As soon as he finished speaking, the scene fell into an eerie silence. Lin Xiao and Tang Wanru were stunned by this explosive revelation, momentarily unsure what to do. Gu Li was even more at a loss, completely disoriented; with her shameful secrets exposed publicly by Xicheng, an immense wave of shame and fury made her unable to compose herself.

"What, all struck dumb? Can't speak anymore?" Xicheng cursed Gu Li again, "Now Nan Xiang has completely broken with me; are you satisfied? I was truly blind; you sent me one photo, and I went to quarrel with Nan Xiang..."

At this point, Lin Xiao finally came to her senses; without another word, she unleashed her greatest strength and shoved Xicheng out.

"Get out immediately!"

Having said this, she slammed the door shut with force, leaned her body tightly against it, and looked nervously at the dazed Gu Li.

Gu Li walked to the sofa and sat down; she didn't utter a single word, her eyes vacant, staring blankly.

Outside the door, Xicheng was punching and kicking it, cursing loudly, various vile and obscene insults seeping through the cracks in the door...

Lin Xiao and Tang Wanru exchanged glances, neither knowing what to say or how to say it; they could only remain silent...

"Just wait, Gu Li, you bitch won't fare well either. I'm going to tell Gu Yuan right now; let's see none of us have a good time!"

Xicheng's voice gradually faded into the distance; Gu Li gave a sudden start, looking helplessly toward the main door, meeting Lin Xiao's gaze.

"He can't say it! He can't say it!"

Gu Li suddenly stood up, wanting to rush out.

However, Lin Xiao blocked Gu Li: "Wake up, Gu Li; how can you stop Xicheng? Do you think he'll listen to you?"

Gu Li stopped struggling, slumped back several steps in despair, and was supported by Tang Wanru as she sat back down on the sofa...

As soon as Xicheng went downstairs, he bumped into Nan Xiang, who was just returning.

"What are you doing here?"

Nan Xiang's look of hatred and wariness made Xicheng's heart feel as if sliced by a knife.

"I came to apologize to you, Nan Xiang; I'm sorry, I shouldn't have doubted you. I..."

"It's too late!"

Nan Xiang crossed her arms: "Didn't you say Nan Xiang and Wang Yan were a dog couple? Not afraid to tell you, on that very day, I slept with Wang Yan. Now you don't need to doubt anymore; are you happy?"

"Nan Xiang~" Xicheng looked at Nan Xiang with eyes full of despair, his voice trembling like a kicked puppy.

"Xicheng, saying more is useless. In the future, please stay away from me; otherwise, if Wang Yan finds out, he really could make your life worse than death."

"Wang Yan, Wang Yan, Wang Yan; where exactly did I go wrong? Nan Xiang, wasn't everything I did for your sake? Why? Why are you treating me like this?"

Xicheng broke down completely, tears streaming down, speaking incoherently: "It's all that Wang guy's fault, and that bitch Gu Li; if she hadn't sent me the photo, I wouldn't have quarreled with you. It's all their fault! Nan Xiang, give me another chance, okay? In the future, I'll definitely work hard, earn more money, and give you a good life; Nan Xiang, I..."

"Just get out; I don't want to see you again."

Nan Xiang waved her hand as if shooing a fly; just as she turned to leave, her phone received a message notification; she took it out, looked at it, frowned, and then looked at the despairing Xicheng.

"You told everyone about raping Gu Li?"

"Not only will I say it, I'm going to tell Gu Yuan! Let no one have a good time!"

Nan Xiang glared at him, turned around, and left.

"Nan Xiang!"

Xicheng grabbed Nan Xiang's arm, trying to detain her, but Nan Xiang slapped him hard across the face without hesitation and walked straight into the building entrance...

"What the hell are you looking at, damn it!"

Xicheng furiously cursed as he slowly walked past the onlookers, earning a barrage of muttered Shanghai dialect in return.

He stood there for a long time, smoked several cigarettes, then pulled out his phone to send a message to Gu Yuan before finally leaving; surprisingly, he did not continue to pester Nan Xiang...

Nan Xiang opened the door to find Gu Li, Lin Xiao, and Tang Wanru sitting in silence.

Their eyes met, filled with endless sorrow and melodrama.

Nan Xiang said nothing, went straight to her room, and immediately began packing her belongings without another word.

Seeing her actions, Tang Wanru couldn't help but speak up: "Nan Xiang..."

"Didn't you all stop treating me as one of your own long ago? What reason do I have to stay here?"

While packing, Nan Xiang spoke loudly, "Gu Li slept with Xicheng; you also know Xicheng is a scumbag, yet you just wanted to experience my pain—how noble of you. I made contact with Wang Yan and sent photos to Xicheng to provoke him into coming after me in a frenzy, or even to continue causing trouble for Wang Yan. But you didn't expect that you'd bring trouble upon yourself first."

Nan Xiang did not mention that she knew Xicheng had raped Gu Li rather than it being Gu Li's voluntary choice, nor did she mention that Wang Yan held a grudge against Gu Li and the others; she simply argued that as a close friend on the same side, her contact with Wang Yan was wrong, attributing all blame to Gu Li while venting her emotions.

Unfortunately, she hadn't told Gu Li to rot and stink...

Hearing Nan Xiang's words, Gu Li, Lin Xiao, and Tang Wanru exchanged glances, silently questioning who had spoken.

"No need to look at each other; I ran into Xicheng downstairs when I returned and argued with him again. Gu Li, are you satisfied with this current outcome?"

Gu Li was speechless.

Once the shameful deeds were exposed and her petty schemes revealed, all of Gu Li's arrogance vanished...

Nan Xiang stopped speaking, so everyone else fell silent too; the only sound in the apartment was Nan Xiang packing her things.

The silence was broken by Gu Li's phone ringing. Gu Li blankly picked up the phone, saw Gu Yuan's name on the caller ID, jerked in surprise, hung up immediately, and began sobbing.

"You deserve it! You brought this upon yourself!"

Nan Xiang quickly finished packing, uttered those words, and then went downstairs...

"Aren't you a millionaire?" Looking at the relatively cramped space of the apartment, Nan Xiang glanced at Wang Yan, who was sitting on the sofa smoking.

"Don't you also know it hasn't been cashed out yet?"

Wang Yan crossed his legs, looking utterly relaxed: "Besides, this isn't sugar daddy and mistress; you admire my charm and have established a spiritual and physical connection with me. We share ourselves and bring each other pleasure. Now I can rent an unnecessary place for you, making my already meager wallet even worse off; you should be satisfied."

"You're truly shameless." Nan Xiang walked down from upstairs, sat on Wang Yan's lap, and said, "Isn't this for your convenience? And honestly speaking, you're actually saving money. After all, renting a hotel room costs several hundred yuan each time, while this apartment is only twenty-two hundred."

"Mutual convenience."

Rolling her eyes, Nan Xiang said: "Be careful recently; I feel like Xicheng has truly gone mad this time."

"So what if he's truly mad? He's just trash who bullies the weak and fears the strong; not worth worrying about."

"Haven't you heard that no matter how high your martial arts skills are, you still fear a kitchen knife? Let me tell you, when Xicheng is pushed to the edge, he has the guts to pick up a knife and hack people. He's done this kind of thing before."

"Then do you know what an orphan must do during their growth process to avoid being bullied, ostracized, or harassed?"

"I know you're not afraid, but being cautious never hurts."

Nan Xiang smiled instead: "Although Xicheng is disgusting, this time he actually did something good; Gu Li has completely lost face. Tang Wanru messaged me, saying that not long after I left, Gu Yuan went over and scolded Gu Li thoroughly; Gu Li is still hiding in her room and hasn't come out."

"I've realized that among you sisters, there isn't a single good person."

"What, do you also think I'm a bitch, a slut?"

Wang Yan shook his head with amusement: "I'll just assume you've been hanging around little trash for too long."

"Do you think I wanted this? I've told you before, my family..."

Nan Xiang began rambling again about her family, describing her father's drunkenness, her mother's gambling addiction, how difficult it was for her to grow up, finding excuses to justify her own less-than-noble nature.

Honestly speaking, it could make sense: at an age with limited cognition, having a bad upbringing and maturing too early could foster a selfish personality; now that she recognizes these issues and makes excuses for herself, it seems somewhat reasonable.

The key problem, however, is that even though she knows, she doesn't change; she still hasn't told Wang Yan the truth, such as the fact that she knew long ago about what Xicheng had done.

More critically, there are people who grew up in environments far worse than hers yet emerged unstained from the mud, becoming normal individuals with proper values.

Thus, Nan Xiang appears even more disgusting...

But Wang Yan didn't care; he only cared about her appearance anyway; he was just vigorously pumping away, as long as he felt comfortable...

But actually, Nan Xiang enjoyed it too; she seemed to have some masochistic tendencies and rather liked it.

He listened once again to her excuses and sophistry, and to her condemnation of Gu Li and the others.

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "Hearing so much resentment from you, this conflict wasn't accumulated in just one day."

"It's all fake affection and insincerity, full of scheming and infighting all day long. This time you witnessed it yourself; those three already knew I was in contact with you and had taken photos. Yet what? None of them clarified it to me; they were just waiting to watch the spectacle. Gu Li was even worse, using the photos to provoke Xicheng and make him cause trouble for you; that person's mind is too dirty, too evil!"

Nan Xiang spoke indignantly: "I estimate it started that day Gu Yuan just moved into the Entrepreneurship Center; didn't you flick your cigarette butt at Gu Yuan right in front of him? That made Gu Li hold a grudge. Anyway, all those things you did before, Gu Li remembered them all. Once Xicheng was released from prison, she plotted to have him cause trouble. That person is too selfish! She truly deserves it!"

"Enough, you didn't suffer any losses. Enjoying the present moment is more important; new environment, new atmosphere, you need to adapt..."

Wang Yan put Nan Xiang down...

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