The rebirth of lickspittle

"How dare you! Not answering my calls!" Shen Chuchu's eyes were practically spitting fire.

She had made up her mind. She absolutely had to cancel the engagement with Zhang Fan. If she didn't scare him a little, this Zhang Fan would start thinking he was her equal!

But that would have to wait.

For now, Shen Chuchu was still in this high-end French restaurant. What was she supposed to do?

Facing the increasingly suspicious look of the waiter, Shen Chuchu haughtily said, "What are you staring at? I can call anyone, and they'll come pay for me!"

Cursing inwardly, she thought:

Zhang Fan, you bootlicker. You're not the only one who fawns over me!

You think you're so great? Watch me casually call a few guys, and they'll fight to pay for my meal!

Back in high school, there were plenty of boys chasing her. While they weren't as wealthy as Zhang Fan, there were some with decent money. For instance, Wu Anbo. Other than Zhang Fan, he was the most devoted during high school.

Rumor had it he didn't go far after the college entrance exams.

Shen Chuchu dialed his number.

"Oh wow, it's my goddess Shen Chuchu! I was just thinking about reaching out to some old high school friends, and here you are calling me first." His voice oozed with flattery.

Shen Chuchu frowned. She didn't want to engage with him too much. Compared to Zhang Fan, who always gave selflessly, Wu Anbo's every act of kindness came with obvious strings attached, which made her uncomfortable.

"Anbo, I need—"

"Wait, wait, hold on. What did you just call me? Can you say it again?"

Already uneasy about asking for help, Shen Chuchu instantly felt a wave of revulsion.

Her voice rose. "Wu Anbo! I have something serious to discuss!"

"Haha, my goddess, speak! Just for calling me like that, I'd fetch the stars for you if you asked."

"I forgot my wallet when I went out for dinner. Can you come pay for me?"

"Sure, of course." He agreed readily, then hesitated. "Oh, but it's getting late. If I head over to Huayang University now, it'll be hard to get back tonight."

"What are you trying to say?"

Wu Anbo chuckled slyly. He knew a girl like Shen Chuchu wouldn't be easy to win over. It required patience.

"Oh, I don't mean anything special. I'll cover the bill, but you have to treat me to a movie tonight, okay?"

In the movie theater, holding hands—or even stealing a kiss—was perfectly normal, right?

Faced with this condition, Shen Chuchu had no choice but to agree. "Fine, I'll take you to a movie tonight."

"Great! Tell me the location. I'll take a taxi right now!"

"Center Road, next to Hua'an Palace, at the White Oak French Restaurant. I'm waiting here."

"What… What did you say?!" Wu Anbo exclaimed. "White Oak French Restaurant? How much is it?"

"2,888 yuan, plus service fees and tips. Just bring 3,000."

The other end of the line went silent.

Impatient, Shen Chuchu pressed, "Hey! Wu Anbo! Say something! Don't play dumb!"

"Hahahahaha!" Wu Anbo burst into laughter. "Shen Chuchu, oh Shen Chuchu, I may not play dumb, but you're sure good at playing the fool. Three thousand? What do you think you are? Asking me to pay three thousand for your meal?"

Shen Chuchu was stunned.

She glared. "How dare you talk to me like that!"

"Oh? How should I talk to you? You think you're some kind of princess? Asking someone to pay three thousand yuan like it's nothing! Do you think you're that beautiful?

Sure, you're pretty. But with three thousand yuan, I could date ten girls! Do you really think you're worth ten of them? White Oak French Restaurant, huh? I've never even set foot in a place like that!"

"Wu Anbo! I'm never speaking to you again!"

"Oh no, I'm so scared. You're never speaking to me? Do you think I care? Let me tell you something. The only reason I ever pretended to chase you was to annoy Zhang Fan! Do you really think I liked you? While I was 'chasing' you, I've dated seven or eight other girls! You act all high and mighty, but you're just a gold digger who plays the victim. What's there to like? A gold digger pretending to be virtuous? Ha! Pathetic."

With that, he hung up the call—and blocked her number.

Shen Chuchu sat there, completely dumbfounded.

A "gold digger pretending to be virtuous"—it was the most vicious insult she'd ever heard.

Yet, was he wrong?

Her head spun, her legs felt weak, and she almost collapsed. Gripping the table for support, she managed to sit back down.

The restaurant was filled with whispers. Though the other patrons couldn't hear what was said on the call, her expressions and tone made it clear something embarrassing had happened.

Some women started self-reflecting:

One group thought, I should behave better, so I don't get abandoned.

Another group thought, I need to work harder—I can't rely on men for everything.

The waiter, still standing in front of Shen Chuchu, had lost all patience.

"Miss, please pay the bill."

"W-wait a moment."

Gone was Shen Chuchu's earlier arrogance. She frantically made calls, one after another.

For those she didn't have numbers for, she sent messages on QQ.

These were all people she'd been close with in high school.

"Three thousand? Chuchu, you know my family. I'm not Zhang Fan; I don't have that kind of money."

"…Why don't you ask Zhang Fan? Why are you coming to me? I don't even like you."

"You fell out with Zhang Fan? Then how can you pay it back? Stop joking around—just apologize to him."

"Come on! Every time we hung out, it was Zhang Fan who paid. Why should I take on your debts? If anything, we owe Zhang Fan, not you."

Another reply:

"Chuchu, I was just on my computer, and Wu Anbo's in the group chat trashing you. What's going on? Why do you need three thousand yuan? Me? I don't have that kind of money either. You should ask Zhang Fan."

In their high school QQ group, which had been trendy since its launch in 2005, Wu Anbo, in a fit of anger, had started ranting about Shen Chuchu to protect his own reputation.

Zhang Fan was in the group too, but he ignored everything, pretending not to see.

After contacting everyone she could, Shen Chuchu realized that all of them pointed her back to one name: Zhang Fan.

It gave her the sinking realization that, without Zhang Fan, she was nothing.

But the harsh truth was: without Zhang Fan, she truly was nothing.