The Unmasking of Lin Yating

Roommate A offered a tentative smile. “Hey, Yating, why are you getting so worked up? Roommate C was just speaking casually.”

Roommate B also chimed in with a nod. “Exactly, exactly. It’s perfectly normal for a cousin to give gifts, we believe you.”

While their words attempted to smooth things over, their eyes, without exception, betrayed a shared fear of being implicated.

Zhou Yi was practically blooming with delight internally, yet her face adopted an expression of feigned apology.

“Honestly, look at me. I was just casually discussing a case, and somehow it led to a misunderstanding… Alright, alright, let’s drop it. Everyone, quickly finish the questionnaire; there are only a few questions left!”

Lin Yating felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles, thoroughly uncomfortable under the silent scrutiny of her roommates’ gazes. “I truly didn’t…”

“Oh dear, I never said it was you. It’s just… junior, your eagerness to distance yourself from it… well, it actually makes me a little curious now.”

Zhou Yi leisurely picked up her teacup and took a slow sip. “Could it be that you really do know… um, Chen Hao?”

“Boom—!” Lin Yating’s face instantly drained from crimson to ashen.

After a moment, just as Zhou Yi assumed she intended to bluff her way through to the end, Lin Yating suddenly lifted her reddened eyes, gazing pitifully at Zhou Yi.

“Senior, there’s actually something I must confess…”

This sudden, confessional turn caught Zhou Yi by surprise, leaving her momentarily stunned.

‘Hmm? A tactical retreat to advance? Playing the victim for sympathy?’

“That Chen Hao… he’s been harassing me. I don’t like him at all, but he keeps sending me things… I never asked for them! Really! I returned them all! Or… or I just accepted them temporarily as a gesture from a normal friend, thinking I’d find a chance to repay the favor later…”

She spoke with such apparent sincerity, as if she truly were the ultimate victim.

Zhou Yi stared at her for several seconds, her face mirroring an expression of appropriate sympathy and understanding. “Is that so? You’ve certainly had it tough then.”

“Senior…” A tear perfectly traced a path down Lin Yating’s cheek.

“I was forced! He insisted on giving them! I refused so many times… I-I had no idea he’d be so foolish as to borrow money for me!”

Her tears flowed like pear blossoms in the rain; any unaware observer would likely feel a pang of pity.

Zhou Yi quietly observed her exquisite performance, suddenly finding it utterly tedious, devoid even of the desire to scoff.

If Lin Yating truly disliked Chen Hao, why did she repeatedly offer him hope, dangling him along? Why allow Chen Hao to sink deeper and deeper into a mire of self-delusion?

Now that the situation had escalated, she was frantically trying to distance herself, packaging herself as an innocent victim. What a performance indeed.

Zhou Yi couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on her. Silently, she picked up her phone, found the screenshots, and thrust the screen directly before Lin Yating’s eyes.

“Then explain this. What exactly is this?”

Lin Yating stared at it, utterly bewildered, before her sobs abruptly ceased.

On the phone screen, a series of transfer record screenshots were starkly displayed!

The amount and time of each transaction were crystal clear, explicitly marked with remarks like “Bought a skirt for Yating,” “Ting-bao’s surprise,” and “Yating’s travel fund”…

The evidence was irrefutable, every word a slap across her face.

“Th-this… who… who showed you this…?” Lin Yating was so nervous she began to stutter.

Zhou Yi ignored her, retrieving her phone with an expressionless face.

Silence.

A suffocating, utterly awkward silence enveloped the entire dorm room.

“Oh, right, didn’t you say you were deeply wronged, harassed, and forced into this?” Zhou Yi tilted her head.

“You claim to be so miserable… so why don’t we just have the security office conveniently add you to the investigation list too, to thoroughly clear your name?”

As she spoke, she deliberately paused, savoring the sight of Lin Yating’s face instantly turning ashen.

Then, she suddenly clapped her hands and laughed, “Oh, I’m just kidding~ I’m just doing research; how could I possibly have that kind of authority?”

“Wait!” Lin Yating completely panicked.

“Senior! Senior, you… you said this was just an anonymous survey, didn’t you? You’re not actually going to report me, are you? I-I truly don’t know anything!”

Zhou Yi found her sudden panic amusing. ‘Now you’re scared? What were you doing before? Weren’t you quite happy when you were accepting gifts?’

“Why would I need to specifically report you?” Zhou Yi stated calmly. “The security office and the student affairs office are already jointly investigating this matter. My current survey is simply to collect information for the subsequent handling of the case.”

“Then, Senior, could you please help me explain to the security office? I really don’t know him well! Not at all! If the school misunderstands that I’m involved in something like this, I’ll be ruined!”

“It’s not that explanations are impossible, but the most reliable way is for you to proactively clarify the situation yourself.”

“W-what should I say…?” Lin Yating’s voice trembled.

“It’s a simple three-step process.” Zhou Yi held up her fingers.

“First, make a list of everything Chen Hao gave you; second, provide chat records showing you refused his gifts; and third, state clearly, in black and white, whether there were any financial transactions between you two.”

“B-but…”

“No ‘buts’.” Zhou Yi cut her off directly.

“Didn’t you say you weren’t close to him? Then preparing these materials should be a breeze. A word of caution: the security office staff aren’t swayed by tearful pleas; they only recognize evidence in black and white.”

These words were like the final straw, completely breaking Lin Yating’s defenses.

Her lips trembled a few times, then she stammered, “But Senior… I-I can’t produce those materials… What should I do now?”

‘Finally, she’s taken the bait.’

“Since you can’t gather the evidence immediately, you need to at least demonstrate an active attitude toward remediation. The most practical thing right now is for you to quickly return all those valuable gifts and money you previously accepted to Chen Hao, whether by selling them at a discount or raising the funds.”

Zhou Yi leaned forward, appearing utterly sincere and candid.

“This way, you can at least show that you’re actively trying to distance yourself and mitigate negative repercussions. Then, whether explaining to your counselor or facing the school’s investigation, you’ll have a plausible explanation and won’t be entirely passive, understand?”

“But those gifts…” Lin Yating was still desperately grasping at straws.

“List them on a second-hand platform right now. Act quickly, and they can be converted to cash by tomorrow.”

Zhou Yi was no longer in the mood to beat around the bush with her.

“Furthermore, you need to personally seek out Chen Hao and clarify things face-to-face.”

“Regardless of how he misunderstood you or deluded himself before, you must make him understand that you never had those intentions from the beginning, so he can completely give up hope and stop doing any more foolish things for you.”

Observing Lin Yating’s pale face, Zhou Yi delivered her final strike.

“Do you really think your designer bags and cosmetics are worth your graduation certificate?”

“Senior…” Lin Yating’s voice was tinged with genuine fear. “Is it really that serious? I-I’ll ask him to meet tomorrow to clarify everything… I actually wanted to find a chance to talk for a while now…”

Zhou Yi stared at her. “Remember to keep the chat records.”

Then, pointedly, she glanced at Lin Yating’s roommates nearby, who were all listening intently, their expressions equally troubled.

“After all, no one knows who else might ultimately get dragged into this.”