Graduation Ceremony

Nan Zhui is the queen bee of her campus.

What does it mean to be a queen bee?

Beautiful, top of her class, popular, from a good family, and student council president. Even when she occasionally comes across as too forceful, no one dares say it to her face.

And yet this confident queen bee pursued Kang Siping for two years. They graduated from university, and she still had nothing to show for it.

Kang Siping neither accepted nor rejected her. He couldn’t choose between Nan Zhui and his childhood friend.

Jingcheng Freedom University has a young professor who’s something of a star: Zhou Xueli.

He’s called a star not only because he’s even more striking than a celebrity, but also because he’s a scholar of unquestionable brilliance.

So, after the last exam of graduation season, Kang Siping realized that Nan Zhui had gone into hiding.

She might not have changed her mind, but she was always huddled with a few classmates, whispering about something or other. He had no idea what they were up to.

“Nan Zhui…” A month later, he went to find her, but she briskly walked away and apologized. “Siping, I’m really, really busy lately. Can I get back to pursuing you once I have some free time?”

Kang Siping couldn’t believe she needed free time to pursue someone…

And he waited until he saw her getting out of Zhou Xueli’s car…

The stern-faced young professor even pressed a slightly awkward kiss to her cheek.

Kang Siping could hardly believe his eyes!

But she explained with a strange look on her face, “Siping, it’s not what you think… There’s a reason…”

What other reason could there be?! Seeing is believing! He was so furious his lungs felt ready to burst!

The next time he caught Nan Zhui going to see Zhou Xueli, she still looked beautiful, but her eyes were full of exhaustion. Her voice was even colder than before. “Kang Siping, what right do you have to question me? We’re not a couple.”

“So you’re going to be with Zhou Xueli?!”

“…”

He was going crazy. He loved Nan Zhui, and he was going to destroy Zhou Xueli!

What he didn’t know was that Nan Zhui and her friends were facing the darkest moment of their lives, and the price they would pay would be devastating.

~

All of Zhou Xueli’s friends agree that he’s a “pervert.”

He’ll probably spend his entire life living like a robot: making money, pursuing academic research, then entering an arranged marriage and methodically ticking off every item on life’s checklist.

The worst part is that when other people are troubled by love, he doesn’t just refuse to comfort them. He even says, “Your desire for the opposite sex is driven by hormones. If you know the reason behind it and still can’t control yourself, how are you any different from a dog?”

Of course, he learned later that he really was no different from a dog.

P.S.

1. The whole cast are villains, in a mild sort of way. Everyone has something unlikeable about them. But if you’ve read Nemesis, you’ll probably think this is nothing!

2. A mix of Chinese and Korean elements in a modern alternate setting. One crucial plot point has to happen in Korea, but overall the story leans Chinese, not Korean.

3. Suspense. The protagonist isn’t perfect or universally admirable, and the story’s bizarre events don’t mean the author approves of them. If you can’t accept a protagonist making mistakes, don’t read this. If you can’t accept a protagonist making mistakes, don’t read this. If you can’t accept a protagonist making mistakes, don’t read this.

Theme: Don’t dismiss a small evil as harmless. Small evils can grow into great harm.