After AFK for five years, I returned to be number one in the entire server.

In the morning, before the fog had completely dissipated in Changshui Town, the morning market was already bustling with activity, crowded with people, and lined with various stalls.

Shen Yi went out to buy groceries. She wore a light blue long-sleeved shirt and shapeless black straight-leg pants.

She wore no accessories, her hair was simply tied back with a black hair tie, and her attire was rather plain.

This outfit, which would be hard to spot in a crowd, looked completely different on her.

She had a great figure; her slender shoulders supported the oversized shirt, and with each step she took, she exuded a fragile, delicate charm.

The morning air was slightly cool, and the sunlight shone on her face, creating a beauty that made you want to steal a glance.

She was simply walking quietly down the street, which was enough to make passersby turn their heads repeatedly.

But today, the gazes directed at her were completely different from those of the past.

When people in town see her, they usually praise her as a high achiever from the Shen family.

At that moment, those gazes were filled with thick malice and a piercing probing.

As we passed the tofu stall, several middle-aged women who were buying soy milk immediately stopped talking.

They exchanged a glance and stepped back half a step, as if Shen Yi carried something dirty.

A plump woman lowered her voice, but just enough for those around to hear: "Is that her? Wang Xuan has been saying for a long time that she didn't study at Ningchuan University at all and found a nearly seventy-year-old man to be her sugar daddy."

"She looks innocent and pure, but she's really despicable at heart. I wonder if she's ever had an abortion. Stay away from her in the future, or she might go astray without you even knowing." Another woman curled her lip and pulled her teenage daughter along.

Shen Yi could hear that in such a place, proving one's innocence was the most foolish thing to do.

Explanations only excite these people; they don't care about the truth at all, they only care that the high-and-mighty, beautiful female college student has finally been dragged into the same quagmire as them.

Besides the women's disdain, what was even more disgusting was the men's gaze.

They looked at Shen Yi in a much more filthy and vulgar way than before, when they only dared to steal glances.

Since she is something that can be bought with money, they don't need to have any scruples when looking at a product.

It's a pity I don't have that much money in my pocket, otherwise, how could such a beautiful and fresh-faced girl be enjoyed by an old man who's about to die?

As long as they have money, they can indulge in the pampered body of this prestigious university at will.

Shen Yi walked to the vegetable stall and picked out two bunches of bok choy and two tomatoes.

The stall owner was a man in his fifties who would always generously give her two scallions.

Today, he had a cold face, threw the change along with the vegetables on the cutting board, and even tried to touch Shen Yi's hand with the back of his hand, intentionally or unintentionally.

Shen Yi withdrew her hand in time, and the coin fell onto the cutting board with a crisp sound.

She calmly picked up the coins, put the vegetables into the cloth bag, and turned to walk back.

The whispers on the street were like an impenetrable net.

Shen Yi's figure was as thin as a leaf about to be broken by the wind.

She thought she had long been used to the wickedness of this place, but when all the malice came at once, a slight feeling of nausea still rose in her stomach.

Changshui Town, billiards room.

The smell of cheap tobacco and moldy carpet mingled together, and the incandescent light bulb overhead was covered with a thick layer of dust, casting a dim, yellowish light.

Wang Xuan sat on the sofa, looking at the man who was bent over his desk and aiming at something not far away, a mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips.

The man's name was Zhang Qingqi. He was wearing a black T-shirt with a yellowed collar and had a string of indistinct tattoos on his arm.

He had a crush on Shen Yi since high school, but he was so timid that he didn't dare to even look at her twice.

With a "bang," the billiard ball fell into the pocket.

"Have you heard the rumors in town? Your innocent goddess is now a big celebrity in town." Wang Xuan's voice wasn't loud, but it all reached Zhang Qingqi's ears.

Zhang Qingqi straightened up, tightened his grip on the cue stick, and said nothing.

"What, you still treat her like a treasure? She's really made something of herself at Ningchuan University, finding a nearly seventy-year-old man as her sugar daddy. She acts like a saint all the time, but who knows how rotten she is behind the scenes." Wang Xuan sneered and stood up to walk to the billiard table.

"Don't think I don't know this came from you. How do you know she's being kept?" Zhang Qingqi didn't quite believe Wang Xuan. He had witnessed her past grievances with Shen Yi.

"Do you even need to know that? Her family is so poor they can't even afford to eat. Her mother works herself to the bone in a garment factory and only makes three thousand yuan a month, not even enough to cover her medicine. How can a college student like her, living on student loans, afford to live so comfortably in a big city like Ningchuan where money flows like water?"

Wang Xuan looked at him and continued, "You saw her when she came back, right? Her looks, her figure, her skin is so much fairer and smoother than it was in high school. Do you really think that's something you can achieve by eating in the school cafeteria?"

Of course he saw her; he ran into her on the road the day Shen Yi returned from her vacation.

She was only wearing an ordinary dress, but she was still so beautiful that you couldn't help but look at her. He even forgot about the popsicle in his hand at that moment. The feeling of inferiority from such a stark contrast made him feel terrible.

"Zhang Qingqi, you've liked her since high school, has she ever even given you a second glance? You treat her like a goddess, but she's in a big city, she'd already stripped naked and climbed into an old man's bed long ago."

"Shut up!"

"She'll be clean if I shut up? Wake up! She'll leave after the National Day holiday and go back to Ningchuan where she'll be supported by a sugar daddy. She might never come back to this wretched place, Changshui Town. You'll never see her again in your life. Even if you bump into her on the streets of a big city, you'll only be able to cower in a corner and look up at her."

Zhang Qingqi's breathing became heavy, and his eyes became bloodshot.

"You've had a crush on her for so many years, and you haven't even touched her. Are you content with that?" Wang Xuan leaned closer, her voice seductive like a viper's tongue.

"Anyway, her reputation is ruined now. People in town look at her like she's a prostitute. If you're a man, take care of her before she leaves. She's the kind of person who's greedy and snobbish. If you succeed, she won't even dare to call the police. She's afraid of making a big fuss and her sugar daddy thinking she's dirty."

The billiard room was so quiet that only the hum of the old fan overhead could be heard.

Wang Xuan's words were like poisoned, rusty nails, hammering into Zhang Qingqi's heart one by one, turning his years of suppressed inferiority and longing into a stinking mess of mud.

His mind conjured up that cool, clean face. Since she was a cheap woman who would sell her body for money, why couldn't he have a taste?

Zhang Qingqi released his grip, and the billiard cue slid down the edge of the table and fell to the ground with a dull thud.

The struggle and hesitation in his eyes vanished completely, replaced by violence, jealousy, and morbid, vulgar desires.