There's an old saying that goes, "It's the one who knows boxing who gets killed, and the one who knows swimming who drowns." Old sayings are always profound in their meaning. Take boxing, for instance. Some people practice a bit of self-defense, feel quite formidable, and then start picking fights—today with this person, tomorrow beating up that one. This significantly increases their risk factor, which is why these are often the ones who end up beaten to death.

Then there are those who know how to swim. Those who don't know how to swim—landlubbers—stick to playing by the shore, so they face almost no danger. But those who can swim dare to go into the water to frolic, and thus, it is the skilled swimmers who drown. That’s the origin of the phrase, "The one who knows swimming drowns."

Hu Zhiyuan was both the one who knew boxing and the one who knew swimming. He prided himself on his superior computer skills, so he kept his diary hidden via encryption within his computer, believing this made it completely seamless, with no need to worry about his physical diary being read.

His calculations were meticulously clever; he assumed that anyone whose skill level was lower than his wouldn't dare try to hack his computer, and anyone whose skill level was higher wouldn't bother hacking his computer. What he didn't anticipate was running into Wang Zhuo, someone who played by no rules, and stumbling upon Siyuan, a top-tier hacker in the country—he didn't even realize his computer had been compromised with a backdoor for over ten days!

Wang Zhuo came to see him today because yesterday [the name cut off] had just obtained his diary, leaving him fully informed about Hu Zhiyuan’s situation and armed with conclusive evidence. For someone as calculating as Hu Zhiyuan, this was the only way to subdue him easily; otherwise, it would have required significant effort.

“Hu Zhiyuan, you dated Li Mengru actually as a shortcut to get close to Xu Chu, isn’t that right?”

Hearing Wang Zhuo’s words, Hu Zhiyuan immediately adopted an expression of bewildered amusement: “How is that possible? Mengru and I were genuinely in love… Before we established our relationship, I had never even met Xu Chu!”

“But you’re a student union officer. I saw from the freshman files that Xu Chu’s grandfather is the Director of the Medical Administration Bureau. It’s not surprising.”

“That’s not true,” Hu Zhiyuan shook his head repeatedly. “I never looked at her file.”

Wang Zhuo chuckled, neither confirming nor denying, and added, “You never slept with Li Mengru, saying you wanted to save the most precious thing for your wedding day. Both Li Mengru and Xu Chu think you are a gentleman, a good man—is that true?”

“That is indeed what I thought. I don’t know what their impressions are,” Hu Zhiyuan replied patiently. If it weren't for someone like Wang Zhuo asking these questions, he would have already lost his temper.

Wang Zhuo abruptly shifted his line of questioning: “Then why, whenever you get the chance, do you let Li Mengru pleasure you orally, but strictly forbid her from telling Xu Chu about it?” Hu Zhiyuan froze. This was an extremely private matter. Besides two of the five roommates, and one close friend from the student union, absolutely no one else knew about it. How did Wang Zhuo find out?!

Meanwhile, Xu Chu, who was on the phone listening in, also felt a jolt in her mind, utterly unprepared for Wang Zhuo to suddenly throw out such a bombshell question.

Seeing Hu Zhiyuan’s expression shift without a word, Wang Zhuo sneered, “I don't think you didn't want to touch Li Mengru; I think you were afraid of how you’d have to explain it to Xu Chu when you inevitably dumped her later, right?”

“Nonsense!” Hu Zhiyuan feigned anger, but he didn’t dare show too much intensity, afraid of provoking Wang Zhuo into physical retaliation.

“You’ve played your cards very well,” Wang Zhuo shook his head and smiled. “Using the advantage of dating Li Mengru, you first establish a foundation of friendship with Xu Chu, becoming close, candid friends—which you’ve already achieved. Then, you smear my name to her, pushing her into an emotional void—which you are almost succeeding at. Next up is your internship period; you plan to fabricate evidence of Li Mengru cheating and falling for someone else, making yourself the innocent party, and then using Xu Chu’s emotional vulnerability to swoop in, seal the deal, and play the responsible man. Is that it?”

“No! You’re lying!” Hu Zhiyuan finally lost his composure. Wang Zhuo’s words had completely exposed his scheme. Despite his restraint, when his secrets were laid bare, he finally couldn't hold back, enraged by shame.

“Am I lying?” Wang Zhuo looked up and laughed heartily, then sneered at him, “Perhaps I am. But these things weren't fabricated by me; they were recorded in your own diary. Maybe I am mistaken, perhaps what you wrote wasn't a diary but an elaborate fantasy novel. In that case, I must be wrong.”

“Y-you, how did you see my diary?” Hu Zhiyuan gasped out loud.

“Come on, use your brain a little, will you?” Wang Zhuo pointed at him and said calmly, “If I can know that you were using the school’s surveillance equipment to watch me, then naturally, I also hacked into your computer to see what other immoral things you were up to.”

“Uh,” Hu Zhiyuan felt struck by lightning. Only then did he understand why every time he tried to hack into Wang Zhuo’s computer via the campus network, he returned empty-handed—it turned out Wang Zhuo himself possessed formidable hacking skills, or he had an incredible hacker as an ally!

“Understand now?” Wang Zhuo shook his head dismissively. “Your diary is written in excruciating detail. I imagine anyone familiar with you could verify its authenticity just by reading it.” Saying this, he pulled out his phone, gave Hu Zhiyuan a gesture of acknowledgment, and began operating it in his hand.

“What are you doing?!” Hu Zhiyuan had a terrible premonition.

“Sending your diary to Xu Chu and Li Mengru via email,” Wang Zhuo replied flatly.

Hu Zhiyuan’s vision went dark. He knew exactly what the exposure of that diary would mean for him: universal scorn, complete ruin, and widespread infamy—all those terms flooded his mind simultaneously! Back in 2010, a tobacco monopoly bureau chief’s explicit diary was exposed on the internet, causing an uproar. The diary detailed the chief’s corruption, bribery, intimate moments with his mistress, along with year-end summaries and future outlooks. The corruption records in that diary were described as "meticulous," and the intimate entries "blatant," but compared to Hu Zhiyuan’s diary, they were mere child’s play.

If the bureau chief’s diary satisfied people’s prurient curiosity, then Hu Zhiyuan’s diary would attract a massive readership, who would treat it as a vivid, R-rated real-life novel!

“No, no!”

Hu Zhiyuan roared and lunged at Wang Zhuo. At this moment, the immense crisis had clouded his judgment, making him completely forget the significant gap in their physical capabilities. All he cared about was stopping Wang Zhuo’s action—because once that email was sent, total ruin awaited him; all his hopes would turn to dust, and he would never have a chance to rise again in his lifetime!

“Bang!”

Wang Zhuo flicked his left foot up, delivering a kick to Hu Zhiyuan’s chest. This kick used only about forty percent of his strength, but it sent the frail scholar flying sideways. His internal organs churned, and he collapsed onto the ground, coughing violently.

Simultaneously, Li Mengru, drowsing on the bus, and Xu Chu, monitoring the situation via phone connection with Wang Zhuo, both received a text message with a document attachment. Because Xu Chu’s phone was linked in the call with Wang Zhuo’s, this document automatically displayed on Xu Chu’s screen upon completion of the transfer. August 24th, Sunny.

I think my target has finally appeared. Her name is Xu Chu. She is an ugly woman with a physical defect, but her grandfather is the Director of the Jiangzhou City Medical Administration Bureau. When she enrolled, a Vice Dean personally greeted her. This girl seems very isolated, likely without friends, much less a boyfriend. If I could marry her, my life could be set back twenty years less of struggle.

I checked online; Director Xu’s administrative rank is at the department level. She is my target!

Xu Chu scrolled through this diary, her heart growing colder with every line, her shock deepening. Hu Zhiyuan’s repulsive true nature was laid bare through these entries: his schemes, his baseness, his filth, his vulgarity—even his dark intellect were expressed crudely within the pages.

Realizing that such a venomous scorpion had been lurking beside her, one who might actually succeed in his goal and end up in a marriage of convenience with her, Xu Chu felt a chill that started at her feet and shot straight to her scalp!

Hu Zhiyuan charged again the second time. This time, Wang Zhuo showed no restraint, landing a punch on his face that instantly caused blood to stream from his nose.

Wang Zhuo harbored intense hatred for hypocrites like Hu Zhiyuan, who presented a facade of respectability while harboring a heart of vipers. He started to move in for another kick when a thunderous shout erupted from behind him: “Stop that!” Glancing back briefly, Wang Zhuo’s brow furrowed slightly. Walking over quickly were three men and two women. The one who shouted was the leader, Yang Feng. He didn't recognize the other two boys, but one of the girls was the campus beauty, He Ye.

His gaze hardening, Wang Zhuo suddenly whipped his right leg back, sending the frantically lunging Hu Zhiyuan flying backward. This kick landed directly on Hu Zhiyuan’s face, causing his half-standing body to spin involuntarily, and he crashed forward, completing one and a half rotations before landing face-first in a humiliating heap.

Yang Feng immediately became furious, pointing a finger at Wang Zhuo’s nose and shouting, “What are you doing?!”

“What am I doing is none of your business,” Wang Zhuo glanced at him and said with a forced, insincere smile, “Move your hand away.”

If the male students of Jiangzhou Medical College were to vote for campus idols, Hu Zhiyuan would certainly be on the list, possessing the dignified demeanor of an elder student who was polite and courteous in his dealings. Wang Zhuo’s inclusion would be more controversial, with polarized opinions from his admirers and critics. Yang Feng, however, was the undisputed campus prince—in terms of background, looks, grades, and popularity, he was the top of the crop among campus idols.

In this school, Yang Feng was practically the only one who dared to yell at Wang Zhuo while knowing his identity. The reason was simple: his background was equal to, if not superior to, Ma Qiang’s.

Wang Zhuo didn’t give Yang Feng any slack for a reason. Occasionally, there were rumors that Yang Feng had scoffed at him behind his back, which Wang Zhuo hadn't cared about much. But later, Wang Zhuo was watching a game on the court when Yang Feng and his group were pointing and whispering about him from a distance. Unexpectedly, Wang Zhuo’s eyesight was sharp enough that he caught glimpses of their conversation.

Although what Yang Feng said at that moment didn't prompt Wang Zhuo to confront him directly, it still caused Wang Zhuo considerable displeasure, which is why Wang Zhuo was now meeting his antagonism with equal force.