Xue Yang looked up and saw Chen Ying walking toward him with a group of people. It was nearly time for class, and this corridor was the only way to their classroom.
Even in the ice and snow, Chen Ying was as beautiful and captivating as ever. The dusting of snow she’d picked up on her way here only enhanced her beauty, lending her the crisp, pristine aura of an ice blossom. She was the very definition of a beauty to be admired from afar, but never trifled with.
When Chen Ying saw Xue Yang, she too paused for a moment.
Today, Xue Yang was wearing a well-fitting technical jacket that made him look tall and slender, exuding a mature charm with a fatal allure.
Xue Yang had always been handsome; he was once the heartthrob of Hui City First Middle School. However, in his pursuit of her, he had let himself go over the last three years, turning into a shabby-looking ’Brother Rhino’ figure whom many female students chose to avoid.
Chen Ying had thought the same. Yet, Xue Yang had persisted. No matter how she rejected him, he would always appear by her side.
But now... it was as if something in Xue Yang had been unlocked. He was a completely different person.
They say that if you meet someone too dazzling in your youth, you will unconsciously compare everyone you meet afterward to them. If you find the other person lacking, you can’t help but feel you’re settling for less.
At this moment, Chen Ying felt exactly that.
Zhang Caide was indeed excellent, but as a lawyer, he was too busy. Not only was he busy, but he was also quite stiff and dull. Sometimes, she didn’t even feel like talking to him, yet he would bombard her with messages. Other times, when she actually wanted to talk, he wouldn’t send a single reply for hours on end.
Xue Yang was never like that. He always knew just how far to go, never making her feel annoyed or ignored.
Initially, Chen Ying had felt that losing her was Xue Yang’s loss. But now, seeing him again, she suddenly felt as if she’d lost millions. Her heart was in turmoil, a feeling that gnawed at her until she felt she was going mad.
Yet she still passed by Xue Yang with feigned composure, not giving him a second glance.
Xue Yang, if you chase after me now, I’ll definitely forgive you for ignoring me for so long. I might even agree to be with you. Please, chase after me.
But Xue Yang did not.
She hadn’t looked at him, but then again, had he even been looking at her?
He merely stepped aside like a gentleman to let a group of female upperclassmen pass, and once they were gone, he continued toward the classroom with Cui Hao.
After the girls had passed, Cui Hao tugged at Xue Yang’s sleeve and asked, "Xue Yang, did you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"The campus beauty, Chen Ying, broke up with that law genius Zhang Caide. I heard it got pretty ugly. Zhang Caide publicly demanded that Chen Ying pay him back for all the meals they had and the flowers he sent her. Spoken like a true law student, not willing to take the slightest loss."
"Oh."
Cui Hao had expected to see a look of shock on Xue Yang’s face, but he wasn’t surprised in the least, which Cui Hao found impossible to comment on.
"How come you’re not surprised at all?!"
"What does it have to do with me?"
"Alright, glad to see you’ve turned over a new leaf. Anyway, back to the real issue, did you move? I went to your old rental on Friday to look for you, but you weren’t there. I sent you a message, but you didn’t reply. Later, the landlord said you’d moved out. But man, the girl who’s renting your old room is gorgeous. I felt like I’d met a fairy. All those aloof beauties, those sweet and cuddly roommates... none of them hold a candle to her now. You have no idea, it’s like I’ve been bewitched lately. I just can’t get interested in any other girls."
"I must be sick. That fairy has cast a spell on me. The day I make up with my family, I’m going to drive my G-Wagon over to where that fairy lives. When she sees me arriving on a Rainbow Cloud, she’ll be moved to tears and beg to come with me..."
Cui Hao’s imagination ran wild as he spoke, and he was nearly drooling, looking as if he’d already won the fairy’s heart.
Xue Yang gave him a smack on the head, shattering all his fantasies.
"Damn it! Xue Yang, give me back my fairy!"
Cui Hao grabbed Xue Yang’s collar, ready to settle the score.
"No fairy here, but there is a task. Master Miejue has given us a golden opportunity for immense wealth. Whether we seize it or not, it all comes down to this."
In the past, Xue Yang hadn’t really cared about things like competition. He had enrolled in Yanbei University solely for Chen Ying, focused only on getting in, and hadn’t considered anything else. But now...
Thinking of the elf-like girl at home, he felt as if his life finally had a purpose. He wanted to give Lin Xi a wonderful future, one where they would never again have to worry about money. He wanted her to be able to spend freely, without a second thought.
Xue Yang’s expression at that moment was certainly that of a man deeply in love.
"You... Xue Yang, I still can’t believe you don’t have someone hidden at home. Please, just let me have a look. Just one glance, so I can finally get over it."
"You’ll have your chance, but not now."
With that, Xue Yang strode toward the classroom.
"Damn it! So it’s true? You really got a girlfriend behind my back!"
Cui Hao chased after Xue Yang, demanding an explanation.
They returned to the classroom just as the bell for class began to ring. Master Miejue entered right on cue, and all of Cui Hao’s words caught in his throat.
「Elsewhere.」
Chen Ying acted perfectly normal, but her group of close friends exploded with excitement.
"Oh my God, Ying Ying, was that tall and handsome guy just now Xue Yang?"
"I think it was him. It’s only been a few days, how did he get so handsome? He’s totally my type."
"Ying Ying, if you’re sure you don’t want our junior, I’m going to make my move. A quality guy like that will get snatched up if I don’t act fast, and then I’ll cry my eyes out. I held back before out of respect for you since he was pursuing you. But now, junior Xue Yang isn’t chasing you anymore, and you don’t like him anyway, so I’m going for it."
The one who spoke was an upperclassman named Tian Shishi, a girl who looked demure but was actually quite lively and cheerful. On her own, her looks would rank highly at Yanbei University. It was only when standing next to a beauty like Chen Ying that her light was somewhat overshadowed.
"I’ve always said I didn’t like him. If you think you can win him over, then go ahead."
With that, Chen Ying quickened her pace and left.
Xue Yang, if you dare accept any other girl’s advances, I will never forgive you.
Wu Xiaoya hadn’t said a word the entire time, but she could sense that Chen Ying was already filled with regret and was now just being too proud to admit it.
Ying Ying, oh Ying Ying, that pride of yours is bound to be your downfall.