{Don’t love too much 2}

Yan Li watched Qian Xu leave, and though her pace was as steady as ever, there was an undeniable sense of calm and poise. Yet, this experience hadn’t left her untouched. Beneath the soft light’s shadow, her once bright and clear eyes now held a fragile quality that no one else could see. This delicate vulnerability added depth to the sparkle in her eyes, and the cool detachment she exuded made it clear how distant and unreachable she truly was.

…

New York, Fifth Avenue.

When Qian Xu arrived at the venue, it was exactly as she expected—many people were waiting to see her stumble, eager to turn her into the punchline of casual gossip. Some people were overtly mean, mocking her about “Shen Qi abandoning her,” while hypocritically advising other female students studying abroad not to be too emotionally invested.

Qian Xu just smiled along with them, offering no resistance.

As for Shen Qi and his group of cronies, part of the same social circle, they were no strangers to stories like this. For men of their status, discarding a lower-class female graduate student was all too common.

None of them stood up to defend Shen Qi, nor did they openly discuss the topic, treading carefully around the sensitive subject to avoid conflict.

It was almost an unspoken agreement—everyone accepted that someone as pure as Qian Xu would naturally be left to bear the consequences of being abandoned, as if it were the natural order of things.

Their tailored suits and prestigious degrees didn’t mask their crude entitlement. They were more concerned about what they said being leaked online, fearing it might affect the public image of their family businesses back in China.

They were smart, crafty, and left no trace in their actions.

Thus, at first, Qian Xu didn’t feel entirely out of place or deeply embarrassed. She socialized as usual, brushing off inappropriate remarks with a smile, always appearing gracious and unshaken. Despite her humble background, her poise remained unaffected.

At one point, some even questioned Shen Qi’s taste in women—this, of course, came from his friends—wondering if he had been blind or too proud to appreciate Qian Xu, leading him to run back to Cheng Shuangyi out of wounded pride.

From the gossip she overheard, one thing became clear: Shen Qi returning to Cheng Shuangyi was practically accepted as fact in their social circle. This group had long known about Shen Qi’s dramatic past with Cheng Shuangyi.

As for her own position—whether it was her wishful thinking when she was with Shen Qi, or the falseness of their relationships—it was never openly discussed. Not one person had warned Qian Xu, nor offered her any private advice.

They had simply watched as this foolish woman gave away her youth, and said nothing.

Even now, they stood on the sidelines, waiting for her to break down, expecting her to reveal her wounds so they could offer some distant, empty words of comfort.

Then, a similarly impoverished young man appeared and shattered the illusion of peace.

The atmosphere darkened.

As this unknown man angrily shouted, “Shen Qi is a scumbag!” attention quickly shifted to the scene. People whom Qian Xu had never met, who had long forgotten her, now eagerly gathered to witness the spectacle.

At first, some spoke a few words of justice, but as the boy’s shouts grew more insecure and desperate, Qian Xu realized one thing—

He wasn’t standing up for her, nor was he trying to speak any fairness.

He was merely venting his own frustrations. His life in America, far different from what he had imagined, compounded with his struggles—relying solely on studies and scholarships, without any warmth or support from family—had pushed him into a corner.

In his words, Qian Xu heard no real defense of her.

Instead, it felt like he was accusing her, bluntly implying that she had “brought this upon herself.”

Using her name as an excuse, he was truly aiming to humiliate Shen Qi, trying to elevate himself by bringing Shen Qi down from a moral high ground.

“They just love deceiving young, naive girls, tricking them into bed—”

In front of everyone, this so-called adult completely abandoned all sense of decorum, spewing vulgarities in a desperate attempt to take the moral stage. Even more absurd, the boy had misunderstood a key fact: when she had been with Shen Qi, he hadn’t had any money at all.

She couldn’t even be used as a tool in his attack on the wealthy.