Chapter 10: The Date  

After a night of heavy rain, the sun had thoroughly erased all traces of the downpour by the next day. Yet, it wasn’t so intense as to bring scorching heat—instead, the weather was uncharacteristically cool and pleasant.  

Yan Qingye had woken up early, washed up, and skipped breakfast entirely. She stood before her wardrobe, staring at the clothes inside with a troubled expression.  

Yesterday, after leaving the exam hall, Shen Zhansi had set a time to meet with her today, saying she had something to tell her.  

Admittedly, when Yan Qingye received the invitation—along with Shen Zhansi’s nervous, hesitant expression—it had made her overthink.  

After all, they had just finished their college entrance exams. They were practically graduates now. At this point, shouldn’t they be able to do… many things?  

But now that morning had arrived, she found herself stumped over what to wear. Most of the time, she had worn her school uniform, and Shen Zhansi had rarely seen her in casual clothes.  

Yan Qingye bit her lip, her eyes and brows alight with excitement, though she couldn’t suppress the shyness simmering beneath. This kind of hesitation was so unlike her.  

In the end, she pulled out a simple, long dress from the wardrobe. The fabric was light and flowing, with ink-wash prints adorning the skirt. When she put it on, it gave her an understated, natural elegance, softening her usual sharp edges.  

Looking at her reflection, Yan Qingye allowed a faint smile to grace her features.  

In front of Shen Zhansi, she would do her best to retract all her thorns—ensuring that what Shen Zhansi touched would always be the gentlest, most tender parts of her.  

By the time she changed and went downstairs, she saw her mother, Su Yu, sitting at the dining table. The breakfast laid out before her remained untouched, and her delicate face was clouded with worry, punctuated by occasional sighs.  

At the sight of her, Yan Qingye’s earlier excitement gradually settled, the smile on her face fading into something more measured and composed.  

“Mom,” Yan Qingye greeted as she descended the stairs, taking a seat across from her.  

Seeing her like this, Yan Qingye didn’t even need to guess—it was undoubtedly about Yan Huai.  

So she didn’t plan to ask further. She just wanted to finish breakfast quickly and leave.  

Even though it was still early compared to the time Shen Zhansi had set for their meeting.  

Su Yu looked up at Yan Qingye, pausing briefly in surprise. “No school today? Why aren’t you wearing your uniform?”  

Yan Qingye didn’t miss a beat as she picked up her fork, replying flatly, “The exams are over. I’ve already graduated.”  

“Ah, the exams are already over?” Su Yu blinked in momentary astonishment, though she didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she sighed, her voice tinged with resentment. “Your father didn’t come home again last night!”  

Yan Qingye ate her breakfast quietly, long accustomed to her mother’s neglect. In fact, today’s attention was already more than usual—Su Yu had actually noticed she wasn’t wearing her uniform.  

Nearly all of Su Yu’s heart and soul were devoted to Yan Huai—rejoicing for him, resenting for him, molding herself entirely into an existence that revolved around him.  

Yan Qingye had no desire to indulge her complaints. If it had been before, she might have stood by her mother out of pity. But after witnessing how Su Yu would throw herself into the same pit over and over again, she no longer took sides. She simply watched, detached.

Su Yu clearly didn’t seem to need Yan Qingye to agree with her. She just wanted someone to vent her grievances to, and as the daughter who came from her own body, Yan Qingye was obviously the best outlet.

“Before, your father would at least text me saying he was busy or had social engagements. Now he’s treating this family as less and less important! Staying out all night without a word—what kind of social engagement lasts all night? I bet he’s been ensnared by some vixen spirit out there!”

As she spoke, her voice began to choke up, thick with resentment.

Yan Qingye remained expressionless, occasionally murmuring a soft “mm” to acknowledge she was listening. It was just enough to prevent the resentful Su Yu from feeling ignored and redirecting her anger toward her instead of Yan Huai.

After all, she had been indifferent before, only to find that Su Yu didn’t scold Yan Huai—instead, she berated her for being heartless and cold-blooded.

Yan Qingye also believed she was heartless and cold-blooded.

If she weren’t, she wouldn’t feel such weariness toward this family, wouldn’t feel so detached from her parents, and wouldn’t harbor this faint but unmistakable irritation toward Su Yu.

An irritation that, in fact, ran deeper than what she felt for Yan Huai.

Listening to Su Yu’s endless complaints, Yan Qingye felt her morning mood thoroughly ruined. She hurried through breakfast, set down her milk glass, wiped her lips with a napkin, and said to Su Yu:

“I’m done. Someone’s waiting for me, so I’ll head out now.”

Su Yu, clearly not finished, was momentarily stunned by the interruption. Seeing Yan Qingye actually getting up to leave, she surprised herself by showing rare concern.

“Who’s waiting for you? Where are you going? Do you need me to have the driver take you?”

“Shen Zhansi. We’re meeting at Tianhe Plaza. I’ve already told the driver—he’s waiting outside.”

“Shen Zhansi?” Su Yu thought for a moment before finally recalling the name. She nodded approvingly. “It’s good to spend time with her. I remember she’s a decent girl—from the Shen family, too.”

Yan Qingye gave a slight nod and said softly, “I’ll be going then.”

Once outside and seated in the car, Yan Qingye’s expression darkened. She leaned back, closing her eyes as she relaxed her shoulders, but a suffocating weight pressed on her chest.

Because of Su Yu. Because of her words.

Though most of Su Yu’s attention was fixated on Yan Huai, she wasn’t a completely oblivious woman. She must have noticed how much the Yan family’s fortunes had declined under Yan Huai’s leadership. Her emphasis on the Shen family was likely a silent hope—that Yan Qingye would grow closer to Shen Zhansi, that one day, she might help Yan Huai.

In Huaicheng, the Yan family had once stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Shen family. Unfortunately, the Yan lineage was sparse—Yan Huai had been the only child of his generation, so the family business had naturally fallen into his hands.

But Yan Huai was hopeless—a man with some ability, yes, but one who squandered it all on petty gains, shortsighted and small-minded. Under him, the Yan family had been on a steady decline, while the Shen family had long since surged far ahead.

…

The driver dropped Yan Qingye off at Tianhe Plaza at nine o’clock—a full hour before Shen Zhansi’s appointed time of ten.

Yan Qingye asked the driver to leave first and arrived at the milk tea shop where Shen Zhansi had arranged to meet her. At this time, Shen Zhansi hadn’t arrived yet. Thinking there was still enough time, she decided to buy some of Shen Zhansi’s favorite snacks first.

Shen Zhansi had a sweet tooth but disliked overly sweet things. On the fourth floor of the mall, there was a dessert shop where the matcha roll was especially beloved by Shen Zhansi. In her words, it had just the right hint of sweetness paired with the refreshing aroma of matcha, making it particularly delicious.

At first, Yan Qingye didn’t find anything special about it, but after hearing Shen Zhansi praise it so often, she gradually grew fond of the flavor too.

It was truly delicious.

She bought the matcha roll Shen Zhansi loved, along with some washed strawberries, chilled watermelon, and other snacks, then carried them to the milk tea shop. After ordering her own drink, she sat down to wait.

By the time she finished buying everything, it was already 9:40. Sitting in the milk tea shop, Yan Qingye felt her heart beating a little too fast for some reason, an inexplicable sense of unease creeping over her.

Normally, whenever Shen Zhansi initiated a meeting, she would arrive at least half an hour early to wait. But today, with the clock nearing 10, Shen Zhansi still hadn’t shown up.

Not even a single message.

The thought of messages made Yan Qingye’s brows furrow slightly. She took out her phone and opened the chat between her and Shen Zhansi. Their last exchange was still the mutual well-wishes for the college entrance exams before the test.

A trace of worry flickered in her eyes, but Yan Qingye forced herself to stay calm. There was still a little time before the agreed meeting—maybe Shen Zhansi wasn’t late yet.

At 10 o’clock, Shen Zhansi didn’t appear.

Yan Qingye thought she might have been delayed by something.

At 10:15, Shen Zhansi still hadn’t arrived, nor had she sent any message.

10:30.

Yan Qingye considered calling but ultimately held back.

By 11, the chilled watermelon she had bought was no longer cold. Just as Yan Qingye was starting to wonder if something had happened to Shen Zhansi, she saw a post on her friend’s social media.

The post was simple—so simple it could hardly even be called a sentence. Just two words: “Wow, oh.”

Wow, oh.

When Yan Qingye saw those two words, her heart felt as if it had been struck hard. The unease in her chest surged to its peak.

For some reason, just from those two words, she sensed a flippant, mocking tone behind them.

But when had Shen Zhansi ever been like this?

Yan Qingye’s expression darkened. The careful effort she had put into dressing up this morning now felt like a joke.

She wanted to send a message demanding an explanation, but as her fingers hovered over the send button, she hesitated.

She was afraid.

She wasn’t sure why Shen Zhansi had arranged to meet her today, nor why she had stood her up and left her waiting here alone.

She wanted to know, but she couldn’t bring herself to send the message.

She thought back to how Shen Zhansi had been avoiding her, how she seemed to be trying so hard to draw a clear line between them. Although their relationship had improved recently, Yan Qingye couldn’t shake this sudden fear.

What if Shen Zhansi suddenly wanted to distance herself again? What would she do?

As time passed, Yan Qingye’s heart twisted in torment. Had Shen Zhansi forgotten about their meeting today? Or had she simply regretted it and wanted to pull away?

Once again, she took out her phone. This time, she didn’t hesitate, but neither did she ask directly. Instead, she sent a simple greeting, wanting to test the waters and see what Shen Zhansi was up to.

Yan Qingye: What are you doing?

The message was sent, and it took nearly ten minutes before Shen Zhansi replied.

Shen Zhansi: Eating, watching a movie.

Seeing this message, Yan Qingye’s heart gradually grew cold. She didn’t even bother to ask herself what was wrong.

Yet, even though she already knew the answer, Yan Qingye still couldn’t quite believe it. She sat in the milk tea shop from morning till night, watching as the staff began cleaning up. Slowly, she stood up, her face pale.

Looking at the table filled with all the things Shen Zhansi liked to eat, a wave of bitter irony washed over her.

Her expression gradually turned sharp as she strode out of the milk tea shop, hailed a cab, and gave the driver Shen Zhansi’s home address.

After a whole day of waiting, Yan Qingye had thought her patience for Shen Zhansi was boundless. But this day had nearly worn away all her pretense, exposing the sharp, impatient soul beneath.

When she arrived at the Shen household, Shen’s parents happened to be out. Yan Qingye saw Shen Zhansi, but before she could even ask why she had stood her up, she froze in place.

A chill rose from the soles of her feet, slowly spreading through her entire body.

The moment Shen Zhansi saw her, a look of admiration flashed across her face, followed by a frivolous, mocking smile.

Suddenly, Yan Qingye felt certain.

The person before her was not Shen Zhansi.

The Shen Zhansi she loved would never wear such a disgusting smile.

——————–