Chapter 52

In the following days, Lu Yan often came home very late. Jian Yao would frequently take her to perform at bars, even inviting her to get on stage and join the band to make music together.

Lu Yan happily agreed.

In any case, she needed to keep herself busy, to do something to distract her mind.

Perhaps heartbreak always leaves lingering effects. Lu Yan couldn’t stay at home all the time. As soon as she became quiet and alone, the image of that man would surface in her mind… and it wouldn’t go away.

He had once given her such an unforgettable love, but he told her it was all fake.

Yes, fake.

Shen Kuo’s father contracted that illness because he worked for the Lu family. With Shen Kuo’s vengeful character, how could he have genuinely liked her?

He had been lying to her all along.

Just thinking about these things, Lu Yan’s heart ached as if it were being torn apart.

That night, Lu Zhen dragged the drunk girl out of the Green Vine Bar.

She was disoriented, swaying and leaning against the wall, half-asleep, half-awake.

This summer, which should have been Lu Zhen’s most relaxing and carefree time, he spent most of it searching for his daughter.

Although he knew Jian Yao was watching over her, Lu Zhen still wasn’t at ease. When he saw that the girl was drinking, he was even more furious.

“Lu Yan is underage.” He turned and asked Jian Yao, “You let her drink?”

Jian Yao, wearing a tank top and loose pants, leaned against the doorframe, looking helpless. “She swapped her drink for alcohol. I didn’t notice earlier. Sorry.”

“How could you not notice? I agreed to let her go out and relax with you, not to drink!”

“Drinking a little isn’t a big deal.” Jian Yao shrugged indifferently. “I got drunk for three days when I was heartbroken. When I woke up, I’d already forgotten about that guy.”

Lu Zhen looked at her, “You’ve been heartbroken?”

“Who hasn’t?”

“Who was the guy?”

Jian Yao frowned, “Why should I tell you?”

“You have to tell me.”

“You… are really unreasonable. If it weren’t for Lu Yan, I wouldn’t even bother talking to you.”

Lu Zhen completely forgot why he had come there. His mind was only focused on who had dumped Jian Yao in the past, wondering who had been so blind to reject his wife!

At this moment, Lu Yan suddenly bent over, holding the wall as she vomited.

The two of them immediately stopped arguing and rushed to support her.

Lu Yan vomited, tears and snot running down her face, her stomach cramping in agony, looking miserable and pitiful.

Lu Zhen didn’t care about the mess, using his sleeve to wipe her face, heartbroken as he said, “Are you feeling better? Take it slow, don’t choke.”

Lu Yan took a while to recover, feeling a little better.

Jian Yao also felt guilty, knowing it was her negligence that caused the girl to drink alcohol.

“You should take her home. She’s really pitiful.”

Lu Yan shook off Lu Zhen’s hand. “No, I’m not going back yet. I’m not done having fun.”

“Still having fun? Missy, don’t forget that tomorrow the third-year senior high school tutoring starts. Do you still want to go to Q University?”

At the mention of Q University, Lu Yan suddenly fell silent.

She stood with her back to them, her figure thin under the streetlight.

Back then, Shen Kuo had said that he wanted to go to Q University, that he wanted to attend the same university as her.

For that one sentence, Lu Yan had been working hard, trying to catch up to his footsteps.

Going to university together—it had been such a beautiful hope. But now, everything had changed. The world was different, and it all seemed so absurd…

Jian Yao kicked Lu Zhen’s calf with the tip of her shoe, whispering, “Why bring that up? Are you an idiot?”

Lu Zhen realized he had said the wrong thing. He quickly stepped over and grabbed the girl’s delicate wrist. “Forget it, let’s go home.”

“I’m not going to Q University anymore.” Lu Yan pulled her hand away from his and muttered, “I’m not going.”

Jian Yao, as if coaxing a child, patiently said, “Not going, not going. Let’s not bother with that crappy school. We’ll go to Tsinghua or Peking University instead, okay? Don’t feel bad…”

Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and Jian Yao jumped in surprise. She turned around to see Lu Zhen kicking over a trash can by the roadside.

“Are you out of your mind?”

Lu Zhen could no longer contain himself. Pointing at Lu Yan, he shouted angrily, “For a piece of trash like him, look at you now. This is your life, does it have anything to do with anyone else? Without him, you wouldn’t live anymore, would you?”

“Lu Yan, someone like you really disappoints me.”

Lu Yan lowered her head, her face hidden in the shadow of the streetlight, making it impossible to see her expression.

“Disappointed?” Her voice was dry. “I’m disappointed in myself too, you know? Really disappointed.”

She helplessly hugged herself, squatting by the roadside, murmuring, “It’s really laughable. I knew he’s been lying to me for so long. I knew he hated me, hated the Lu family. But I… I still love him…”

Tears fell drop by drop, soaking into the ground in an instant.

She spoke in broken sentences, “I’ll never love anyone like this again, never…”

“Even if he lied to me, I can’t hate him. If he’s going to lie, why didn’t he just lie a little longer…”

In the past, Lu Yan herself couldn’t understand those girls who would die over love.

What was the big deal about a breakup? Once it passed, they would be fine again.

Perhaps only the one who “hurts” could move on so easily.

For example, Shen Kuo. He had become the provincial top scorer.

Lu Zhen couldn’t bear to see his own girl cry, it was worse than if he had been killed.

He squatted down, awkwardly wiping away her tears with his sleeve, hugging her and comforting her clumsily, whispering useless words of reassurance.

“It’s just a boyfriend. In the future, I’ll find you one. I’ll definitely find someone you like.”

“You used to like Liang Ting, right? How about reconsidering him? This time I won’t object.”

“If you want a handsome guy like Shen Kuo, then… Ye Jiaqi would do too!”

–

Jian Yao watched Lu Zhen comforting the girl, and a ripple appeared in her chestnut-colored eyes.

Although he was a bit clumsy and had a bad temper, he was a gentle person deep down.

Lu Yan, exhausted from crying, finally obediently climbed onto Lu Zhen’s back, resting her head on his broad, sturdy shoulder. “Lu Zhen, I want to go home.”

“Okay, I’ll take you home.”

He steadily carried Lu Yan on his back, then turned to look at Jian Yao, speaking in a commanding tone, “You go home too.”

Jian Yao, like a child, shrugged indifferently. “Just take care of Lu Yan. Don’t worry about me.”

“I certainly have to care about you.”

You’re my wife, the mother of my child.

He didn’t dare speak the last part aloud, as the scene from the previous time when he was beaten was still vivid in his mind.

Lu Zhen reached out and pulled up the zipper of Jian Yao’s open collar, covering her fair, slender neck.

By some strange twist of fate… Jian Yao allowed him to do so.

A strange feeling surged in her heart.

She felt that the young man before her was no longer the same as when they first met.

“You won’t have to experience a breakup again.” Lu Zhen said this without thinking.

Jian Yao didn’t quite understand. “What?”

“Once you’re with me, you’ll never have to go through a breakup again.”

“……”

She laughed and lightly slapped him on the arm. “Go to hell.”

Lu Zhen laughed too. With his peach blossom eyes, his smile was especially charming, giving an inexplicable feeling of spring warmth.

No wonder he could be the school heartthrob of the No. 3 high school—obviously, the girls in the school weren’t blind…

This guy was indeed handsome.

Taking advantage of Jian Yao’s momentary distraction, Lu Zhen suddenly reached out and patted her head.

“Let’s go, get home early.”

His actions were so natural that Jian Yao was caught off guard.

By the time he had carried the girl far away, she stood there stunned, her hand absentmindedly touching her forehead… still feeling the warmth of his palm.

She returned to the bar, but when she turned around, she saw Qiao Nan leaning against the door, looking at her with a complicated expression.

Jian Yao felt strangely guilty under his gaze. “I’m done for the day. Heading home.”

“So early?”

“Yeah, there’s summer tutoring at school tomorrow.”

Qiao Nan certainly didn’t believe that Jian Yao actually cared about summer tutoring, she never paid attention to academic stuff.

“It’s because he told you to go home early, right? Why do you listen to that guy so much!”

“You’re so noisy!”

“You can’t fool me,” Qiao Nan said, not giving up. “Lu Zhen, that rich kid, is on a completely different level from us.”

“Stop being so full of yourself.”

Jian Yao pressed her finger against his chest to stop his steps, grabbed her bag, and left in a carefree manner.

Lu Zhen carried Lu Yan back home and handed her over to Aunt Li, instructing her to tidy up a bit and let Lu Yan sleep first.

He then left, called a taxi, and arrived at Shen Kuo’s house.

The wooden door had several scratches left by time, the window was half open, and the lights in the house were off. It was unclear whether anyone was inside.

Lu Zhen paced back and forth in front of the door, becoming more and more angry. His temper flared up, and he walked over to the door, raising his foot to kick it.

His foot was already halfway up, but he didn’t kick. Instead, he gritted his teeth and withdrew his foot.

“Damn it.”

He cursed softly.

It wasn’t that he was scared—it was just that he felt guilty.

When he heard that Shen Kuo’s father had fallen ill because of the Lu family’s cement factory, he began to recall many things from the past.

His growing up years had always been tied to that guy. On the surface, it seemed like Lu Zhen was always bullying Shen Kuo, but only Lu Zhen knew deep down that it was Shen Kuo…

It was Shen Kuo who had been framing him.

Every time Lu Zhen was punished by the teacher or misunderstood by his classmates, he would always see Shen Kuo smiling at him, that sinister, creepy smile.

At first, he thought Shen Kuo was jealous of him, jealous of his family background, even jealous of his looks…

But now, with the truth revealed, Lu Zhen realized how childish his previous assumptions had been.

It was the Lu family… that had caused Shen Kuo’s tragic life.

Lu Zhen bit his lower lip, suppressing his anger, and turned to leave.

However, as he reached the alley, he saw Shen Kuo standing at the entrance, holding a white plastic bag.

The white plastic bag contained a stack of yellow paper money and two fake gold ingots.

The sudden meeting made both of their hearts skip a beat.

Shen Kuo’s expression remained calm as he asked, “Is there something you need?”

For his own daughter, this man had caused her to lose so much weight, and yet he acted as if nothing was wrong. Lu Zhen was furious, but he didn’t want to act impulsively like before.

He confronted Shen Kuo. “You can blame my dad, you can blame me, even everything you’ve done to me in the past… I can overlook all of that. But what’s the meaning of bullying Lu Yan?”

The last few words were spoken through clenched teeth.

Shen Kuo snorted lightly. “If I really wanted to bully her, she wouldn’t just be crying like this.”

After saying that, he brushed past Lu Zhen, deliberately bumping his shoulder hard.

Lu Zhen was provoked by his words. He couldn’t imagine what terrible things Shen Kuo, this frightening guy, might have planned for Lu Yan back then.

He suddenly spun around, lunged at Shen Kuo, and knocked him forcefully to the ground.

Lu Zhen grabbed his collar, his fist clenched tightly.

He was panting heavily, glaring at Shen Kuo with fury in his eyes.

“Do you have no humanity? She doesn’t understand anything, why do you have to bully her?”

The white plastic bag in Shen Kuo’s hand flew out of his grasp, landing on the ground. The yellow paper money scattered out, soaking in the wet ground.

“Go ahead, hit me.”

Shen Kuo looked at him coldly and said, “Just like countless times in the past, go ahead, hit me.”

A gust of wind blew, and a few pieces of yellow paper scattered in all directions.

Lu Zhen dejectedly lowered his hand and released Shen Kuo’s collar.

Shen Kuo awkwardly stood up, adjusted his collar, and picked up the yellow paper and plastic bag from the ground.

Lu Zhen was breathing heavily, speaking slowly and deliberately: “Shen Kuo, one life for one life, you can come take mine anytime.”

Shen Kuo sneered, “You want to die? I don’t want to go to prison.”

Lu Zhen stared at him, his dark eyes as deep as ink: “If you bully Lu Yan, you’ll regret it…”

“I never regret.”

Lu Zhen stubbornly said, “I’ll make you regret it.”

After saying that, Lu Zhen turned and walked away.

Shen Kuo stood at the alley’s entrance, watching his back for a long time.

It was the first time in his life that he felt, the foolish boy who once gave him a bottle of Jianlibao had grown up.

People always have to grow up, not just for themselves, but also for the ones they love.

He looked up and saw a few moths fluttering around the white streetlamp.

All these years, everything he had done to Lu Zhen had never made him truly happy, not even for a second…

Until that girl appeared in his life, like a beam of light, illuminating his bleak, scarred world.

Hatred and revenge could never bring satisfaction, but love could.

He couldn’t let her live her life in endless guilt and self-blame. He couldn’t let her love him in atonement for the rest of her life…

He knew, one day, she would come out of the shadows…

And that would be when the true skies would open wide.

Shen Kuo closed his eyes, letting the raindrops gently fall on his face.

Lu Yan, forgive me for this decision…

During the days of filling out college applications, Liang Ting and Qin Hao would come to the Lu family’s house every day with thick application reference books, discussing their choices with Lu Zhen.

The three of them had been in kindergarten together, and they stayed together through elementary school and middle school. Of course, they also planned to attend the same university.

But unexpectedly, Lu Zhen’s test scores soared to 600 points. Liang Ting was clever and always did well, scoring even higher than Lu Zhen, but Qin Hao didn’t do as well, only scoring over 500, which clearly meant he couldn’t attend the same university as them.

“Which university is Shen Kuo applying to?” Lu Zhen asked Liang Ting.

Liang Ting was focused on drawing out the school information with his pen and casually replied, “How would I know?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be the ^[1]“intel specialist” refers to someone who specializes in gathering, analyzing, and interpreting information, often related to security, military, or strategic contexts. In this case, it … Continue reading‘intel specialist’? Go find out for me,” Lu Zhen said.

Liang Ting frowned. “Why do you want to find out about him?”

“None of your business,” Lu Zhen retorted.

A day later, Liang Ting brought back the latest intel. “Actually, there’s no surprise. Shen Kuo’s target has always been Q University’s computer science department. With his scores, he can easily get in…”

Before he could finish, he saw Lu Zhen marking off Q University’s computer science department on the blank application form. Liang Ting grabbed his hand. “What are you doing!”

“Filling out my application.”

“You… You’re applying to Q University?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yan, who had been coming down the stairs, stopped in her tracks, looking at Lu Zhen in surprise. “You’re applying to Q University?”

“Don’t look at me like that,” Lu Zhen said awkwardly. “He can apply, why can’t I?”

Liang Ting said worriedly, “He’s the provincial top scorer, any university in the country is open to him. Look at your scores—they’re good, but… not quite on his level. If you apply to the same school as him…”

It was really close.

“Last year, the lowest score for Q University was only ten points higher than mine,” Lu Zhen said firmly. “I have a feeling the cutoff will drop this year.”

Lu Yan rushed downstairs, grabbed Lu Zhen’s application form, and looked at it. The first choice was Q University’s computer science department.

She asked anxiously, “You’re chasing after him by filling out your application like this, what do you want to do?”

Lu Zhen rubbed his nose. “Nothing.”

Seeing the two of them staring at him like that, he couldn’t avoid their questions, so he could only say, “I can’t get over this hurdle.”

Liang Ting didn’t understand. “What hurdle?”

Lu Zhen rubbed his nose, deliberately not mentioning Lu Yan, and said, “After being messed with by him for so many years, I can’t get over it. I still want to… compete with him. I don’t believe I’m really worse than him in everything.”

“Are you out of your mind! What’s there to compete with? It’s bad luck to have met him. The best thing is to stay as far away from him as possible, the farther, the better! He’s a liar… a big bad guy!”

When Shen Kuo was mentioned, Lu Yan’s emotions were already on the verge of breaking.

Lu Zhen pursed his lips, grabbed his application form back, folded it up, and stuffed it into the pages of a book.

“I can lose, but I won’t hide.”

He said in a low voice, “What he can do, I can do too. If he’s going to bankrupt me in the future, I’ll bankrupt him first.”

“…”

Liang Ting twitched his lips.

Bro, you really have confidence.

In any case, once Lu Zhen decided something, no one could persuade him otherwise. His first-choice university was submitted, but he didn’t care about the second or third choices. Lu Yan carefully and prudently selected schools for him, ones where he would definitely be accepted, as a safety net.

But no one expected that this year, Q University’s cutoff score actually dropped, and it was more than ten points lower than Lu Zhen’s score. In addition, not many students from the province applied for the Computer Science department.

So when he received the acceptance letter, Lu Jian was overjoyed, practically flying with excitement. He couldn’t wait to tell everyone, “My son got into Q University, yes, that Q University. What? Fudan? No, no, it’s even better than Fudan.”

This summer, Lu Zhen really hit the jackpot. Originally, his high school exam scores were an extraordinary performance. That was fine, but he had been reckless with his university applications, gambling everything. Everyone had thought he would fail his first choice, but he actually got accepted.

He had been unlucky for years because of Shen Kuo, but it seemed like all his luck had been stored up for this one moment—his college entrance exam.

He and Shen Kuo had almost an 80-point difference, but they both ended up at the same university, in the same major.

This became a sensational “legendary” event at Beicheng No. 3 High School.

In the scorching summer, in the classroom, the old-fashioned ceiling fans hummed incessantly…

A few boys entered the classroom carrying plastic bags, throwing one-yuan-a-bag ice drinks to the classmates around them.

The senior year summer prep classes started in August and lasted for a full month, with no holidays. They had classes every day.

Lu Yan, holding a few worn notebooks, walked out of the classroom and headed to the first-floor recycling room.

The recycling room specifically collected discarded drafts or old books from students, which were then sold as waste paper.

Lu Yan handed the notebooks full of notes to Teacher Chen, the staff member at the recycling room. “Teacher Chen, I don’t need these anymore.”

Teacher Chen, with graying temples and wearing reading glasses, took the notebooks from Lu Yan, glanced at them, and said, “Oh, these are notes! You’re not keeping them?”

Teacher Chen had been a teacher at the school before retiring, and now worked in the recycling room. He recognized these notebooks.

The notes were well-organized, with a balance of details, and the handwriting was quite beautiful. They shouldn’t have been treated as waste.

Lu Yan didn’t want to look at them any longer. She turned and said, “I don’t need them.”

Teacher Chen looked at the cover, where the neat small characters read—Shen Kuo.

“Shen Kuo! No wonder these notes are so well-organized. They must be the notes of our province’s top scorer,” Teacher Chen said, unintentionally striking a nerve in Lu Yan. She frowned and said, “Are you going to take them, or not? If not, I’ll just throw them in the trash.”

Teacher Chen laughed. “These notes are priceless, not something you should sell as waste paper. How about this… I’ll keep them here. If any senior students need them for review, I’ll sell them to them. Is that okay?”

“Do whatever you want.”

So, Teacher Chen gave Lu Yan fifty cents, based on the price for waste paper.

Lu Yan took the money, not wanting to look at the notes anymore. She quickly left.

She clutched the fifty cents tightly in her hand, holding it for an entire afternoon, until the bill was soaked with the sweat from her palm.

She had once wholeheartedly liked him, thinking he was a once-in-a-lifetime person, but in the end…

She ended up with just fifty cents.

How cheap. How ironic.

Lu Yan lay on her desk, turned her head, and looked out at the camphor trees being scorched by the hot sun. A gentle breeze rustled the branches, making a soft sound.

She remembered the night before the last semester’s summer break, when review materials were flying everywhere in front of the senior building. The young man held her hand, leading her into the empty camphor grove.

He stuffed all the review materials into her bag and gave them all to her…

When their feelings were stirred, he didn’t say a word, just hugged her tightly.

Shen Kuo couldn’t bear to let her go.

Lu Yan wasn’t the sensitive type, especially when it came to feelings. She was quite slow in that area.

Thus, Shen Kuo didn’t need to act in front of her, nor did he have to be particularly kind to her. She never noticed that he had an ulterior motive in being with her.

But he still treated her well, to the core.

Even if someone lost their sense of perception, taste, or even became paralyzed and unable to move, they would never lose the ability to feel love.

If everything he did was fake, Lu Yan really didn’t know what was real in this world.

Lu Yan lay on the desk, holding her head, struggling for several minutes, before suddenly standing up with a “thud,” startling Qi Yuzhi, who was napping nearby.

“What… What are you doing?”

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Yan had already rushed out of her seat and ran out of the classroom. She didn’t stop running until she reached the first-floor recycling room.

“Teacher Chen, my… I… this morning…”

She panted heavily and asked urgently, “Those notebooks, are they still with you? I… I don’t want to sell them anymore.”

She placed the crumpled fifty cents on the table. “Could you return those notes to me, please?”

Teacher Chen frowned and said awkwardly, “Ah, those notes… after you left, some students already bought them. I told you, these materials are valuable. Look, what can we do now?”

Lu Yan’s heart sank.

“Sold… sold them?”

“Yes.”

She left the recycling room in a daze, sat by the steps, buried her head in her knees, and a wave of bitterness rose in her chest.

What was she doing? Acting so foolish.

Lu Yan rubbed her eyes and stood up, preparing to leave. Just then, someone waved a notebook in front of her.

Her eyes lit up, and she looked up to see Jian Yao standing on the steps, smiling mischievously.

“Provincial top scorer’s review materials, just like that sold as waste paper? Tsk, such a waste.”

Lu Yan reached for the notebook, but Jian Yao stepped back. “Hey, I bought it. If you want it, you’ll have to pay for it.”

“How much do you want?” Lu Yan pulled out her little embroidered coin pouch.

Jian Yao walked over and tapped her on the head with the notebook, pretending to be angry. “I’m just joking, and you really believed me?”

Lu Yan took the notebook, holding it tightly to her chest, and explained, “It’s not that I can’t part with it, I just think it’s a bit of a waste… after all, it’s the provincial top scorer’s notes.”

Jian Yao saw through her pretense but didn’t call her out. She sat next to Lu Yan on the steps of the teaching building, gazing at the swaying shadows of the trees outside the skylight.

“Yeah, getting a notebook like this… Forget about dating him for six months, even serving him for three years like a servant would be worth it!”

Lu Yan turned to look at Jian Yao, frowning. “Is that for real?”

“Didn’t you look at the contents?” Jian Yao pointed to one of the notes and casually said, “He doesn’t have many notes, but they’re all gems! And these aren’t even class notes. These are materials he compiled after class.”

Lu Yan didn’t understand the difference.

So Jian Yao explained further, “A guy as smart as him doesn’t need to waste time making extra notes after class. I guess… he probably planned to sell them after becoming the provincial top scorer.”

Lu Yan stared at Jian Yao in surprise. Jian Yao didn’t look at her, but sunlight streamed through the skylight and illuminated her face, making her long, curled eyelashes glisten in the light.

“Right, his original intention must have been to sell them,” Jian Yao smiled and said. “He’s such a bad guy, so good at lying. There’s no way he wrote these for someone else.”

Lu Yan gripped the notebook tightly, but said nothing.

“But since it ended up in your hands, you should make good use of it,” Jian Yao patted her shoulder. “Don’t let that guy get away with it. Using his notes to get into Q University means you didn’t get tricked for nothing.”

Lu Yan lowered her head, untied the laces of her white mesh shoes, and began retying them. “I’m not going to Q University anymore.”

Jian Yao said, “Didn’t your brother say he’s waiting for you at Q University?”

“He’s not waiting for me.” Lu Yan gave Jian Yao a meaningful glance.

Jian Yao pinched her chin, pushed her face aside, stood up, stretched lazily, and in a drawn-out voice said:

“My dream is to live freely, ^[2]“with a sword in hand” is often used metaphorically to convey a sense of independence, courage, or readiness to face challenges. It suggests someone who is prepared to confront … Continue readingwith a sword in hand, and focus on my music. I don’t want to be controlled by anyone, so I’ll never fall in love or get married in this lifetime…”

Lu Yan: “Oh.”

So, you think I ^[3]“came out of a crack in a rock” is a metaphorical expression, often used to describe someone who appears unexpectedly or from an unlikely or hidden place. It suggests that the person has … Continue readingcame out of a crack in a rock?

In the afternoon, the school organized an excellent graduate experience exchange session, inviting several top students from this year’s graduating class to share their experiences and learning methods with the incoming seniors.

When Lu Yan saw Shen Kuo’s name on the poster for the exchange session, she decisively chose to study in the classroom.

No way, absolutely not!

Her good friend Qi Yuzhi dragged her along, insisting on taking her to the big hall for the exchange session.

“It’s a rare opportunity! These exchange sessions share nothing but the best tips. It would be such a waste to miss it.”

Lu Yan clung to the tree trunk. “I really don’t want to go, please don’t force me.”

“Don’t be so timid. Even if you don’t listen to him, you can hear what the other senior students have to say.”

When Lu Yan was pulled into the hall, she saw from a distance that Shen Kuo was sitting in the first row at the front of the stage.

He was wearing a clean and crisp white shirt, the second button undone, revealing his long, defined neck.

Under the spotlight, his skin looked extraordinarily pale with a faint glow.

Many girls in the room were secretly glancing at Shen Kuo.

His gaze was unfocused, his dark brown eyes holding a hint of coldness.

At that moment, perhaps sensing something, he looked up and met Lu Yan’s gaze.

Lu Yan’s breath caught, and she immediately turned to leave. Qi Yuzhi grabbed her by the collar. “Don’t be afraid, hold your ground!”

Lu Yan eventually left and sat alone under the shade of a tree by the flowerbed in front of the grand hall. She propped her chin on her hand, idly staring at the hall.

The exchange session was surely fascinating, and now and then, the sound of students’ enthusiastic applause could be heard.

Lu Yan sighed lightly, turned around, and began walking toward the teaching building. Passing by a small garden, a paper airplane suddenly flew to her feet.

Her steps faltered slightly, and she bent down to pick up the paper airplane.

The plane had a poorly drawn smiley face on it.

Lu Yan looked up and saw Ye Jiaqi standing at the end of the stone path with his hands in his pockets. The light in her eyes dimmed again.

“It’s you.”

Ye Jiaqi wore a casual T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his toned forearms.

“Who else did you expect?”

“No one.”

Lu Yan placed the paper airplane under the sunlight. The rays filtered through the thin paper, casting a warm glow on her beautiful hazel eyes.

“I remember… he gave you a paper airplane, telling you to exchange it for a real airplane one day.”

“He won’t keep his promise, it was all a lie.”

Lu Yan threw the paper airplane into the wind. It soared briefly before landing on the green grass.

“Only someone as silly as me would believe such a deceptive lie.”

Her voice was hoarse, but her expression remained calm and gentle.

Ye Jiaqi ran over, picked up the paper airplane, and handed it back to her. “I won’t lie to you.”

Lu Yan took the paper airplane, looking at him in confusion.

Ye Jiaqi’s expression softened as he said, “You can use this to exchange for a real airplane with me in the future. I won’t lie.”

Lu Yan didn’t quite understand the implication of his words and laughed. “Is that for real?”

He solemnly promised, “Yes, really. As long as you get over the sorrow of your breakup, what’s an airplane? I can even pluck stars from the sky and give them to you…”

Lu Yan thought he was just making fun of her broken heart and teasing her. With a smile, she asked, “How are you going to pluck the stars for me?”

“Wait a moment.”

Ye Jiaqi turned around, pulled a piece of paper from his backpack, tore it neatly, and with nimble fingers, quickly folded a small, plump star.

He turned back and handed the tiny, puffed-up star to Lu Yan. “Here you go, a star.”

“Ah, so it’s this.”

Ye Jiaqi smiled. “In the future, you can use this to exchange for a real star with me.”

Lu Yan suddenly looked up, uncertain whether he meant a real star or his real feelings.

But… something about the atmosphere felt strange.

She shifted the topic and asked, “Why didn’t you go to the exchange session, Brother Jiaqi?”

Ye Jiaqi shrugged. “With Shen Kuo there, I didn’t need to. He always outshines me in every exam. His intelligence is beyond what normal people can reach.”

“It’s not just about intelligence,” Lu Yan whispered. “He works harder than anyone else.”

“Looks like you don’t hate him.”

Lu Yan lowered her eyes. “I don’t hate him.”

After all, she still had a father, but Shen Kuo had lost his.

She didn’t hate him for all the lies and deception.

Not hating didn’t mean she could forgive.

“Let’s not talk about that.” Ye Jiaqi saw her mood drop and changed the subject. “What university do you want to apply to?”

“I haven’t decided yet.” Lu Yan looked at Ye Jiaqi. “Which university will you attend, Brother Jiaqi?”

“Q University.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re going to Q University too?”

“Yeah.”

Ye Jiaqi smiled casually. “Lu Zhen insists I apply to Q University, so we can go there and take down people together.”

Lu Yan’s lips twitched.

That guy, Lu Zhen… he even planned to follow Shen Kuo to university.

“So why agree to him? Apply to the university you like, don’t listen to him.”

“I agreed because…” He gazed at Lu Yan. “He said you’d also go to Q University.”

As soon as he spoke, the star in Lu Yan’s hand dropped to the ground.

Ye Jiaqi picked up the little star and placed it back into Lu Yan’s hand, speaking softly, “I’ll wait for you at Q University. You must come.”

After saying this, he didn’t wait for Lu Yan’s response and turned to leave.

Perhaps, he didn’t have the courage to hear her answer, which is why he left so hastily.

Lu Yan looked at the paper airplane on the grass and then at the small star in her hand, feeling somewhat troubled.

Just when one wave calms down, another rises…

After the experience sharing session, Qi Yuzhi noticed Lu Yan was spacing out, flipping through her notes. Taking advantage of her distraction, she grabbed Lu Yan’s notebook.

“Wow, Shen Kuo’s notes! Oh my god!”

“Hey, give it back!”

Lu Yan snatched the notebook back and carefully tucked it into her bag.

“You’re acting like you’ve got a treasure in there,” Qi Yuzhi nudged her with her elbow. “You didn’t go to the sharing session? What a pity. The seniors shared a lot of useful stuff.”

“Yeah.”

“See, I’m not as stingy as you. I wrote everything down. Here, let me lend it to you.”

Lu Yan casually flipped through the notebook, which was filled with all sorts of study methods and memory techniques. But by the end, Shen Kuo’s contribution was just one line:

“Don’t stay up late.”

Seeing Lu Yan pause, Qi Yuzhi mischievously teased, “Our provincial top scorer only said that one thing today: ‘Don’t stay up late.’“

Lu Yan closed the notebook and muttered lightly, “He can’t even do it himself…”

Don’t stay up late.

That was what Lu Yan reminded Shen Kuo every night.

One by one, the students entered the classroom. Lu Yan took her water bottle and walked to the public water station at the end of the corridor, still thinking about Ye Jiaqi.

She really didn’t understand what these second-generation rich boys were thinking. Just because Lu Zhen randomly babbled some nonsense, they hastily chose a university.

Lu Zhen was even more reckless, chasing Shen Kuo to Q University. If it weren’t for this stroke of good luck, his blind and careless application would have probably led to him failing to get in.

But when she thought about it, when she was in the shoes of a rich second generation, she also did things impulsively, doing whatever she pleased, seeking her own happiness without considering the consequences. After all…

No matter what happened, her father would cover for her, and the sky wouldn’t fall.

When did her mindset start to change?

It should have been… after meeting Shen Kuo.

He lived carefully, did things seriously, endured silently, and worked hard at life…

He had changed Lu Yan’s attitude toward life. Whether she admitted it or not, the Lu Yan of this moment was the best version of herself.

Just as Lu Yan was lost in her thoughts, the water in her cup suddenly overflowed, and the hot water burned her hand.

Lu Yan screamed and dropped the cup.

The hot water scalded the back of her hand, and the sharp pain made her stagger back several steps.

At that moment, her slender wrist was suddenly grasped by a strong hand.

The man held her hand firmly and quickly walked to the water station. He turned on the faucet, letting cool water pour over her scalded hand.

Lu Yan looked up in surprise and saw Shen Kuo’s expressionless, cold face.

His face was tense, his dark eyes fixed on her hand, his brows furrowing slightly.

Lu Yan’s heart skipped a beat, and she held her breath.

He turned up the water pressure and continued to rinse her hand. Softly, he murmured, “Breathe. Don’t hold your breath.”

Lu Yan exhaled sharply, her cheeks flushing red. A sudden surge of irritation flared up, and she struggled, “Let go!”

Shen Kuo stubbornly held onto her wrist, not letting go.

Lu Yan continued to retreat, struggling with all her strength… Then, Shen Kuo suddenly pulled her closer. He didn’t expect to pull too hard, and their faces nearly collided.

Shen Kuo still held her hand. The two of them locked eyes, their breaths intermingling.

“Be good.”

His voice was low and rich. After speaking, he placed her hand back under the faucet, letting the cool water wash over her delicate skin.

“If you don’t cool it down quickly, you’ll get blisters.”

Lu Yan’s eyes grew a little red. The strong mental wall she had built around herself collapsed completely the moment she saw him.

She had rehearsed countless harsh words in her mind for when they met again, but now, none of them could come out.

Lu Yan gazed at his lowered brown eyes, his fine and translucent eyelashes, and his gentle expression. She couldn’t harden her heart against him at all.

Every move this man made pulled her heart along with it.

She had loved him before, and now, she still loves him…

Her voice carried an inexplicable trace of bitterness as she murmured softly, “Are you trying to deceive me again?”

Shen Kuo replied calmly, “There’s nothing for me to deceive you about.”

“Then why do you care about what I do?”

“You got burned.”

“This is my own business, it has nothing to do with you.”

Lu Yan’s tone turned cold, forcing herself to appear stronger, not wanting to be so weak.

Shen Kuo’s eyes darkened slightly. After a long pause, he let go of her wrist and said, “Alright, I won’t interfere anymore.”

Lu Yan felt the pressure on her wrist suddenly disappear, and she was left with a strange emptiness in her chest. She felt all her strength leave her body.

She wanted to cry.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the ache in her throat, her head lowered to stop the tears from falling. So… the person who was hurting, the one who couldn’t let go, the one who was weak, was only her from the beginning to the end.

Shen Kuo turned to leave, but Lu Yan walked to the water station and shot him an angry glance. “Shen Kuo, I want to make a bet with you.”

Shen Kuo turned back to look at her.

Lu Yan bit her lower lip, placing her hand under the hot water pipe, while her other hand reached for the switch.

“I bet… you loved me before.”

After saying that, she closed her eyes and pressed down on the switch for hot water.

Shen Kuo didn’t hesitate at all. Just as the hot water was about to touch her skin, he swiftly pulled her into his arms and carried her away from the water station.

However, his arm was burned by the scalding water and turned red over a large area.

He held her firmly by the shoulder and slammed her against the wall, his voice full of pressure as he demanded, “Is this fun for you?!”

Lu Yan had never seen him so angry. The sight of him enraged was terrifying.

She broke free from his grip, stood on tiptoe, and tightly wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Don’t be mad at me.”

Her eyes were glistening like they were filled with the morning sun. She buried her face in his firm neck and said, “Shen Kuo, if you’re willing, I’ll love you forever.”

Shen Kuo felt her soft body clinging to him, and in that moment, his heart softened completely.