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“Nice to meet you.”
“My name is Xu Ye—‘Ye’ as in ‘wild’ or ‘unruly.’”
After finishing his rendition of Common Jasmine Orange, Xu Ye handed the guitar back to the girl and casually introduced himself.
The girl didn’t respond. She simply reached out and took the guitar.
Just then—
A business van parked by the roadside suddenly honked twice.
The girl slung the guitar over her back, stood up, and climbed the steps without a word, turning and walking away.
Xu Ye shook his head and muttered with some regret, “So pretty… what a shame she’s mute.”
The girl paused mid-step upon hearing his voice from behind. The corners of her lips curled into a faint, alluring smile—but she didn’t stop and instead got into the business van by the road.
Night had fully settled in.
Xu Ye yawned and didn’t linger by the lake any longer.
The night passed uneventfully.
He slept in until past nine the next morning. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a string of messages from Gu Mengyao.
Rose Girl: “Xu Ye, did you misunderstand me?”
Rose Girl: “I was with Liu Qian the whole time yesterday. I only ran into Duan Qingjun on the way.”
Rose Girl: “I heard there’s a new arcade near Wanda. Want to go check it out together this afternoon?”
The first two messages had been sent late last night. The third one came this morning.
After reading them, Xu Ye thought for a moment, then typed back directly: “There’s no need for you to explain so much. I’m not free this afternoon—and won’t be in the future either.”
Xu Ye finished editing his message and sent it.
On the other side, Gu Mengyao froze when she saw the message.
She sniffled, and a strange feeling of wanting to cry washed over her.
The stark contrast in Xu Ye’s attitude left Gu Mengyao completely confused. Though she hadn’t considered the idea of dating him, she didn’t want to completely sever their relationship either.
After all, what girl wouldn’t appreciate having someone decent and capable of pursuing her?
The emotional support Xu Ye had provided her with before had already become something she was addicted to. Only now did she realize how important Xu Ye had become in her heart.
With her eyes red, she sent a message, asking, “Do you not like me anymore?”
Five seconds later, Xu Ye replied with a single word:
“Yes.”
In that instant, Gu Mengyao could no longer hold back. Her tears, which she knew were worthless, began to flow.
Xu Ye felt very calm inside. He closed QQ, opened the Driving Test app, and continued going through the questions for Subject 1.
In his past life, he had already been an experienced driver.
Subject 2 and Subject 3 were no problem at all, but the online exams for Subject 1 and Subject 4 still required some preparation.
He spent the day at home studying, and in the evening, he headed to the Encounter Music Tavern.
“Xiaonuan, where’s the boss lady?”
“Go help in the warehouse. A batch of wine just arrived, and you need to unload it from the truck.”
Xu Ye nodded and quickly made his way to the warehouse.
Pei Youwei and Zhou Ying were busily hauling boxes of beer into storage. Seeing this, Xu Ye hurried over and took the load from their hands. “Boss lady, let me handle this.”
As he spoke, he effortlessly carried a box of beer into the warehouse.
Watching Xu Ye go back and forth moving the crates, a warm smile appeared on Pei Youwei’s face. “See? Every shop needs a guy around. This is what they mean by ‘men and women working together makes the job easier.’”
Zhou Ying chuckled. “But Xu Ye’s just working for the summer. Once the semester starts, he’ll be back at school.”
Only then did Pei Youwei ask curiously, “Xu Ye, which city are you heading to for university?”
“Modu.”
“Modu?”
Xu Ye had already decided this long ago.
His goal now was to make money, and as the economic center of Huaxia, Modu was undoubtedly the best choice.
“How did you do on the college entrance exam?”
Xu Ye smiled. “Not bad. I should be fine for a second-tier university. I might even have a shot at a first-tier.”
“Impressive.”
Pei Youwei deliberately teased, “If I were ten years younger, I might just fall for a boy like you.”
Xu Ye knew she was joking, so he played along. “Boss lady, I’m totally fine with older women.”
Pei Youwei’s smile froze for a second, then broke into even more laughter.
“You little rascal~”
…
Hongye Villa Estate was the most luxurious residential area in Jiangzhou City—without exception.
On the second-floor balcony of one of the villas, Chen Qingqing sat quietly in a lounge chair, gazing into the distance.
Had Xu Ye been there, he would have instantly recognized her as the “mute girl” he had run into by the lakeside the night before.
At this very moment—
She had her headphones on, and the song Common Jasmine Orange was playing.
The familiar melody.
The familiar voice.
Unbidden, Chen Qingqing thought of the boy who had played and sung by the lake the night before.
She was genuinely curious—how could someone like Xu Ye, who seemed about her age, be so skilled at playing the guitar?
She was an art student. While other high school students buried themselves in piles of practice exams, she had ample time to practice the guitar.
Could it be that he was an art student too?
Just as Chen Qingqing was recalling the events of the previous night, a woman—probably thirty-five or thirty-six, though she might have been older—slowly walked up behind her.
“Qingqing, the college entrance exam results will be out this month. Have you decided whether you want to go to Zhongyang Conservatory of Music or Modu Conservatory of Music?”
Chen Qingqing replied softly, “I haven’t decided yet.”
Her voice was gentle, like the sound of a flowing stream.
The woman said, “Go to the capital. My company’s headquarters is there, and I frequently travel there for business.”
Chen Qingqing didn’t respond.
The woman was none other than Chen Qingqing’s mother, Jiang Meilin, the Vice President of the Greater China Region for a multinational corporation. In the business world, she was the quintessential career woman—sharp, decisive, always in control. But in front of her daughter, all that strength seemed to melt away, replaced by a quiet humility.
The reason for this shift was simple: she and Chen Qingqing’s father had divorced three years ago. Since then, work had consumed most of her time, leaving her with precious few moments to spend with her daughter. This lingering guilt weighed heavily on her.
Chen Qingqing stretched lazily. The long sleeves of her sweatshirt slipped down, revealing a sliver of her snow-white wrist. She wasn’t wearing any socks, and when she stretched, her toes curled slightly—ten dainty toes, pink and plump like peach-flavored gummy candy.
“Mom, my birthday’s in a few days,” she said softly.
“What do you want this year?” Jiang Meilin asked.
“I don’t want anything.”
Chen Qingqing turned her head and looked up at her mother. “I just want you to stay home.”
“I…”
Jiang Meilin was at a loss for words.
As the Vice President of the company, her time was no longer her own. Even tonight was a rare exception—she was only home for the night, and would be leaving early the next morning for a business trip to a neighboring province.
Seeing her mother unable to respond, Chen Qingqing smiled faintly and quickly changed the subject. “It’s okay. I’m used to it.”
“Qingqing, I’m sorry.”
“……”
“How about I give your father a call?”
“There’s no need.”
Chen Qingqing replied coldly, then stood up and returned to her room.
…