Qiao Xixi left the hotel in tears, followed by Wen Tingxue and Xu Kexin.
The others remained in place.
"Honestly, with so many people around, you should at least save some face for her," Chi Zerui shook his head disapprovingly.
Song Jiamiao also felt he had gone too far. "Brother Chen, Sister Qiao is such a good person. She's been following you like a shadow for the past six months, always there when you call, more attentive than your parents. And on such a happy occasion, why be so blunt and make her cry? You should at least try to comfort her."
"If I'm not blunt, what's the point of letting her keep false hope?" Mu Chen scoffed. "Since it's impossible, why let her waste her time on me?"
Everyone: "..."
He made a lot of sense.
But they still wanted to punch him.
After a moment of silence, Yu Wenli suddenly asked, "Do you really not like her?"
Mu Chen opened his mouth, but said nothing in the end.
Chi Zerui raised an eyebrow. "Brother Chen, did you see? The girl even got a tattoo removed for you. I heard it's quite painful. Just because of your words, she went and had it removed. Tsk tsk, look at her, she's really gone to great lengths to get you to like her. And look at you, afraid to even admit it. Are you that much of a coward?"
Mu Chen: "..."
"You talk so much nonsense, yet I don't see you with anyone steady," he retorted.
Chi Zerui: "Hey! What are you bringing me into this for? I don't like anyone, and besides, everyone in Jiangcheng knows I'm a player." He lifted the chin of the girl next to him with his fingertip, his tone ambiguous. The girl blushed instantly and said, "Naughty!" Chi Zerui smirked, but there was little amusement in his eyes.
Xing Jiahe, who had been silent, finally managed to say, "It's so cold today, and she's wearing so little. Aren't you going to send her some clothes?"
Mu Chen instinctively glanced at the open door. "...Whoever wants to go, go!" With that, he strode away.
"Oh?" Chi Zerui looked at Xing Jiahe as if he had discovered a new continent. "It's different when you have someone you like. Your heart has become so tender."
Xing Jiahe: "Only Kexin is wearing a thick coat. If she lends her clothes to someone else, wouldn't she freeze?"
Everyone: "..."
Well.
It seemed that besides games, only Xu Kexin could get him to react so quickly.
At the coffee shop closest to the hotel.
As Qiao Xixi was crying, she thought she was seeing things. She stared at the entrance for a long time, and when she realized she wasn't hallucinating, the person she longed for had really come to find her!
"Wuwuwu~ Hug me~" She immediately jumped into Mu Chen's arms, and he caught her naturally.
Wen Tingxue picked up the coat that had fallen on the ground and handed it back to Xu Kexin. Then, the two exchanged a glance and left.
Mu Chen draped his black trench coat over her shoulders and asked, "Are you still cold? Do you want me to take you to buy some clothes?"
"No." Her voice was soft and hoarse from crying, tinged with the fear of abandonment. Mu Chen could feel her trembling, but the grip she had on his waist was strong, so strong he couldn't push her away.
They stood like that for about three minutes. Mu Chen said, "If you've cried enough, let's go back. I'll get you a taxi."
Qiao Xixi immediately started crying again, tears streaming down her face. Her voice was choked with sobs as she struggled to catch her breath. But she still had to ask, "What is it about me that you don't like? Tell me, I'll change, okay? Why do you keep pushing me away? Mu Chen, look at me, please? I really like you, so much that I can't let you go. Can't you give me a chance? Even just one..."
By the end, her voice had lowered to a whisper, almost swallowed in her throat. But Mu Chen still heard her. Especially when she looked at him with her red, swollen eyes, helpless and pitiful. She was like a fawn cornered, begging the person in front of her to soften their heart. In this state, she bore no resemblance to the girl he first met.
Mu Chen sighed silently. "Let's be friends, okay?"
"Friends?" Qiao Xixi sniffled, repeating "friends" several times. Eventually, her head drooped.
Mu Chen intended to push her away, but she reacted quickly, locking her arms around his waist and saying rapidly, "We can be friends!" Her speed was as if someone was snatching her food.
Mu Chen rubbed his nose helplessly. "Aren't you cold? Let me button up your coat for you."
"Oh..." The young girl reluctantly let go of him, but before she completely released him, she was still uneasy. She tilted her head up and asked cautiously, "You're not going to run off, right? We agreed to be friends, you can't leave me out in the cold."
Mu Chen: "..."
Was his reputation that bad?
In the end, Mu Chen still took Qiao Xixi back to the hotel. The eighteenth birthday banquet was grand and went smoothly.
There was no matchmaking as he had feared. Mu Chen breathed a sigh of relief, but the next day, under his parents' insistent arrangement, he met Miss Zhong from the Zhong family in the capital. Even more terrifyingly, the Miss Zhong seemed to fall for him at first sight.
Things became more complicated, and Mu Chen started to feel a sense of recklessness. He remembered the cat his father had personally strangled. It was a pure white Persian cat, with a slight limp, but a very good temperament. It loved to stick to him. Every day when he went home, it would be the first to rush out, rub against his pants, and lick his hand.
Until one night, he was a little late for some reason. And then, he saw his father's ferocious eyes strangling the cat's neck. He was pinned to the ground by four or five bodyguards, forced to watch it slowly die in front of him. From being full of life to its seven orifices bleeding, it didn't take long. But for him, it was a lifelong nightmare. He would never forget the sight of it covered in blood, its fur stained a pure red. This was the price of his own will. Behind the immense wealth of the Mu family lay an unfeeling ruthlessness.
-
As per the tradition at Jiangcheng No. 1 High School, the New Year's Day party was organized and planned by each class. Therefore, the cultural representatives and class presidents of each class were putting in their best efforts. Besides wanting to gain attention, this was also the last class activity for the third-year students. Naturally, they wanted to make it a grand success, ideally attracting the attention of the entire grade.
After half a month of spirited organization, the prelude to the New Year's Day party officially began tonight. Wen Tingxue and Yu Wenli, due to the joint exam, had not signed up for any performances. With nothing to do, they huddled together, occasionally exchanging a few words, but mostly watching the performances. Or eating. The abundant class funds spent on food proved its deliciousness, and the good performances showed their effort. It also illustrated how quickly time flies; high school only had half of its time left.
"Yiyi." Yu Wenli suddenly looked down and called her.
"Hmm?" Wen Tingxue's eyes were glued to the girls twerking and dancing suggestively. She had no intention of looking back, so she half-turned her head and let out a lazy hum.
Yu Wenli: "..."
"Are they that good-looking?" Even though his voice was by her ear, the young girl still nodded without realizing.
"Of course they are. Didn't you see the boys from the next class coming over?" She raised her hand to point, but Yu Wenli immediately grabbed it, his grip not too strong, but not weak either.
"..." Wen Tingxue finally realized something was wrong. She slowly turned her head and met the boy's half-smiling gaze.
"If they're so good-looking, keep watching." He raised an eyebrow, but his eyes clearly conveyed: Try watching one more second.
"..."
As expected, he was a jealous type, not letting even girls off the hook.
"Cough," the young girl sheepishly scratched her neck. "They're actually not that good-looking. What did you call me for just now?" She quickly changed the subject, afraid of what might happen if they continued the conversation.
However, if she had known what he was about to say, she would have preferred not to have brought it up.
Yu Wenli gave a casual "Oh," and nonchalantly said, "After watching the dance for so long, don't you remember anything, Yiyi?"
"What?" The young girl looked bewildered.
Yu Wenli stared into her clear black and white eyes, and after a few seconds, he leaned closer. Whispering in her ear, he said, "Yiyi promised to dance for brother, remember?"
Wen Tingxue: "..."
She had indeed forgotten. It was from the art festival, but she had injured her foot then. By the time she recovered, they had both forgotten about it. Now, to have it brought up so suddenly...
A bad premonition flashed through Wen Tingxue's mind, and she instinctively wanted to distance herself from him. But his movements were always faster than hers. His warm palm was already on her lower back, blocking all her escape routes.
"In the new year, Yiyi will dance for brother, okay?" he whispered in her ear with the most captivating tone. Every word made her heart race and her body go soft.
Wen Tingxue naturally agreed unconditionally. When she came to her senses, she was already in the stairwell.
"..."
His words were misleading!
After cursing inwardly, Wen Tingxue tilted her head up, trying to change the reality, and asked, "Brother Yu, can I go back and dance for you?"
Yu Wenli smiled incredibly gently. Just as Wen Tingxue thought he would agree, he said, "Since it's the New Year's Day party, it naturally has to be at school to have meaning."
Wen Tingxue: "..."
She shouldn't have held out any hope for him. Once he made up his mind, even eighteen cows couldn't pull him back.
Yu Wenli said, "Don't worry, not many people come this way, and the light is good." He pointed to the moonlight streaming in through the window, illuminating a patch of the floor.
Wen Tingxue: "It is indeed good. Could you have planned this beforehand?"
Yu Wenli: "..."
He hadn't. He had just remembered it. His original intention was for her to dance for him at home. But seeing her so engrossed in watching the girls dance, he felt displeased.
...
The girl in the white down jacket danced under the moonlight. Her movements were graceful, her figure slender. Outside the light, the boy, clear and pure like the moon, watched her with deep affection.
When the dance was over, the little girl fanned herself with her hand, her cheeks flushed and looking very endearing.
"Come here." The boy in black beckoned.
"What for?" The young girl walked over. As soon as she stood in front of him, he suddenly bent his knees and squatted down.
Wen Tingxue: "?"
"Your shoelace is loose." He explained, then patted his knee. "Step on it, I'll tie it for you."
Someone accidentally passing by heard the sound and glanced inside, only to see—the rumored cold and unruly, extremely germaphobic "Great Demon King" kneeling down, letting the girl step on his knee, his beautiful and slender hands carefully tying her shoelaces. His hands, usually playing music, were surprisingly meticulous when tying shoelaces.
Wow! The person couldn't help but exclaim in their heart: "So sweet!" They then quickly took a picture and posted it on the forum with the title: "This is sweeter than the candy I just ate. Who hasn't indulged in this sweetness yet?"
Ten minutes later, the forum exploded.