Following Meng Fanyu's torrent of words, Deng Xueyan's face flushed and paled by turns.
"Fine!" she laughed out of sheer anger, speaking loudly to the two of you standing before her. "You two just wait!"
"This isn't over today!"
"The two of you are in cahoots, teaming up to bully a weak woman like me."
"Hmph, as if men are hard to come by? I have one too."
"At the class reunion in a few days, I'm bringing my boyfriend, and I'll show you!"
With that, she clicked-clacked away in her high heels.
Only then did Guan Yao notice that Deng Xueyan was wearing high heels.
Sky-high stilettos, easily ten centimeters thin.
Seeing that she still didn't forget to swing her hips and waist even now, Guan Yao found her even more speechless. With a walk like that, if she fell and broke her neck, she'd only have herself to blame.
"Ow!"
Accompanied by a sharp scream, Deng Xueyan's retreating figure tumbled flat on her face, exactly as Guan Yao had imagined.
Both Meng Fanyu and Guan Yao witnessed the scene.
They exchanged glances, then covered their mouths and chuckled silently.
After laughing for a moment, Meng Fanyu suddenly turned serious and said to Guan Yao:
"Guan Yao, I hope you won't let people like Deng Xueyan and He Junkang affect your life."
"I..."
Before Meng Fanyu could finish, he had expected that the moment he spoke, the Guan Yao before him would already be weeping pear blossoms in the rain.
At least, that was the Guan Yao he knew.
To his surprise, however, Guan Yao shook her head, looked at him with firm resolve, and said:
"Don't worry, this is just school. There will be even more scumbags in society later on—if I spent all my time fighting with them, wouldn't I work myself to death?"
"I have my own dreams and pursuits."
Guan Yao paused, meeting Meng Fanyu's gaze head-on.
"Every obstacle in my path forward, I will clear them all away."
Meng Fanyu was completely stunned by this entirely different version of Guan Yao before him.
To be honest, something had felt off from the very moment he saw Guan Yao today.
Ever since she described how she used the food stall to get out of trouble, Meng Fanyu felt she no longer seemed like the Guan Yao he knew.
When they were eating together at the barbecue restaurant, he felt even more strongly that she was no longer as cautious as before.
It wasn't until they ran into Deng Xueyan later that Guan Yao's reaction truly opened Meng Fanyu's eyes; he had never imagined that a girl who spoke her mind so directly could possess such charm.
He had always thought girls should be gentle and graceful, even when facing superficial friends—scheming and plotting like characters in a palace drama, using clever tricks and stratagems to attack one another.
That was what a woman should look like in his mind.
Yet today, Guan Yao had shattered that impression.
Looking at Guan Yao, and completely unaware that the corners of his mouth were curling upward uncontrollably, he nonetheless put on a casual and indifferent expression as he said:
"Good. Knowing you feel this way puts my mind at ease."
"It's getting late, so I won't disturb you any longer."
He paused to think for a moment. Facing a Guan Yao whose depths he could no longer gauge, he decided it was best to act mature.
"I'll watch you go upstairs."
"Don't worry."
"I won't leave until you're safely inside your door."
Meng Fanyu's little scheme had already been caught by Guan Yao.
*Hah, figures.*
Men will never pass up any opportunity to act profound and mysterious.
Guan Yao nodded and turned without a moment's hesitation, walking toward the entrance of the building.
Her voice drifted back into the air behind her: "Thanks a lot for today. I've got some things to do tomorrow, so I'll see you in a few days."
...
Walking up the stairs inside the building, Guan Yao climbed the steps one by one.
She had once been so weak.
Especially in her past life, after experiencing the He Junkang incident, she had been like a frightened bird, fragile and vulnerable to a single blow.
Only Guan Yao knew how she had once spent the deep hours of the night alone, feeling as though she were cast into an endless, dark abyss, utterly helpless and isolated.
Even when sitting in the corner between her bed and the wall, wrapped tightly in a quilt, she would still find her body trembling uncontrollably, tears welling up in her eyes despite herself.
Later, after graduating from junior college and entering the workforce, she walked on thin ice, treading with extreme caution.
Faced with reprimands from supervisors and ostracism from colleagues, she never dared to talk back, forced to swallow her grievances and tears.
As for class reunions, she had never attended a single one, because she knew very well that her life was already hard enough—she didn't need to serve as a laughingstock for others and make herself suffer even more.
Later still, when He Junkang came back to hound her after his release from prison, she completely broke down.
She was too terrified to leave her apartment; every time she heard a knock on the door, her heart would tighten violently, thinking He Junkang had come again.
Her life had fallen apart, and her work was severely affected.
She felt her life had no hope left, that the future was a sheet of pitch darkness, and she grew increasingly taciturn, her eyes filled with confusion and helplessness.
Until he tracked her down yet again.
...
However, in this lifetime, I am going to live differently!
Just like the steps beneath Guan Yao's feet right now, "I'm going to walk up step by step, all the way to the top!"
Guan Yao clenched her teeth. *I refuse to live with such humility and caution ever again.*
*I want to live a life of style, freedom, and happiness.*
Guan Yao's apartment was on the third floor, and before long, she stepped inside.
Of course, she hadn't forgotten what Meng Fanyu had said; he was probably still waiting downstairs.
Raising her hand to gently press the light switch, in an instant—
Bright, warm light flooded the entire room.
The warm-toned glow spilled gently into every corner, chasing away the darkness within and the shadows in her heart.
Pulls apart the sheer curtains and opens the window, Guan Yao looked down.
Sure enough, Meng Fanyu was still foolishly waiting below.
Fearing that Guan Yao might not see him, this idiot had actually gone out of his way to stand right under the streetlight.
Guan Yao was slightly startled, then the corners of her lips curved upward into a gentle smile.
By this time, Meng Fanyu had also spotted Guan Yao upstairs.
His gaze was instantly captured by Guan Yao at the window.
For a moment, from Meng Fanyu's perspective, everything around them grew quiet, as if the entire world had shrunk to just the two of them.
In his eyes, Guan Yao at this moment was like a stunning painting, so beautiful that it was impossible to tear one's eyes away, stirring an ineffable emotion deep within his heart.
Moonlight spilled across her face, illuminating the swan-like elegance of her neck. Her fair skin appeared nearly translucent under the moonlight, radiating a soft luster.
Her eyes were bright and profound, reflecting the twinkling stars in the night sky as though harboring an entire glittering galaxy. Her long, upturned eyelashes fluttered gently like butterfly wings with every shift of her gaze.
...
Watching Meng Fanyu's dazed expression, Guan Yao understood everything.
This foolish boy had been completely captivated by yours truly.
Ah, this damned, uncontainable charm of mine that radiates everywhere at any given moment.
No, that sounds too vain. Let's make it more literary:
"Tonight, he decorated the scenery outside my window, and I shall decorate his dreams."