Cui Hao looked at Xue Yang. Although Xue Yang appeared calm on the surface, he must be suffering deeply inside after giving up on the girl he had pursued for six years.
Cui Hao threw an arm around Xue Yang's shoulder. "My good boy, you’ve finally come to your senses. Do you know? In letting go, you haven't just freed yourself, you've freed her too. Your foster father knows that when there's a giant tree standing in front of you, it's normal not to see the forest behind it. Now that you’ve chosen to step past that tree, a whole forest awaits you. I’m so happy for you today. Let’s go, I’ll treat you to some fat-happy water."
Xue Yang shook off Cui Hao’s hand and said with disdain, "Get lost! You know perfectly well I don't drink that junk. And you shouldn't drink so much of it either, be careful, it might just..." He glanced down at Cui Hao’s waistline with a meaningful look.
"Damn! That stuff brings people joy, and you won't even touch it? How about we go for a foot massage tonight? I’ve never been, but people say it’s heavenly—so relaxing it makes you want to stay forever, like you're floating on air..."
Xue Yang eyed him with contempt. "How much money do you have in your pocket to be acting like a big spender going for foot massages?"
"I found a part-time job passing out flyers. Eighty yuan a day! Don't say I don't look out for you; how about it? Tomorrow is the weekend, let's go together. After we finish, we’ll head straight for the massage."
The two walked arm-in-arm through the corridor, just as a group of people approached from the opposite direction.
It was a group of girls—juniors, to be exact. They were surrounding a girl walking toward the classroom. She wore a stylish yellow floral dress; she was very thin, but in all the right places.
Her hair, styled in loose, flaxen-colored waves, and her age—just past twenty—made her look her best. Even among a group of vibrant, beautiful young women, she was the one who caught your eye instantly.
The pale yellow dress and voluminous hair were very trendy. On some people, the style might look awkward, but on her, it looked custom-made—so beautiful that one couldn't look away.
Girls are a strange group. Some are beautiful and liked by boys, but ostracized by other girls; others, however, are beautiful enough to be loved by both.
Clearly, Chen Ying was the type of person beautiful enough to be adored by everyone.
Because of her, the school hallway turned into a beautiful scene. Girls were showing off their outfits, drawing whistles from the boys in the opposite corridor.
Xue Yang and Cui Hao continued their banter, though it was mostly Cui Hao doing the talking.
"Xue Yang, come on, will you go hand out flyers with me tomorrow? Just go with me. Eighty yuan is not a small amount; I looked for a long time to find that rate. Others are only seventy-five, and some are even stingier—seventy, and they don't even provide lunch! Who would do that?"
"I have things to do tomorrow, I can't go."
"What could you possibly have to do? Just come to keep me company. Tell you what, I'll give you half my wages, and you can treat me to the foot massage."
"Not going."
He looked up and saw Chen Ying and her group of fake friends.
"Chen Ying, look, it's junior Xue Yang. He must be here to apologize to you."
Every time Xue Yang had been rejected by Chen Ying, he would buy a milk tea to coax her and ask her not to be angry.
Not only was Chen Ying used to it, but even her group of fake friends had grown accustomed to it. They instinctively assumed Xue Yang was there specifically to apologize to Chen Ying.
Xue Yang was well-behaved and handsome, and these girls enjoyed teasing him; he would always just laugh it off.
"Junior Xue Yang, you can’t play favorites! You can't just give Yingying milk tea and leave the rest of us out."
"Yeah, yeah, little junior, we want your milk tea too, otherwise we won't feel safe letting you have Yingying."
In the hallway, the upperclassmen teased Xue Yang, completely forgetting how Chen Ying had humiliated him in public just the day before.
After all, in their eyes, Xue Yang was an indestructible cockroach. No matter how harshly Chen Ying spoke to him, he would still come scurrying back to apologize.
There were about ten of them. If Xue Yang actually bought them all milk tea, it would cost him at least over a hundred yuan. If it were before, Xue Yang would have foolishly gone to buy it, but now...
Chen Ying turned her head away, not looking at Xue Yang.
She knew that no matter how mean she was, Xue Yang would come and pester her just like always.
For so many years, there had never been an exception. But she was still angry now, and this time she wouldn't forgive him so easily. She had to make him realize how wrong he had been this time.
Cui Hao nudged Xue Yang with his elbow and said, "Xue Yang, the seniors are talking to you! They want you to buy them milk tea."
With so many people, Cui Hao felt bad for Xue Yang. This treat would cost at least a few hundred yuan. At their age, when they still had to ask their families for meal money, they’d be eating plain buns for the rest of the month.
*Forget it,* he thought, *since he’s my foster son, I’ll just skip the foot massage and share some of my living expenses with him.* Even though he’d never actually had a foot massage before.
To their surprise, Xue Yang acted as if he hadn't heard a word. He walked straight past them in one fluid motion, giving neither Cui Hao nor Chen Ying and her friends a chance to react.
*Chen Ying, I said it before: I won't confess to you again, and I won't like you anymore.*
*I have let you go, and I have let myself go...*
For a moment, Chen Ying felt like a beam of light hit Xue Yang’s profile. His expression was calm and composed, carrying a hint of carefree liberation—the grace of someone truly letting go of the past. Seeing Xue Yang like this actually made her heart skip a beat. Chen Ying stood there, stunned.
"Yingying, it seems your little junior is losing his touch. He’s already giving you an attitude over buying a milk tea. If you actually said yes to him, just imagine how difficult life would be for you later."
"Yeah, yeah, you were right to reject him."
"You can't have a man that petty."
"..."
The group chimed in, pointing out all of Xue Yang’s flaws. Chen Ying’s beautiful face looked unnatural for a second, but she quickly recovered.
In this world, anyone might ignore her, but never Xue Yang. Because he had once said that no matter when or where, wherever she appeared, he would be there.
*See? Haven't we run into each other again already?*
*Trying to get my attention this way, Xue Yang? You're still too naive.*
*This will only make me angrier.*
At that moment, a girl standing next to Chen Ying, a head shorter than her, said with some hesitation:
"But... Yingying, you did say those things to Xue Yang in front of the whole school yesterday. It makes sense for him to be angry, doesn't it?"