-007- I have never disliked her.
-007-
From the corner of his eye, Xuan Yang's figure disappeared around a turn at the edge of the courtyard.
Zhou Dang collected his thoughts and took a glass of blue sparkling water from a passing waiter. He raised his glass to He Chen, who was scowling. "Happy birthday, man. Congrats on getting another year older."
He Chen ignored him, turning away with his champagne, one hand in his pocket, still sounding like he'd swallowed gunpowder. "You're not welcome here."
Zhou Dang clicked his tongue. "Don't be so petty. At least I brought a gift."
He Chen turned back, raising an eyebrow at him. "With you here, I can't be happy at all today. Get it?"
Zhou Dang nodded, unusually good-tempered tonight. "Fine, I'll go stand over there."
He Chen: "..."
This feeling of punching cotton was extremely unpleasant. As Zhou Dang made to leave, He Chen suddenly remembered something and called out to him. "Tangtang is coming back. You probably didn't know."
Zhou Dang stopped but didn't turn around.
He Chen chuckled. "She told me not to tell you. What does that say?"
Zhou Dang took a sip of sparkling water, his gaze involuntarily drifting toward where Xuan Yang had disappeared. In his line of sight, a few second- and third-generation rich kids from their circle were gathered. He could vaguely hear them discussing something, often mentioning Xuan Yang.
Behind him, He Chen's triumphant voice came again. "I heard from Tangtang that after she went abroad, she rarely contacted you."
"No wonder she only told me about her return, not you."
"Zhou Dang," He Chen got down to business, "I know your family is arranging a marriage for you, and your father has his eye on Tangtang. But you and Tangtang are impossible. I advise you not to get any ideas."
Zhou Dang finally turned to look at him, his indifferent expression showing a flicker of emotion—half amused, half exasperated. "He Er, if your brain is sick, go see a doctor."
He Chen frowned. "You're the one who's sick."
Zhou Dang's gaze darkened, his voice cold. "I have no interest in Huo Yuntang. Not in the past, not now, and not in the future. Believe it or not, I don't care. But if you dare spout your delusions again and cause misunderstandings, don't blame me for being rude."
He had already said this to He Chen before. But He Chen didn't believe him, and later, because Zhou Dang couldn't be bothered to argue, it only deepened his misunderstanding. Now, He Chen was stubbornly set in his views, beyond cure. The mere mention of Huo Yuntang made him sensitive and foolish.
Zhou Dang frowned in irritation, unwilling to stay any longer. He turned and walked toward the group of people chatting animatedly nearby.
At that moment, they were reminiscing about the past. More specifically, they were united in criticizing the cold, ruthless, and impartial Xuan Yang from their school days.
"Back then, Xuan Yang caught me for being late, and I got points deducted for our class. Our homeroom teacher gave me a real scolding."
"That's nothing. I was dating a class beauty from another school. Xuan Yang saw us out on a date off-campus, and she went straight to the teacher. Later, my dad found out and nearly beat me to death when I got home."
"Same with my dyed blonde hair. The discipline director made Xuan Yang supervise me dyeing it back. She stubbornly dragged me to the barber shop and wouldn't let me go until it was done. Terrifying."
"..."
When it came to their school days, everyone had a lot to say. And since they rarely found a common target to complain about, they naturally grew more excited. None of them noticed Zhou Dang approaching, let alone Xuan Yang and Xie Xinglan coming around the corner from not far away. They continued to vent their dissatisfaction with Xuan Yang without restraint.
"Anyway, Xuan Yang was quite arrogant back then. Relying on being a student council officer, she offended plenty of people."
"Yeah, we're all from the same circle, but she showed no mercy at all. No wonder she had so few friends."
"Actually, she treated everyone the same, even He Chen and Zhou Dang never escaped her scrutiny."
"Pfft, that was just because she was young and naive. Try that now—give her a hundred guts, she wouldn't dare offend Young Master Zhou or Young Master He."
"Don't be so sure. You saw them just now; she came with Young Master Zhou. Who knows what their relationship is like privately."
"Impossible, absolutely impossible! Xuan Yang must have used some trick to force Young Master Zhou's hand. Back then, she was the one who drove Huo Yuntang away and caused the complete fallout between Young Master Zhou and Young Master He. It's good enough that he didn't hold a grudge and take revenge on her—how could he be on good terms with her?"
"..."
Hearing those old tales dragged up and twisted, Xie Xinglan couldn't take it anymore. She let go of Xuan Yang's arm, her face fierce. "Wait here. I'm going to tear their mouths apart and see if they still dare to spout nonsense."
Xuan Yang instinctively grabbed her, ready to say she could handle it herself. But before she could, someone beat them to it, cutting off the group with a cold, sarcastic remark.
"So in your eyes, I'm that petty of a person?" Zhou Dang curled his lips into a half-smile, but as he swept his gaze over them, his eyes were cold and indifferent, filled with intense scrutiny.
The group, who had been passionately discussing moments ago, instantly fell silent. They all stared at the source of the voice, their faces pale, as if facing a great enemy.
Zhou Dang swirled the sparkling water in his glass, then took a sip after a long moment. The fizz seemed to irritate him, making him frown—he didn't look happy. "As they say, rumor-mongering is as easy as opening your mouth. With all your mouths, you could turn black into white."
A tall, burly rich second-generation guy stepped forward with a flattering smile. "Young Master Zhou, we weren't lying. Back in school, Xuan Yang really was ruthless. She didn't even spare your face."
"But you're definitely not that petty. Otherwise, after the Xuan family abandoned her abroad for so many years, you would have tripped her up and made her life difficult."
Zhou Dang glanced at him, one hand in his pocket, his cold gray pupils glinting with frost. His voice deepened. "You're right. Back then, Xuan Yang shouldn't have meddled. It would have been better if Lin San had beaten you to death—at least that would have saved your face."
This guy was the second son of the Su family. During high school, he had a feud with the third son of the Lin family, and they'd scheduled a fight. Both were young and hot-headed, not knowing their own strength. They fought in the alley behind Jingbei No.1 High School. Su Er was beaten badly, breaking an arm. If someone hadn't seen them and told Xuan Yang, who was on duty at the school gate, it was uncertain whether Su Er would have survived.
That incident had caused a big stir, but everyone's attention was on the Su and Lin families. No one remembered how a weak girl like Xuan Yang had bravely rushed in to pull the bloodshot-eyed Lin San off Su Er. Now that Zhou Dang brought it up, Su Er recalled that long-forgotten matter. His expression stiffened, and he felt embarrassed.
He had indeed heard that Xuan Yang and two other student council members had arrived at the scene to stop Lin San. But back then, he had also been punished by the school and beaten black and blue by his father, so he held more resentment toward Xuan Yang.
Seeing Su Er silent, Zhou Dang's gaze shifted to the others. He spoke heavily, setting the record straight. "You're the ones with dark minds, holding grudges against Xuan Yang. Don't drag me into it."
He paused, then added, "I have never disliked her."
With that, Zhou Dang warned them, "Don't let me hear any more baseless rumors. And I'd appreciate it if, next time you hear others say such things, you'd clear it up for me."
Having said his piece, Zhou Dang turned to leave. As his gaze lifted, he finally noticed Xuan Yang standing still not far away. His expression flickered with surprise.
Xuan Yang was equally astonished. Suspicion churned in her eyes—she could hardly believe what Zhou Dang had just said to them.