She enjoyed Jiangnan cuisine.
Arriving at the restaurant, she went to pick up the milk tea she'd ordered for takeout.
As she came downstairs, she froze, thinking she was seeing things.
She saw Xu Mingyi.
Yun Mi quickly went back up with the takeout bag, but the person followed closely. She realized Xu Mingyi's private room was on the same floor.
The moment she recognized her, Xu Mingyi's eyes widened.
During this period, she had been suspended from competition and grounded at home. Her future of many years was destroyed overnight, so her mood was naturally bad. Her parents arranged for her to go abroad, but with her long-chased dream shattered, she looked gloomy. Seeing the figure with loose hair by the stairs, she thought she was mistaken.
"Yun Mi?"
Xu Mingyi had sent Yun Mi an "I'm sorry" last time, but she hadn't replied. Seeing Yun Mi turn to leave, Xu Mingyi hurriedly chased after her. "Yun Mi, why didn't you reply to my message? You ruined me, do you know that?"
At the narrow staircase landing, Yun Mi saw Xu Mingyi's eyes instantly redden with tears.
The senior sister, dressed in understated luxury, had lost all her former arrogance.
She tried to grab Yun Mi's hand, but Yun Mi dodged.
Xu Mingyi had a moment of frenzy. Yun Mi was like cotton; hitting her seemed not to hurt. Xu Mingyi said, "Yun Mi, come with me to the team and explain. Explain, okay? It was all your doing, all your fault!"
Xu Mingyi's family arrived at the room first. Coming out, they called "Yiyi" and saw their daughter almost grasping at the person in front, then belatedly realizing who it was.
Yun Mi tried to keep her voice calm. "Sorry, I don't know you."
"Don't know me?" Xu Mingyi's face changed drastically. "You saved me!"
Mentioning this, Yun Mi found it absurd and ironic. A cold smile curled at her lips. "If you remember I saved you, why do you go around saying I ruined you?"
Xu Mingyi's tone suddenly rose, almost out of control. "Isn't this ruining me? Suspension, withdrawal from the team—I only made one mistake! Yun Mi, even if I was wrong, you don't have to go this far!"
Yun Mi's heart tightened. Instinctively, she reached for her phone to call Chen Yiyang, but Xu Mingyi grabbed her wrist. Her injured hand had no strength, and being yanked suddenly sent sharp pain shooting up her arm to the bone, making her fingers tremble.
The days of suppression and humiliation utterly broke Xu Mingyi. Her eyes reddened, tears falling without warning, her emotions bordering on collapse. "Yun Mi, you have no future anyway! Your mother is dead, why should you live well? You're just jealous of me! You saved me once, and I just said a few words on your forum—why… why should I ruin my whole life?"
On the other side of the corridor stood Xu Mingyi's family—parents and relatives gathered together. Among the crowd stood Qiu Bei, Yun Mi's former best friend.
Her wrist was red and swollen from the grip. Yun Mi struggled hard, her voice cold.
Xu Mingyi used too much strength, and her injured hand couldn't exert any force. Yun Mi wished someone would save her.
But no one did.
Time seemed to go back to long ago.
Cornered step by step, Yun Mi couldn't bear it any longer. She suddenly looked up, a cold smile laced with bone-chilling bitterness. She questioned word by word, "What do you mean I ruined your future? What do you mean my mother is dead, so I should die with her?"
The next second, a lean but imposing figure stepped forward and stood firmly in front of her. The boy's voice was cold and without warmth. "Let her go."
Chen Yiyang had been in a nearby room. Hearing the commotion outside, he pushed open the door and immediately saw Yun Mi's injured wrist being clutched by someone, red marks glaring.
The suddenly appearing girl was almost hysterical, refusing to let go.
His brow cold, he reached out, grabbed Xu Mingyi's forearm with a steady and fierce grip, showing no mercy, and flung her away.
Xu Mingyi staggered back a few steps, hitting the railing awkwardly.
Her mother rushed over to protect her daughter, screeching, "Why are you using violence?!"
Chen Yiyang's tone was calm but imposing. "I haven't asked her yet. What right do you have to touch my sister?"
He glanced sideways at Xu Mingyi, who was about to faint from crying, and said, "Try touching her again."
Onlookers began murmuring, unpleasant words mixing. Earlier they had been blaming her, now they were criticizing Chen Yiyang for being unreasonable.
Yun Mi's eyes, already moist, trembled slightly.
Her nose stung, and the tears that were about to fall were suddenly forced back.
Her heart was both bitter and hot.
Clenching her teeth, Yun Mi cut through all the questioning voices. "Xu Mingyi, do you know? Even now, when you talk to me, your hands are shaking."
"Can such hands really hold a sword steadily?"
She stared at her sarcastically. "Didn't you say before that I would fall from the altar sooner or later?"
"I'm telling you now, I won't."
"Even if you achieve nothing in the future, I will still stand high, always dazzling, making you look up in fear for a lifetime."
...
Yun Mi had no appetite to eat. She didn't entangle with Xu Mingyi's group, but she figured Xu Mingyi wouldn't dare provoke her again.
Yun Mi said that if she was messed with again, she would go straight for a lose-lose, exposing everything to the media.
Xu Mingyi cried even harder, trembling and collapsing to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
As if she were the victim.
Yun Mi said she wanted to go downstairs for a walk.
With so many people around just now, she had forced herself not to cry.