He was angry.
Ye Qingli's eyelashes fluttered. She turned back and explained the relationship between the two to the old lady again, also clarifying that Huang Xu was just their minister, not what she thought.
Seeing her serious expression, the old lady realized she had indeed overthought it. She nodded and finally stopped mentioning it.
...
When Xiao Yu came out, he found that Huang Xu hadn't left at all. The latter glanced at the room, then at him. Since no one was here, Huang Xu didn't need to pretend. He flashed a smug smile.
Xiao Yu had his hands in his pockets, his disgust for him undisguised, clearly visible in his deep pupils.
The surroundings were quiet, except for the creaking of the door as it swung back and forth.
"What's with that look? Don't tell me you're angry because of what the old lady said."
As Huang Xu spoke, he approached, leisurely observing Xiao Yu's expression.
The distance between them grew closer. Just as Huang Xu was about to stand in front of him, Xiao Yu's face turned cold. He walked away as if avoiding a plague.
The distance widened again.
The broom was leaning against the wall outside. Xiao Yu reached for it, but before he could grab it, his hand met empty air—Huang Xu had taken it.
A cold wind blew outside. Xiao Yu was only wearing a sweatshirt, and the wind whistled into his clothes. He gritted his teeth. "Why do you keep hanging around me? Show some respect for my patience, will you?"
"I asked if you're angry."
"Whether I'm angry or not, what's it to you?" Xiao Yu stood up straight, raising an eyebrow. He and Huang Xu were about the same height, but the low pressure Xiao Yu exuded was far greater than Huang Xu's.
His eyes darkened, and his tone was leisurely. "I'm not like you. You can't win anyone over. Not only are you useless, but you also only pull off petty tricks behind the scenes. In the end, you ask someone who doesn't give a damn whether they're angry."
Xiao Yu's face showed sarcasm. As expected, Huang Xu's face darkened. The battle was reversed, and this time Xiao Yu was on top.
Unpleasant memories flooded into Huang Xu's mind.
He remembered in high school, he had a crush on a very pretty girl. Just when he was about to win her over, Xiao Yu appeared out of nowhere, just like now, and stole her away.
They were about to stop being ambiguous. They were about to be officially together. But suddenly, the girl became cold towards him. Under his relentless pursuit, she finally revealed the reason: she had fallen for a junior.
And that junior was Xiao Yu.
A notorious playboy.
Huang Xu couldn't understand. He grabbed the girl's shoulders, his fingers pressing so hard that his nails nearly dug into her flesh. He begged her, "Don't like him. He won't treat you well."
But his persuasion not only didn't work, it earned him a solid slap on the face.
The numbing sensation left Huang Xu dazed. He stood frozen. The girl took the opportunity to push him away, her eyes angry. "Who do you think you are? I won't let you talk about him like that!"
With that, the girl left without looking back. Soon after, news spread on campus about the two of them dating. Everyone said things like 'he's handsome, she's beautiful,' hoping they'd last forever. The comments stacked up dozens of floors.
That night, Huang Xu got dead drunk and was hospitalized with acute gastritis.
But before he could be discharged, he heard that the girl had been dumped.
Huang Xu immediately messaged her to comfort her, saying that a bastard like Xiao Yu wasn't worth her grief.
Soon, the name on the screen changed to 'typing...' Knowing she was reading his message, Huang Xu smiled and continued typing comforting words.
But before he could finish, he caught sight of a green chat bubble popping up.
"So annoying, can you stop dragging it out?"
The next second, another appeared.
"Send again and I'll delete you."
Huang Xu's fingers stopped. He stared at his phone for who knows how long. Finally, he silently deleted all the words he had typed.
The person he cherished was always just a plaything for Xiao Yu. Clearly, they were the ones who got hurt, but now she was taking Xiao Yu's side, helping him.
She used to be such a gentle girl. How did she change so much in just a few days?
It must be Xiao Yu. He must have taught her to do this.
From that day on, Huang Xu, relying on being a grade above Xiao Yu, began to secretly throw obstacles in his way. From mysterious trash on the playground during Xiao Yu's duty to campus posts insulting his character, even the principal thought Xiao Yu was immoral and called him in for talks every few days.
Once, he even tried to get Xiao Yu to drop out voluntarily.
At first, Xiao Yu didn't know who was behind it all, nor did he care. He listened during the scoldings in the office. He was wild and could survive anywhere, so it didn't matter.
But later, the girl came to Xiao Yu on her own and told him everything Huang Xu had done, leaving nothing out. Her purpose was clear: she just wanted to get back with him.
Xiao Yu hadn't expected that outcome at all. After a moment, he leaned in, curled his lips, and brought his face close to the girl's.
The girl thought he was going to kiss her. After all, during their time together, Xiao Yu had never shown any affection. She had also heard that he was cold, that he had been with many girlfriends but never kissed any of them.
So, this was his first kiss.
The girl's face flushed. Her heart rate quickened. She nervously closed her eyes and slowly parted her lips.
But the kiss never came.
The girl opened her eyes and saw Xiao Yu slowly straighten up. From her angle, he looked incredibly handsome—his jawline sharp, his bones angular. He looked down, a roguish smile on his face.
"Thanks, but sorry. I never look back."
Author's note:
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