He grabbed her arm through her sleeve, unconcerned about what she said.
The next moment, she heard his light, young voice above her head.
"When you're chasing a girl, how can you call it chasing if you don't give anything?"
"And don't put pressure on yourself," he raised an eyebrow. "I can wait. I'll wait until the day you willingly agree."
Ye Qingli lowered her eyes.
He pulled her along. Her gaze fell on his back, then after a few seconds shifted to the slender, strong hand on her arm. She didn't know how to feel.
Xiao Yu had hit Huang Xu in front of so many people, yet he still came back to school as if nothing happened. It showed his family background was good—it wasn't just 'only him.'
It was probably just a bad relationship with his parents.
It was precisely because he lacked someone to talk to that he was rebellious, arrogant, and didn't take other people's feelings seriously. He firmly believed that if he wanted to chase someone, he could definitely win them over.
Because he lived in too privileged an environment, with countless people liking him.
A proud person cannot accept failure.
Ye Qingli sorted things out in her mind and stopped him.
"Xiao Yu."
Xiao Yu turned back to look at her, raising an eyebrow in silent inquiry.
Ye Qingli blinked. Her palms were sweaty. She didn't dare to look at him, so she lowered her head and said in a very soft voice, "I know you've had many girlfriends. I also know that when you date someone, you lose interest in three minutes."
"Whether it's serious or just for fun," she said, clenching her fists as if she had made a big decision. "I'll give you one year. If one year from today you still like me, I'll agree."
One year—not too long, but not too short. It should be enough for him.
A year could change a lot; it could wear out his patience.
If Xiao Yu really persisted to the end, then she would agree. Even if they only dated for a few days and then broke up, that would be fine.
Just like Xu Yan said, playboys like them only date for fun, never seriously. If he chased you, just agree. Once the novelty wears off, he'd get bored of you soon enough.
Xiao Yu was no exception.
No matter his purpose, even if they got together, they wouldn't last.
People with mismatched views on love can't exchange long-term commitment.
Sunlight spilled on her head, golden and warm.
He met her pure eyes. Maybe it was because they were too pure, but Xiao Yu felt a tightness in his chest, an unprecedented sense of guilt.
Xu Qingsong's words from a few days ago resurfaced in his mind, like wind blowing in his ears, accusing him of his sins.
Actually, recently he had been pestering her not just for the sake of chasing her. Thinking carefully, it seemed he was only trying to create the illusion that they were almost together for Huang Xu's sake.
As for this meal, she might think he had ulterior motives, but his original intention was really just to thank her.
It must be because he was too bad that she had to make such a reluctant promise just to fend him off.
One year—probably an eternity for him.
But Xiao Yu still heard himself say, in a hoarse voice, "Okay."
Under Ye Qingli's stunned gaze, Xiao Yu pulled her into the restaurant.
He just needed to keep Ye Qingli from getting close to Huang Xu.
After all, she didn't know that Huang Xu was never a good person.
...
The meal cost nearly a thousand.
The cashier printed the receipt. Ye Qingli held it in her hand, her heart bleeding.
She normally ate very little, but today she ate with all her might. Even then, the dishes barely seemed to diminish. She puffed out her cheeks and urged Xiao Yu to eat more so they wouldn't waste food. He agreed verbally but only took a couple of bites.
The leftovers were all packed, since there were two dogs in the dorm that needed feeding. Xiao Yu carried the bag. Ye Qingli threw the receipt into a roadside trash can, pulled out her phone, and tapped a few times.
Then she caught up, slightly nodding and opening her mouth. "Xiao Yu, I split the bill with you. Make sure to accept it later."
His phone was always on silent. At her words, his footsteps paused briefly before returning to normal.
She always kept things so clear with him.
"If I invite you to eat, just eat. Don't keep talking about money with me," Xiao Yu said, using his free hand to fish for his cigarette pack in his pocket. When he went for his lighter, it wasn't there.
He must have left it at the restaurant.
Too lazy to go back, he licked his lips and put the cigarettes away.
Ye Qingli observed this, gripping the lighter in her own pocket. She thought for a moment, then let go without taking it out.
He had forgotten, but she remembered. She had originally planned to return it to him outside, but on second thought, smoking less would be better for him.
After that little interlude, she returned to the previous topic. She said earnestly, "Money isn't easy to earn. Like when my dad first started his business, it was really tough. Cash flow often stalled. Coincidentally, meat prices went up, and our family rarely bought it. We ate vegetables for almost a month."
Although things had gradually improved, she would never forget that dark time.
Going to the supermarket meant heading to the clearance section; buying clothes at the mall meant checking the price tags. No matter what she bought, she had to compare, compare, and compare again before picking the cheapest option.
Ye Qingli, like Xiao Yu, used to be a big spender, so she knew exactly how hard that life was—so hard that it took her a long time to adapt.
Learning to live frugally was something she picked up back then.
Xiao Yu hadn't expected her to have such an experience. He slowed down, frowning slightly. "Did you suffer a lot?"
Suffering wasn't quite the word. Ye Qingli shook her head. "I grew up with my grandmother. I only returned to my parents a few years ago, so I only experienced the tail end of hardship."
After speaking, she lowered her head and tugged at the corner of her mouth. In her mind, she suddenly saw her grandmother, leaning on a cane, hunched over as she walked past her. After a while, the grandmother stopped, turned back, and smiled at her.
The old lady had been frugal all her life. She wore old clothes over and over, patched up worn-out shoes repeatedly. Zhang Luan had scolded her countless times for it, but grandmother just smiled.
Her most common saying was: "An old woman like me doesn't need to wear good clothes. Saving one dollar is still saving. Better to leave it for our Qingqing, so she can buy one more ice pop at the supermarket."
In her eyes, that was an ice pop, and also love.
Her grandmother was the person who loved her most in the world.
Author's note: