The first time Shangguan Meng saw Mo Xuan was during the high school opening ceremony.
When Shangguan Meng first laid eyes on him, many other girls had already noticed him too. Not only students from their grade, but even senior girls from the second and third years would go out of their way to catch a glimpse of him.
However, back then, Mo Xuan was always accompanied by Su Yanran, and it was clear to everyone that Mo Xuan treated Su Yanran differently.
At that time, for Shangguan Meng, Mo Xuan was just a good-looking boy. She didn’t know him well, and she wasn’t the type to develop feelings for someone just because of their appearance.
It wasn’t until they were assigned to the same class after the division that things began to change. In the first grade-wide exam, Mo Xuan came in first, and she came in second. The teacher had wanted to pair them as desk mates, but Su Yanran wasn’t having it.
From then on, Shangguan Meng became the closest observer of Mo Xuan and Su Yanran’s relationship. It was during this time that she slowly began to notice that Mo Xuan had a somewhat aloof personality and wasn’t particularly interested in socializing. To his classmates, he was just a classmate.
He would patiently answer their questions, occasionally discuss NBA games, anime, or video games with them, but Shangguan Meng still felt that there was a subtle distance between him and everyone else.
What truly made Shangguan Meng fall for him was actually an accident. There were some troublemakers who would sneak into their school to extort money from boys who were alone or flirt with the female students. Coincidentally, that day, her parents were busy, so she had to take a taxi home. Being petite and somewhat plain-looking at the time, Shangguan Meng naturally caught the attention of these troublemakers.
It was Mo Xuan who happened to pass by and saved her. After taking down the three troublemakers, Mo Xuan made sure she got into a taxi safely.
From that moment on, he had entered Shangguan Meng’s heart.
She felt that Mo Xuan was different from others. Even after that incident, as they gradually became more familiar with each other, he never said much, nor did he make any ambiguous or flirtatious gestures.
Sometimes, Shangguan Meng couldn’t help but feel jealous of Su Yanran. A boy like Mo Xuan had practically become immune to other girls because of her.
Slowly, Shangguan Meng began to secretly observe Mo Xuan. There were many things that even Su Yanran, as his girlfriend, didn’t notice, but she did.
She had thought that Su Yanran and Mo Xuan would end up together. After all, from her perspective at the time, there was no room for a third person in their relationship.
So, after graduating from high school, Shangguan Meng chose to study psychology abroad. Huang Ya once teased her, “So, you’re giving up?”
But she just smiled. How could she give up on something that never even started?
Few people knew why Shangguan Meng, who came from a decent family and was quite beautiful, had such low self-esteem. It actually stemmed from her parents. Her family was an intellectual one, with both parents being highly educated. They had a rather strict approach to her upbringing.
When she was young, her parents had even used a tough-love approach to push her to excel, but instead, it ended up making her feel insecure.
Because of this childhood insecurity, Shangguan Meng became hesitant and timid when it came to her own feelings, especially since Mo Xuan was so outstanding and had the radiant Su Yanran by his side.
This directly led to her missing opportunities time and time again, even when they were within her reach.
The main reason she chose to study psychology abroad was largely to heal herself. However, as the saying goes, “The physician cannot heal himself.” Despite learning so much and even having more than a few suitors, she still carried that sense of inadequacy.
So, to this day, Mo Xuan still had no idea that she liked him.
Watching Mo Xuan with the two little kids, Shangguan Meng gave Huang Ya a somewhat bitter smile and said, “Let’s not go over and disturb him, okay? Meeting him would just make things awkward for both of us.”
“We should at least go say hi. Xiao Meng, you’ve been secretly in love with him for so many years…”
Huang Ya knew that Shangguan Meng had been quietly waiting for Mo Xuan, but her approach was truly frustrating—even infuriating.
If she had stayed in the country, she would have had a chance when Mo Xuan and Su Yanran broke up. Knowing Shangguan Meng as she did, Huang Ya was sure they would have ended up together.
In fact, when Mo Xuan and Su Yanran broke up, Huang Ya had specifically told Shangguan Meng to hurry back, but her hopeless best friend still couldn’t take that final step.
Of course, in some ways, even if she had stayed, the outcome might not have been any different, but Shangguan Meng and Huang Ya didn’t know that…
“This is the last time. Come with me to say hello. If it’s not meant to be, you can keep waiting. If it is, then you can move on and start a new life!”
Huang Ya couldn’t bear to see her friend trapped in a years-long unrequited crush.
Shangguan Meng sighed and nodded. Just as Huang Ya was about to pull her over, a beautiful figure walked past them and entered the dessert shop.
“Luo… Luo Muqi?”
Huang Ya recognized Luo Muqi. She was an art student herself, studying painting, and Luo Muqi was quite famous in that circle. Huang Ya had seen her once at an exhibition she attended with her college professor.
Luo Muqi, the young heiress of Luo Financial Group, a prodigy painter, and a top student in finance—she was practically a walking halo of achievements.
But Huang Ya couldn’t figure out why someone like her would be here, and alone at that.
Shangguan Meng didn’t know Luo Muqi, but she was also stunned, simply because Luo Muqi was breathtakingly beautiful. She had always thought Su Yanran was pretty, but compared to Luo Muqi, Su Yanran’s radiance seemed to dim.
As the two watched in surprise, Luo Muqi walked up to Mo Xuan and the two kids, suddenly embracing him. They couldn’t hear what was being said, but seeing Mo Xuan’s expression—a mix of helplessness and affection as he gently touched Luo Muqi’s face—Shangguan Meng didn’t feel heartbroken. Instead, she felt a sense of relief.
“Let’s go, Xiao Ya. I remember there’s a nice place nearby.” Shangguan Meng wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and smiled lightly. “Let’s not keep watching. He’s doing well, and that’s enough.”
This time, Huang Ya was at a loss for words. Luo Wei'er and Luo Xue'er not only resembled Mo Xuan but also Luo Muqi. After all, Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi looked quite similar, so whenever people saw them with the kids, they’d assume the two little ones were siblings from the same mother.
Her best friend had completely lost her chance. There was no way she could compete with Luo Muqi, a woman who seemed to have it all.
Women understand women best. Both Shangguan Meng and Huang Ya could see the look in Luo Muqi’s eyes as she gazed at Mo Xuan—a love that was focused solely on him, impossible to hide.
However, Shangguan Meng couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something strange in Luo Muqi’s eyes for a fleeting moment.
It felt like, for just a second, Luo Muqi’s gaze had a hint of… something unsettling.
After leaving the mall, Huang Ya looked at Shangguan Meng, who seemed calm, and hesitantly asked, “Xiao Meng, if you’re feeling upset…”
“I’m not upset. In fact, I feel a bit relieved.” Shangguan Meng shook her head. “This was always a one-sided thing. He never knew…”
Shangguan Meng suddenly smiled at Huang Ya. “My feelings for him have always been my own. They were never about him.”
“Now that I see he’s happy, I’m glad. He’s been through a lot, and now he has someone who loves him and kids of his own. That’s enough for me.”
Huang Ya looked at the smiling Shangguan Meng, opened her mouth, then sighed and hugged her petite friend. “I’m glad you feel that way. My treat today, okay?”
“Then hurry up and book a table. I’m going to eat a lot and bankrupt you!”
Seeing Shangguan Meng in the mood to joke, Huang Ya felt that she had truly moved on. After all, why torture yourself over a crush that was never even confessed?
But as Huang Ya busied herself with her phone, looking for the restaurant’s number, Shangguan Meng pulled out a coupon from her bag.
It was something she had worked hard to get, hoping to use it as an excuse to ask Mo Xuan out for a meal and finally tell him how she felt.
Walking over to the trash can, Shangguan Meng thought about throwing the coupon away, but in the end, she couldn’t do it. Instead, she carefully placed it back in her bag…
(Note: The reason for introducing Shangguan Meng and Cheng Yuno is to set them up as characters who will later help the male protagonist realize that the two female leads are yanderes.)
(Cheng Yuno's role is to make the male lead realize that in the past, they forced the Luo Financial Group to compromise in order to be with him, doing many cruel things in the process.)
(Shangguan Meng, on the other hand, reveals to the male lead the use of hypnosis, psychological manipulation, and other methods, making him aware of the sisters' overly obsessive and burdensome love.)
(As I mentioned in my reply earlier, in my heart, the ending is a good one—I firmly believe this, and there will definitely be no deaths. The male lead also won’t end up with anyone else, so all you dear readers can rest assured.)
(I’m truly grateful to all of you for sticking with me this far. Honestly, I’m quite lazy and not someone who easily perseveres. The fact that I’ve managed to continue with this story until now is entirely due to your support and encouragement. Thank you all for your undeserved kindness.)