The heart of a woman is as deep and unfathomable as the ocean.
Even a young girl is no exception—one moment she’s shedding tears, and the next, she’s happily sipping on her snowflake dew drink.
"Your ability to self-regulate is terrifyingly impressive," Long Aotian said with a chuckle.
"Do you want to see me cry, Brother Long?" Hu Yuying asked seriously, her voice soft as she looked at him.
"Little girl, you’ve got the nerve to tease your big brother now. Have I been too lenient with you lately?"
Seeing Long Aotian clench his fist, Hu Yuying obediently held her snowflake dew drink, pretending to be scared. "No, I was wrong, Brother Long."
Long Aotian grabbed her by the back of her neck, and Hu Yuying shrank back, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "Brother Long..."
......
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" On the other side, Ye Liangchen, who had been secretly observing the scene, felt his heart bleeding. Yet, there was nothing he could do but silently rage.
Though he couldn’t hear what Long Aotian and Hu Yuying were saying, he could see Long Aotian’s clenched fist and the way he gripped Hu Yuying’s neck...
"That despicable Long Aotian! You’re toying with someone I’ve dreamed of having, someone I consider a treasure!"
At this moment, Ye Liangchen let out a bitter laugh. Despite how Hu Yuying had treated him, seeing her like this still pained him—truly pained him.
He had once thought he could harden his heart. He had once believed that Hu Yuying’s current situation was the consequence of her not choosing him.
But now, it seemed he couldn’t bring himself to be so ruthless after all. "I guess I’m still a kind-hearted person," he sighed softly.
"By now, you must realize what kind of person Long Aotian is, right?"
"He’ll only drag you down, while I can pull you out of the darkness."
Suddenly, Ye Liangchen’s eyes lit up.
He saw Hu Yuying get up and leave the stall.
Seeing this, Ye Liangchen quickly followed her.
Long Aotian, that beast, had been keeping Hu Yuying too close, not allowing anyone, including him, to approach her. But now, this was a perfect opportunity.
With this thought, Ye Liangchen narrowed his eyes, exuding a cold, snake-like aura. "Since you don’t know how to cherish her, don’t blame me for stealing her away and cuckolding you!"
After saying this, Ye Liangchen straightened his clothes, took a detour, and headed in the direction Hu Yuying had gone.
It was the public restroom.
Once there, Ye Liangchen leaned against the wall outside the restroom, tilting his head at a 45-degree angle, exuding an air of loneliness and melancholy.
Soon, a graceful figure emerged from the restroom.
Ye Liangchen’s lips curled into a charming smile as he called out softly, "Yuying."
Hearing her name, Hu Yuying turned her head. When she saw it was Ye Liangchen, she ignored him and walked away.
Ye Liangchen chuckled softly. He believed that Hu Yuying’s reaction was due to her feeling inferior in the face of his mature and confident demeanor!
If she had chosen him back then, she wouldn’t have ended up selling goods at a street stall with Long Aotian.
He hurried after her. "Hu Yuying, to be honest, I had given up on my savior complex, but seeing you like this, I’ve decided to redeem you after all."
"Your life shouldn’t be like this. It should be radiant and dazzling."
Ye Liangchen grew more and more impassioned as he spoke, as if he could already see the confident, elegant business goddess of his dreams...
"Only I, only by being with me, can I save and redeem you. Only then can you reach the pinnacle of life and become a business goddess admired by all..."
Hu Yuying stopped in her tracks, the disgust in her eyes impossible to hide. "Ye Liangchen, we’re not close at all. I don’t know what makes you think I’m living a miserable life."
"I want to tell you that I’m fine, really fine. You don’t need to redeem me. Go save someone else, okay?"
Brother Long once said that a person’s life should be lived for themselves, not by clinging to others.
Everyone will carve out their own path.
If her success had to depend on Ye Liangchen, then she’d rather not have that kind of life at all!
Ye Liangchen was stunned, his eyes filled with disbelief. "What... what did you say? Do you even know what you’re saying?"
"Long Aotian is like a pile of mud. If you stay with him, you’ll end up covered in filth. That kind of life has no future."
"Do you really want to live a hard life with Long Aotian forever?"
"Don’t you want a refined life? Living in a multi-million-dollar villa, driving luxury cars at your leisure? You could be picky too, you know."
As he spoke, Ye Liangchen stared intently at Hu Yuying, afraid he might miss even the slightest change in her expression. "And I can help you achieve all of that."
Hu Yuying smiled. In the sunlight, her smile was breathtakingly beautiful.
Seeing this, Ye Liangchen’s heart raced. "So, you’re willing to be with me..."
Before he could finish, Hu Yuying cut him off.
"You’re wrong."
Ye Liangchen was taken aback. "What? What do you mean?"
"Long Aotian isn’t mud. To me, he surpasses everything in this world."
"And as for you, in my eyes, you’re utterly unworthy. At least Long Aotian never badmouths others behind their backs."
With that, Hu Yuying smiled sweetly. "If I ever needed redemption, I think I’ve already found my light."
Hu Yuying was a timid person, and these were words she could never say to Long Aotian’s face.
"Stop following me. I really don’t like you, and I especially hate the way you look at me."
With that, Hu Yuying walked toward the light, knowing that someone who truly cared for her was waiting ahead.
Someone who believed she was worth it.
"You’ll regret this," Ye Liangchen said darkly as he watched Hu Yuying walk away.
But Hu Yuying didn’t respond. Instead, she quickened her pace, as if silently telling Ye Liangchen that she had no regrets...
"Why? Why is this happening? I was only trying to guide you back to the right path. I only wanted to save you," Ye Liangchen muttered to himself as he watched Hu Yuying’s retreating figure.
After a long while, his gaze grew increasingly cold. "If you’re determined to wallow in the mud, then I won’t waste my time on you anymore."
"In my dream from my past life, I was the one who accompanied you, and that’s why you achieved success. But in this life, without me, I want to see if you can still succeed."
He could already imagine Long Aotian’s irresponsible behavior.
He could already picture Hu Yuying, who should have been shining brightly in college, now haggard and pregnant, struggling to take care of Long Aotian.
"I’ll prove to you just how wrong your choice was."
"From the moment you saw Long Aotian as the light in your dark life, you’ve already lost!"
Despite his words, Ye Liangchen couldn’t let go. He truly couldn’t accept it!
"Damn it! Long Aotian is just a scoundrel who forced himself on you. Just because he took your body, you’d rather choose a loser like him over me?"
"You’re such a fool. Long Aotian doesn’t deserve you!"