Looking at his latest post on social media, a confident smile curled at the corners of Ye Liangchen's lips.
Hu Yuying was no longer an option. Only by letting her experience firsthand Long Aotian's irresponsibility and the shackles of poverty would she completely give up and realize the consequences of rejecting him.
"You could have had a bright future, but you chose the wrong path. I tried countless times to save you from the flames, but you gave up on yourself. Don’t blame me for this!"
The thought of soon appearing in front of Hu Yuying's stall, dressed in a suit, wearing a tie, driving a luxury car, and sporting an expensive wristwatch, filled him with satisfaction.
Imagining her shocked, envious, regretful, and self-conscious expression made the anger in his heart dissipate somewhat.
Shifting his gaze back to his phone screen, he reflected on his recent falling out with Li Qingxue. It had been his fault for saying those harsh words to her.
This time, Ye Liangchen was genuinely determined to clear up the misunderstanding between them.
After all, they had known each other for nine years. While he had made mistakes, wasn’t Li Qingxue also at least a little bit to blame?
This situation couldn’t be entirely his fault.
What man could tolerate his woman mentioning another man in front of him?
So, Li Qingxue should bear at least half the responsibility.
Despite this, he was the one who had lowered his proud head first.
To make Li Qingxue regret her actions, he had to start by resolving their misunderstanding.
So, the moment he saw Li Qingxue’s post, he immediately updated his own status.
No particular reason—just to let her know that he could also go to Kyoto now.
She had once said that she didn’t want to date in high school, but at least in college, she would consider it.
Now, he had made it happen.
Li Qingxue should follow through on her own words and start dating him, shouldn’t she?
Exiting the social media app, Ye Liangchen closed his eyes and quietly waited for Li Qingxue to message him.
He believed that once she saw his post, she would understand his intentions.
After all, he had been waiting for her all along!
Just as Ye Liangchen was about to fall asleep, Li Qingxue’s message still hadn’t arrived.
Taking a deep breath, he reluctantly opened their chat window: "Why do you always have to be so stubborn?"
"Fine, I admit it. I lost this round. You just wanted me to reach out first, didn’t you? You win."
After muttering these words to himself, Ye Liangchen began typing on his phone.
"Qingxue, I got into a university in Kyoto. We might not be at the same school, but we won’t be far apart. We’ve known each other for so long—it’s time for us to finally be together!"
He hit send and then continued typing: "About what happened before, I’ll admit it was my fault. I just cared about you too much. Let’s make up and go back to how things were before."
Though his words sounded sincere, his thoughts were anything but.
He planned to let Li Qingxue bask in his affection temporarily. Once she was fully immersed in it again, he would pull away without hesitation.
This would make her crumble with regret, eventually realizing her mistakes and chasing after him in desperation.
There was no other way. The butterfly effect caused by his rebirth had already cost him Hu Yuying.
But it didn’t matter. With the advantage of being a reincarnator, he could change his strategy and focus on Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning. This time, he wouldn’t act recklessly or overconfidently.
Everything was predestined by fate. All he had to do was follow the script step by step.
He could no longer afford to be kind-hearted and try to help a "treasure girl" prematurely, only to lose her due to the butterfly effect.
Ding dong~
The sound of his phone snapped him out of his thoughts.
Ye Liangchen took a deep breath to calm his emotions before picking up his phone.
But when he saw the reply, he froze. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and looked again.
"I must be hallucinating."
"Otherwise, why would Qingxue call me crazy?"
Ye Liangchen shook his head, then rushed to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face. After composing himself, he picked up his phone again.
His heart sank, and he took two steps back. If the bathroom hadn’t been so small, he might have collapsed on the floor.
"No, this can’t be happening."
Without hesitation, he called Li Qingxue on video chat.
When the call was declined, his breathing quickened. He quickly typed: "Qingxue, are you trying to push me to my death?"
Li Qingxue: [Ye Liangchen, are you out of your mind? Is dating the only thing you ever think about?]
[What did you say back in the classroom?]
[You said we were just friends from now on. So why are you saying these weird things now?]
Reading Ye Liangchen’s messages, Li Qingxue couldn’t help but feel a surge of frustration.
What did he mean by saying she was trying to push him to his death?
What had she even done to warrant such a claim?
Li Qingxue couldn’t help but recall how many times she had argued with Ye Liangchen during the second half of her senior year.
If it hadn’t been for Long Aotian, her mental state would have been completely affected by Ye Liangchen.
Thinking of this, she unconsciously compared Ye Liangchen to Long Aotian.
The more she thought about Long Aotian, the more her mood began to shift.
Some people truly provided positive emotional value, while others only brought negativity.
Ye Liangchen: [Qingxue, how can you say that? Do you know what I’ve done for you? Do you know how much I’ve sacrificed for you?]
[Even now, you still can’t see your own heart. We’ve known each other for nine years, been together for nine years. Is admitting that you love me really so hard?]
[Just admit it. Doesn’t it hurt to keep it bottled up inside?]
Reading Ye Liangchen’s messages, Li Qingxue rolled her eyes in exasperation: "I used to think we were the best of friends. I genuinely saw you as a brother."
"Maybe I gave you the wrong impression, but I’m telling you now, very seriously, I’ve never liked you."
Feeling her words weren’t clear enough, she added: "Not even for a moment."
Seeing the message on his phone, Ye Liangchen laughed. Tears streamed down his face as he chuckled bitterly: "So, you still haven’t come to your senses. Fine, don’t blame me for what’s coming next."
"It seems the only way to make you realize your mistakes is for you to see how you’ll lose me."
"Back then, it was the 'treasure girl' who made you feel threatened, and that’s what made you regret and come to your senses."
"Now, I’ll have to use my childhood friend Lin Wanning to make you feel that same sense of crisis, to make you regret and fall for me."
"Don’t blame me. If I don’t find someone else, you’ll never regret it. Only by seeing me with another woman will you feel the pain. Heh, it seems this is the suffering you must endure. It seems everything was predestined after all..."