On the other side.
Li Qingxue had just returned to her class after visiting Class 7.
Ye Liangchen happened to walk in from outside.
Today, Ye Liangchen looked different; he seemed a bit weak. However, upon seeing Li Qingxue, he managed to force a smile with his pale lips, nodded at her, and then returned to his seat.
It seemed like nothing had been said, but the sense of defeat and weakness, along with the forced smile, seemed to say everything!
Watching Ye Liangchen like this, Li Qingxue's gaze couldn't help but follow his retreating figure.
With his back to Li Qingxue, Ye Liangchen's lips slightly curled into a smile.
On Saturday, apart from sending him some learning materials, Li Qingxue hadn't reached out to him at all.
Ye Liangchen fell silent. He hugged himself home in the rain, locked himself in his room, and reflected on himself.
Eventually, he came to a conclusion.
In his dream, after being rejected 99 times, his heart had turned to ashes.
How to describe that feeling?
He had taken 99 steps toward his beloved, but his beloved moonlit figure wouldn't take that final step toward him!
This feeling was probably what one would call disappointment and defeat.
In the dream, he had been utterly disappointed and defeated, to put it bluntly, a bit downcast and lifeless.
Conversely, this lifetime, having foreseen everything through his dreams, he no longer carried the disappointment and defeat of being rejected by the one he liked.
Women were emotional creatures; they admired the strong but also had a soft spot for the weak.
Especially someone like Li Qingxue, who was more confident and assertive than the average girl.
Even more outstanding than some of the male classmates.
She herself was already strong enough, so facing someone equally outstanding might not easily trigger her maternal instinct.
But facing a weak person, someone she knew well but who was utterly defeated, could more easily ignite her protective instincts!
Indeed, Li Qingxue's gaze lingered on him longer than usual this time.
Ye Liangchen took a deep breath, turned around confidently, sat down, met Li Qingxue's gaze, smiled slightly, and then looked away.
Previously, he had deliberately avoided any contact with Li Qingxue. Although this might have caused Li Qingxue momentary sadness, her pride would have quickly brushed it aside.
Because her pride would make her think: "Since you don't pay attention to me, then I won't pay attention to you either."
That wasn't the effect he wanted!
But now, by directly facing Li Qingxue and showing her an indifferent demeanor, this psychological shift was the most difficult for her to accept.
Because he had given her a smile, a gentle look, which would subconsciously lead Li Qingxue to think he was giving her a way out, wanting to reconcile with her.
But that was wrong. The highest level of playing hard to get was to give her hope and then continue to ignore her.
This way, the joy she originally felt about possibly reconciling with him would instantly turn into disappointment, anxiety, and unrest.
If at this time Li Qingxue saw him chatting and laughing with his "treasured girl," the neglect and loss hidden in her heart would gradually transform into jealousy and possessiveness!
Just thinking about this, Ye Liangchen couldn't help but clench his fists tightly.
His "treasured girl"!
Ye Liangchen didn't even dare to close his eyes. As soon as he did, all he could see in his mind was that beast, Long Aotian, wearing his "treasured girl's" pajamas!
How disgusting!
How dare he do such a thing to his "treasured girl," utterly unforgivable!
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down. If it weren't for his own initiative to get close to his "treasured girl" and show her care, Long Aotian wouldn't have felt threatened by him. That beast wouldn't have developed a twisted possessiveness toward her ahead of time, forcing himself on the "treasured girl" who should have been his!
A real man wouldn't ignore his own mistakes. It's fine; in the future, he would spend the rest of his life protecting his "treasured girl."
With his boundless, heaven-moving love, he would slowly heal the scars in her heart.
Perhaps her "treasured girl" would feel guilty upon sensing his love, and at that time, he might even unlock even more possibilities.
Thinking about this, Ye Liangchen was a bit excited.
"Chen Ge, what are you thinking about that's making you smile so happily?" Gao Quan asked softly after taking his seat.
"Nothing," Ye Liangchen replied, looking out the window. After yesterday's rain, today's weather was exceptionally clear.
"Chen Ge, you look a bit melancholic right now."
Hearing Gao Quan's words, Ye Liangchen suddenly turned to look at him: "Really?"
"Mm-hm," Gao Quan replied seriously. During that moment when you looked out the window, you seemed a bit melancholic.
Ye Liangchen lowered his eyes inwardly and slowly curled his lips.
"How about now?"
As he spoke, Ye Liangchen tilted his head down at a 45-degree angle and closed his eyes slightly.
"That's even more melancholic. Chen Ge, are you okay? Are you under too much pressure? You mustn't get depressed."
"Don't worry, your Chen Ge has never enjoyed himself more. Keep quiet for a bit, let me enjoy this a little longer."
Ye Liangchen maintained this pose, searching for inspiration.
Finally, he smiled knowingly.
He glanced at Li Qingxue's back and then secretly pinched Gao Quan's arm!
"Ow!" Gao Quan suddenly yelped in pain.
Everyone in the room turned their heads toward Gao Quan.
Upon seeing this, Ye Liangchen quickly tilted his head down at a 45-degree angle, revealing a sharp jawline while slightly closing his eyes.
Li Qingxue glanced at Gao Quan, who was wincing and rubbing his arm, then also noticed Ye Liangchen next to him, looking down and appearing deeply melancholy.
Her beautiful eyes flickered, but she ultimately chose to look away.
If she continued to dwell on this and entangled herself with Ye Liangchen, it would be extremely irresponsible to herself.
To not disappoint her parents' expectations and to take responsibility for her own life, Li Qingxue knew she should focus on her studies.
She simply didn't want to fall in love during this crucial phase of the college entrance exam; she wasn't wrong.
Thinking of this, Li Qingxue organized her study materials and placed them on Wang Rui's desk: "Could you please help me give these to Ye Liangchen?"
Wang Rui glanced at the materials and knew they were Li Qingxue's study notes. She smiled and said, "You care about Ye Liangchen quite a bit, huh?"
"If someone made me cry, I definitely wouldn't care about them."
Wang Rui said this, but she still got up and took the organized study materials to Ye Liangchen.
Seeing that Ye Liangchen had received her study materials, Li Qingxue let out a small sigh of relief.
All she could do now was offer a bit of academic help to this friend she had known for nine years.
Hopefully, he could seize the remaining time, work hard, and not be under so much pressure anymore.
...
[What? Not hitting the like button while reading? I really want to punch you... (covering face laughing)]
[Also, a huge thank you to all the brothers and sisters who sent gifts. Thank you so much, everyone! ❤️]