"Brother Chen, it's Li Qingxue," Gao Quan whispered, nudging Ye Liangchen with his shoulder as he glanced at the girl conducting an interview ahead.
He thought this was an opportunity.
If Brother Chen still couldn't let go of Li Qingxue, he could use this chance to talk things out with her.
Ye Liangchen watched the scene coldly, his hand clenching involuntarily.
Seeing Hu Yuying obediently following Long Aotian made his heart bleed.
But for now, he had to endure it.
What he hadn't expected was that his decision to reject Li Qingxue would lead to her meeting Long Aotian earlier than in his dream.
In the dream, Li Qingxue had rejected him, but when she saw the disappointment in his eyes, she felt inexplicably flustered and confused.
Coupled with the fact that he, heartbroken, didn't wait for her to go to the cafeteria for the first time, Li Qingxue ended up in a bad mood and skipped the cafeteria, which meant she didn't go out to complete the school anniversary interview.
The real intersection between Li Qingxue and Long Aotian should have happened half a month later, after he had saved Hu Yuying and spent time with her...
But now, because he had proactively rejected Li Qingxue, there was a brief deviation from the dream.
Ye Liangchen shook his head slowly. "There's nothing to say."
He knew this was just the beginning. Soon, Li Qingxue would start to feel uncomfortable and eventually remember how good he had been to her when he was by her side.
Then, she would suddenly realize that he had unknowingly taken up a significant place in her heart.
When that happened, she would regret it, have an epiphany, and come looking for him.
If he went to her now, how would it be any different from the past when he had always followed her around?
But seeing Li Qingxue interviewing Long Aotian still made Ye Liangchen's heart ache.
She was his first love, the beautiful memory that had occupied his entire adolescence.
Taking a deep breath, Ye Liangchen kept telling himself to hold on, to endure. Li Qingxue had spent too much time with him, so much so that she couldn't see her own feelings clearly.
She couldn't tell whether her feelings for him were more about love or just the familiarity of a long friendship.
She needed time. Only time would allow her to see her own heart clearly.
Only then would she realize that it wasn't just her who had occupied his entire adolescence—he had also occupied hers.
Once a woman regrets and has an epiphany, the intensity of her love is something he had experienced in his dream. That's why he couldn't show any regret now. He had to act as if he had moved on.
Only then could he hasten Li Qingxue's regret.
Suddenly, Long Aotian left with Hu Yuying.
Not only did Gao Quan hear it, but Ye Liangchen also overheard the girl recording next to Li Qingxue say, "That guy is quite the gentleman, huh?"
Li Qingxue didn't respond, but the smile on her face said it all.
Seeing this, Ye Liangchen couldn't help but sneer inwardly. "Laugh now? Think Long Aotian is a gentleman? Just wait until you see his true colors and his dirty tricks. You won't be laughing then."
With that thought, Ye Liangchen straightened his back, looked ahead, and headed toward the cafeteria.
As he passed by Li Qingxue, she instinctively wanted to call out to him, to ask him to wait for her as usual.
They had known each other for too long—since fourth grade when they became desk mates, through fifth grade, sixth grade, middle school, and now their third year of high school. Nine years in total.
They had known each other for so long that it had become second nature.
Most of the time, Ye Liangchen had never refused her.
But just as she opened her mouth, she suddenly remembered Ye Liangchen's strange behavior earlier that day and stopped herself from calling out.
Ye Liangchen, of course, noticed Li Qingxue's hesitation out of the corner of his eye.
He felt a flicker of joy but quickly reminded himself not to turn back. Even if Li Qingxue called his name, he couldn't turn back. He had to act as if he had moved on, telling her in a calm, emotionless voice, "I don't have time to wait for you."
He would no longer unconditionally cater to her as he had before.
He would no longer be her lapdog.
He would no longer rush to her side just because she gave him a pleading look.
But why hadn't Li Qingxue called out to him yet, even though he had walked so far away?
Frowning slightly, he wanted to glance back, but that would be too obvious.
So, he turned to Gao Quan instead. "Quan, look back and see what Li Qingxue is doing."
Gao Quan, unfazed, turned around and looked.
Then he told Ye Liangchen, "Brother Chen, Li Qingxue is standing there, still looking at you. Are you sure you don't want to wait for her?"
Earlier, Gao Quan had seen Ye Liangchen sneak into the hallway under the pretense of going to the bathroom, looking heartbroken.
As Ye Liangchen's best friend, brother, and confidant, Gao Quan knew just how much Ye Liangchen loved Li Qingxue.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked Gao Quan to check on her now.
He clearly hadn't let her go.
Hearing Gao Quan's words, Ye Liangchen's lips curled into a slight smile. Everything was unfolding just as it had in his dream.
"No, Quan. There are some things you don't understand yet. Let's go. This time, I'll take you along for the ride."
With that, he quickened his pace, afraid that he might give in and turn back.
Watching Ye Liangchen's retreating figure, Gao Quan sighed. For some reason, he felt that if Ye Liangchen kept acting this way—ignoring Li Qingxue and acting indifferent—he would regret it someday.
"Qingxue, did you have a falling out with Ye Liangchen?"
Li Qingxue shook her head. Truthfully, she didn't know either. She hadn't even been aware that Ye Liangchen had been planning his 99th confession.
Because they had known each other for so long, Li Qingxue had always tried to avoid embarrassing Ye Liangchen in front of their classmates.
In private, she had told him countless times that she didn't want to be in a relationship, at least not before college.
She had explicitly rejected him many, many times.
So many times that Li Qingxue had lost count.
Not only that, but she had also repeatedly told him to his face that she thought their current friendship was just fine.
And that she really only saw him as a brother.
So how had things come to this?
Perhaps she was feeling a little down. After all, how many nine-year friendships does one have in a lifetime?
But if Ye Liangchen could finally come to his senses and stop confessing to her, that would be for the best. She just hoped he could gradually adjust his emotions without affecting their friendship...