"You said it yourself—it's been six years. If he stops pursuing me just because I rejected him this one time, then I don't think rejecting him was such a bad thing after all."
Wu Xiaoya fell silent for a moment, then said, "Ying Ying, I hope you won't regret the decision you made today."
"How could I? I won't."
Chen Ying said that because she firmly believed that Xue Yang couldn't possibly stop pursuing her. It was absolutely impossible. Those who are loved always have the luxury of being fearless.
***
"Xue Yang, you really don't plan to pursue Chen Ying anymore?"
In the classroom, Cui Hao was still shocked by Xue Yang's cool demeanor when he had encountered Chen Ying earlier. In the past, Xue Yang would have shouted "My queen!" and eagerly rushed over to her.
And today? From beginning to end, he didn't even give Chen Ying a glance. He even remained cool and collected when facing everyone else's teasing.
You have to understand, that was her squad of besties. The slightest misstep could ruin your reputation at school. You wouldn't just fail to win over the goddess; you'd also be saddled with labels like 'scumbag,' 'cringey guy,' or 'overconfident average Joe.' Once that happens, you could jump into the Yellow River and still not wash away the stain.
So, Cui Hao had to admit that Xue Yang's performance made him see him in a new light. Now that was the kind of backbone his good brother ought to have, right?
"If you're really that bored, you can help me with my homework."
"Damn, if you hadn't mentioned it, I would've forgotten we had homework. Quick, let me copy yours. Who the hell gets homework in college? This sucks."
Xue Yang was speechless.
***
The news about Xue Yang's encounter with Chen Ying in the hallway spread like wildfire to every corner of Yanbei University.
"I heard Xue Yang ran into Chen Ying in the hallway today, but for the first time ever, he didn't say a word to her and just walked right past."
"Chen Ying must still be mad at him, so he probably didn't dare to speak."
"No way. After every other confession, he would've been scrambling to buy her milk tea to make up. I heard with my own ears that one of Chen Ying's besties told him to buy milk tea as an apology, and he didn't even respond. Normally, he'd be thrilled at the chance. You know what they say: if you want to win a girl over, you have to win over her friends first."
"He seemed really calm in class today. Unsettlingly calm."
College life wasn't as intense as high school, so everyone loved to gossip in their free time.
Some curious fourth-year students asked, "Who's this Xue Yang? We go away for our internships, and when we come back, it feels like the whole school has changed."
"Oh, you guys were out on your internships, so you wouldn't know. This guy, Xue Yang, has been pursuing Chen Ying since his first day of university, finding a new way to confess his love to her every day."
"That's not right. I heard he started pursuing Chen Ying in his first year of junior high. If you do the math, that's six years. He only got into Yanbei to chase after her. So romantic."
A fourth-year student said in surprise, "He even got into the same university as her? This junior is something else."
At this, the girls at the school began chattering endlessly.
"I heard that for the last six years, Xue Yang has texted Chen Ying a confession every single day, but she's never once replied."
"Can you believe they've never even held hands?"
"I mean, Xue Yang isn't bad-looking, and he got into Yanbei with a high score. I heard he was the top scholar from Hui City, going from the bottom of his class to number one in just three years. Only he knows what he went through to pull that off. So why isn't Chen Ying interested in him?"
"Who knows? If it were me, I'd be incredibly touched. Why play hard to get? I'd accept in a heartbeat."
"Xue Yang is just too stubborn. Our university, Yanbei, is famous for its amazing women. Why does he have to be hung up on a single person?"
***
At noon, after class, the two found a relatively quiet spot to sit down in the cafeteria.
They had just sat down when Cui Hao started making a racket again.
"Look, look! The heiress of Lin Corporation is missing! There's a reward for anyone who provides a clue—a minimum of a hundred thousand and a maximum of one hundred million. OMG, just what you'd expect from a top-tier international company. So generous. This Lin heiress is gorgeous; it'll be a disaster if she falls into the wrong hands. Xue Yang, take a look! Maybe we'll run into her when we're handing out flyers tomorrow. A hundred million! I'd never have to grovel to my family again! With that kind of money, they'd have to personally drive over and beg me to come home."
"Your odds would probably be better if you just used the last ten bucks you have to buy a lottery ticket."
"Crap, how did you know I only have ten bucks left?"
"Would a young master like you be out handing out flyers if you had more than ten?"
"You get me. I'm starting to think you've given up on her and fallen for me instead."
"My sexual orientation is perfectly normal, thank you."
Cui Hao was left speechless.
As they were talking, a small commotion erupted at the cafeteria entrance.
Xue Yang kept his head down, focused only on wolfing down his food. Cui Hao, unable to contain his gossipy nature, went over to look, only to return with a dejected expression.
"It's just the campus belle eating in the cafeteria. Do these people have to make such a big deal out of it, gawking like they've never seen a pretty girl before? I thought some big celebrity had shown up."
"You went to look, too. Now hurry up and eat. After this, let's go back to the dorm for a nap. I barely slept last night, and I'm dead tired."
Cui Hao instantly felt a pang of sympathy for Xue Yang. The guy hadn't even returned to the dorm last night, choosing instead to lick his wounds alone in his rented apartment. He's really... I could just cry for him.
He thumped his chest. "Say no more. Your bro gets it."
"Get what? What the hell do you think you get?!"
Xue Yang was certain that Cui Hao's mind was running wild with some nonsense again—and it definitely wasn't anything good.
Chen Ying looked around the cafeteria. Although she had been at Yanbei for three years, she could count the number of times she'd eaten in the cafeteria on one hand. Sometimes she would arrive, see the crowd, and immediately turn around and leave, opting for takeout instead.
She had only come to the cafeteria a few times after Xue Yang started university, and only because he had saved her a seat and gotten her food in advance before calling her over.
Chen Ying's lovely brows furrowed slightly. There were too many people and not enough empty seats. The few that were available had just been vacated, and she would never sit in one of those.
Wu Xiaoya scanned the area and saw where Xue Yang was sitting. Remembering that he used to save seats for them, she pointed in his direction and said, "Ying Ying, look, Xue Yang and his friend are over there. Let's go."
Chen Ying stood frozen in place. She hadn't forgiven Xue Yang yet, so she had no intention of accepting his apology.
"Oh, stop agonizing over it. Do you really want to sit in a seat someone just left? Come on, let's go."
Wu Xiaoya had to practically drag Chen Ying over to Xue Yang's table.
Xue Yang acted as if he hadn't seen them arrive, keeping his head buried in his food.
Cui Hao shifted his food tray to the side, his eyes darting back and forth between Xue Yang and Chen Ying.
Everyone else's gaze also turned in their direction.