In a moment of desperation, Yu Xue grabbed Huo Yunchao and was pulled in front of him.
Their eyes met.
Huo Yunchao suddenly let go, the tight headband took effect, and he remembered his promise to Dai Dai to keep his distance.
Yu Xue collapsed to the ground with a thud. She gasped in pain, her eyes immediately welling with tears.
"Junior Sister Yu, are you alright?" Gu Fan stepped forward to help her up and used the borrowed master's cap to dust her off.
"Dai Dai, you're here!" Huo Yunchao called out, his survival instincts kicking in. He was afraid the little girl would get angry and throw a tantrum again; he had felt so sorry for her when she was so sick last time.
Xue Qiandai simply took his arm, her delicate eyebrows and bright eyes exuding gentle charm, "Beauty, you're so ungentlemanly, how could you dump Sister Yu?"
She deliberately said "shake" instead of "fall," and Yu Xue's face darkened. She gritted her teeth and said, "It's alright."
Xue Qiandai leaned closer, gazing at her face, and whispered, "Sister Yu, your face isn't ugly. You could easily find a boyfriend who loves and cherishes you. Why are you always thinking about other people? What's that proverb again? What's destined to be yours will be yours, and what's not, you can't force. Take care of yourself!"
After saying that, Xue Qiandai gracefully took her boyfriend and left.
Huo Yunchao finally felt relieved, thinking that Dai Dai had become sensible and could distinguish right from wrong.
But then they heard Qin Shu gloating behind them, shouting, "Old Huo, good luck to you."
However, Xue Qiandai, who wasn't going to take the proper path, strode into the campus garden. After walking a dozen meters, she angrily shook off Huo Yunchao. "You promised me you wouldn't associate with her, so this is what you're like—saying one thing to my face and another behind my back, trying to fool me?"
The tall trees cast shadows, and some sunlight dappled onto Huo Meiren's face. He came over and pulled Xue Qiandai. "Dai Dai, nothing happened. I didn't even say anything extra to her."
This is true. During the photo shoot, Huo Yunchao was only responsible for being a tool, without saying a word or making any eye contact.
Xue Qiandai wouldn't give up easily; she couldn't tolerate any nonsense. "Then why didn't you reject her? Why did you wear your master's gowns together and even pose in the same frame, putting on some kind of childhood sweetheart, golden couple act! You've never even taken a picture with me."
Huo Yunchao ruffled her hair and took out his Blackberry phone. "Shall we take a picture now? It's just that the phone's quality isn't very good, and I'm afraid it won't do justice to your good looks."
The camera was already focused on the two of them. Xue Qiandai had transformed into a little wolf, and she bit Huo Yunchao's lip again, drawing blood.
"If there's a next time, I'll go find my ex-boyfriend, my ex-ex-boyfriend, my ex-ex-ex-boyfriend, my ex-ex-ex-ex-boyfriend..."
Huo Yunchao, being a young man, couldn't withstand such provocation. He forcefully pulled the girl against the trunk of a tree. "You dare!" He pinched her chin and kissed her without any gentleness, leaving her lips slightly swollen.
"Beautiful Huo, you're hurting me." Xue Qiandai looked up at him, her eyes misty with tears.
Her pitiful appearance stirred another pang of heartache in him. Huo Yunchao gently embraced her, softly comforting her, "Don't be angry, okay? She's graduating soon, and we'll never cross paths again."
"What, you seem reluctant to part with it," Xue Qiandai said teasingly.
She didn't investigate further, and that chapter was considered closed.
Life is sometimes like this; the tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease. Yu Xue had no intention of dwelling on the past; she took the initiative to invite Xue Qiandai to a coffee shop outside the ESMOD campus.
The sun was shining brightly as school let out. Yu Xue, dressed in a business suit, sat by the window, looking quiet and elegant, and ordered two cappuccinos.
Rivals meeting are bound to be hostile, and Xue Qiandai didn't even bother with pleasantries. "Miss Yu, what brings you here?"
Yu Xue stirred her coffee, her eyes deep and thoughtful. "Don't you want to know how I got your contact information?"
Trying to sow discord again? Xue Qiandai scoffed; she wouldn't fall for it.
Yu Xue pushed another cappuccino toward Xue Qiandai, and smiled, "Don't even mention your contact information. Even if I wanted more, Yun Chao would give it to me."
Xue Qiandai crossed her arms and watched the show like a spectator. "Keep making things up."
"You don't believe me?" Yu Xue said calmly, "Have you ever thought about why you were the one who became his girlfriend when Yun Chao didn't date anyone for more than four years in college?"
Of course, it was Xue Qiandai's sincerity that moved even metal and stone, opening Huo Meiren's heart. "Why should I tell you? To give you the chance to imitate her, I'm afraid it will disgust Huo Meiren."
Yu Xue simply covered her mouth and chuckled softly. She dipped her coffee in her cup and wrote a single character on the table.
Snow.
"Because your surname contains the character for 'snow,' he simply extended his affection to it."
Xue Qiandai couldn't accept this explanation. Anger rose to her eyebrows, making them appear even longer, almost reaching her temples. "What a joke! You're really good at patting yourself on the back."
Yu Xue remained calm and composed, taking out several photos from her wallet and gently placing them on the table. The faces in the photos were still youthful and innocent, but Xue Qiandai recognized their handsome features at a glance—it was his Huo Meiren. Each photo was a group picture, featuring Huo Yunchao and a younger Yu Xue.
Yu Xue picked up one of the photos; in the center was a kind-looking middle-aged woman. Huo Meiren and Yu Xue stood on either side of her.
"You should know, Yunchao's mother is my teacher, the most important person to me. The year Yunchao was admitted to Tsinghua University, my teacher asked me to take good care of him. I understand her feelings; she sees me as her future..."
Daughter-in-law.
She looked embarrassed, and Xue Qiandai felt like vomiting.
Yu Xue took out another photo, also featuring her and Huo Yunchao together. "Does it look familiar? This was taken when Yunchao and I flew home together during our freshman year." Yu Xue stroked the slightly yellowed photo, showing Huo Yunchao's soft features. "Look, he's sleeping like a child. Only with someone you truly trust can you be so unguarded. I'm the one who truly opened his heart to you."
This photo stung Xue Qiandai's eyes. It was this very picture that had caused her to smash Huo Meiren's computer. Back then, Yu Xue's image was blurred in the computer's screensaver, but now it was clearly visible.
The other photos were also flipped through one by one, some from junior high and some from high school, showing them participating in various competitions together and winning awards as a team.
Finally, Yu Xue concluded, "We've been childhood sweethearts for so many years, do you really think you can separate us?"
Xue Qiandai clenched her fists, her eyes bloodshot, looking exactly like when she's turned to the dark side. "According to you, there shouldn't be any chance for me. But why is it that in the end, I became his girlfriend, while you're just an insignificant senior sister?"
Yu Xue's gaze suddenly sharpened, as if emerging from an abyss. "Isn't it all because of your identity! The daughter of the richest family in the capital, huh? Heh, being rich really is amazing. I don't blame Yun Chao for being blinded by you. But if one day you lose your family's honor, your countless riches, and become penniless, do you think Yun Chao will still stay by your side?"
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