Procedure
Cheng Yanchu initially found Song Ning to be wild and exciting, attracted to her in both appearance and personality.
In her second year of high school, Song Ning suddenly changed her personality, focusing all her energy on her studies, and even suddenly signed up to join the student council's academic department.
At that time, all the students who signed up were first-year high school students; there were no second-year high school students at all.
At the registration site, the person in charge of registration was stunned when Song Ning asked him for the form.
Song Ning asked if she could apply, and after the other party said yes, she took out a membership application form, filled it out on the spot, and handed it in.
Cheng Yanchu was present at the time and was amused by her nonchalant attitude, disregarding the opinions of others. He found her increasingly pleasing to the eye.
She performed very well during her campaign speeches, and everyone except the disciplinary committee voted in favor of her.
So, without any doubt, she entered the study department.
At the time, Cheng Yanchu was the student council president. He didn't know that Song Ning had someone she liked. He thought she was like everyone else, coming for him. After all, she was the one who took the initiative to talk to him.
Cheng Yanchu was somewhat impatient at the time, feeling that Song Ning was no different from other women, and yet he was also somewhat proud because she liked him, feeling a sense of accomplishment as if he had conquered a wild and untamed horse.
But regardless of his emotions, he always maintained an inexplicable interest in Song Ning, which he believed stemmed from her "rule-breaking" spirit.
After Song Ning focused on her studies and became a member of the student council, she committed fewer offenses. Even the disciplinary committee, which disliked her the most, said that she had changed.
Song Ning has become "well-behaved," and her wildness has subsided somewhat. Logically speaking, Cheng Yanchu should have lost interest in Song Ning, but he is still interested in her, and his interest is even growing stronger.
So when someone saw them hanging out together and asked him if he was dating her, he didn't deny it. That person assumed he was admitting it, even though he himself was somewhat interested in the relationship.
This is how rumors started.
Song Ning has always been a loner and is used to not explaining herself, so people at school assumed they were dating.
Later, the rumors spread wider and wider, and somehow they reached the ears of the director of the academic affairs office.
Song Ning was on the blacklist of the Dean of Academic Affairs. Normally, he would turn a blind eye, but since the rumors involved Cheng Yanchu, the Dean of Academic Affairs, at the request of Cheng Yanchu's mother, secretly reported it to her.
Cheng Yanchu's mother has a tendency to make a big deal out of small things. After finding out, she came to the school to make trouble for Song Ning, saying that Song Ning was not studying properly and was just flirting with men.
Song Ning wasn't one to be bullied, and she immediately said she had no interest in her precious son.
Cheng Yanchu felt embarrassed, but because of his usual image, he didn't dare to speak up. He felt sullen, as if he had been punched.
Her expression clearly showed she wasn't interested in him. Later, he realized that if she liked someone, she was direct, just like she was.
When Cheng Yanchu's mother heard that her precious son was being looked down upon, and she couldn't stand Song Ning's indifferent and arrogant attitude, she insisted on calling the parents.
The head of the academic affairs office knew about Song Ning's adoptive parents and originally didn't want to invite them, but he didn't dare to offend Cheng Yanchu's mother. In the end, Song Ning said that she could call her brother and have him come.
The director of the academic affairs office thought the idea was good, so he dialed the number Song Ning had given him.
Cheng Yanchu noticed that Song Ning was very concerned about that phone call.
Although he was only the older brother, the director still spoke cautiously and carefully, choosing his words carefully. He said he was worried that Song Ning was having an early romance and wanted to invite him over to discuss it together.
The person on the other end of the phone answered, but the person who arrived was Song Ning's adoptive mother.
Throughout the call, he watched Song Ning go from eagerly anticipating to barely suppressing her disappointment. He had a vague feeling about why she was acting this way, but he couldn't be sure.
When Song Ning's adoptive mother arrived, she heard about their relationship and only asked Song Ning one question: "Are you dating?" When Song Ning replied sullenly that he was not, she said she understood.
During the conversation, her adoptive mother didn't say anything harsh to the director of the academic affairs office. However, she was very protective of Song Ning in her words. As a result, after the group left the academic affairs office, the director looked embarrassed and apologized to both sides, as if he was the one who had done something wrong.
When Cheng Yanchu got home that day, his mother kept telling him not to disappoint her. Cheng Yanchu was also in a bad mood that day, and he snapped at his mother.
Cheng Yanchu's mother was his father's third wife, and her family was much less well-off than his first two wives.
Outside, everyone might respectfully address her as Mrs. Cheng, but within their circle, she is not respected. In addition, her father has many children, and compared to the other children, Cheng Yanchu, who is still a high school student, has almost no competitive advantage.
Originally, Cheng Yanchu shouldn't have let such rumors happen, but for some reason, he inexplicably fell silent that day.
After this incident, Song Ning continued to act as usual, neither avoiding suspicion nor pursuing the matter further.
When the two of them were smoking on the balcony, Cheng Yanchu tried to gauge her feelings by asking Song Ning, "The school is saying that something is going on between us. Should we really do it?"
Song Ning stubbed out her cigarette and told him solemnly, "I have someone I love."
"How old are you? How dare you use the word 'love' with such a disgusting expression?"
Although Cheng Yanchu knew that Song Ning didn't have feelings for him, he still held onto a sliver of hope. After hearing her admit it herself, he mocked her, but in his heart, he felt jealous and curious about that person.
He should have realized it much earlier.
When he first taught her to smoke, she choked so badly that her eyes welled up with tears. No one gets so choked by smoke.
She often looks at her phone, her expression mostly one of disappointment and stubbornness.
Once, Cheng Yanchu discovered that Song Ning was smoking on the balcony early in the morning, with bloodshot eyes, clearly in a bad mood. He guessed that it was because of that person.
So, Cheng Yanchu, using his position as student council president, organized a group activity to the beach. Song Ning originally didn't want to participate, but he said there would be plenty of alcohol, so she agreed.
That night, Song Ning drank a lot and had a great time at the party. When she lost a game of truth or dare, some people egged her on to do a sexy dance.
Song Ning didn't hold back at all. She immediately played Britney Spears' "Oops!...I Did It Again" and stood among a group of people, wearing a tank top and punk skirt, dancing confidently and hotly.
She probably never cares about what others think. Even when she dances provocatively, she doesn't come across as seductive; instead, she exudes a free and easy spirit.
But that dance made Cheng Yanchu feel restless, wanting to possess Song Ning. This possessiveness made him jealous of the man in her heart.
Although Song Ning often dressed provocatively, Cheng Yanchu discovered that she was surprisingly conservative when it came to sex. During the adventure, several people tried to take advantage of her, but she managed to evade them.
At first, some people didn't dare to go too far because of the rumors, but seeing that he didn't react, one of them, who had no sense of propriety, tried to take advantage of her by passing her a playing card.
Song Ning seemed to be on guard at all times, and reacted extremely quickly to dodge, more like a reflex.
The matter should have ended there, but that person, being impulsive, pretended to lose his balance and hugged Song Ning.
Song Ning pushed the person aside and threw them to the ground. As if he wasn't satisfied, he kicked two empty metal bottles at the person's back, then grabbed a bottle of beer and walked out.
Cheng Yanchu really had no right to help her, and he deliberately refused to help her. He originally wanted to wait for her to speak up, but who knew that she knew martial arts and didn't need him at all.
He then realized that her wildness stemmed from her ability to avoid being bullied.
Cheng Yanchu played around at the party for a while longer, but without Song Ning, he felt it was boring, so he went out to find her.
When they found Song Ning, she was sitting at a seafood stall, drinking and cursing a name.
When Cheng Yanchu arrived, the shop owner thought he was her boyfriend and advised them not to argue, saying that arguing shouldn't mean letting his girlfriend go out drinking alone so late.
Cheng Yanchu felt wronged. If it were a real boyfriend, it would be one thing, but he was clearly taking the blame for "Shen Yuxiu".
Cheng Yanchu saw that Song Ning had drunk quite a bit and wanted to help her up. When he picked up her phone from the table, he discovered that her phone was already connected.
The call lasted for more than 30 minutes, and the message on it read "Lo...".
Cheng Yan instantly understood the meaning of the missing word. Feeling a surge of irritation, he hung up the phone without a second thought.
Song Ning was probably drunk and didn't even realize that her phone had been answered.
The phone rang again soon after, and Song Ning immediately grabbed it to answer.
She used a special ringtone; her phone ringtone was unique to that person.
Song Ning was truly exasperated. The first thing she said was, "So you finally called me? Shen Yuxiu, you bastard."
Her tone was somewhat aggrieved and coquettish, which made Cheng Yanchu feel both hot and choked up.
Later, she didn't know what the other person said, but after just a few words, she calmed down as if her fur had been stroked.
Cheng Yanchu felt very uncomfortable watching this, and even now, he still couldn't understand how Shen Yuxiu had managed it.
They talked for quite a while, and Cheng Yanchu, annoyed, sat to the side smoking one cigarette after another.
Afterwards, Song Ning reluctantly handed her phone to Cheng Yanchu, after Shen Yuxiu said something.
This is Cheng Yanchu's first phone call with Shen Yuxiu.
Shen Yuxiu's voice was gentle and calm, as if he already knew of his existence, and asked him to safely escort Song Ning back.
Although it was a "please," Cheng Yanchu felt uncomfortable, as if Shen Yuxiu was talking to him more as Song Ning's boyfriend than as her brother.
Whether Shen Yuxiu couldn't hide it or didn't try to hide it at all, the possessiveness he exuded was so strong it felt like a provocation.
That night, Cheng Yanchu accompanied Song Ning back home. As soon as they got back, Song Ning locked the door and went to sleep. She seemed so sober that Cheng Yanchu suspected she wasn't actually drunk.
But the next day, Song Ning seemed to have forgotten that she had called that person the night before. She looked listless, as if she hadn't sobered up yet, and kept rubbing her temples on the way back.
After that, Cheng Yanchu never heard Song Ning mention this matter again, but the name she kept hidden in his heart became a thorn in his side.
He knew Shen Yuxiu; he was her brother. Almost everyone in their school knew him.
He was specially admitted to Changqing University, one of the top universities in the country, at the age of 14. He refused the special admission and entered the junior class through the college entrance examination. His admission brochure has been a source of pride for his school for many years.
Cheng Yanchu also knew about Song Ning's background. He couldn't have not investigated her when she suddenly approached him. So he knew that the person in her heart was Shen Yuxiu. He had no problem with it. He had seen relationships more complicated than theirs. What was this?
Later, he would occasionally mention Shen Yuxiu in front of her, trying to provoke her, and he discovered that she would change whenever that person was mentioned.
She, who usually doesn't care about people or things, always overreacts whenever Shen Yuxiu is mentioned, like a mother cat protecting her kittens, not allowing even the slightest touch.
His words became increasingly venomous, and the thorn pierced deeper and deeper.
He knew it was childish, but he couldn't help it and simply confessed that he was interested in her. However, he was proud and couldn't accept being her backup option, so his confessions turned into inappropriate jokes.
Sometimes he wondered if she would have forgotten that person and fallen in love with him if he had pursued her seriously back then. Perhaps knowing that she wouldn't, he never dared to be serious.
It's not like she hasn't tried.
Several times he could tell that she really wanted to try dating him, but he never seemed to be able to give her a satisfactory answer, because he was afraid that even if he gave her the answer she wanted, she would reject him. So he thought it was better for him to reject her first.
When she went to the hotel with him, he could have easily lied to her with sweet talk; it wouldn't have been difficult for him.
But he refused to say.
He wanted her, but he wanted to conquer her even more, like Shen Yuxiu, who could easily influence her with just a name. But he failed.
He knew she was resistant to unauthorized contact, but he never expected that even when she was prepared, she would tremble uncontrollably, like a ravaged rose, making him both more aroused and extremely frustrated.
That day at the bar, Cheng Yanchu saw her drug him and was taken to that room. He had thought about marrying her no matter what, as long as she was willing.
But the person she was waiting for wasn't him.
He always knew she was crazy, but he never imagined she would go this far to get that person.
At that moment, Cheng Yanchu forced himself to give up his feelings for her.
He never thought he was inferior to Shen Yuxiu in any way. He lost only because he couldn't give up his dignity and pride.
It's not like he doesn't have women.
But every time he saw Song Ning again, he would still feel a bittersweet feeling.
He had never felt that way with anyone else but her, so he refused to marry Xu Qing, thus ruining the facade he had painstakingly maintained for nearly 20 years.
But this makes things easier; I don't have to pretend anymore, which is nice.
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