Bai Ye's back was soaked with cold sweat, as if a chill ran up his spine, making him shiver involuntarily.
Those memories buried deep in his heart, like Pandora's box being opened, surged up endlessly, striking his brain directly.
That was the darkest moment in Ye Qingcheng's life. She fell into a deep trough and seemed to have lost all hope for life.
Bai Ye, however, remained by her side, silently encouraging her and telling her not to give up, that life would always take a turn for the better.
At one point, Bai Ye even said he would stay with her forever.
However, those were just words of comfort that Bai Ye casually uttered. He hadn't thought them through at the time, nor had he considered what consequences they might bring.
After all, he was just a senior in high school at the time, in the throes of youthful confusion, and his understanding of relationships was still very shallow.
In fact, before meeting Ye Qingcheng, Bai Ye had been full of longing and anticipation for love.
Especially when he saw his good buddies finding "wildflowers" from other classes and spending all their time in the corner whispering sweet nothings and showing off their love, he longed even more for a sweet online romance of his own.
After all, during his three years of high school, Bai Ye was almost never around girls, and he had virtually no contact with the opposite sex.
So when Ye Qingcheng appeared in his life, he did feel a surge of anticipation, hoping that he could have a romantic relationship like his other brothers.
However, as time went by, this expectation gradually faded.
Perhaps due to the pressures of reality, or perhaps because his understanding of Ye Qingcheng had deepened, he found that his feelings for her were not as strong as he had imagined.
As Ye Qingcheng started making videos online, her work gradually gained a lot of attention and traffic.
This gave her the opportunity to earn a considerable income by shooting videos and accepting advertising collaborations.
However, as people accumulate wealth, they often forget their original aspirations.
The once innocent and pure girl may gradually lose herself under the temptation of money and be eroded by worldly desires.
Moreover, the internet, a complex communication platform, is full of all kinds of information and influences, and the good and evil of human nature can be amplified infinitely here.
In this environment full of temptations and challenges, the person who gave Ye Qingcheng hope when she was most helpless may be forgotten under the trials of reality.
Bai Ye is well aware of the fragility and unreliability of human nature. He does not believe that he can always be someone else's sun, giving them endless warmth and support.
Bai Ye holds a pessimistic view of human nature, preferring to believe that there are more bad people in the world.
In his experience, overly kind people are often bullied, while perpetrators often go unpunished.
However, to Bai Ye's surprise, despite Ye Qingcheng's great success online, her attitude towards him remained unchanged.
This filled Bai Ye with complex emotions. He began to realize that this girl was so innocent and pure, which was in stark contrast to his previous thoughts.
Bai Ye felt guilty for having such thoughts, realizing that his judgment of Ye Qingcheng might have been too one-sided and narrow-minded.
Their friendship did not break down because of this small setback; on the contrary, their relationship grew stronger with time.
After starting university, Ye Qingcheng suggested meeting up. When Bai Ye heard this, he was filled with anticipation. After all, he had never met Ye Qingcheng in person.
However, after careful consideration, Bai Ye ultimately decided to reject the proposal.
He realized that their life trajectories had begun to diverge significantly.
At that time, Ye Qingcheng had already started accepting advertisements and making money by advertising on short video platforms.
Her income is quite substantial, far exceeding that of Bai Ye, who might only end up as a lowly worker tightening screws.
While Bai Ye was still wasting his life in university, Ye Qingcheng was already earning a higher salary than he might earn three years later, thanks to her hard work and talent. This disparity made Bai Ye feel somewhat inferior and powerless.
Moreover, Ye Qingcheng's videos contain many selfies of herself. Although she always wears a mask, it's easy to see from her slender figure and lively eyes that she is a beautiful girl.
In the world of the internet, it is truly rare for such pure and beautiful flowers to bloom.
Bai Ye didn't want to shatter that veil of mystery with just one meeting, making this beautiful thing less desirable.
Sometimes, it is what we cannot have that we keep thinking about, and what we cannot see that we miss endlessly.
Bai Ye prefers to keep this friendship in the virtual world of the internet, preserving its initial beauty and innocence.
After refusing that meeting, Ye Qingcheng did not make any further requests to meet.
Bai Ye's university life was like a calm lake, without a ripple, so bland that it was somewhat boring.
He spent his days in a state of decadence and aimlessness, as if he had no expectations for the future.
Looking at the magnificent college life of the students around him, Bai Ye didn't feel much.
What do other people's brilliance have to do with him? He always believed that he was just an ordinary, insignificant person.
Bai Ye didn't have much money to indulge in a life of extravagance like his classmates.
For him, every day of life requires meticulous planning and careful management.
Of course, this doesn't mean he can't afford to eat; rather, it means he needs to manage his limited funds wisely.
He would set aside a portion of his monthly allowance to buy the things he truly wanted, the things he couldn't have in his childhood.
Ye Qingcheng's life is getting better and better, just like his high school fantasy: to reach the pinnacle of life and never have to worry about money.
Bai Ye had never thought that he and Ye Qingcheng would ever meet again.
But all of this was slowly being shattered.
The girl was indeed as beautiful and captivating as she appeared in the video.
Their paths gradually became intertwined, and they unknowingly became a part of each other's lives.
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