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"Mom, this isn't about being stingy. If I lend it to you and the Cai family sees it, what will they think?" Ye Wenyu's tone remained as firm as a rock. Sometimes she felt her mother was vain and childish; life really does age you. Her mother was now more worldly-wise than her own mother.
Zhang Susu felt that her daughter was right and was speechless for a moment. Then she thought about how she didn't have a big gold bracelet to show off to her classmates and felt sad.
Ye Wenyu saw all of this. Her mother's eyes were red and swollen, like a rabbit's. Seeing that it was still early, she took her mother to the nearest gold shop, let her choose the largest gold bracelet, paid for it, and put it on her wrist herself. She said to her in an extremely serious tone, "Mom, don't rely on other people's things. Relying on yourself is the most reliable! I will buy you whatever you want! Please don't force me to get married, okay? The Cai family may not be the most suitable family."
Thinking of Cai Wenchuan's heart, she felt as if a lead plate was pressing on her chest, making it almost impossible to breathe. No matter how poor or miserable she was, she was unwilling to spend her life with a man who did not love her!
Zhang Susu froze, looking at her daughter. The words she was about to say were swallowed back when she saw the heavy gold bracelet on her wrist.
Zhang Susu returned home happily after suddenly acquiring a large gold bracelet.
Ye Wenyu sighed and went back to school. She was thinking about her date that evening, determined to figure out Cai Wenchuan's intentions. What was this man thinking, letting things develop to this point?!
She spent the entire afternoon restless and uneasy. The teacher's lectures seemed to her as if she were looking through transparent glass; she could only see the teacher's mouth opening and closing, but couldn't hear anything.
That evening, Ye Wenyu put the two gold bracelets back into the red brocade box, and at the appointed time, she hurriedly went downstairs.
Cai Wenchuan waited under the camphor tree in the girls' dormitory, smiling slightly at her. Above them, a bright moon, like a jade plate, shone, its light as clear as water, illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime. Cai Wenchuan stood there, tall and elegant, like a male protagonist from a comic book, captivating everyone's attention.
The area outside the girls' dormitory was bustling with activity. Girls were coming and going, getting food, studying, and going on dates. There were also boys who wanted to see their girlfriends, standing alone outside the ornate iron fence, lost in their own thoughts.
Cai Wenchuan, the campus heartthrob professor, immediately became the most eye-catching sight outside the girls' dormitory. Soon, girls stopped to watch him.
He was like the moon in the sky; whenever he appeared, the other boys paled in comparison, like stars in the night.
Ye Wenyu frowned, walked over to Cai Wenchuan, and said to him, "Let's go quickly, or the school will talk to me again!" Being with Cai Wenchuan, especially on the Q University campus, she always felt like she was living under the spotlight.
Cai Wenchuan understood what she meant, and his face flushed slightly. Unfortunately, he was a man, and a learned man at that. He knew that appearance was worthless to men. A beautiful woman was like a walking vase, while a handsome man was like a walking rice bucket. Therefore, he had never cared about his outstanding appearance.
However, it is precisely because he doesn't care about this, and is handsome but not complacent, that he stands out from the crowd.
Seeing Ye Wenyu's uncomfortable appearance, he could only smile and nod. The two of them then walked slowly along the tree-lined avenue until they reached the rubber playground on the west side of the library, where they stopped.
The night was pitch black, the moon seemed to be hidden behind the clouds, and the surroundings were like a silent valley. Occasionally, footsteps could be heard, and one could tell that people were jogging on the playground.
The two sat down on the concrete steps where they watched the game. It was late autumn, and the wind was cool. Ye Wenyu hugged herself tightly. Cai Wenchuan saw this and took off his coat, trying to put it on her.
Ye Wenyu froze, immediately turning her body to the side to avoid Cai Wenchuan's touch, and then moving her body further away to keep a greater distance from him.
Cai Wenchuan paused, then slowly withdrew his hand from his coat. He awkwardly put the coat back on.
The air was filled with the faint fragrance of flowers, and the playground was full of people jogging at night. There were also couples who did nothing but hug each other, looking as close as one person.
Ye Wenyu sat under the streetlamp. The dim yellow light, in thin lines, resembled a poetic rain. From Cai Wenchuan's perspective, it looked like the most beautiful comic book in the world. Ye Wenyu, with her big eyes, high nose, small face, and small mouth, looked like a female protagonist from an anime.
He stared at her, momentarily lost in thought, realizing how blind he had been all these years, missing out on such a beautiful girl.
Ye Wenyu thought that since they had come out to meet, she should ask clearly without further hesitation. Therefore, she composed herself, mustered her courage, and asked Cai Wenchuan frankly, "Wenchuan, what exactly are you thinking?"
Cai Wenchuan froze, pulling his thoughts back from their flight. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word. What was he thinking? Couldn't she see through him?
His feelings were as clear and bright as a summer sky.
Ye Wenyu said to him calmly, "When we first met at the coffee shop, I made it clear to you that I didn't want to see you, but I only have one mother, and she insisted on bringing me to see you, so I couldn't refuse."
Cai Wenchuan's heart sank again. He suddenly realized that her asking him out tonight was probably not a good thing.
Ye Wenyu continued earnestly, "But you could have refused my mother. I think I've made myself perfectly clear. Why have you been so slow to act, allowing this engagement-like event to happen today?!" Her tone grew increasingly sharp as she spoke, her anger causing her to stand up. She looked down at Cai Wenchuan, who was still sitting on the steps, and put her hands behind her back. She wanted to clench her fists in anger, but doing so in front of Cai Wenchuan would be too impolite to express her rage directly.
Because she was so angry. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. No matter how well-mannered she is, she can't let others bully her!
Cai Wenchuan's expression changed drastically, as if all the blood in his body had drained away from the soles of his feet with a "thud." His heart, like a small pebble, plummeted to the bottom of the valley. He finally realized that he had been delusional and misunderstood. His full hope turned into sorrowful despair, and he was even somewhat bewildered, as if he were suddenly in a thick fog, not knowing where to go or what to do.
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