Chapter 16 Yan Quan's Past: A Tale of Romantic Debts, Rusty and Lingering...
"Hahaha..." Even the usually composed and dignified Fu Duannian could no longer suppress the upward curve of his lips, and he laughed so hard that he could barely speak: "Yan Quan, how can you be so funny?"
“Yan Quan…” After laughing, Fu Duan Nian suddenly uttered a sentence: “I’ve met you before, but I never expected your personality to be more attractive than your appearance.”
"Hmm...?" Yan Quan's calm expression changed slightly. Her peach blossom eyes suspiciously scanned Fu Duan Nian from head to toe, and she keenly grasped the key point: "You've seen me before?"
"certainly."
"I think you should have this confidence in yourself—anyone who meets you will be very impressed with you..."
Fu Duannian was still smiling, but the gentle ripples in his eyes now seemed cold to Yan Quan: "Moreover, it's hard to forget."
Fu Duannian deliberately emphasized the word "forget".
“But unfortunately…” Fu Duannian glanced away jokingly, his eyebrows drooping slightly unconsciously, a layer of melancholy shadow over his eyes:
"My past experiences seem to have been nothing more than a one-sided love affair."
“In the past…” Yan Quan took a deep breath, a rare, slight panic rising in his heart.
A tactician with a keen understanding of the overall situation and a player who was confident of victory, this time he encountered an unexpected variable that had not been planned for a long time—"the past" was a very bad word for Yan Quan.
Whether it's the disguise that exposed her true colors during her time in Nanzhong, her promiscuous past, or the mess she left behind before fleeing to Federation A...
Yan Quan's "past" was truly rife with misdeeds.
"No..." Calming down, Yan Quan squinted and carefully examined Fu Duannian's facial features, then slowly and firmly opened her lips:
"I've never seen you before."
This seems to be an essential skill for a womanizer; Yan Quan has an excellent memory. Even with the briefest "fast-food" lovers, Yan Quan can clearly recall their faces.
However, in the vast and chaotic memory database, there was clearly no face that matched Fu Duannian.
Moreover, given that family's ruthless methods of "cutting off the roots and exterminating the entire family"... they would never leave behind any handle that could be used for gossip.
Since that do-or-die deal seven years ago, Yan Quan has severed all ties with the "past".
With all debts and rights settled and wiped clean, no internet search engine can currently find a single word about Yan Quan before he turned 18.
Yan Quan stayed in Federation A lawlessly for seven years. He could have been a UCLA student, a lab technician, or a PhD student...
24-year-old Yan Quan is a completely new person.
There is no "past".
So Yan Quan looked directly into Fu Duan Nian's eyes, his expression resolute and his gaze piercing: "Fu Duan Nian, you are lying."
You couldn't possibly know me.
But clearly, Fu Duannian was more determined than Yan Quan: "I have no reason to lie."
“Think about it again? Yan Quan, you’re so smart.” Fu Duannian calmly gazed at Yan Quan, his dark, deep eyes flickering slightly: “Capital District F, Baisha Street Community, Hongxing Middle School…”
The wind howls and cranes cry; even the grass and trees seem like soldiers.
Yan Quan's carefully crafted social facade crumbled into dust in an instant because of those few light words...
The problem is this "past".
It went much further back than Yan Quan had imagined, even though Yan Quan himself had almost forgotten about it...
The rusty gears of fate began to turn, and the dark shadows that Yan Quan could not escape no matter how hard he ran finally swept over him once again.
"Perhaps you've confused me with someone else." Yan Quan's flawless, exquisite smile stiffened slightly, but she still knew her identity information by heart.
“I grew up in District A of the capital and always attended private international elite schools…”
“No.” Fu Duannian shook his head firmly, his tone deliberately joking: “With your top-notch looks, I wouldn’t be so blind as to confuse you with someone else.”
The atmosphere did not relax because of Fu Duannian's praise; on the contrary, Yan Quan's back began to be covered with a thin layer of sweat.
The repeated denials made Yan Quan begin to re-examine Fu Duan Nian in front of him—the man who held his "past".
That's a nuclear weapon. If it explodes, everything Yan Quan currently owns will be instantly shattered.
Yan Quan dared not speak rashly.
Even at this point, Yan Quan remained confident in his memory. He was certain that Fu Duannian was "unimportant," merely a "trivial" detail.
Otherwise, how could I possibly have "forgotten" it?
The second hand on the watch on their wrists ticked away, and the few seconds of their standoff felt like an eternity.
We've already dragged this out for too long; if we remain inactive any longer, it will only arouse suspicion.
Yan Quan took a deep breath and looked up to meet Fu Duan Nian's gaze without flinching. "I'll say it again, I don't know you."
"You've seen this before, it's 'one-sided,' right?" Yan Quan's peach blossom eyes curved upwards, forming a beautiful, rounded arc.
"Fu Duannian, do you have a crush on me?"
"The Alphas who are pursuing me could stretch from the capital to California. Many people... even if they just brush past me for a second, they would fall in love with me."
"If I could even remember the faces of NPCs... I would have won the Nobel Prize long ago, replacing Einstein."
Yan Quan smiled with the dashing charisma of a romantic novelist, "I guess you're the latter."
[To guess someone's crush so easily—that's the confidence of a player.]
With this face, I truly believe countless people will fall in love with him at first sight (crying)
[Waaaa, I'm a beta, I've never even met Yan Quan, and I've already fallen for him just from watching him on TV!]
[Alpha has fallen in love too (facepalm)]
〖Omega +1〗
"I want to live that kind of 'heartthrob' life in my next life too."
"You're really... almost frankly ruthless." A hint of embarrassment at being exposed flashed across Fu Duannian's face, but once he looked directly at Yan Quan, his eyes were replaced by a fervent pursuit:
"Yes, you guessed exactly right."
"I'm even ashamed to say it myself. Twelve years have passed, and this long unrequited love has been like the night rain in Bashan, gradually overflowing and becoming uncontrollable."
“When I was 20 years old, I had the opportunity to visit Hongxing Middle School in Baisha Street Community for research. The security there was very strict, so I could only look inside from afar through the rusty, openwork iron gate…”
Little did he know that just one glance would captivate him and make him lose a third of his life.
At this moment, Fu Duannian's pupils reflected Yan Quan's face directly, and the blurry reflection gradually overlapped with the boy standing under the locust tree ten years ago.
In that time and space, the young Leonardo da Vinci encountered the Mona Lisa, whom he could never forget.
"After all these years, I have been looking for you."
"I thought you were born in the poor neighborhood of Baisha Street. After we parted, I kept track of Hongxing Middle School's activities, hoping to run into you again..."
Yan Quan made up lies with ease: "How stupid, how could I be from the poor area of Baisha Street? That day was just a school-organized visit to a poor primary school... The driver who was supposed to pick me up was late because of traffic, so I stayed at Hongxing Primary School a little longer."
“So that’s how it is. That’s why we missed each other after all this time.” Fu Duannian sighed knowingly, “Actually, I should have expected it. You are so clean and noble… you don’t seem like a child who grew up in a filthy and dirty place like Baisha Street.”
At that moment, Fu Duannian was so overwhelmed by the joy of their reunion that he didn't notice Yan Quan's slightly trembling, curled eyelashes as he uttered those words.
Like the slightest flutter of a dragonfly's wings, fleeting and ephemeral, a layer of bewilderment, as if exposed, lingered in her clear eyes.
Wait, Baisha Street Community... Where is that?
[The F district slum of the last century, a remnant of urbanization and household registration reform, where many people are said to be unregistered.]
No wonder... Elite schools often have these kinds of charity events that involve visiting impoverished elementary schools.
So Yan Quan and Professor Fu knew each other when they were little... what a childhood sweetheart who fell from the sky!
[Be careful what you say. It's Fu who has a one-sided crush on Yan Quan; Yan Quan doesn't even know he does.]
Oh, poor Professor Fu.
Fortunately, fate allowed us to meet again.
Fu Duannian scrutinized Yan Quan closely, his gaze somewhat dazed: "Especially these eyes... From the first moment I saw you, I was certain it was you."
“I painted a picture for you, my most famous work, which is now on display at the Capital Art Museum.” Fu Duannian turned his phone sideways to show Yan Quan the painting.
An old locust tree with lush foliage. Dappled sunlight filters through its branches, casting shimmering golden spots on the ground.
A young man in a white shirt stood quietly under a tree, the shirt swaying gently in the breeze, the hem occasionally fluttering in the wind. He was tall and slender, his back perfectly straight.
The boy only has a side profile, and even that profile is blurred, making one wonder if the "boy" is just a figment of the creator's imagination.
The painting is titled "Exclusive Memory".
"I love you; it's a unique memory for me."
Yan Quan stared at the painting, lost in thought for a moment. It wasn't because Fu Duannian's actions moved him so much, but because of the background in which the figure was situated.
The dark, chaotic, dilapidated, and crowded neighborhood resembles a thick, terrifying shadow... This is truly an ancient architectural landscape.
So long ago, Yan Quan thought he had completely forgotten.
To be honest, Yan Quan disliked this painting.
Stunned by a strong urge to escape, Yan Quan quickly looked away, pulling his gaze away from the painting.
Fu Duannian, on the other hand, was staring blankly at the person in the painting, his unfocused pupils showing a hint of infatuation.
Because of his dislike for Fu Duannian, Yan Quan disliked Fu Duannian's appearance.
This discomfort was mixed with something else... a vague, uneasy feeling. In short, Yan Quan didn't want Fu Duannian to stare at the painting so intently any longer...
So Yan Quan gently turned her wrist, and her slender fingers covered Fu Duannian's glasses frame: "It seems you are really satisfied with your masterpiece."
"Hmm?" Fu Duannian asked, somewhat puzzled.
Yan Quan didn't reply, but easily took off his gold-rimmed glasses.
Fu Duannian's vision instantly became a blurry blur, and his hearing became exceptionally sharp.
Fu Duannian could clearly feel Yan Quan's clear, melodious laughter. Like the most translucent breeze of dawn, it drifted gently around his ear.
"I'm right in front of you, why are you still looking at the painting?"
As the warm breath drew closer, Fu Duannian could only see Yan Quan's face gradually enlarge, its contours becoming more and more distinct.
When the final focus was on the two figures, they were only a fist's distance apart.
The whole world blurred, but Fu Duan could only see the person in front of him clearly—distant mountain eyebrows, fox-like eyes, and thin lips curving into an extremely captivating arc.
Yan Quan was like a bewitching enchantress from a storybook:
"Your painting is better than mine?"
A note from the author:
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Happy Children's Day, everyone! [Rose]
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