When Ye Liangchen saw the three girls happily playing together, the rose in his hand instantly fell to the ground.
The brighter their smiles, the deeper the ache in his heart.
Those smiles should have been his, but now they had all been stolen by that idiot Long Aotian.
The bitterness of resentment—only he knew the pain in his heart...
Slowly closing his eyes, a single tear of regret slid down his cheek, as if mourning the love he had lost...
Shen Mengjie followed Ye Liangchen’s gaze and spotted Hu Yuying, Li Qingxue, and Lin Wanning.
She had seen Lin Wanning before—back at the music academy gate, where Long Aotian had dropped her off.
Putting together Ye Liangchen’s expression and what he’d told her earlier, she asked with amused interest, "Are they the so-called ‘treasure girl,’ ‘first love,’ and ‘childhood sweetheart’ you mentioned before?"
Ye Liangchen’s lips trembled slightly, letting the tear fall without wiping it away. His silence spoke volumes.
Meanwhile, Xue Shaohua, overhearing Shen Mengjie’s words, couldn’t help but glance at her.Taking in her alluring curves and the confident, flirtatious charm radiating from her delicate face, he flicked his hair with practiced ease and said softly, "Hello, I’m Xue Shaohua."
The moment Xue Shaohua introduced himself, Ye Liangchen snapped to attention, his brow furrowing as he subtly stepped between him and Shen Mengjie.
He flicked his own hair, barely resisting the urge to slap Xue Shaohua across the face.
How dare this guy set his sights on his girl? Did he really think Ye Liangchen couldn’t see right through him?
With a slow lowering of his gaze, Ye Liangchen suddenly lifted his head at a 45-degree angle, radiating an overwhelming aura to suppress Xue Shaohua.
Not to be outdone, Xue Shaohua took a step back, then bowed gracefully in a gentlemanly gesture toward Shen Mengjie before flicking his hair again.
"Elegance is the key to catching a woman’s attention"—a lesson he’d learned from Ye Liangchen himself.
Ye Liangchen scoffed at Xue Shaohua’s display, then confidently flicked his own hair before spreading his arms wide toward the sky.
Taking a deep breath, he wore a self-satisfied smirk, slowly wrapping his arms around himself in a dramatic embrace.
"Trying to outclass me in elegance? You’re miles behind!" he sneered inwardly.
Sure enough, Xue Shaohua’s expression soured the moment Ye Liangchen struck his pose.
Shen Mengjie watched the two with undisguised disdain. For a moment, she was tempted to drop the act entirely—to point at their faces and tell them to take a good look at themselves in the mirror.
Shen Mengjie gave a light nod, her sultry gaze lingering on the trio with growing intrigue.
A strange thought crossed her mind: "Would those three ever fall for someone like Ye Liangchen?"
The answer was obvious.
Watching the unwillingness in his eyes, she almost laughed. "This guy’s clearly just after their looks—just like how he ogled me when we first met."
A playful smile curved her lips as she turned to Xue Shaohua, batting her lashes. "Shao... Shao..."
Xue Shaohua, throat dry at the sight of her alluring gaze, quickly supplied, "Shaohua. Xue Shaohua."
Shen Mengjie covered her lips with a soft giggle, then murmured, "Shaohua."
The way she said it sent his heart racing.
Ye Liangchen, seeing Shen Mengjie’s flushed cheeks as she gazed at Xue Shaohua, immediately stepped between them.
"Aren’t you supposed to be somewhere else?" he snapped at Xue Shaohua, shooting him warning looks—which Xue Shaohua blatantly ignored.
Instead, Xue Shaohua flicked his hair again, flashing a charming smile. "A pleasure to meet you."
Ye Liangchen’s face darkened. "He’s ignoring me?"
In his mind, Xue Shaohua was just a pawn—yet here he was, trying to steal the woman he wanted right under his nose.
Before Xue Shaohua could say more, Ye Liangchen grabbed his arm and forced a smile at Shen Mengjie. "Mengjie, I need a word with him."
She shrugged, then leaned to the side, flashing Xue Shaohua a dazzling smile over Ye Liangchen’s shoulder.
Ye Liangchen’s grip tightened.
"What’s the big idea?" Xue Shaohua demanded once they were out of earshot.
Ye Liangchen shoved him away. "What the hell are you playing at?"
"Playing at what?" Xue Shaohua feigned ignorance, his eyes darting back toward Shen Mengjie.
Ye Liangchen blocked his view, voice low and dangerous. "I saw Shen Mengjie first."
Xue Shaohua smirked, flicking his hair. "Seems like she’s more interested in me, though."
Ye Liangchen laughed—a cold, humorless sound.
"Without me, would she even know you exist?"
"And how exactly do you plan to compete with me?"
His entire demeanor shifted, eyes locked onto Xue Shaohua like a predator.
"You’ve got it wrong," Xue Shaohua retorted, unflinching. "This isn’t a competition. You two are just friends, aren’t you? If she likes me, where’s the ‘stealing’ in that?"
For emphasis, he tilted his head, letting his newly pierced earring catch the light.
Ye Liangchen’s eyes narrowed at the sight of it...
---
Watching the two idiots bicker over her, Shen Mengjie stifled a laugh.
"How do morons like these even dare to scheme against Long Aotian? Talk about overconfidence."
Once she’d shaken them off, her gaze returned to Hu Yuying and the others.
The trio, having finished their conversation, began walking toward University T’s entrance.
After a brief hesitation, Shen Mengjie quietly followed...