Si Jingyi exerted tremendous effort before finally managing to climb onto the speedboat.
His peach blossom eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Ruan Qinghuan, looking as if he wanted to devour her whole.
"Ruan Qinghuan, what exactly did I ever do to offend you?"
Ruan Qinghuan's long, jet-black, silky hair was whipped up by the sea breeze. Her delicate, pristine face turned cold as frost in an instant. "Si Jingyi, I simply can't stand a scumbag like you!"
Si Jingyi clenched his hand into a fist. If he weren't restraining himself with all his might, he would have loved to punch this woman's beautiful yet detestable face.
Meanwhile, Wen Yan, while steering the speedboat, was busy catching up on gossip within her system.
[Wow, the reason Ruan Qinghuan hates Si Jingyi now is because back when they were studying abroad, Si Jingyi made a bet with his friends to chase the little chubby girl in their college. After he succeeded, he dumped her. What he didn't know was that the little chubby girl had already developed feelings for him.]
[That little chubby girl was Ruan Qinghuan. At the time, Ruan Qinghuan wasn't in good health and was taking hormone medication, which caused her to gain weight.]
[Si Jingyi used to be arrogant, unruly, and frivolous, infuriatingly bad and roguish. He probably doesn't even remember the little chubby girl he teased and hurt!]
Si Jingyi's body stiffened violently.
He quickly remembered his sophomore year when he went abroad as an exchange student.
There was a fair, plump girl who was often mocked by others. A few times, he had stepped in to help her.
Later, his friends teased him, saying he had a crush on the little chubby girl. He denied it, so his friends made a bet with him: if he pursued her, she would definitely say yes.
At the time, to prove there was nothing between him and the chubby girl, he accepted the bet.
What he never expected was that the chubby girl actually agreed after his confession.
He was stunned. Before he could even react, the friends he'd made the bet with jumped out, declaring he had lost.
When the chubby girl learned his confession was just part of a bet, she ran away crying.
The next day, when Si Jingyi wanted to apologize to her in person, he found out she had already left the college.
After that, he never saw her again.
Back then, she used an English name abroad, and he never learned her Chinese name. He thought he would never see her again in this lifetime.
He never, ever imagined that the little chubby girl was actually Ruan Qinghuan standing before him.
After learning the reason behind Ruan Qinghuan's constant targeting of him, Si Jingyi's gaze towards her grew more complex.
"Ruan Qinghuan, are you that little chubby girl from studying abroad back then... Smack!"
Before Si Jingyi could finish his sentence, his handsome face was met with a fierce slap from Ruan Qinghuan. "I must have been blind back then."
[Such a love-hate, star-crossed pair.]
[Ruan Qinghuan was experiencing her first crush. She thought she had met a boy who didn't mind her weight, only to find out he was just toying with her. It's understandable how humiliated and resentful she felt. Blame it on Si Jingyi being blind—he actually preferred a transgender person over a genuine beauty.]
Si Jingyi's face turned ashen.
Alright, he admitted it. He was indeed blind enough.
[The depth of love fuels the intensity of hate. You, love-struck fool, better not miss out on such a wonderful girl again. In your previous life, after you were sold to Africa to dig coal, Ruan Qinghuan broke ties with her family to search for you.]
[When she found you, you were already beaten half to death. To save you, she knelt and begged, but those people, seeing her beauty, got wicked ideas.]
[She refused to submit even unto death. They tried to use you to threaten her, but she shielded you with her life. Before you were beaten to death, she was beaten to death right before your eyes!]
[Goodness gracious! How can there be such a devoted, yet so foolish girl?]
Si Jingyi was utterly stunned.
It felt as if all the blood in his body was freezing solid.
He never imagined that the aloof, proud Ruan Qinghuan, who constantly opposed him, had such deep feelings for him and ultimately died protecting him.
This lifetime, he absolutely must not let such a tragedy happen again.
Someone like him was utterly unworthy of Ruan Qinghuan.
Her falling for him was a mistake from the start!
To make Ruan Qinghuan hate him completely, Si Jingyi let out a wicked laugh and suddenly reached out, pinning Ruan Qinghuan against the railing. "You don't still like me, do you? You're not fat anymore, and you've grown so pretty. I wouldn't mind having a little fun with you."
As he spoke, his long fingers trailed up her pale, slender leg.
Just as his fingers moved suggestively higher, Ruan Qinghuan stomped hard on his foot.
Si Jingyi's features twisted in pain.
A flicker of disappointment and hurt passed through Ruan Qinghuan's beautiful, doe-like eyes.
Her heart clenched painfully.
It felt like a sorrow greater than death itself.
The boy who had once appeared in her life like a beam of light existed only in her fantasies after all.
"If you have time tonight, shall we get a hotel room?"
Every word he uttered was like a sharp knife, brutally stabbing into Ruan Qinghuan's heart.
Until the last shred of fantasy she held for him shattered completely.
A cold, mocking arc lifted the corner of her lips. "Si Jingyi, I truly regret ever meeting you. Don't worry, I won't clash with you anymore. From now on, whenever I see you, I'll treat you as a stranger."
Wen Yan mentally gave Ruan Qinghuan a big thumbs-up.
[Congratulations, Miss Ruan! The light boat has passed countless mountains. That's exactly right. In this world, three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged scumbag men are everywhere.]
[It's really not worth losing your life over a man, especially one who was blind enough to date a transgender person.]
Si Jingyi, "..."
The fact that he dated a transgender person was probably a stain he could never wash off.
Si Jingyi glanced at Ruan Qinghuan. She stood with both hands on the railing, her back to him, her profile cold and detached.
He knew his words had deeply wounded her.
She wouldn't like him anymore.
Just as his sister-in-law's inner voice said, someone like him wasn't worth it. She deserved better!
...
Twenty minutes later, the speedboat reached the deserted island.
Ruan Qinghuan didn't know where Wen Yan and Si Jingyi were heading, but she didn't ask, quietly following behind them.
Wen Yan found Shao Ning in a cave.
Shao Ning lay on the ground, barely breathing, her wrist cut by a sharp stone, blood gushing out.
Seeing the emaciated Shao Ning, both Si Jingyi and Ruan Qinghuan were taken aback.
Wen Yan immediately stepped forward. She took medicine from her bag to stop Shao Ning's bleeding.
After stopping the bleeding, she looked back at Ruan Qinghuan. "Do you have a handkerchief or a scarf?"
Ruan Qinghuan immediately handed her handkerchief to Wen Yan.
Wen Yan bandaged Shao Ning's wrist.
"Sister-in-law, let me carry her!" Although Shao Ning was thin, she still weighed over eighty pounds. It might be strenuous for most women to carry her.
But the next second, Si Jingyi watched as Wen Yan effortlessly picked Shao Ning up.
She even gave her a little bounce, looking completely at ease.
Si Jingyi suddenly remembered Wen Yan's combat prowess. He had truly overestimated himself.
Shao Ning slowly regained consciousness. In her weak, blurry vision, she saw the woman holding her in her arms. Her pupils dilated slightly, and her heart skipped a beat.
