The engagement between Qin Xuanye and Chen Ruanruan was ultimately called off.
On one hand, Qin Xuanye had protested vehemently; on the other, Chen Zhenye had his own private motives concerning his eldest son.
The social circle was abuzz with gossip.
Everyone speculated whether the Qin and Chen families had fallen out.
Yet, their business activities continued as usual.
Some astute observers quickly noticed something was amiss!!!
Although Qin Xuanye had broken off his engagement with Chen Ruanruan, he had begun openly pursuing the Chen family's true heiress, Chen Liuyue.
His attitude was downright humble—what the younger generation would call acting like a "simp."
One day, Chen Liuyue walked out of a lecture hall, her arms full of textbooks.
Her roommate, Little Zhu, patted her shoulder and pointed into the distance.
"Liuyue, look! That Qin guy from the university next door is here again."
Da Mai frowned. "It's been weeks. He's like a ghost, haunting you every day, always trailing behind you."
Ya Ya raised an eyebrow, looking at him with the critical eye of a prospective mother-in-law.
She assessed him critically:
"Tall, good-looking... a shame he's Chen Ruanruan's ex-boyfriend."
Chen Liuyue timidly raised her hand and clarified, "Actually, he's my ex-boyfriend too."
Little Zhu, Da Mai, Ya Ya: "...What?!"
Chen Liuyue briefly explained what happened in high school and the reason for their breakup.
Little Zhu exclaimed, "What?! Dating you while secretly preparing to study abroad himself? What a jerk!"
Da Mai, thinking more deeply, said, "He wasn't serious about you. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen a long-distance relationship across countries."
Ya Ya: "Good riddance! We support you!"
Perhaps their discussion was a bit too loud, as Qin Xuanye turned his gaze towards them upon hearing the voices.
Unlike the previous days when he had silently kept his distance, he actually lifted his foot and started walking over.
Little Zhu whispered nervously, "What do we do? What do we do? He's coming over."
Da Mai stepped in front of Chen Liuyue. "It's fine. We'll protect Liuyue."
Ya Ya snorted coldly.
"He dares to come? I'll give him a piece of my mind!"
However, when Qin Xuanye finally stood before them, the previously righteous Little Zhu and Da Mai could only swallow nervously.
Qin Xuanye stood in the sunlight, his whole person as if gilded with a thin layer of gold.
The top two buttons of his light blue shirt were undone, the collar slightly open, revealing a glimpse of his collarbone.
He was exceptionally handsome, with pronounced brow bones and a tall, straight nose bridge.
His every movement carried an air of refined nobility.
Everyone knew Qin, the heartthrob from neighboring Qinghe University, was good-looking, but seeing him up close, he was even more stunning!
Jerk or not, he was undeniably handsome.
Ya Ya remained relatively clear-headed and asked, "Can we help you, student?"
Qin Xuanye's gaze swept past her, locking directly onto Chen Liuyue.
"I came to see Liuyue. There are some misunderstandings between us that I want to clear up."
"But she has me blocked, so I have no way to contact her. That's why I've had to come here every day."
Chen Liuyue glanced at him coolly. "There are no misunderstandings between us."
Qin Xuanye stared at her intently.
"There are."
"I never planned to study abroad. That news at school back then was just a rumor."
Seeing the situation, Ya Ya quickly pulled Little Zhu and Da Mai away.
Leaving the space for this pair of ex-lovers.
A faint smile touched Chen Liuyue's lips.
"A rumor?"
"But do you know why I believed it?"
Qin Xuanye silently shook his head.
Chen Liuyue spoke slowly,
"A Xuan, it's because I never trusted you from the start."
"There was no trust between us. From the very beginning, I agreed to date you just to use you."
"In my eyes, you were just a meal ticket. So, after high school ended, when we were heading to different universities and I heard you were going abroad, I dumped you."
Qin Xuanye shook his head vigorously.
With agitated emotion, he said, "No! That's not true!"
"I've already called our old friends. One of them told me everything."
"It was me who failed to give you a sense of security, who made you afraid."
"You're so proud. Watching me leave would have been worse than choosing to leave me first. I know that now, I understand..."
A trace of mockery curled at the corner of Chen Liuyue's mouth.
Her tone was light and detached. "So, you finally figured it out."
"I thought you'd never discover the truth in this lifetime."
"But isn't this reason more comfortable for you than me cheating on you?"
"A Xuan, you still haven't grasped the most crucial reason between us."
"From beginning to end, I wasn't with you because I liked you. It was out of guilt. I felt I had used you for three years. Do you understand?"
"I never developed feelings for you."
These words stabbed deep into Qin Xuanye's heart like knives.
One cut after another.
Each sentence was harsher than the last!
Seeing him fall silent, Chen Liuyue sighed softly. "Don't hate me. It's pointless."
Qin Xuanye stared straight at her.
With near-stubbornness, he said, "Who says I hate you? It's me who has always loved you!"
Chen Liuyue spread her hands somewhat helplessly.
"Your love means becoming engaged to my sister when we reunited?"
"Your love means confessing to me again when I already have a boyfriend?"
"Qin Xuanye, your love always comes at the wrong time."
"So, whether it's your love or your hate, I don't care."
Qin Xuanye still wanted to say something to make her stay, but he saw Chen Liuyue had already walked past him, heading forward.
Not far away,
a tall man in a black trench coat stood with an elegant posture.
Wei Miao, his phoenix eyes slightly upturned, quickly walked towards Chen Liuyue.
Qin Xuanye watched, helpless, as the man took her hand.
He also saw the smile in her eyes as she rested her head against his arm.
System: "Host, danger, danger. The target Qin Xuanye's favorability is dropping: 95%, 92%... 90%..."
Chen Liuyue responded inwardly:
"No danger. He saw me with Wei Miao, acting intimate and holding hands right in front of him, and it only dropped to 90%. What does that mean?"
"He can't escape anymore."
Using normal methods to win him over would never work on Qin Xuanye.
Because he was too self-absorbed.
Back then, he pursued Tao Liuyue for three years without knowing her true family background, which proved he only liked the image of Tao Liuyue he had in his mind.
The current situation was identical. He could agree to an engagement with Chen Ruanruan.
Partly due to family duty, but also because he saw only the gentle, gracious, and proper Chen Ruanruan of his own perception.
Now Chen Liuyue had appeared.
She was determined to tear off all masks, to show him her worst side.
To make Qin Xuanye see clearly!
The woman you like is not some perfect fantasy of yours, but an outright villain!
This bad version of her—are you still willing to like her?
