Leaving the Imperial City for just one week, Ye Li rembered clearly that when she left, the roadsides were still dull and gray.
But now that she was back, at a glance, everything was cloaked in a hazy green.
Delicate green buds had sprouted on the tree trunks.
Spring had arrived.
In the past, Xiao Bao, who was teased for acting like a little grown-up, seed like a completely different person after returning from a trip.
His face was constantly lit up with a cheerful smile, and when they t, he would softly take Old Mrs. Fu’s hand.
Although he still didn’t speak, the concern in his eyes was obvious: Great-grandmother, are you well?
"Good, good, very good..."
Patting the little one’s cheek, Old Mrs. Fu glanced at Fu Yanci, then at Ye Li, swallowing down her words about Lin Kerou’s repeated requests to et.
After having dinner at the old house, Ye Li returned to the Ye Mansion.
Even though she had made daily phone calls and video chats during her week away, it was still not the sa as seeing each other in person.
And this was the longest ti Ye Li had been apart from her mother since the Ye Family’s troubles.
As she pushed the door open, the air was filled with a rich fragrance.
Ye Li walked toward the kitchen, where she saw Aunt Lan preparing soup.
Aunt Lan turned her head, and her face lit up with surprise upon seeing her.
Noticing that Ye Li was about to look for Li Xueqing, Aunt Lan quickly held her back. "Wait a mont, madam is on a call."
Ye Li’s heart tightened. "Who is she talking to?"
Aunt Lan said nothing.
But Ye Li seed to know the answer.
Father was already gone.
But in mother’s heart, father was still alive.
Standing quietly for a while outside the master bedroom door on the first floor, Ye Li turned and went upstairs to shower and change.
The next day marked the start of a new term at Imperial University.
On the first day of school, there weren’t many classes. Each departnt issued notifications and tasked class monitors with organizing students to retrieve textbooks from designated locations before distributing them.
Typically, such tasks were tacitly assigned to the more physically capable male students.
After picking up the books and attending the class eting, Ye Li returned to Fanxing Apartnt and found the room impeccably clean, thanks to Lu Xiaoxiao’s efforts.
Her phone rang with a *ding*, a WeChat ssage from Qin Chu.
[Mrs. Fu, are you free tonight?]
[???]
[There’s a birthday banquet. I’m invited, but could you be my talisman?]
[If Mrs. Fu isn’t available, does your dear husband count?]
[Yes, yes! Let’s et at five, the usual spot!]
Putting away her phone and greeting Fu Yanci briefly, the door lock clicked, and Ye Li looked up to see Lu Xiaoxiao.
And behind her, Xie Yunkai was carrying a stack of books.
"Lizi, I missed you so much!"
Lu Xiaoxiao threw herself at her excitedly.
Xie Yunkai greeted them with a quick hello before leaving, reminding Lu Xiaoxiao not to forget her dication on his way out.
After the door closed, Ye Li looked at Lu Xiaoxiao with concern. "What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
"Stomach hurts."
Lu Xiaoxiao smiled, pulling out a bottle of ibuprofen from the drawer and shaking it at Ye Li. "Old issue, but it gets better after taking this. Don’t worry."
Ye Li’s gaze lingered for a mont.
Lu Xiaoxiao quickly withdrew her hand.
Then, feeling there was no need to hide, she extended her hand again in front of Ye Li’s face. "What do you think of this? Pretty?"
On her fair ring finger, a rose gold ring glimred under the light.
A classic design from Forever.
An unmatchable icon for over a decade.
Ye Li nodded. "Gorgeous! Classics never go out of style."
Lu Xiaoxiao’s face reddened further. "He got it for on Valentine’s Day at the night market—just 19.9 yuan."
Ye Li froze.
Though mass-produced items now are highly competitive, with so nearly indistinguishable from authentic pieces in craftsmanship...
A student of jewelry design like Ye Li could still tell the difference between real and fake.
A ring priced at 19,999, gifted by Xie Yunkai to Lu Xiaoxiao, yet he passed it off as rely 19.9 yuan.
Was it because he feared she’d find it too expensive and return it?
Or was there another reason?
"Lizi, what’s wrong?"
Seeing Ye Li spaced out, Lu Xiaoxiao appeared a little uneasy.
Ye Li shook her head with a smile. "Nothing... It’s just that after not seeing you for so long, being hit with so much affection all at once has left a bit dazed."
Lu Xiaoxiao blushed again.
Ye Li teased her, "Didn’t you make fun of him for buying it?"
"We weren’t together that evening."
Seemingly oblivious to how odd it was for a boyfriend not to be with her on Valentine’s Day, Lu Xiaoxiao smiled. "Besides, there wasn’t anything funny about it. Even if he didn’t get a gift, I wouldn’t have minded."
They had been together since they were 18. This was their second Valentine’s Day during college.
Last Valentine’s, Xie Yunkai had hand-carved a jade amulet for Lu Xiaoxiao.
After moving into Fanxing Apartnt, Lu Xiaoxiao hung it by her bedside, and Ye Li had seen it.
If Lu Xiaoxiao hadn’t ntioned it was handmade by Xie Yunkai, Ye Li would’ve assud he’d bought it from a shop.
Good-looking.
Thoughtful.
And he firmly rejected all the girls who flirted with him.
In Lu Xiaoxiao’s eyes, such a Xie Yunkai was the perfect boyfriend.
Never mind a ring for 19.9 yuan—even if it were a wholesaler’s ultra-cheap knockoff for 9.9, Ye Li believed that if Xie Yunkai dared to buy it, Lu Xiaoxiao would dare to proudly wear it.
On one hand, she thought he might have valid reasons or a secret burden. Maybe that photo from the bar was sothing she overanalyzed.
On the other hand, a small voice in her asked: What if?
But seeing Lu Xiaoxiao’s radiant, bashful expression, and hearing her hum tunes even while showering, Ye Li suppressed all her doubts deep within.
She gave Lu Xiaoxiao a brief tutorial on basic jewelry care—a ring was more likely to be damaged by water during washing and bathing than to be misplaced due to frequent removal.
As evening approached, Ye Li headed to the styling studio where she’d arranged to et Qin Chu.
"Whose birthday is it, making such a big deal out of it?"
As the makeup artist worked on her face, Ye Li looked at Qin Chu in the mirror and asked.
"Ahhh..."
With a sigh, Qin Chu responded, exasperated, "Last week I went back for Qin Zhongsong’s birthday. He ntioned he had two candidates in mind and suggested I consider them. Lazy to deal with it, I told him I already had a boyfriend. Who knew I’d get caught!"
She had said to Yao Wanying, "Stop pressuring . Just mail a rope, and I’ll livestream myself hanging," when Qin Zhongsong walked in.
The exposure had been utterly unexpected!
If Qin Zhongsong hadn’t stepped in to calm Yao Wanying down and assured her he’d handle it, Qin Chu’s phone would’ve been blown up that night with nonstop calls.
"He said he wasn’t trying to force —just giving more options. Told to take a look."
Perhaps it was Qin Zhongsong’s gentle tone, a stark contrast to Yao Wanying’s overbearing approach.
Or maybe she thought eting them and saying no face-to-face was more persuasive than flat-out rejecting them.
"In any case, I agreed!"
Qin Chu grinned at Ye Li. "Mrs. Fu, follow my lead tonight!"
Ye Li instantly got it.
At 7 PM, Ye Li and Qin Chu arrived hand in hand, all smiles, at the banquet hall on the first floor of Imperial Hotel.
Beauty always turned heads, especially when it was two won with distinctly different vibes.
More so when one of them carried the aura of being Mrs. Fu.
The guests in the hall collectively turned to look, their gazes captivated.
Soone greeted her, addressing her as "Mrs. Fu."
So wanted to avoid making her sound older, opting to call her "Ms. Ye."
Catching sight of a familiar shadow in her peripheral vision, Ye Li turned her head instinctively.
Their eyes t, and Ye Li froze, her gaze gradually turning cold.
Not far away, Xie Yunkai’s composed expression shattered the mont his eyes landed on Ye Li.
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