The Maybach sped toward Imperial University. Ye Li turned her head to look out the window, her voice crisp and clear, "Unless you bring out the evidence, I absolutely won’t admit to it!"
Pear blossom.
Tree.
She was his little pear blossom.
The man spoke with righteous conviction, but no matter how it sounded, it was clearly the kind of nonsense drunk rambling she was capable of.
Yet Ye Li vehently refused to admit.
No admitting!!!
What face would she have left to save???!!!
Fu Yanci’s gaze sparkled with amusent.
It was obvious the girl was trying to renege.
But it didn’t matter.
Evidence wasn’t necessary.
Last night, he had seen it with his own eyes and heard it with his own ears—nothing more was needed!
"Alright, nothing happened. It was all nonsense I made up. Does that work for you?"
He gently kissed her hand as a gesture of appeasent, worried that the girl might blow up, get angry, and ignore him altogether.
The car stopped outside of the East Gate. Before Fu Yanci could say, "Let’s have dinner together tonight," there was a click as her seatbelt unfastened, and the girl had already pushed open the car door and bolted away.
Her flushed cheeks and the tips of her ears were vivid and radiant under the morning sunlight.
Fu Yanci’s eyes were filled with laughter.
By the ti he stepped into the office, his good mood was undeniable.
Behind him, Xiang Yang was practically bursting with excitent, "Congratulations, Boss!"
Fu Yanci glanced up.
Xiang Yang continued, "Lady Ye has achieved so much at such a young age, and with the Boss—a perfect match! A union made in heaven!"
The smile on Fu Yanci’s face deepened, "Along with this morning’s tea, everyone in the company gets a gift card and a one-day holiday."
!!!
Xiang Yang had guessed it would co to this!
He responded promptly, "Understood!"
That day at Fu Group, everyone was left in a daze.
Since the beginning of the year, every so often there had been morning and afternoon tea deliveries, and each ti it was enough for every employee.
Upon learning the treats were courtesy of the Boss himself, everyone—from the directors to the receptionists on the first floor—was utterly bewildered.
The usually cold and stern Boss, whose intense deanor seed capable of freezing people solid wherever he appeared, had undergone a sudden transformation—he was treating people to afternoon tea?
When the news spread from the President’s Office saying the Boss was married, everyone instantly understood: it was the honeymoon phase!
Indeed, even the aloof Boss couldn’t escape the charms of love!
When Xiang Yang delivered the morning tea, Ye Li expressed her thanks and then pulled out her phone. The WeChat ssage she sent, however, was rather aggressive.
[Fu Yanci, you even know which classroom I’m in??? Tell , did you send soone to follow ?]
[...]
A second later, a picture arrived.
On the spacious desk, two schedules were placed side by side.
One was his itinerary, packed and detailed.
The other was just as dense, but upon closer inspection, it was her class schedule.
Not only were class tis marked, but each session’s specific building and classroom numbers were also noted.
Beneath the schedule was a map.
The Imperial University campus map.
On the map were three distinct markers.
A heart represented Fanxing Apartnt.
A star symbolized the cafeteria.
A triangle marked the teaching buildings.
At last, she realized why every ti he ca to pick her up, it was always conveniently at the closest campus gate to her location.
Ye Li: !!!
Her heart filled with a sweet sensation, uncertain whether the sweetness ca from her milk tea or Fu Yanci’s actions.
Ye Li smiled and replied, [Not bad—keep it up, Mr. Tree!]
In the office, Fu Yanci raised his eyebrow.
Was this... an admission?
[Understood, Ms. Li Hua!]
Pear blossom was one thing, but what was "Little Pear Blossom"?
Her cheeks inexplicably ward. Ye Li put away her phone, headed to her seat, and sat up straight.
The second class was Professor Zhao’s jewelry design course.
Normally stern-faced, Professor Zhao entered the room today with a beaming smile.
He gestured for the students to sit down after their greeting. Smiling, he said, "Let’s all give a round of applause to congratulate Ye Li for winning the gold award at yesterday’s closing event of the 19th ’Shining with You’ jewelry design competition!"
The applause thundered, and the classroom buzzed with admiration and envy.
Everyone knew that even qualifying for such a competition was challenging, let alone winning a prize.
And Ye Li had won the gold award.
Gold—an incredible feat!!!
They were only in their junior year, and by September of the upcoming sester, they’d just be starting their senior year.
It was often said that after graduation, classmates would drift apart due to varying paths and ti zones. But shocking everyone, Ye Li had already pulled ahead by an enormous margin before even stepping out of the university gates.
"Ye Li, congratulations!"
"Ye Li, please teach us more in the future—you can’t keep everything to yourself!"
"Ye Li, you’re amazing! Ahhh, I’m so jealous..."
...
Blessings and admiration poured in from all directions before gradually settling as Professor Zhao started the lecture with the projector.
Looking ahead once more, Ye Li sat proudly in the front row, her back straight. Despite having achieved such an accomplishnt, there wasn’t even a hint of arrogance about her.
From the seats at the back, Jiang Chengcheng gripped the pen in her hand tightly. Her palm was pierced by the tip, yet she seed oblivious to the pain.
Last sester’s final exam—Ye Li ranked first, and she ranked second.
As a result, both received invitations to the Bishui Bay Exhibition Hall from Professor Zhao.
Initially, Jiang Chengcheng thought this signaled that the gap between herself and Ye Li was narrowing. But she’d never expected that an official competition would widen the chasm between them once again.
Ye Li could independently establish her own studio to enter "Shining with You."
While Jiang Chengcheng didn’t even qualify to participate.
And then it ca out that the winner of the previous year—Ali—was actually Ye Li, who at that ti as a re freshman had entered the competition through Professor Zhao’s Yueran Studio. From that mont, Jiang Chengcheng’s inner balance completely toppled.
Both were in the sa class, yet Professor Zhao’s attitude toward Ye Li and toward her was worlds apart.
And then there was Zhou Hecchen.
The chat history on her WeChat conversation with Zhou Hecchen was dry and tireso.
Her ssages, initiated with care, perpetually went unanswered.
What Zhou Hecchen voluntarily sent was always an address.
Either the top-floor suite at Yunjing.
Or bars.
As though she were nothing more than a disposable partner summoned at his whim.
She hated it!!!
Pushing the pen through the pierced spot with force, Jiang Chengcheng glared daggers at Ye Li’s back.
Part of her believed that if Ye Li didn’t exist, Zhou Hecchen might finally give up entirely. Once he awakened from his delusions, he’d recognize her presence—that she was Jiang Chengcheng, not Ye Li’s substitute.
Yet another part of her feared that without Ye Li, even Ye Li’s flaws might transform into precious mories Zhou Hecchen couldn’t abandon, permanently etched in his heart.
Jiang Chengcheng’s emotions swung between extres of coldness and warmth.
She had no idea what Professor Zhao spoke about on stage. Lost in thought, Jiang Chengcheng drifted through the rest of the day, going from lecture hall to cafeteria, then back to her dormitory.
"Jiang Chengcheng..."
At the dorm building entrance, a voice called out to her. Jiang Chengcheng turned to see a woman with a refined, elegant deanor and a gentle smile, her expression wary. "Hello, do we... know each other?"
Lin Kerou smiled as she approached Jiang Chengcheng, retrieving a business card from her bag and handing it to her. "Well, we do now, don’t we?"
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