At the same time, Wen Tingxue, after hearing all the gossip, finally felt a gaze upon her.
She looked up towards the second floor.
She happened to see Chi Zerui's back.
"Huh?"
"What's wrong?" Hao Luo'er followed her gaze.
Wen Tingxue hesitated, "I think I saw Chi Zerui..."
"A Rui?" Hao Luo'er's eyes lit up.
Immediately after, her expression complexly creased.
"I'll go take a look first, Xi Xi, you stay here and look after things."
She got up with an anxious look, completely unlike her usual calm demeanor when analyzing Mu Chen.
Wen Tingxue suddenly felt that emotions were truly a case of the bystander seeing more clearly, while those involved were lost.
Once entangled, no one could escape.
-
On the last day for college applications, the Mu family was in chaos.
Mu Father pointed at Mu Chen's retreating back and loudly berated him:
"I've raised you all these years not for you to defy me!
"If you dare to apply for anything other than the finance department, don't expect a single cent from me!"
Mu Mother remained silent beside him, her face almost expressionless.
It was as if the ones arguing were not her husband and son, but two complete strangers.
"Whatever."
Mu Chen walked upstairs with a blank expression.
"From now on, I won't take any money from the Mu family, and you..."
He stopped, his gaze chilling as he looked at his nominal parents.
"Should also not interfere in my life again."
He had endured enough over the past decade.
He was a person.
Not a pet they could pet when happy and kick aside when displeased!
Even pets would get moody if disappointed too many times.
Let alone people, who were far more complex than pets.
Mu Father, stimulated by his son's defiance, paused for a few seconds before remembering to assert his authority.
"Say that again?! You've gone too far! I am your father! I can control you my entire life!"
Mu Chen could imagine the rest of the foul language.
But he didn't want to hear it, not a single word.
As the door closed, his ears finally regained peace.
Mu Chen leaned against the door, lost in thought, then slid down to the floor a few seconds later.
He buried his head in his arms.
He didn't want to apply for finance.
He had no interest in managing a company.
More accurately, he had no interest in anything.
He didn't know what he liked, he only knew what he hated.
He hated being controlled.
He had been played with like clay by his parents for over ten years.
Molded and reshaped, with no resistance.
Even if there was.
It was quickly suppressed.
He was sick of it.
He wanted a life of his own, but he couldn't even find a direction.
What major should he apply for?
Lost in thought, he remembered something Qiao Xixi had said during Chinese New Year at the Qiao family's home.
"Actually, my parents hoped my future husband would be a dentist, because I often have toothaches.
"And I love eating sweets, so they thought if my husband was a dentist, I'd suffer less.
"But what can I do when I met you? None of that matters compared to you."
Dentist...
Qiao family parents hoped Xi Xi's future partner would be a dentist.
Xi Xi did indeed have frequent toothaches and couldn't control her appetite...
"What are you trying to do? Rebel?!"
After a few curses, Mu Father noticed there was no movement upstairs and went to check.
As he reached the doorway, Mu Chen came out with a suitcase.
He looked like he was leaving home.
Mu Father, furious, puffed out his chest, "Trying this stunt again, are we?"
He had pulled this stunt last time when that stray cat died.
Mu Father thought it was the same this time.
"I'm telling you, one trick is enough. Doing it again is no fun!"
Mu Father clearly didn't take his defiance seriously.
Mu Chen offered no explanation, only saying:
"I will not touch anything belonging to the Mu family again, and I will repay all the money I owe you over the years."
With that, he picked up his suitcase and went downstairs.
Mu Father frowned, "If you're not touching anything from the Mu family, then why are you taking a suitcase?
"Many things inside were bought by me, weren't they?"
Mu Chen's retreating back stiffened.
A triumphant look appeared on Mu Father's face.
"If you truly want to cut ties with the Mu family, you'd best leave with nothing."
He thought saying this would make him surrender.
After all, he was just a teenager, with no survival skills.
Wouldn't he still need to rely on his parents?
Unexpectedly, Mu Chen dropped the suitcase and left without looking back.
Without a single word of argument.
Mu Father frowned with a slight sinking feeling in his heart. Even Mu Mother felt something was wrong.
"Are you going to keep talking? Xiao Chen is gone. Who will you rely on for your old age?"
"Hmph!"
Mu Father carelessly tugged at his tie.
"Just you watch, he'll be back in half a month!"
He had frozen all his cards!
He didn't believe Mu Chen could survive without food and drink!
Mu Mother closed her eyes in annoyance, but did not try to stop him in any way.
They all thought Mu Chen was just throwing a tantrum and would get over it in a couple of days.
They didn't even consider comforting him.
-
Que You, waiting outside the villa, saw Mu Chen come out empty-handed.
He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, "Yo, how many days are you planning to resist this time?"
Mu Chen looked back at the house he had lived in for so long.
Yes, a house.
Not a home.
He never had a home.
"A lifetime."
Mu Chen took the helmet Que You handed him and uttered three light words.
Que You was stunned, "Because of Qiao Xixi?"
He hadn't always resisted like this, but he had never said 'a lifetime' before.
Mu Chen replied with a faint 'mm' and got on the motorcycle.
Feeling the weight behind him, Que You was silent for a few seconds before asking, "Do you like her that much?"
So much that you would give up all the glory of the Mu Corporation?
Mu Chen heard the implied meaning and chuckled softly, saying:
"To me, the immense wealth of the Mu Corporation is not as valuable as her."
Que You clicked his tongue, "I hope you won't be digging for wild vegetables later."
"Can't you wish me something good?" Mu Chen kicked him.
Que You chuckled, "Let's talk about it after you've won her heart!
"Hold on tight, brother's taking you to experience a hard life."
-
On July 7th, Liu Yue and Wen Di got married.
There weren't many students invited, only a few from Class One.
By the time they were drinking, Wen Di was already drunk.
"I'm sorry..."
He held Wen Tingxue's hand and kept saying, "I'm sorry, I know I hurt you before.
"I also know you won't forgive me, and I can't forgive myself..."
His words were slurred, incredibly drunk.
Liu Yue had her younger brother help Wen Di to rest nearby.
Then, she smiled at Wen Tingxue and said:
"Girl, you've become a persistent worry for him."
Wen Tingxue smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to respond.
Liu Yue first had a drink with the other students, then sat down next to Wen Tingxue.
She spoke softly, "Logically speaking, I shouldn't be talking about unhappy things on my wedding day.
"But Wen Di is my husband, and what matters to him, matters to me."
Wen Tingxue nodded, "Please speak, I'm listening."
Liu Yue smiled, "Don't worry, I won't force you to forgive him.
"I just want to say, the wrongdoings he committed, he should bear the consequences himself.
"There's no reason for you to carry that burden forward. Child, let yourself go."
This way, he might feel a little better.
"Mm."
Wen Tingxue picked up her juice and clinked glasses with her.
They both finished their drinks.
From mid-July to the end of August.
Yu Wenli was busy studying and composing music, and Mu Chen was without financial support.
Xing Jiahe went to the imperial capital, and Xu Kexin had to work and study.
Wen Tingxue was immersed in painting, with occasional part-time jobs.
Everyone was busy, so the South China Sea travel plans were naturally put on hold.
Chi Zerui dominated the competition, winning the championship but finding it uninteresting.
Hao Luo'er stayed by his side, trying her best to arrange activities for him.
As a result, the day after winning the championship, he insisted on returning to Jiangcheng.
Even though Hao Luo'er knew who he wanted to see, she still made arrangements for their return trip.
As the plane landed in Jiangcheng, Chi Zerui couldn't wait to disembark.
He really wanted to see her.
At this moment, Wen Tingxue was attending a class reunion.
They had already moved from dinner to karaoke.
Someone had played the song "Farewell."
As the melody started, the lively crowd fell silent for two seconds.
Then, they began to sing along in various tones.
After today, everyone would go their separate ways.
The time they spent together would eventually become a memory.
Those who were close, and those who weren't, would all be given a single title—high school classmates.
Wen Tingxue had always been sentimental, crying her eyes out even at a romance movie.
Let alone such a destined separation.
However, before she could shed a tear, her phone vibrated.
Message after message flooded in, giving her no chance to be sad.
"Who is it!"
The young girl irritably took out her phone, wanting to see who was so idle and had so much to say!
As soon as she unlocked it, she was dumbfounded.
"My goodness, how can so many people be adding you, and they're all men."
Qiao Xixi leaned in, "Could someone have posted your contact information on a dating website?"
Wen Tingxue: "..."
"No way, I haven't offended anyone recently." The young girl looked bewildered.
Yu Wenli reached out, "Give it to me."
As he spoke, a few more friend requests came in.
Tong Jiayi, hearing the commotion, said, "It's probably new students from the Academy of Fine Arts adding you."
Wen Tingxue: "?"
Tong Jiayi raised an eyebrow, "Don't you know? Before school starts, all the major universities have a freshman photo wall.
"I heard from the seniors in the imperial capital that the freshman photo wall at the Academy of Fine Arts exploded, and it's likely because of you."
Wen Tingxue: What does it have to do with her? She didn't post any photos!
"Someone posted them for you," Tong Jiayi smiled, "The music academy also exploded, but..."
Before she could finish, Wen Tingxue's gaze immediately fixed on Yu Wenli.
Yu Wenli's expression was calm, "No one is adding me, and certainly not this many guys."
Wen Tingxue: "..."
"Come here," he scooped her by the waist, his voice deep as he asked:
"Tell me, how do you plan to handle so many friend requests?"
The moment he finished speaking, Chi Zerui, travel-worn, appeared at the door.