Lin Xingwan walked along the red carpet towards the auditorium.
Though there was no wind that night, her evening gown moved as she walked.
This seemingly simple gown accentuated her waist, making it appear as slender as a water snake's. She walked on the cold red carpet with a grace that made it seem as if lotuses bloomed with every step.
The beautiful and young ushers around her paled in comparison to Lin Xingwan.
It was like a garden filled with countless blooming flowers, but Lin Xingwan was the peony of true beauty, whose blooming season captivated the capital.
Lin Xingwan was the queen of focus, a domineering CEO with an aura of 2.8 meters, the admired senior that these graduating university students aspired to be, and the reason for other alumni to pause in awe.
Lin Xingwan was well aware of the astonished expressions her appearance evoked, but she relished the feeling of walking with such an "I'm the coolest" stride.
Meanwhile, inside the school auditorium.
Cheng Yanzhe, dressed in a white suit, looked like a handsome prince charming, drawing the attention of countless women.
He was chatting with his former brothers, but his eyes kept darting towards the auditorium entrance.
He had looked so many times that even his close friends started to tease him.
"Oh, what is our violin prince looking at? You're practically a stone waiting for your husband."
"Let me guess, who are you looking at? Could it be Lin Xingwan?"
"Speaking of which, Yanzhe, when can we toast to you and Lin Xingwan?"
Cheng Yanzhe didn't bother to explain that he already had a fiancée. In fact, when people linked him and Lin Xingwan together, he felt an inexplicable sense of happiness.
This conversation was overheard by Qiu Junze, who happened to be passing by.
He already had a bad relationship with Cheng Yanzhe, and hearing these people flatter him so much, he couldn't help but sneer, "What nonsense are you talking about? Lin Xingwan has a boyfriend. Of course, her boyfriend is a pauper. It's quite funny, Cheng Yanzhe, you pursued Lin Xingwan for so many years, only to lose to a gigolo. You're a failure."
Qiu Junze had suffered under Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai before, and now he wanted Cheng Yanzhe to suffer as well, or perhaps use Cheng Yanzhe to punish Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai.
Either way, he would be the one to benefit.
Cheng Yanzhe's usually gentle face instantly darkened. "I never pursued Lin Xingwan, and besides... I wouldn't deign to compare myself to a gigolo."
"Is it disdain or fear? It's precisely this kind of gigolo that Lin Xingwan lavishes money on. Admit it, you're just jealous. The woman you can't have, someone else has already slept with her countless times, hahaha."
As soon as Qiu Junze finished speaking, Cheng Yanzhe lunged forward and grabbed his collar, "Show some respect. Lin Xingwan is not someone you can insult."
"Yanzhe, let's talk it over."
"Yes, it's the centennial anniversary, harmony brings wealth."
"Qiu Junze, apologize to Yanzhe quickly!"
The people around them also found Qiu Junze's words extremely offensive. The Qiu family was in decline, so they naturally wouldn't take Qiu Junze seriously.
Before Qiu Junze could speak, gasps erupted from the crowd. "Look, who is that beauty?"
"It looks like Lin Xingwan... the one who got the highest votes on our school's beauty ranking!"
"Oh my god, how can she be so beautiful? Her skin glows, her legs are almost at my neck, so fair and straight. What is she holding? I don't care, even if she's holding a brick, I'd think it's amazing."
"How hard do I have to work to marry such a beautiful and cool woman?"
"Realistically, I'll never have any interaction with a woman like that in my lifetime."
...
Praise for Lin Xingwan filled the air. Even Cheng Yanzhe couldn't help but turn his gaze towards the entrance.
He saw the woman he'd been longing for, now wearing a sexy black evening gown, shattering his previous impression of her as demure, quiet, and not one to seek attention.
To describe her as beautiful would be too superficial;
To describe her as a siren would lack depth!
Her appearance was like a tornado, sweeping through hearts.
Cheng Yanzhe found this Lin Xingwan to be unfamiliar and dangerous, yet he felt even more excited.
With just one glance, regret surged within Cheng Yanzhe.
Why... couldn't he marry Lin Xingwan?
Only by marrying a woman like her would he feel that the future held promise.
Lin Xingwan was unaware that her appearance had caused an even greater sensation than she had imagined!
She simply looked at an approaching usher and politely asked, "Excuse me, where is the former principal?"
The usher's stunned gaze fell upon the breathtakingly beautiful woman before her, her face flushing crimson. "He... he is... outside, not... not yet inside."
"Okay, thank you."
After Lin Xingwan spoke, the usher shyly retreated.
Just as Lin Xingwan was about to go out to find the former principal and give him the box, Cheng Yanzhe suddenly appeared before her.
"Lin Xingwan, I didn't expect you to be here too." Cheng Yanzhe had always considered himself a low-key person, but at this moment, he desperately wanted everyone to know that he was Lin Xingwan's escort.
Even the envious glances from the crowd made him feel a sense of enjoyment.
"The former principal personally sent the invitation for the centennial celebration, how could I not come? But didn't you go abroad for university? What does S University's centennial celebration have to do with you?" Lin Xingwan asked Cheng Yanzhe, looking at him.
"Although today is S University's centennial celebration, it's also a charity gala. Your former principal, to make this centennial celebration unprecedentedly grand, even sent invitations to many successful people in society. I am one of them."
In the past, Cheng Yanzhe didn't find it strange when others called him a prodigy.
But now, he felt that a prodigy like himself needed a woman like Lin Xingwan to be his match.
His feelings for her had gone beyond simple liking; it was a man's desire for possession and conquest of a woman.
"I knew this old guy wouldn't just invite me to this centennial celebration for no reason. As expected... he's planning to fleece me heavily."
Although Lin Xingwan said this, she didn't really feel resistant.
The former principal had gained many honors over the years, had even been invited to lecture at foreign universities, and had over ten million followers on short video platforms.
Even though he was over eighty years old, he still learned from young people, live-streaming sales and embracing new knowledge.
Such an intelligent and endlessly learning elder should have lived a very wealthy life.
But the reality was the opposite. The former principal lived a simple life, residing in an old house from forty or fifty years ago.
He gave the money he painstakingly earned to children who truly needed to study.
Therefore, at the banquet tonight, Lin Xingwan saw many unfamiliar faces, not even from S University, but without exception, they were all people frequently featured in financial magazines.
And the former principal was the teacher of these magnates.
"The anniversary banquet hasn't started yet. Shall we go for a walk? And you can show me the beautiful scenery of your university."
Hearing the word "university," Lin Xingwan couldn't help but recall the time she and Cheng Yanzhe had applied to the same university, and how she had deceived him in the end.
Although many years had passed, Lin Xingwan still felt guilty whenever she thought of it. She nodded, and the two walked out together.
It was late afternoon, and S University was bathed in the setting sun. A light mist veiled everything, creating a romantic and subtly evocative atmosphere.
Lin Xingwan introduced many of the school's attractions to Cheng Yanzhe, occasionally sharing anecdotes from her university life.
Cheng Yanzhe listened attentively. When Lin Xingwan started to feel a bit thirsty, he said, "Your school is beautiful, and your university life was very fulfilling. I remember when I went abroad for university, my days were not as leisurely as yours."
"Why?"
"People abroad looked down on us Asians. My roommates even ostracized me, but I quickly put them in their place. Afterward, even though they disliked me, they didn't dare show it in front of me. Later, I gradually stood out at school, conquering them with my abilities."
"You are excellent, and you always have been."
"Being excellent is also tiring. One has to work incredibly hard to remain excellent. It's as if excellent people disappoint everyone if they become even slightly complacent. I've even forgotten why I went abroad to study the violin. If time could turn back, I would still want to attend the same university as you, and not be the 'violin prince'."
Just... be the prince of only you.
"Don't even think about it," Lin Xingwan refused without hesitation.
"Why?" Cheng Yanzhe immediately asked. "You seem to really dislike the idea of me attending the same university as you?"
"No, it's just that I think it's a waste of talent for a top student like you to attend S University. Wouldn't MIT be more appealing? It's a dream university for countless people."
Lin Xingwan's explanation was a little stiff. Cheng Yanzhe suddenly stopped. "If I were meeting you for the first time today, I would definitely believe your explanation; but Lin Xingwan, we've known each other for twenty-three years. Do you think I would believe this explanation? So many years have passed, don't you owe me an explanation?"
"Explanation? What explanation?" Lin Xingwan looked at Cheng Yanzhe with innocent eyes.
This time, Cheng Yanzhe seemed unwilling to let Lin Xingwan escape. He continued, "We applied to the same university back then, and your score far exceeded the requirements for S University. We applied to universities after knowing our college entrance exam scores. You could have attended the same university as me, but you never told me. It wasn't until the night before university that I learned the truth. You deliberately hid it from me, didn't you? For the sake of our many years of acquaintance, I beg you, tell me the truth, and stop deceiving me."
Lin Xingwan had intended to continue to gloss over it, but seeing Cheng Yanzhe's earnest desire for the truth, she spoke, "It's nothing much, really. It's just that our Lin family has been in decline, while your Cheng family has been rising like bamboo shoots after rain. Your mother privately approached me, asking me not to pester you because I wasn't good enough for you, and that you deserved someone better."
Cheng Yanzhe's face showed unprecedented shock at Lin Xingwan's words.
"My mother privately approached you? And told you not to pester me? Lin Xingwan, is what you're saying true?"
"If you don't believe me, you can ask your mother."
"Impossible. My mother encouraged me to see you often and protect you. She treated you like her own daughter. How could she do something like that to you?"
Lin Xingwan smiled indifferently. "Cheng Yanzhe, although we've known each other for so many years, in your heart, you still believe your mother. Even if I told you the truth, you wouldn't believe me."
She had once been smitten with him, but after too many disappointments, Lin Xingwan had repeatedly convinced herself in countless quiet nights not to fall deeper.
Hao Manqing hated her, yet she pretended to care about her in front of her son.
Cheng Yanzhe claimed to have a twenty-year relationship with her, yet between her and Hao Manqing, he chose to believe Hao Manqing!
Even if she were with Cheng Yanzhe, with Hao Manqing present, their relationship would have no good outcome.
And she had no right to demand that Cheng Yanzhe not believe his mother and believe her instead.
It was simply asking too much!
"You never told me, so how do you know I wouldn't believe you? If you had told me the whole truth, I wouldn't have gone abroad, because I like..."
Before Cheng Yanzhe could finish speaking, he was interrupted by an aged voice.
"Student Lin."
Lin Xingwan didn't even have time to hear Cheng Yanzhe's words before her gaze landed on the source of the voice.
Upon seeing the former principal and the person beside him, Lin Xingwan froze.
Dongfang Junze...
Why was this man here?
Cheng Yanzhe also turned his gaze to the former principal and the masked man beside him.
He naturally knew this man was Dongfang Junze, and seeing him made Cheng Yanzhe feel surprised and excited.
Although he hadn't managed to finish his sentence, upon seeing the executive of the Dongfang Group, what was the point of discussing trivial romantic matters?
The two walked towards the former principal and Dongfang Junze.
"Former Principal, Mr. Dongfang."
"Former Principal, Mr. Dongfang."
Lin Xingwan and Cheng Yanzhe greeted them politely. The former principal's eyes crinkled with joy upon seeing Lin Xingwan.
On the other hand, Dongfang Junze's gaze swept dismissively over Cheng Yanzhe before settling on Lin Xingwan, and he gave a slight nod.
Just a small fry trying to snatch his wife while he was away.
Tonight, he needed to give Cheng Yanzhe a gift to make him truly understand the gap between himself and Xingwan.
"Mr. Dongfang, this is my star student, Lin Xingwan. And this is Mr. Cheng Yanzhe, a guest attending tonight's charity gala." The former principal quickly began the introductions.
"I didn't expect us to meet again. Has your injury from last time healed?" Dongfang Junze's opening words stunned everyone present.
If he hadn't said anything, Lin Xingwan's mind would have been filled with the events that transpired between them.
The application of medicine for friction burns, the medicinal spring where they were naked together, the man's sexy and perfect physique...
Lin Xingwan lowered her head, her voice soft, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Dongfang. I've recovered."
"You know each other?" The former principal's face was full of surprise.
"Yes, Miss Lin's entertainment company cooperates with us, and the Lin family is also an agent for our Dongfang Group's construction industry. Miss Lin and I have also traveled together." This last sentence from Dongfang Junze instantly changed the atmosphere.
Especially Cheng Yanzhe, who clearly felt the threat of competition.
Could it be... Dongfang Junze also liked Xingwan?
As Cheng Yanzhe was speculating, Zhou Jinbai merely gave him a lazy, provocative glance.
Although his alternate persona was a penniless gigolo, his main persona was incredibly wealthy!
With both personas, he could firmly keep his wife to himself and infuriate Cheng Yanzhe!
Zhou Jinbai had no idea how childish his competitive spirit was at this moment.
"Traveled together?" The former principal's eyes gleamed. This was truly thought-provoking.
"Yes, Miss Lin was injured, so I helped her apply medicine," Dongfang Junze replied matter-of-factly.
"Apply medicine?" The former principal's smile grew increasingly mischievous.
"It was mainly because I couldn't see the location of the injury, so I troubled Mr. Dongfang," Lin Xingwan quickly explained.
"Couldn't see?" The former principal felt that these two were a bit innocent, but not entirely!
And Mr. Dongfang seemed to be quite fond of his star student!
If...
Perhaps it was the former principal's overly gossipy gaze that made Lin Xingwan unwilling to elaborate further, as it would only make things worse. She could only change the subject, "Ahem... Former Principal, this is from my grandmother for you."
"Grandmother? Which grandmother?" The former principal asked as he opened the box. But the next second, the smile on his face froze.