9: The Beauty of First Encounters (Part 1)

It hurts so much—how can it hurt this much?!

She once thought that liking someone was a beautiful thing, but her affection reduced her to a state of humiliation, pain, and despair, leaving only terrifying, raw scars that seemed to pierce to the bone.

After a long while, she finally lost control and laughed wildly, a mad, desolate sound echoing through the space, mingled with choked sobs growing heavier by the moment.

At that moment, Jin Yan stood frozen in place. She watched helplessly as Ye Xiangwan’s bloodshot eyes slowly filled with tears, which eventually spilled over, falling heavily onto the bed, shattering into fragments, leaving only a desolate emptiness behind.

This woman, who had never cried before, now wept as if the floodgates had broken, unable to stop.

“Jin Yan...” Ye Xiangwan laughed through tears, “I really shouldn’t have met you back then...”

Her consciousness blurred rapidly, darkness closing in like thick fog. Her last sight was the face of the person she loved most in her life—angry and panicked, exactly as it had been six years ago—piercing her heart with unbearable pain.

Late summer, six years ago.

The August sunlight filtered through thick branches, casting mottled shadows on the white short-sleeved shirt. Ye Xiangwan crossed one slender leg and leaned against the tree trunk, expressionless as she listened to the voice on the microphone, ignoring the heated gazes of the boys around her.

“Xiangwan, go to Qinyuan BBQ and wait for me and your father,” the woman’s voice was as stern as ever. “Don’t be late. Today we’re having dinner with the principal of No. 1 High School.”

Ye Xiangwan hung up, her eyes unfocused, staring straight ahead.

No. 1 High School was now the top public high school, boasting strong faculty, excellent students, and annually sweeping all the top science awards as well as guaranteed admission slots. Her parents had worked there with pride for nearly twenty years.

Next month she would enter the first year of high school, and with her grades, she would naturally advance to No. 1 for free. Undoubtedly, her parents would arrange for her to be under their watchful eyes, day and night, like artificial surveillance, all to groom a provincial top scholar three years later.

However, to maintain fairness, students and teachers were randomly assigned to classes, and the purpose of her parents’ dinner with the principal today was to discuss class assignments.

Soon, her father would become her homeroom teacher, and her mother the assistant homeroom teacher.

Ye Xiangwan pressed her tongue against her cheek, quietly waiting for the slight discomfort in her stomach to pass, then entered the subway station with a chill in her step.

There weren’t many people today, nor was it noisy. She lowered her head and put on her earphones.

Just as her hand dropped, she suddenly collided full force with a tall figure rushing around the corner.

She staggered backward a few steps, instinctively grabbing the stranger’s arm, and bumped into the restroom door behind her.

Before she could steady herself, she was pushed and squeezed into a stall inside the restroom.

“Huff—”

The person in front of her exhaled deeply. Ye Xiangwan raised her head.

The other’s light brown hair curled slightly, eyelids thin enough to reveal delicate veins beneath pale skin. Thick lashes shut his eyes tightly, while tiny beads of sweat dotted the narrow bridge of his nose.

The boy’s breathing was a little hurried, making his beautiful collarbone and slender shoulders rise and fall.

Ye Xiangwan hadn’t intended to see so clearly, but the stall was cramped. To avoid touching the door or the toilet, they were forced to stand close.

“You...” she began.

“Shh!”

The boy suddenly covered her mouth with his palm. His amber eyes gleamed faintly, like a clear, shallow bay of water, bright and pure.

Ye Xiangwan was naturally not talkative. Though the boy was unusually handsome, she had no intention of a restroom romance—especially since this was the men’s room—and was about to push the door and leave.

“Don’t go!”

Before she could move, the boy pulled her back. Ye Xiangwan raised an eyebrow, waiting to see what would come next.

“If someone comes knocking or calling, you’ll cover for me.”

He spoke without looking at her, commanding as if it were a given.

Ignoring whether she agreed, he locked the door, quickly took off his backpack and hung it on the hook, then raised his hand to start removing his clothes.

Ye Xiangwan’s eyes shifted. She turned her head reflexively to the side, but in her peripheral vision, the boy’s pale body was still striking.

Did he not care at all that she was a girl?!

“Hold this.”

The boy shoved a bundle of clothes at her. She instinctively reached out to take them.

Warm trousers.

This—

Ye Xiangwan pinched the bridge of her nose. Even if she weren’t curious, she couldn’t hold back her anger now.

“Do you know me? Why did you push me in here? I’m a girl—what are you doing?”

The boy turned sideways to her, now having put on one leg of his trousers. Hearing her, he looked up, his balance shifting suddenly.

She reached out to steady him, but when her hand brushed his smooth, warm chest and back, she quickly withdrew it.

She lowered her hand, cracking her knuckles as she frowned.

“You’re really something else...” she muttered.

The boy paid no mind, steadied himself, and continued pulling on his pants.

“I don’t know you, obviously. You just happened to be blocking my way into the restroom. Can’t you tell? I’m in disguise right now.”

“Is Master Feng here?”

Suddenly, a voice called out, footsteps approaching rapidly, followed by heavy knocking on the stall door.

Ye Xiangwan and the young master Feng exchanged a glance.

When the knocking came again, Feng squinted and looked at her. She sighed heavily and replied roughly, “Someone’s here!”

“Ah, sorry.”

Master Feng nodded with satisfaction. After the intruder left, he quickly finished his disguise with a black baseball cap and black mask.

Ye Xiangwan looked at the Korean agent outfit covering him from head to toe and didn’t know what to say.

Who in their right mind wouldn’t stare twice at someone dressed in black long sleeves and pants on such a scorching day?

Master Feng adjusted his hat, turned to her with a crooked smile, and said, “Thanks.”

Then, without another word, he strode out swiftly.

Ye Xiangwan stared at the backpack still hanging on the hook and the clothes in her hands, exhaling deeply.

This Master Feng truly had a stunning face, but his grandiose, over-the-top aura sent shivers down her spine.

Just as she was hesitating over whether to return the items, the stall door suddenly opened again.

“Good thing you didn’t leave.”

Ye Xiangwan looked at the returning Master Feng for a couple of seconds and pointed at the backpack and trousers.

“No need to take them. Leave your stuff here and come with me.”

Ye Xiangwan: “???”

She stared at the “Gucci” logo on the backpack and the Chanel emblem on the pants, paused for a moment, then turned and pushed the door open. She didn’t want to get involved in the troubles of rich heirs.

P.S.: Next is the scene where they first meet—a somewhat lighter moment. If you’re not interested, you can skip ahead to Chapter 21.

Six years ago, the young Feng Jin Yan was wild and carefree, while Ye Xiangwan was cool and serene. Their youthful encounters gradually sparked the flames of love...