It was meant for her.

Jiang Chen steered the wheel with calm confidence as they headed toward Wen University. Ye Mian, clutching her phone, glanced out the window intermittently. Approaching the campus gate, she pointed toward the large road shaded by trees and said, “This is the place where I first saw you in Wencheng.”

Jiang Chen pressed the brakes, glanced in her direction upon hearing her words, and suddenly recalled the silhouette he had seen that day. Softly, he replied, “Yes, I saw it.”

Ye Mian’s eyes curved into a gentle smile, and suddenly, with a hint of curiosity, she asked, “Jiang Chen, have you liked me for a long time?”

The February wind shifted between chilly and mild. Jiang Chen’s fingers tightened slightly around the wheel. “Yes.”

“When did you start liking me?”

The question seemed to transport him back to the beginning—standing in the old part of town, watching the young girl walk beneath the locust trees. He found it hard to answer.

He couldn’t pinpoint when gratitude subtly transformed into something else.

The girl’s hopeful gaze was clear and bright in the morning light. He closed his eyes briefly and chuckled softly, “Before you even knew who I was.”

That was how it was.

Back then, the girl truly did not know him. To her, he was just the most unfamiliar neighbor.

He never left the house.

Only when he escaped, battered and bruised, could he catch glimpses of the girl playing across the street. Whenever she saw him, she would run over, frowning with concern. “Are you the neighbor near our house? Why are you hurt? Let me help you.”

He said nothing, burying his face in the dirt, perhaps afraid of frightening her.

So, she never knew his name.

Ye Mian tilted her head. The familiar voice and words seemed to penetrate deep into the dream where Jiang Chen was imprisoned.

This was what Ye Mian could never bear.

Yet, she marveled at the strange twists of fate.

She stifled the sting at her nose and whispered softly, “I’ve heard that before, but we’ve known each other for a long time!”

Though her childhood memories held no trace of Jiang Chen, her father had always said he lived beside the big locust tree.

Outside, the weather was fine, with gentle sunlight bathing every corner of Wencheng.

Fearing he might press for more, Ye Mian grabbed her bag, opened the car door, and waved to Jiang Chen. “I have to get to class. I’m going to be late.”

She had only asked on a whim but hadn’t expected to feel so heavy afterward.

It was as if, in that dream, she truly glimpsed Jiang Chen’s future.

Saw his face.

If it were real, she would regret not asking more useful questions.

Or maybe saying just one more thing: “I like you very, very much, too.”

Jiang Chen watched the girl’s figure recede. He remembered the first day of senior year when he stood at the flag-raising ceremony, giving a speech, and from afar saw her slowly walking away to another place.

The voices faded, the background softened.

Only her image grew clearer and clearer.

The wind swayed through the air.

Swayed in the light in the man’s eyes.

Thankfully…

The girl was willing to come to his side.

—

A week into the new semester at Wen University, Ye Mian was busier than ever. To avoid her seeing him off at the airport, Jiang Chen had made a special trip to the school before flying back to America.

Ye Mian knew he was leaving, the reluctance in her eyes almost spilling over. She could only look at him seriously and ask, “Will you get hurt again? Can you protect yourself? Money really isn’t that important. You should put yourself first. If things get too hard, come back. I’ll give you all the money I have—even if it’s not much, it’s enough to keep you from starving.”

The late February wind carried a gentle warmth.

Jiang Chen thought those were the silliest words he had ever heard.

They were so genuine, as if the moment he spoke, the girl would entrust her entire world to him.

He stood stunned in the breeze for a long moment, a strange emotion climbing wildly within him.

He truly feared the next second would be when Lin Shan canceled his ticket.

Unable to bear it any longer, he touched the tip of the girl’s nose with his fingertip and said as calmly as he could, “Don’t say such foolish things.”

—

The plane from Wencheng to America took off.

Ye Mian sat in the last row of her classroom, Jiang Chen’s flight information on her phone showing it had just departed. She looked toward the blue sky.

She thought she could faintly see the plane veiled among the clouds.

Though she couldn’t be sure it was his flight, she chose to believe it was.

Silently, she recited a prayer, hoping for his safety.

Without Jiang Chen, her university life was different. She spent three days a week in the dormitory.

Her presence became more frequent, and with no boyfriend in sight, some male classmates began to fancy her.

Those closest knew she was protected by Zhou Yu and his group of wealthy young men and dared not make a move.

But those farther away were another story.

At the start of March, the trees sprouted tender yellow buds overnight.

Ye Mian packed her books, leaving the classroom and heading toward the school gate.

She pulled out her phone to call Qin Feifei.

Midway through dialing, Fu Ziheng appeared.

Ye Mian rarely saw this person but had heard of his reputation.

He was a well-known academic star in his sophomore year at Wen University, rumored to come from a wealthy merchant family. But unlike Guan Yi and the others, he didn’t mingle with them because… his character was somewhat unsavory.

In fact, it was downright disgraceful.

His most notorious exploit was having four girlfriends simultaneously, then, on a whim, inviting them all to the same place to watch them fight. The school’s disciplinary department had reprimanded him for this.

Such reckless and cruel behavior was both childish and malicious—and it happened every few days.

Some said he was generous and kind to his girlfriends.

When Qin Feifei told Ye Mian this, she frowned deeply.

After a moment, she commented, “He’s shameless. Those girls fighting are pitiful.”

Now, standing before her, Ye Mian felt something was very wrong.

Fearing his persistent attention, she quickened her pace to bypass him before he could speak.

Fu Ziheng took a step back and said, “Senior, how about we get to know each other?”

Ye Mian realized this guy was coming straight for her!

She had no foolish desire to provoke trouble, knowing well he was no good, so she politely said, “Sorry, I don’t get to know strangers.”

Fu Ziheng was not surprised. He had heard this senior was tough to get along with and had rejected many.

Though attractive, he wasn’t interested in girls older than him.

But…

He bit his cheek and stepped forward again, pointing to a group of unruly friends nearby on their motorcycles. “Senior, do me a favor. I’ll pay you whatever you want. Give me your contact info. You can delete it afterward if you want.”

He sounded sincere.

Ye Mian thought he was just using girls as a game—clearly a man of poor character.

“Sorry, I don’t help strangers.”

Besides, she no longer lacked money. This was a big trouble, and anyone involved would suffer.

Fu Ziheng was momentarily speechless. Ye Mian had left him utterly dumbfounded. His tone took on a serious, probing edge.

“Senior, why are you so guarded against strangers? Has a stranger ever hurt you?”

Ye Mian found this amusing. What had she just heard?

Was that really being guarded against strangers?

No, it was being guarded against him!

Was Fu Ziheng a romantic rival?

Dear readers, the story will continue tomorrow after I move. If you enjoy it, please support and vote—I want monthly tickets, please!

(End of chapter)