"I'll take it off back in the dorm. I'm leaving now."

Xu Zhinan hastily stuffed her things into her schoolbag. Just as she was about to leave, she ran back. "Yiyi, does my makeup look good right now?"

"Is there ever a time you don't look good? My makeup is the kind that gets more beautiful as the night goes on, but you look drop-dead gorgeous right now, okay!" Yiyi blinked, asking suspiciously, "You're being weird. Did you get a boyfriend?"

Xu Zhinan smiled and waved at her. "I'm heading back first."

Thinking of how radiant Lin Qingye had been on stage just now, she couldn't help but want to see him.

Everyone had already left one after another. Besides a few staff members, there was no one else left in the auditorium.

Xu Zhinan twisted open the bottle of mineral water and took a sip. Her throat was a little sore from talking all evening.

She walked out from the side corridor.

"You're really something, Brother Ye. The way she looks at you now, her eyes are shining. I'm impressed, truly impressed." Qin Tang's voice came from the other side of the wall.

Xu Zhinan froze, stopping in her tracks, and for some reason, didn't walk out.

Lin Qingye flicked the ash from his cigarette, glanced at him, and said nonchalantly, "Watch your mouth."

He had seen Xu Zhinan in high school, much earlier than she had seen him.

He and Qin Tang went to the same high school, No. 7 Middle School. Later, one weekend, their group was coming out of an internet cafe when they saw Xu Zhinan queuing at a milk tea shop.

Qin Tang bumped his shoulder, raised an eyebrow, and gestured across the street. "Hey, that chick, she's pretty pure."

Lin Qingye glanced over, a corner of his lip curling up, but made no comment.

"A little interesting. Wanna go ask for her contact info?"

Lin Qingye scoffed, full of disdain. "Someone like her would be interested in you?"

"What's wrong with me! What's wrong with me!" Qin Tang gave him a playful punch. "Don't look down on me just because you're surrounded by social butterflies. My face isn't bad, you know."

"That's not it." Lin Qingye narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Xu Zhinan in the sunlight. "This girl is too proud. She won't give you her contact info."

"Proud?"

Qin Tang sized her up carefully again. He couldn't see a hint of pride in her. On the contrary, she seemed soft and obedient, making his heart itch. "She seems pretty well-behaved."

Lin Qingye said contemptuously, "Then go ahead and pursue her."

Qin Tang refused to believe it. Later, he had someone ask around and found out she was the school belle of No. 1 High School, so he immediately started to pursue her.

However, after a short while, he deeply experienced the "pride" Lin Qingye had spoken of.

This pride wasn't something you could see on her face; it was ingrained in her bones. She had been outstanding her whole life—excellent grades, a good personality, and her friends were the same.

She had her own principles and goals, deeply rooted, and couldn't understand a delinquent like Qin Tang. She was disdainful and, even more so, unwilling to have any interaction with him.

Later, after truly experiencing the "pride" Lin Qingye mentioned, Qin Tang gave up. Although he didn't show it, he was indeed hurt for a while.

Later, Lin Qingye was admitted to Pingchuan University as an exception.

A year later, Xu Zhinan also got into Pingchuan University.

Of course, Qin Tang didn't know about this. Ever since what little self-esteem he had was nearly crushed to dust by Xu Zhinan, he hadn't paid her any more attention.

Until he happened to see Xu Zhinan again at the bar where Lin Qingye was a resident singer.

She was no longer wearing the conventional, loose-fitting high school uniform, but just a simple dress.

Influenced by Lin Qingye, Qin Tang could immediately sense Xu Zhinan's pride even then.

To be precise, her classmates from Pingchuan University around her were all quite proud. After all, it was a prestigious school, so they all had a bit of a superiority complex.

They didn't show it themselves, but others could feel it.

Qin Tang swirled the wine glass in his hand. "Brother Ye, look over there."

"What?"

Qin Tang: "It's Xu Zhinan, the school belle from No. 1 High School. Don't you remember?"

Lin Qingye took a swig of alcohol. "Now she's the Pingchuan University school belle."

"...You two became schoolmates?" Qin Tang pouted, half-drunk. "Hey, brother, want to make a bet? Don't think it matters that all these girls are secretly looking at you. If you run into one of those high-and-mighty, proud types, it'll be useless!"

Lin Qingye leaned against the sofa, one foot propped on the coffee table, a cigarette between his teeth. The flare of the light illuminated his pupils as he sized up Xu Zhinan at another table.

The corners of his eyes were long, narrow, and sharp, like a wild beast that had locked onto its prey.

In the sweltering June heat, there were many small flying insects in the school's side corridor.

Qin Tang waved his hand to swat them away, squatting by the wall with a grin. "Always successful, huh. How long have you two been together? If I hadn't heard Fatty mention it a while ago, I wouldn't have known you'd already succeeded."

Lin Qingye and Qin Tang's relationship wasn't actually that close.

They occasionally hung out in high school, but now they rarely kept in touch. He had only come today to join the fun after hearing about it.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Ji Yan answered for him, "Almost three years, I think."

"Th-three years?!" Qin Tang was stunned. He did a quick calculation. "Then didn't they fucking get together right after that time at the bar?!"

Lin Qingye pushed his hair back. "More or less."

Xu Zhinan was separated from them by a wall, hearing their words clearly.

She froze completely, but her thoughts were exceptionally clear. For some reason, she was absolutely certain which "that time at the bar" Qin Tang was talking about.

The freshman year club activity, when everyone went to Ye Bar together. That was the first time she saw Lin Qingye.

The group outside talked about this matter as if it were a casual, everyday topic.

Xu Zhinan suddenly understood.

Why Lin Qingye had gone to participate in a show without telling her.

Why he could come and go so freely.

Why the other members of his band could talk about other girls right next to her without any hesitation.

Because Lin Qingye didn't value her, his friends didn't value her at all either.

Actually, she had understood long ago. That was why she had carefully hidden her relationship with Lin Qingye from her friends, unwilling to let them know.

Happy over Lin Qingye's kiss, happy over Lin Qingye's ambiguous "I missed you," and happy over Shi Si's casual "Sister-in-law."

But to others, she must have looked like a clown.

Xu Zhinan's fingers, clutching the water bottle, trembled. She clenched her jaw tightly, a throbbing, dull ache spreading through it.

Qin Tang teased ambiguously, "Three years, you must have slept together by now, right?"

His tone made even Ji Yan frown.

He hadn't seen him in a few years, but this Qin Tang had really become more of a scoundrel. And stupid, too, unable to read the room.

Lin Qingye's face turned cold, his entire aura chilling. The people around him watched his reaction, not daring to act out of line or joke around, afraid he would lose his temper.

Although Lin Qingye usually just seemed a bit cold and didn't have a bad temper, when he really got angry, no one dared to stop him.

The video of him fighting in high school, which had recently regained attention due to the show's popularity, was a prime example.

But before he could speak, Xu Zhinan walked out from the side door.

Everyone fell silent.

Lin Qingye leaned against the wall and raised his eyes.

Her eyes were red, burning with a mixture of anger and grievance. She walked up to Lin Qingye, looked straight at him, and then threw the mineral water in her hand onto his face.

His black hair was drenched, and water droplets clung to his eyelashes, sliding down the bridge of his nose before gathering on his sharp chin and falling to the ground, drop by drop.

His expression grew even darker, his lips pressed into a tight line, his eyes pitch-black.

Xu Zhinan looked at him, her overt emotions retracting once more, and said expressionlessly, "Lin Qingye, you're a bastard."