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Amid a wave of envious murmurs, Xia Yuwei turned to remove the ring and place it back on the tray behind her, but Lu Yichen reached out to stop her.

“Since I’ve already said that this ring is to be given to a lucky student, I’m here representing the Baili Group. I wouldn’t want anyone saying that I don’t keep my word…” The corners of Lu Yichen’s mouth curved into a smile as he spoke in a joking tone, yet his words left no room for objection.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t accept it…” Xia Yuwei raised her head to look at him and spoke softly. Although she could pretend to be perfectly at ease, as if she had lost her memory, she truly did not want to become entangled with him again. The rose-shaped diamond ring evoked unpleasant associations, yet she did not want to flatter herself by imagining that it meant anything more.

A murmur swept through the audience. Most people could not understand Xia Yuwei’s stubbornness. Zhu Zhu, especially, was so exasperated that she wished she could take the ring and put it on Xia Yuwei’s finger herself. How precious it was! It was a concept piece, a treasure that even industry insiders would find difficult to acquire—not to mention the value of the ring itself.

“Since this student insists on refusing the ring, I can hardly force her to accept it.” Lu Yichen looked at Xia Yuwei with an ambiguous smile, as though he had anticipated her reaction all along.

His words allowed Xia Yuwei to breathe a sigh of relief. As long as he put it that way, she could relax. But Lu Yichen’s next words made her fingers clench.

He spoke unhurriedly. “However, I don’t think I can come here today without offering something in return for your school’s warm welcome. So, I would ask this student to do me the honor of personally bringing the ring to the Baili Group and returning it to me. In return, I would be more than happy to give her an opportunity to apply for a position as a designer.”

The people below the stage noticed nothing unusual. Instead, they were thrilled that the president of the Baili Group held their school in such high regard and burst into enthusiastic applause. They felt proud that one of their alumni had received such an opportunity.

Xia Yuwei’s expression turned rather unpleasant, and at last, she could no longer maintain the smile on her face.

One reckless encounter with him had been more than enough. She did not want to become entangled with him again and again. If she did, she would despise herself for having no sense of self-respect.

With that thought, she removed the ring and made to toss it onto the tray without the slightest courtesy. He had provoked her first, so he could hardly blame her for responding in kind.

At that moment, the principal, seeing that Xia Yuwei was about to humiliate President Lu in public, hurried onto the stage. He slipped between Xia Yuwei and the tray behind her, smiling broadly as he whispered,

“Student, since this is President Lu’s gift, and such a precious one at that, how could you possibly refuse it? It would reflect badly on our school’s reputation. Please think it over carefully…”

Page 2 of 3

Whether you want it or not is secondary—the most important thing is to consider President Lu’s dignity, and my fifty million… The principal was so anxious that he nearly blurted out those words.

Seeing how desperately the principal wished he could take the ring from her himself, Xia Yuwei hesitated for a moment. She did not fully understand the interests involved, but they must have been extremely important to him.

Clutching the ring in her hand, she allowed a smile to return to her face. “All right, Principal. Please rest assured. I’m not so ignorant of propriety.”

At worst, she would simply return it to him. What difficulty could there be? Since she was pretending to have lost her memory, she might as well carry the act through to the end.

Only after hearing her promise did the principal feel reassured enough to leave the stage.

In a voice so low that only they could hear, Lu Yichen maintained his gentlemanly smile and lightly embraced Xia Yuwei. He then put the ring back onto her finger.

“What exactly do you mean by this?” Xia Yuwei asked angrily.

Lu Yichen leaned close and whispered into her ear, “Whatever you want it to mean.”

With that, he gently released her.

To outsiders, it looked as though a refined gentleman were giving a student some kindly instructions. Only Xia Yuwei knew how wicked his words truly were.

She turned and walked off the stage. She did not want the two of them to continue embarrassing each other under the eyes of the crowd. As far as everyone else was concerned, they had succeeded in appearing like strangers.

It really had been many years since they had last met. She realized that she no longer understood him at all, nor did she know what he was thinking.

The boy who had once wheedled and pouted at her, who had depended on her and loved her with all his heart, was now the much-admired president of a multinational corporation. His coming to the academy to give a lecture today seemed almost like an act of condescension, a personal appearance of such importance that it left everyone trembling with awe.

Perhaps that was the allure of power and status. Years ago, when he had left without a word, it was probably because he could not bear to give up this life and this identity.

She had never wanted to believe that he was such a person. But when the facts lay before her, she had no choice but to believe them. Back then, she had often remembered the words spoken by his arrogant mother that day.

…

“Don’t think that just because Yichen is temporarily infatuated with you, you’ve forgotten who you are…”

“Believe me. In a few days, I’ll make you regret refusing this check!”

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…

She also remembered how, in the depths of despair, she had asked him, “Then no matter what difficulties we encounter, you’ll never give up on me and never leave me, will you?”

At the time, he had said nothing. He had not answered her question.

Did that mean he had known all along that he would follow his parents’ wishes and abandon her the next day?

Perhaps that was why, on that night, the two of them had held each other and made love almost without sleep. It had been a frenzy unlike anything before—and a despair unlike anything before…

Ha. Was a life spent making others kneel at your feet and watching them live according to your moods truly worth pursuing?

…

“The lecture’s over. Let’s go.” Xia Yuwei took Zhu Zhu by the hand and headed outside, ignoring the tedious donation ceremony that followed. She did not spare the stage another glance.

Zhu Zhu, however, was reluctant to leave and could not understand Xia Yuwei’s haste.

“Sister Yuwei, you’re so lucky today! He actually gave you such a precious ring, and he even hugged you! You’re incredibly happy!”

Xia Yuwei only smiled without answering.

Was she?

For Zhu Zhu, happiness really was that simple. Perhaps she was the one asking for too much. Sometimes happiness was very simple. It should have been.

“ANGEL, stay with me and let me feel this gentle breeze…”

“Sister Yuwei, your phone is ringing…” Xia Yuwei seemed lost in thought and did not react even after the phone had rung several times, so Zhu Zhu kindly reminded her.