Chapter 116: Success Comes with Loneliness
“Drinking hurts the stomach, but it won’t break your heart!” Ye Liang Chen’s eyes were bloodshot, his spirit drooping, and even his usually neat hairstyle was a disheveled mess.
In response to Gao Quan’s concerned advice, Ye Liang Chen could only chuckle lightly and shake his head. He knew Gao Quan would never understand how he felt right now.
Whatever. No one in this world understands him.
Right now, he felt like a butterfly; just a single flap of his wings could alter the fate of the world!
Who truly gets his helplessness?
With these thoughts, Ye Liang Chen gave a self-deprecating grin, “Indeed, successful people are all lonely!”
“That’s a bit profound, isn’t it?”
He quickly took out his phone and began typing away.
“Bro, don’t post any more! You’ve already flooded your feed today with your deep thoughts,” Gao Quan protested. “There’s nothing but your posts on my penguin feed!”
“Ha!” Ye Liang Chen took a deep breath. “What do you know?”
“The more I post now, the more certain people will regret it later. Only then will they realize how deeply they’ve hurt me!
“Are these posts just random ramblings? No! They’re my emotions, my fleeting, most sincere feelings that vanished before they even had a chance to bloom!”
Gao Quan rolled his eyes. Just the other day, he confidently touted how, after the college entrance exam, Hu Yu Ying would be his girlfriend and Li Qing Xue would be chasing him down.
He was so convincing that Gao Quan nearly believed him—he even bet on it!
But look at him now! Hiding in a dark corner, posting nonsensical updates.
Sigh! At least he could treat himself to some barbecue; maybe it was better not to provoke Ye Liang Chen more.
Ye Liang Chen slowly got up, aimed his wine bottle at the moon, and snapped a photo.
“I’m off! Lonely night, lonely heart—who can understand this? Haha…”
As Ye Liang Chen left, Gao Quan turned his attention to the food on the table.
After stuffing himself, Gao Quan patted his little belly and prepared to leave.
Just as he stood up, a waitress approached him. “Hi there, your total is 103.”
Gao Quan looked confused. “But didn’t Bro Chen settle that already?”
“Sorry, but he didn’t.”
Hearing this, Gao Quan’s face flushed. No other reason—so many people were milling around the night market, especially on a summer night; he felt their eyes on him, intensifying his embarrassment. He fished in his pockets and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.
“Uh, uh, hold on for a second.”
He pulled out his phone and tried to call Ye Liang Chen. The call went through, but no one picked up.
He tried several times with the same result.
Out of options, Gao Quan had to call other students.
The summer was already half gone, and he had spent all his pocket money. Forget about friends who usually lan gaming with him at the internet café!
Under the waitress’s scrutinizing gaze, Gao Quan called Wang Rui.
“Rui Jie, you’ve got to help me out this time…” After explaining the situation, he promised repeatedly to pay her back tomorrow before the bill was finally settled.
Feeling utterly ashamed, he bolted from there like he was escaping a crime scene.
In his heart, he was cursing Ye Liang Chen to the ends of the earth.
—
The next morning, Li Qing Xue’s phone rang.
Curiously glancing at her phone, she knew Dragon Brother wouldn’t be by the riverside until afternoon, so she figured she’d stay in.
“Rui Rui, why are you calling so early?”
“Yesterday, Gao Quan almost got stuck washing dishes at the barbecue joint, blah blah…”
“Can you believe some people invite you to eat barbecue and then bail halfway through? That silly Gao Quan ended up getting treated like a piece of meat!”
After hearing Wang Rui’s story, Li Qing Xue couldn’t help but smirk. She had thought Ye Liang Chen was bad, but she didn’t imagine he’d sink that low. After all, Gao Quan was his friend since they were little!
But then she relaxed. She had known him for nine years, and he had previously even persuaded her to give up on the college entrance exam.
By comparison, Gao Quan’s predicament seemed trivial.
“Alright, Qing Xue. I’m telling you this to give you a fresh perspective on Ye Liang Chen. I’m off to get Gao Quan to pay up now.”
“Okay, I understand.” After ending the call, Li Qing Xue sighed helplessly.
To be honest, Ye Liang Chen had truly been pretty great before. She had no clue what could have caused such a drastic change in him.
Thank goodness she no longer had any ties with him.
Getting her mood straightened out, she welcomed the new day.
Dressing up, she slipped into the outfit she had prepared the night before.
Pulling back the curtains to gaze outside.
Watching the sun rise gradually, she inhaled deeply, deciding it was better not to head out just yet. Instead, she’d enjoy some AC, catch some TV, and go out in the afternoon.
With that thought, she eyed the handmade cookies on her bedside table and smiled sweetly.
With her father at work and her mother managing her own shop, Li Qing Xue had the place to herself.
Humming a little tune, she opened the fridge, checking on the fruits inside, then confidently hopped onto the sofa, feeling quite content.
After watching TV for a bit, she grabbed her phone to check messages, glancing back at the homemade cookies.
She didn’t even realize her smile hadn’t left her face.
Maybe it was because she put her effort into those cookies, making her eager to share them and receive the recognition she craved.
Hey, dear reader, there’s more to this chapter! Don’t forget to click to the next page for more exciting content!
Time crawled on.
Li Qing Xue turned off the TV.
She got up, opened the fridge, pulled out some fruits, and happily headed to the kitchen to chop them up; she wanted to make a fruit platter.
She piled fruits, snacks, homemade cookies, and drinks onto a small mat, and this time she chose to ride her little bike there.
Since there was too much to carry!
Under the sun, the girl rode her bicycle with a radiant smile that made it hard to look away.
She stopped her bike and spotted a familiar figure in the distance.
Securing the bike, she picked up her things and jogged over. “Dragon Brother!”
“Aren’t you hot?” Dragon Brother asked, eyeing Li Qing Xue’s denim shorts.
Her legs were a perfect curve in those shorts, accentuating her figure beautifully, especially the way her curves flowed perfectly.
“Not hot! These denim shorts are super breathable,” she replied while pulling items out of her basket.
Setting everything between them, it had a strangely delightful vibe.
“Here, this is for you—some cookies I made.”
“Hmm, and here’s your headband back. Don’t be so forgetful,” Dragon Brother said, returning the headband to Li Qing Xue.
As she took the headband, she stole glances at him. “Um, can you taste today’s goodies and let me know how they are?”
Dragon Brother opened the container and popped a cookie into his mouth.
It wasn’t overly sweet but crispy and fragrant; the more he chewed, the better it tasted.
“Wow, this cookie is actually quite unique!”
Upon hearing that, Li Qing Xue lightly bit her lip, forcing herself to stay composed, trying hard to suppress the corners of her mouth from curling up.
“This one is shaped like a pig, right?”
