Young Prime Minister, a Hermit

Chapter 25

"Xu Lie." I took a few deep breaths, calling out to him as he was about to leave, and said softly but firmly, "Xu Lie, I like you so much. But I want you to be happy even more. If... if you choose Xue'er, please tell me. That way I'll only be sad, not hate you..."

"Fool!" Xu Lie took two steps forward and hugged me tightly, whispering, "There are no ifs, have you forgotten? I promised to cherish you for a lifetime."

I hugged him back, pressing my face against his chest, feeling both sad and touched. Cherish me for the rest of your life, even if... you love someone else, is that alright?

“Xu Lie, you can refuse me. But please don’t lie to me.” I pushed him away, gently tiptoed, and kissed his thin lips, a fleeting touch like a dragonfly skimming the water. When I spoke again, I found my voice already choked and hoarse, “I believe you will cherish me for a lifetime, and I will always believe that, so please don’t disappoint me.”

Xiao Yi

August 19, 2007, 13:00

Chapter 16, Old Feelings, End.

Chapter 17 Entanglement

Chapter 17 Entanglement

Although it was the first day of class, I had joined halfway through, and not only did everyone look at me strangely, I was also quite embarrassed.

"Transfer student? Since when did Fudan University allow students who didn't pass the entrance exam to enroll?"

"You didn't know, did you? She's the daughter-in-law of Chairman Xu of the Xu Tian Group... and she used to be a finance major..."

"I heard that her husband was a very popular figure at our school back in the day—Xu Lie..."

"My God! How could Xu Lie marry her? She's... not good-looking at all? She looks kind of silly..."

"Oh dear, haven't you heard? Back then, Xu Lie was in love with the most beautiful girl in the Chinese department. I heard that she had her parents break them up so he could marry her..."

"That's not all! I also heard that she even got into a car accident to win Xu Lie back, forcing the most beautiful girl in the department to leave the country..."

"I never expected that someone who looks so honest would be so cunning... She's looking this way, let's stop talking!"

I gripped the book tightly in my hand, silently walked to the last seat, tears welling up in my eyes. I felt incredibly wronged, yet I couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal. Suddenly, Zi Mo's words echoed in my mind—"Galan, you have too much hesitation, too much inferiority, too much cowardice… When will you ever grow up and stop unintentionally hurting others?"

A tear fell with a soft thud onto the page, leaving a small puddle. I stared blankly at the tear stain, then suddenly raised my hand and fiercely wiped away the tears from my face. I opened my history book and listened attentively to the teacher's lecture. Perhaps what they said was true; if I hadn't been so selfish and hesitant back then, Xu Lie and Xue'er wouldn't have been separated. Now, I am Xu Lie's wife. No matter what happened between him and Xue'er in the past, no matter whether he still loves Xue'er or not, I will love him well.

"Heh..." A soft laugh came from beside me. I looked up in surprise and saw only a head of short hair that danced brilliantly under the light and a clear and unrestrained face that was laid bare before me.

“Hello.” She extended her hand and smiled at me, “My name is Xu Weiye.”

I stared blankly at her smile. Her slender eyebrows were slightly raised, and her brow bone was very beautiful, which added a touch of heroism to her already delicate and pretty face, making her irresistibly attractive.

"Hey!" She smiled helplessly and waved her hand in front of my eyes, "If you glare at me again, I'll think you're a pervert."

"Ah..." I exclaimed softly, awkwardly extending my hand to shake hers, and whispered, "You... hello, my name is Lin Jialan."

She smiled again and said, "Listen to the lecture." Before I could answer, she paused, looked up at me, a smile hidden in her eyes, but her expression was serious as she said, "You're not the kind of person they're talking about, that's right."

Huh? I stared wide-eyed, momentarily speechless, my eyes fixed on her pretty short hair and radiant smile.

She smiled again, a warm smile, but her voice was soft and had a pleasant nasal tone: "But you really are silly, born to be bullied. Let's be friends." That's what she said to me.

"Okay...okay!" I was flattered and quickly pulled my phone out of my pocket. "What's your number?"

"You in the back row! Stop talking!" The teacher's scolding voice rang out. "Especially that transfer student, shut up!"

I was startled and my face turned pale. I trembled and avoided everyone's gaze, lowering my head. Xu Weiye, however, smiled nonchalantly, made a face at me, wrote the number on a piece of paper, and handed it to me.

My mood instantly improved, feeling a comfortable sense of being enveloped by a gentle breeze and drizzle. I stole a glance at her profile, and for some reason, I felt a strange familiarity with her smile.

Although the history courses were boring, they were still much better than the finance courses. Xu Weiye lent me her notes, which helped me a lot. At lunch, Weiye introduced me to many people, some of whom were even high-ranking members of the student union—people I used to look up to but could never reach. Most of them were somewhat surprised by my identity, but none of them showed any disdain. It was clear that both men and women doted on Weiye and treated her extremely well.

But that's quite normal, isn't it? Wei Ye possesses a mysterious radiance, usually understated like an ancient black pearl. But when it shines, it draws everyone around her in, making it impossible not to love or dislike her. I quietly watched Wei Ye's bright and carefree smile, listened to her soft voice, and sighed inwardly, wondering when I could be like her.

Because Wei Ye lived on campus and I went home, and classes ended at 2 PM, we didn't have dinner together. I strolled slowly along the tree-lined paths of Fudan University campus, carrying my books, carefully reflecting on the day's events. A warm feeling welled up inside me. I never imagined that after Xiao Jie and Ying Ying, I would meet such a good friend as Wei Ye in university.

"Galan." A soft call, yet it exploded in my ears like a muffled thunderclap. I knew the voice calling me was right behind me, yet I stood frozen in place, afraid to turn around. Until a bright white figure gently drifted past me and stopped in front of me.

I stared blankly at Xue'er's slightly pale face, her slender waist, and her frail figure, as if she could be blown away by the wind at any moment. I felt a tearing pain in my heart, but I couldn't cry out in pain.

"Galan, can we talk?" Her eyes were slightly sunken, her dark eyes fixed on me, filled with sorrow and pleading. My mouth was filled with bitterness, and after a long while, I managed to utter a difficult "okay."

We sat in the coffee shop on both sides of the river, speechless. I looked down at the rising steam from my coffee cup, my hands clenching tightly under the table, my palms slowly sweating. Xue'er, on the other hand, unconsciously stirred her coffee with a spoon, her gaze quiet and slightly melancholic as she watched the bustling street.

"Do you love him?" she suddenly asked softly.

I was taken aback and blurted out, "What?"

She sighed softly, slowly turned to look at me, and asked, "Do you love Xu Lie?"

I nodded solemnly, looking directly at her without flinching.

She gave a faint, poignant smile: "If I said you didn't love him as much as I did, you definitely wouldn't believe me, right?"

I lowered my head and remained silent.

“Back then, I really hated you,” Xue’er said calmly. “Back then, I imagined myself as the protagonist in all the stories, and you as the third party who deliberately destroyed our love, so I hated you so much. Now, it just seems ridiculous. The beauty of first love lies in the fact that we never thought... it might one day fade away. Perhaps, that's why I lost so completely.”

I gripped the warm coffee cup tightly, a pulse throbbing in my palm, rhythmic with my heartbeat. I love Xu Lie, I really want to be his wife, but... does Xu Lie love me?

I forced a smile and looked at her: "What exactly do you want to tell me?"

Xue'er paused, her dark eyes staring blankly, soon filling with glistening tears. She gritted her teeth, her already pale lips suddenly losing all color. She looked at me so pitifully, motionless for a long time, until I almost thought she would never speak again. Suddenly, she spoke: "Galan, give me a chance."

Her voice was choked and hoarse, as if she had used all her strength to speak: "I regret it so much... I regret that even when Xu Lie knelt before me, I still resolutely left. Please, give me a fair chance to compete with you..."

A sharp pain clenched in my chest, and I couldn't hear anything anymore. Only the words echoed in my ears… Xu Lie kneeling before me… Xu Lie… Xu Lie actually knelt before her… begging her to stay. That was Xu Lie! The proud Xu Lie! The outstanding Xu Lie! He was willing to kneel to keep Xue'er; he… how much he must have loved her!