Seeing Li Dong'er, ancient memories suddenly surged through my heart.
In my past life, the turning point in my life began with my failed confession to Li Dong'er.
"In my past life, you exposed me in front of the entire school, leaving me utterly humiliated and unable to hold my head up. At that very moment, my family suffered a calamity. In the end, I failed to get into college and lived alone until the day I died. If I hadn't met my master, I fear I would have become a dried-up skeleton long ago."
Chen Yu gave a cold laugh.
"Our families have been friends for decades. Even after my father was expelled from the clan and moved to Dongchuan, he still had more than ten million in savings. Your mother was greedy for money. Before I was even born, she had already decided that I would be her future son-in-law.
"Yet your mother was vain, took out loan after loan, and gambled like a madwoman. Your father was also gravely ill. If my father hadn't spent his entire fortune to save your family, your household would have fallen apart long ago!
"Who would have thought your mother would despise the poor and fawn over the rich? When she learned that a rich second-generation heir at school was pursuing you, she conspired with you to turn me into a laughingstock for the entire school!"
Chen Yu still clearly remembered the night before his confession, when Li Dong'er had smiled and told him that she wanted to receive the most romantic confession beneath the eyes of the entire school. Then she would accept him.
But the next day, after Chen Yu had Shen Fei notify a large crowd, he knelt on one knee before Li Dong'er on the athletic field, filled with anticipation. All he received in return was a cold expression and a sentence that shattered his heart:
"Chen Yu, don't even dream that I'll ever like you. The person I like is Qian Ming. Don't make a fool of yourself here and embarrass me!"
Qian Ming was that rich second-generation heir.
Thinking back on it, Chen Yu couldn't help sighing. The affairs of the world were truly wondrous. Without that fateful connection from his past life, how could he have become the Cangyu Celestial Venerable, standing above the countless stars and seeing through heaven and earth?
Now that he had met Li Dong'er again, the hatred in his heart had faded considerably. With his perspective, how could he still care about a mere insect?
Chen Yu shook his head bitterly. His gaze returned to serenity as he walked toward the school gate.
Li Dong'er had clearly dressed up carefully today. Her lips were painted a pale purple, and she wore a tight-fitting dark-red dress that accentuated her slender figure and long, straight legs.
She truly could be called a beauty.
But in Chen Yu's eyes, she was utterly ordinary. In his past life, when he had been the Cangyu Celestial Venerable, countless peerless fairies and transcendent goddesses had secretly confessed their love to him, yet none had been able to move his heart.
Li Dong'er couldn't compare to those fairies. She fell far short even when compared with Ye Wushuang.
"I was a true Cangyu Celestial Venerable. How did I ever take a liking to her?"
For the first time, Chen Yu questioned himself.
Li Dong'er also spotted Chen Yu and immediately frowned. She lifted her chin slightly, undisguised contempt and disgust in her eyes.
"Chen Yu, it's the middle of the school day. Why are you skipping class? Do you even intend to study properly?"
Chen Yu frowned and replied coldly, "Is that any of your business?"
Li Dong'er froze. In all these years, he had never dared speak to her like that. He had always acted like a servant, letting her push him around and walk all over him. Could he have changed because of what happened yesterday?
"For the sake of our families' friendship, I'm warning you. You need to recognize your place. You may be ordinary in every way, but you can still hope to find an ordinary girl in the future."
Chen Yu narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You think you're so noble? That I'm not worthy of you? In my eyes, you're nothing but a speck of dust. Do you think I need a speck of dust to lecture me?"
Chen Yu's voice wasn't loud, but every word was sharp and biting, leaving Li Dong'er stunned. Then she sighed.
"Come on. Who doesn't know what reality is? I understand how badly yesterday hurt you, but it was actually a good thing. The sooner you understand the gap between us, the sooner you'll realize that innocence and passion can't beat money. You really... aren't worthy of me."
Chen Yu chuckled softly, looking at Li Dong'er as though she were an idiot.
Li Dong'er felt humiliated. She was like a clown performing in front of him, while he couldn't care less. A surge of anger suddenly rose within her.
"Hmph. Since you're willingly throwing yourself away, there's nothing I can do about it. Qian Ming will be picking me up for lunch later, so don't cause trouble and make a fool of yourself."
With that, Li Dong'er turned away without sparing Chen Yu another glance. She pulled out a small mirror and intently examined herself, adjusting every little detail.
"Sure, your skin is beautiful and your looks are decent. But a beautiful soul is rare—and honestly, your looks aren't anything special either."
Chen Yu shook his head slightly, his thoughts drifting toward another girl. His expression softened in a way it rarely did.
Xuan'er, you should be in Beidu by now. Wait for me. It won't be long before we meet again!
Vroom!
A piercing roar cut through his memories.
He looked up to see a gleaming convertible sports car stop in front of the school gate. The door opened, and a man in a dazzling white suit stepped out.
It was Qian Ming!
The moment Li Dong'er saw him, her face lit up. She ran over, wrapped both arms around his waist, and planted a hard kiss on him.
"Ming, I've been waiting forever. Where are you taking me?"
Li Dong'er pouted adorably, her aggrieved expression completely different from the haughty attitude she had shown Chen Yu moments ago.
Qian Ming laughed. "Silly, I got Homeroom Teacher Liu's permission for us to leave whenever we want. That's so we can go to Fangdong Shangjing today. I even invited your parents to dinner."
At the mention of Fangdong Shangjing, the corners of Li Dong'er's lips lifted, and her eyes sparkled with delight.
"That's the most luxurious hotel in Dongchuan! I heard it's nearly impossible to get a reservation, but you actually managed to book one. You're amazing!"
As she spoke, she hugged Qian Ming even tighter.
Qian Ming basked in his beauty's embrace, a confident smile spreading across his lips. Just then, he spotted Chen Yu and immediately frowned.
"Oh? Isn't this the Chen Yu who's famous throughout the entire school? What are you doing here—picking up girls? Planning to eat at Fangdong Shangjing too? Ha-ha."
Li Dong'er giggled. "Ming, you're so funny. Don't mind him. Hurry up and get in the car."
Qian Ming's eyes gleamed, and his smile took on a suggestive edge.
"After dinner, I'll book us a luxurious couples' suite so we can rest and recharge."
"Oh my gosh, you're so naughty. What are you talking about?"
Li Dong'er wrapped herself around Qian Ming like a sinuous snake, leaving him completely intoxicated.
She deliberately cast a sidelong glance at Chen Yu. But Chen Yu didn't react at all. He didn't even spare her a glance. Li Dong'er suddenly felt... disappointed.
Qian Ming smugly put an arm around Li Dong'er's waist and prepared to get into the car when a piercing engine roar suddenly rang out.
A red Lamborghini braked hard in front of Chen Yu. Its door opened automatically.
Ye Wushuang stepped out. Wearing a skin-tight top with a plunging V-neck, thigh-high black stockings, and her hair tied into twin ponytails, she slowly walked up to Chen Yu.
Under the stunned gazes of Qian Ming and Li Dong'er, Ye Wushuang bent deeply at the waist and called sweetly,
"Master, I've come to pick you up."