Outside the third canteen, aside from the main staircase that students typically used, there was an emergency exit on the left side. This exit led to an artificial lotus pond. In the summer, the pond offered a beautiful view of "lotus flowers reflecting the sun," but now, the pond was barren, with only a few stubborn lotus stems standing tall in the water. Their yellowed leaves and bare branches gave the scene a desolate and forlorn atmosphere.
Leaning against the railing of the emergency exit, Ye Qiu stared out at the wind-rippled surface of the pond, momentarily lost in thought. Was it the right decision to come out this time? He could have chosen a completely different life, so why was he so obsessed with past grievances that were nothing but fleeting shadows?
Ran Dongye stood beside him, her hands on the railing, mirroring his distant gaze. Her face was dimmed, the once radiant beauty now clouded with a layer of gray. Her delicate brows knitted into a small, elegant "Z" shape, and her lips, glossed with a sparkling sheen, were pressed tightly together. The autumn wind in Beijing brought a lot of dust, making lipstick a necessity even for girls who didn't normally like to wear makeup.
The long hair under her cap fluttered in the wind, and her loose, spotted dress billowed like an inflated balloon, accentuating her curvy figure beneath. Her bare legs, white as jade, extended down into her shoes, the pale skin uninterrupted by stockings.
Ye Qiu sighed softly, not sure why he had treated this girl so coldly. Seeing her look so pitiful, a wave of guilt washed over him. He didn't want any connection with her, that was all.
His past was a mystery, and he couldn't allow anyone who might unravel it to get close. Not even someone who might discover a small part of it. Unfortunately, Ran Dongye was just such a person.
Kill her? That was out of the question. Her background was far from simple, and trying to silence her would only lead to his own exposure.
Ye Qiu's only option was to push her away. He had assumed that a girl as beautiful as her would be too proud to persist after hitting a couple of roadblocks, but it seemed he had underestimated her determination.
"I admit it. We've met before," Ye Qiu finally turned to face Ran Dongye.
Her face immediately lit up with color again, and she pouted slightly, "Then why did you pretend not to recognize me?"
Ye Qiu felt a pang of frustration; he had feared she would ask that very question. How could he explain that he was on a mission? How could he tell her about the burdens he carried? Even though Ran Dongye was still just a student, occasionally shooting commercials, there were plenty of eyes on her. Getting entangled with her wasn't a smart move.
Seeing Ye Qiu remain silent, Ran Dongye's eyebrows shot up in concern. She carefully asked, "Are you still angry with my sister?"
Ye Qiu was taken aback. *Well, this is convenient,* he thought. *She's given me the perfect excuse.* He deliberately put on a stern face and replied, "Why would I be angry with her?"
"I know people like you must feel insulted by being offered money as a thank you. But we really didn't mean it that way. Really, you saved us, and my sister and I are truly, truly grateful. We couldn't think of any other way to repay you—so my sister wrote you a check."
Ran Dongye's words poured out quickly, as if she had been holding onto this guilt for years. Now that she had the chance to explain herself, she was afraid Ye Qiu might disappear again if she spoke too slowly. "We just wanted to make your life a little easier, that's all. We had no other intentions. When you looked at us with such disdain and refused the check before walking away, we realized we had made a mistake. We searched everywhere for you, but you were already gone."
*Heaven knows,* Ye Qiu thought, *the only reason I didn't take the check was because they were too beautiful. Helping someone and then taking a large sum of money—if it had been a man, it would have been fine. But taking money from two stunning young women felt like an insult to my character.*
And the reason he glanced back at them as he left was because they were so beautiful. He had thought that after saying goodbye that day, he might never see them again, so he wanted to take in their beauty one last time—had they really mistaken that look for disdain and scorn? He had just been trying to act a bit more serious, hoping they wouldn't think he was some lecherous man.
Now that he thought about it, the three of them had been caught in a misunderstanding—a rather unfortunate one.
Ye Qiu nodded and asked, "How much were you planning to give me back then?"
"One million... Ye Qiu, that was money my sister earned herself, clean money. We really had no ulterior motives."
"Alright. Give me one million now," Ye Qiu said.
"What?" Ran Dongye was stunned, completely at a loss. "Ye Qiu, why do you need money now? I don't have a million on me. Are you in urgent need of money? I can call my sister right now."
"No need. Just write me an IOU," Ye Qiu said, stopping her from reaching for her phone.
"An IOU? Ye Qiu, what's going on with you?"
"Just do as I say."
Ran Dongye stared into Ye Qiu's eyes, seeing his serious expression. She reluctantly took out a pen and a notepad from her bag and wrote an IOU stating that she owed Ye Qiu one million yuan.
Ye Qiu took the IOU and waved it in front of Ran Dongye, saying, "There. Now you've repaid me. We're even for everything that happened before. From now on, don't come looking for me. We don't know each other."
*Slap!*
Ran Dongye's face went pale, and the pen and notepad she had been putting back in her bag fell to the ground. She looked at Ye Qiu in disbelief, her lips trembling as she asked in a hoarse voice, "Why?"
*Why?* Because he couldn't acknowledge her. But how could he explain that? Ye Qiu gave a cold smile.
Being cruel to others is also being cruel to oneself. Ye Qiu turned away, unable to bear looking at Ran Dongye's expression any longer.
"Ye Qiu, I just want to be your friend. Just an ordinary friend," Ran Dongye said, biting her lower lip, tilting her head back to keep the tears from falling. "I understand you don't want anyone to know about our past. So, as far as I'm concerned, I've already forgotten the old you. Now, let's start fresh."
Ran Dongye extended her slender, fair right hand to Ye Qiu and said, "Ye Qiu, I'm Ran Dongye. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"—" Ye Qiu's heart trembled, but he refused to turn back. Suddenly, he was afraid to meet the gaze of this woman.
"Ye Qiu, I'm Ran Dongye. It's a pleasure to meet you," Ran Dongye repeated, her right hand stubbornly reaching out to him.
Her expression was resolute, but there was a hint of blood in her mouth. She had bitten her thin lips so hard that they bled.
To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8