Chapter Twenty-Nine

d away from Li An, as if repressing her anger. After a long while, she slowly calmed down, turned back around, looked steadily at Li An, and said calmly, "I don't understand why you suddenly remember...Chapter 29

Lì n was eating chocolate and found it hilariously funny to see Ní Xuanyi looking as if she were about to cry but couldn’t muster the tears. "Are you being so petty over a piece of chocolate It’s just one piece, I’ll have someone send an entire truckload for you to eat your fill."

"Who cares about eating your chocolate" Ní Xuanyi glared at Lì n angrily. "This is a gift from Brother Lì Yì! He gave it to me personally, do you understand that or not"

Lì n squinted his eyes before smiling meaningfully. "Ní Xuanyi, I get it. I know exactly what’s going on in your head, but let me give you some friendly advice. While you still haven’t gotten too deep into this mess, please give up on my big brother as soon as possible. No matter how well he may appear to treat you, the truth is that he isn’t being sincere."

"That won’t happen. Brother Lì Yì would never be like you—so fake and insincere," Ní Xuanyi stared at him with tearful eyes, unwilling to believe what he was saying.

Lì n burst into laughter. "Do I not know my own brother Considering the favor of saving my brother’s life and your good intentions, let me tell you something that my mother has never lied about in recent years: Our Lì family has two boys—the eldest son is warm on the outside but cold inside, while the younger son is cold on the surface but warm-hearted underneath. Do you understand what I mean"

Ní Xuanyi stood there blankly, looking at Lì n in a daze.

Lì n raised an eyebrow and patted Ní Xuanyi’s head. "Idiot, figure it out for yourself."

At the time when Lì n said this to her, Ní Xuanyi hadn’t yet grasped its meaning, thinking that Lì n was only trying to sabotage her. But years later, she finally understood; the seemingly mischievous Lì n had been genuinely concerned for her all along.

Her elder brother, Li Yi. Always radiating a gentle and elegant aura that makes people feel at ease as if basking in spring breeze. Yet behind his mild smile lies a heart cold as ice and snow. His character is definitely not as harmless as he appears to be; the more one gets acquainted with him, the colder one feels emanating from within him.

Ni Xuanyi returned to school after recovering from her injuries at the Li family residence. This time, it was Li Yi who personally drove her to school. Before she got off the car, Li Yi gently tousled her short hair and said with a smile, "Take care of yourself and don't make me worry."

"Yes." Ni Xuanyi's eyes welled up slightly as she hurriedly got out of the car.

Watching Li Yi's car gradually leave, a youthful romantic sentiment filled Ni Xuanyi’s heart. She couldn’t help but silently pray in her heart: "My dear one, please walk slower so that I can catch up with your pace."

This time when Ni Xuanyi returned to school after recovering from her injuries, she completely became an ice princess no one dared to provoke.

After the commotion caused by Li An last time, everyone knew how deep Ni Xuanyi’s background was. Consequently, all the gossip that used to follow her disappeared. Whenever they saw her, students would either give her insincere smiles or avoid her from afar for fear of getting into trouble. No one dared to approach Ni Xuanyi.

And those girls who were beaten by Shao Meizhuo didn’t even show up at school anymore; it was said they had been sent abroad by their families.

Ni Xuanyi initially found this unusual treatment very uncomfortable, but Ji Yan and Cong Lei, whose status improved along with hers, were quite pleased. They said this wasn't bad since they no longer had to listen to the annoying buzzing of flies around them in their ears. When going to the cafeteria, people would give up their seats for them; when getting water, someone would take their bottles proactively. In the library, the best three spots were always reserved for them; even if they didn't sit there themselves, no one else would.

Unable to change the world, she could only accept it as it was. Gradually, Ni Xuanyi also got used to these special treatments.

Ni Xuanyi, after recovering from her injury and returning to school, worked even harder on her studies. She spent all her free time improving herself; she would go swimming, practice yoga, learn social dances, and even enrolled in French and Korean language courses despite already knowing English and Spanish. Her schedule was packed as she aimed for rapid growth.

While Ni Xuanyi was striving to improve herself, Li Yi's life continued its usual hectic pace. However, he would find time each week to call Ni Xuanyi. Sometimes he invited her over to his place or personally visited her, taking her out for meals and giving her small gifts.

After winter came the season of rebirth.

A bright day dawned with golden sunlight sparkling and spring breezes rustling through branches as birds flapped their wings, while pink peach blossoms bloomed.

Two years later, Ni Xuanyi had changed considerably. Her short hair had grown long, flowing smoothly over her shoulders; her skin was whiter, she liked to wear light makeup, and some male classmates would approach her on campus without knowing her background. Ni Xuanyi always responded politely but coolly, with a certain air that vaguely resembled Li Yi's.

When Li An called Ni Xuanyi, she was studying "The Complete Book of Women's Cultivation and Wisdom."

"Mudfish, my brother hasn't returned from his European meeting yet. I'm having a barbecue at home this weekend. Are you coming" Li An's voice was calm. After two years of worry, frustration, and agony, he had become more composed.

Ni Xuanyi knew that Li An was following Li Yi's instructions by asking her routinely if she would join them. She answered formulaically: "I don't like barbecues; I'll skip this one. Have fun."

"Haha, since you've been so good today, I'll give you a tip. My brother is flying back at 9:40 AM tomorrow morning. You could surprise him by picking him up!" Li An was unusually kind.

Liyi went to Europe for a meeting and has been away for twenty days. Ni Xuanyi really misses him. Hearing this from Li An, she secretly rejoices but just says thank you on the phone.

When Ni Xuanyi hung up the phone, Cong Lei giggled as she approached her. "Xuanxuan, you're becoming more and more ladylike now. Even your way of speaking is so subtle."

Ji Yan ruffled Ni Xuanyi's silky hair and sighed with admiration. "Now Xuanxuan is a proper lady of high society. She may not be proficient in all the arts, but she can certainly hold her own both inside and outside the house. She’s beautiful, well-mannered, and an exemplary gentlewoman."

"You two are so idle. Stop teasing me," Ni Xuanyi shot them a glare.

"Look at you, look at you. Even your skills in glaring have improved. It's like your glares are full of charm." Cong Lei burst into laughter.

"Alright, alright, stop making fun of me," Ni Xuanyi gave in with her hands up.

"We're not making fun of you, Xuanxuan. I genuinely admire you. It's true that there are no ugly women, only lazy ones. You were already beautiful to begin with. After putting in so much effort over the past two years, you've become even more perfect." Ji Yan spoke from the heart.

Cong Lei added her own感慨."That’s right. Xuanxuan hasn't had any free time these past two years. When we were sleeping, she was practicing yoga; when we were playing games, she was taking flower-arranging classes and swimming to keep fit. She's become so wonderful now because of all the effort she put in."Zhou Guangtao was false, it wouldn’t have been easily broken.She grew up alongside Zhou Guangtao; the childhood bond of a young boy and girl accompanied them all along. She once loved him so stubbornl...