Make do with it

After letting Bai Yuyou and the others enter, Ye Shuang glanced around and found a relatively quiet corner.

He picked up Bai Yuyou’s phone and unlocked it. The lock screen wallpaper, which originally featured just Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou, had been replaced with a group photo of everyone in the Light Music Club. However, the home screen wallpaper remained the same—their first unofficial "couple photo."

Ye Shuang reopened the chat window with Aunt Xian and noticed that the two had exchanged quite a few messages—mostly Aunt Xian inquiring about Bai Yuyou’s daily life, with Bai Yuyou politely responding.

Mother: What did you have for lunch? Is the cafeteria food okay?

Bai Yuyou: I ate a big bowl of rice. Thank you for asking. The rice was delicious.

Bai Yuyou: [rice.jpg]

And so on.

To say it didn’t look like a mother-daughter conversation would be an understatement—it felt more like strangers exchanging pleasantries.

Ye Shuang rubbed his temples, frustrated by the message "I won’t be coming over anytime soon."

He believed Aunt Xian wouldn’t make promises lightly. After all, he could sense her genuine concern for Bai Yuyou.

But cry wolf too many times, and even when the wolf truly comes, no one will believe you.

Time and again, expectations were shattered against the ground. Even if glued back together, the cracks remained.

"Maybe I should call Aunt Xian and ask what’s going on." After a moment of thought, Ye Shuang dialed her number from Bai Yuyou’s phone.

"Beep… beep…"

……

……

At the airport entrance.

"Beep… beep…" The woman in sunglasses didn’t notice the vibrating phone in her bag. Instead, her gaze was fixed warily on the group of men in front of her.

"You lot… from Jin Sha?!"

Several bald men in suits stood expressionless.

"Ms. Xu, our madam requests your presence."

"I have nothing to say to her—or that woman." Aunt Xian’s voice was laced with bitterness. "I spent over a decade raising the daughter of the person I despise most, while my own flesh and blood suffered outside."

"Ms. Xu, if you refuse to cooperate, we may have to resort to alternative measures," one of the bald men said.

"This is an airport. What could you possibly do here?!"

"No. But our madam did mention… your daughter, currently studying in this city—"

"You wouldn’t dare!" Aunt Xian’s eyes flashed with fury.

"……" The men remained silent, but the implication was clear.

"Fine." Aunt Xian exhaled sharply, as if surrendering. "What does that woman want with me? I’m of no use to her anymore."

"Please, get in the car." Without further explanation, one of the men opened the door of a nearby Maybach.

Aunt Xian: "……"

At that moment, she finally noticed her phone vibrating. Pulling it out, she saw her daughter’s name on the screen.

"Can I take this call?"

"You may, but make it quick and power off afterward."

Just then, the call disconnected—the other end had hung up.

"……" She clenched her jaw, forcing a bitter smile.

"Done."

"Then please power off your phone."

"……"

……

On the other end.

Ye Shuang hung up and tried calling twice more, only to find the phone now turned off.

"Huh?" He stared at the screen, baffled. "Did her battery die?"

"Or is she using an iPhone?"

With no other options, Ye Shuang gave up for now. For some reason, his mood had also darkened.

Truthfully, he wanted nothing more than for Aunt Xian and Bai Yuyou to reconcile. But given the circumstances, the distance between them only seemed to deepen Bai Yuyou’s wounds.

Would it have been better to let Bai Yuyou stay with Aunt Xian?

No—given the mess surrounding Alice’s status as an illegitimate child, Bai Yuyou might not have fared any better there.

"Stop second-guessing. Your decision to keep Bai Yuyou was the right one." Ye Shuang took a slow, steadying breath.

Just then, the loudspeaker crackled to life—

"Next up: the fourth-year Business Administration relay race! Athletes, please proceed to the track in an orderly manner!"

Ye Shuang scanned the stands and immediately spotted Bai Yuyou. Whether it was her striking presence or sheer familiarity, he had no trouble picking her out.

"And Keke… oh, there."

He found Tang Keke not far ahead on the track. He also noticed the swarm of male eyes locked onto her.

"Damn, check her out."

"Holy—that backpack’s my future wife. I’m confessing on the campus wall today."

"Pfft, basic. I’m doing it too."

Sensing the familiar gaze, Keke—perhaps remembering Ye Shuang’s advice—straightened her posture, shoulders back, radiating confidence as she warmed up.

The reaction was instant: a chorus of whistles and cheers.

"Keke’s probably more popular than Bai Yuyou," Ye Shuang mused.

Not because she was prettier, but because Bai Yuyou’s beauty was almost intimidating, keeping admirers at bay.

Keke, with her cute charm and enviable figure, was far more approachable—the ideal crush for most students.

In college, the ones who dated were usually average or slightly above in looks. The most stunning often stayed single—because everyone assumed their standards were sky-high.

In reality, they were just ordinary people.

Still, if Keke found a partner someday, would she drift apart from Bai Yuyou?

Ye Shuang chuckled and shook his head.

That day would come eventually, wouldn’t it?

……

"Shouldn’t it be starting soon?"

Ye Shuang glanced around before settling on the announcer’s booth. The host, a poised young woman named Luo Xi, was a familiar face—active in campus events and academically accomplished, making her somewhat of a minor celebrity.

BANG! The starting pistol fired.

"The relay race has begun! Let’s cheer on our athletes!"

As the announcement rang out, Ye Shuang turned his attention to the track—

Bai Yuyou was the third runner. From here, she seemed flustered, head swiveling as if searching for someone.

Who was she looking for…

Me?

Then it hit him. Ye Shuang reached into his bag and pulled out a collapsible metal pole.

With a flick, it extended into a meter-long flag.

[❤ Bai Yuyou ❤]

"Kinda cheesy with the hearts, but it’ll do." He’d ordered it online and hadn’t expected the decorative hearts framing her name.