A Fully Packed Saturday

"You... you two... what is this?" Cornelia asked in a trembling, hoarse voice, her words faltering as she seemed emotionally distraught.

Her expression made it seem as though she had already labeled Su Cheng as—'a heartless, cheating scumbag who flaunted his affair right under her nose, shamelessly holding hands with another woman near her home, abandoning his devoted wife like worthless trash!'

Xuan Ying's dazed expression snapped back to reality, and in an instant, she violently shook off Su Cheng's arm, turned, and fled, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Watching her escape in panic, Cornelia stood rooted in place, her gaze fixed on Xuan Ying's retreating figure, her expression unreadable.

The way Xuan Ying ran off only reinforced the illusion—as if Cornelia had just caught her own husband cheating while she was away working, red-handed in bed.

Beside her, Su Cheng sighed inwardly.

These cliché, melodramatic scenes just loved to play out…

And now, Xuan Ying had run away too!

Catching her again in the future would be harder than climbing to the heavens!

But whenever situations like this arose, his mind remained eerily calm.

After all, he had rehearsed this scenario countless times.

Before Cornelia could even launch her accusations, Su Cheng seized the initiative, deciding to shake her resolve and dominate the conversation with sheer audacity.

He furrowed his brows in exaggerated frustration. "Now look what you've done—you made Xuan Ying run away! I finally caught her, and you ruined everything!"

Cornelia froze, her eyes welling up with tears as she choked out, "I... ruined everything?"

Hearing this, her body trembled with fury. She had been ready to turn and flee herself, but his words made her feel like exploding on the spot.

Could anyone believe this?!

Su Cheng was actually pinning the blame on her!

"She confessed her feelings for me before, so when she suddenly showed up here today, I was planning to talk things out with her. But she seems to know I’d reject her—she bolts every time she sees me. Today, I finally managed to catch her to explain properly, and then… well, thanks to you."

He shook his head, putting on a pained expression.

Hearing this, Cornelia was taken aback. She blinked her reddened eyes and asked in a shaky voice, "You mean… when you were holding Xuan Ying’s wrist just now… you were going to reject her?"

"Exactly. She doesn’t even live around here—why else would she show up out of the blue?" Su Cheng shot Cornelia an annoyed glare. "Now she’ll probably avoid me like the plague!"

"Oh… so that’s how it was." Cornelia let out a relieved sigh, patting her chest as her tears stopped. Her mind immediately conjured up an image of Xuan Ying stalking Su Cheng!

But then, a hint of indignation crept in. "Still, you didn’t have to be so rough with her! She’s a girl, after all—you can’t just grab her like that!"

She glared pointedly at Su Cheng’s right hand.

"Enough. Your mom’s waiting upstairs—go on." Su Cheng jerked his thumb toward the supermarket behind him, urging her along.

"Why the rush? You should be the one hurrying after Xuan Ying! She couldn’t have gone far. Things like this need to be cleared up face-to-face!"

Cornelia stepped closer to Su Cheng but then turned back, her face etched with worry. "You have to make it clear to her, okay? These things can’t be left hanging—the longer you wait, the messier it gets!"

Seeing how earnest and serious she was, Su Cheng nodded. "Don’t worry, I know how to handle this. That’s why I grabbed her wrist in the first place—I was afraid she’d run off before I could explain."

Only then did Cornelia seem reassured, finally heading into the supermarket.

Once she was gone, Su Cheng turned and strode in the direction Xuan Ying had fled.

Today, he had to settle this with her—once and for all!

......

"Pant… pant…!"

Under the dim glow of streetlights, Xuan Ying’s slender figure looked frail as she sprinted forward, wiping sweat from her cheeks, her breath ragged.

Her heart pounded wildly—a chaotic mix of tension, anxiety, and fury—while her legs felt weak beneath her.

"Whew… safe at last!"

She stopped to lean against a wall, gasping for air, her chest still heaving with lingering panic.

She knew exactly what Su Cheng had been about to say. And the fact that her love rival had unwittingly saved her? The humiliation was unbearable.

Then, a thought struck her. She quickly dialed Sister Qin’s number, her voice frantic. "S-Su Cheng’s going to reject me… what… what do I do?"

Sister Qin’s soothing voice came through the phone. "It’s alright. This was unexpected, but being rejected isn’t the end of the world. Remember—relationships require mutual consent, but loving someone is your own journey. No one can take that away from you."

"But I don’t want him to reject me!" Xuan Ying bit her lip, her voice breaking into a sob. "I don’t want to hear those words from him… I just…"

It was like holding a bubble in her palm that she couldn’t pop herself. She knew it would burst eventually, but she didn’t know when. Even though she knew it would happen, under the sunlight, the bubble still seemed beautiful, giving her an illusory sense of belonging.

Yet, she had also imagined the moment it would suddenly burst. Just the thought of it made her want to cry, as if her heart were being torn into pieces.

So, she was afraid Su Cheng would pop that bubble—afraid he would strip away her last shred of hope.

On the other end of the phone, Sister Qin sighed. "For now, just go home. Come to the school this Saturday, and we’ll talk in person."

Xuan Ying gave a slight nod, hung up, wiped the tears from her cheeks, took a few deep breaths, and continued walking. Soon, a car pulled up beside her. She got in, and the driver immediately drove away from the street, heading home.

...

Click.

Meanwhile, Su Cheng walked while searching for any sign of Xuan Ying when he suddenly heard a faint noise behind him.

He turned toward the sound and saw Cornelia crouching behind a trash can, holding the leash of a large yellow dog, as if secretly observing him.

The sight left him speechless. Of course, he had known that once Cornelia found out about the situation, she’d inevitably follow him.

"I see you. Stop hiding and come out."

Su Cheng spoke flatly, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"What are you talking about? I was just walking the dog."

Cornelia slowly peeked out from behind the trash can, then lifted the leash as proof. "Didn’t expect to run into you here. So… did you find her?"

She glanced around, as if hoping to spot Xuan Ying herself.

"No. I’m heading home."

"Oh—" Cornelia responded with disappointment. "Well, I’ll keep walking the dog then."

She turned to leave but hesitated, looking back at Su Cheng.

After a long pause, she finally asked, "Why… did you reject her?"

Su Cheng raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Do I need a reason to reject someone?"

"Of course! She’s so pretty, and her family is super influential. That’s amazing—why would you say no?"

Cornelia scratched the back of her neck, confused.

"It’s prestigious, not influential," Su Cheng corrected seriously. "And that’s exactly why. Her family is too high-status. There’s no future for us. I can’t hold her back."

"Wow, didn’t expect you to be so self-aware. Not bad."

Cornelia’s expression stiffened for a moment before she snorted, lifting her chin proudly.

"I’m going home."

Su Cheng waved and walked off without another word.

Cornelia watched until his figure disappeared from sight, a small smile curling at her lips. She looked satisfied.

Even if she hadn’t gotten the answer she wanted, at least she had confirmed that Su Cheng truly intended to reject Xuan Ying.

That was enough.

As for the answer she had wanted?

Obviously, it would’ve been that he already liked someone else—that’s why he refused.

"Big Yellow, isn’t he just a tsundere?"

Cornelia looked down at the dog, her face glowing with a sweet, blissful smile.

In her mind, there was only one reason Su Cheng would reject Xuan Ying.

He must already have feelings for someone.

And who could that be?

Was it even a question?

It had to be Cornelia!

"Woof! Arf arf!"

The dog barked twice, though no one could tell what it meant.

……………………

Back at home, Su Cheng stood on the balcony with Ya Ya perched on his shoulder, gazing at the dim night sky as he sank into thought.

A particular saying came to mind:

"People are malleable, and the framework of life is a constraint—it silently shapes you into the person you become."

Originally, he had planned to reject Xuan Ying outright today, leaving no room for misunderstanding. He had even told Cornelia about it to prove his resolve.

But he had failed.

Running into Cornelia was one thing, but failing to find Xuan Ying at all?

Now, Xuan Ying would probably avoid him on sight. Chances of them being alone together would be slim—not the outcome Su Cheng wanted.

It made him wonder: Was fate really trying to force him into the role of a heartless playboy?

He pondered for a long time but still couldn’t make sense of it.

In the end, he decided to discuss the matter with Zhao Yan tomorrow.

Just then, his phone rang abruptly.

Su Cheng glanced at the caller ID and frowned slightly but answered anyway.

"What’s up?"

"Did you forget something?"

Cornelia’s displeased voice came through the phone.

"Huh?" Su Cheng was momentarily confused.

He searched his memory but couldn’t recall anything.

Cornelia’s tone turned even more annoyed as she spat out two words:

"Log in."

"Ohhh, right, right. I’m coming."

He finally remembered—he had promised Cornelia they’d play games together this afternoon. Rushing to his room, he booted up his computer.

After three rounds, Cornelia suddenly asked over voice chat:

"So… what are your plans for the weekend?"

"I made plans with Xuan Ying's best friend to discuss Xuan Ying's situation."

Su Cheng didn’t hide the truth.

"Discussing something like that? Why don’t I tag along? I’m free anyway."

Su Cheng paused. "You’re coming too?"

"What, you got a problem with that?"

Cornelia’s tone turned sulky. "A guy like you alone with a girl—if people at school see you, it’ll definitely leave a bad impression."

She continued, "Besides, I can also give some input."

"That won’t work. We agreed to talk privately. Showing up with an extra person might make things awkward."

Su Cheng tactfully tried to dissuade her, not wanting her to interfere.

Cornelia immediately huffed in mock offense. "Hmph, fine! Suit yourself. It’s not like I even wanted to go! I was just worried you’d embarrass yourself in some fancy place, so I was reluctantly offering to help. And here you are, acting all ungrateful?"

Su Cheng felt a vein throb on his forehead.

He rolled his eyes internally but forced himself to placate her. "Alright, look. Since it’s a discussion with her, someone as smart and adorable as you would totally steal the spotlight."

Without waiting for Cornelia’s reaction, he shut his laptop.

Then, he flopped onto his bed and started researching the Peach Garden they were visiting, wanting to prepare in advance so he wouldn’t be caught off guard.

This was his first time traveling far with a girl—he had to be fully prepared.

……………………

The next morning.

8:00 AM.

After sleeping in, he woke up to multiple notifications on his phone—messages from Li Guanqi and Zhao Yan.

A quick glance revealed that Zhao Yan had asked to meet him at a café at 10:00 AM.

As for the other message…

Li Guanqi: [Got any plans for the weekend?]

Seeing this, Su Cheng didn’t hesitate before sharing his entire weekend schedule, including his Sunday commitment with the Practical Affairs Club.

Why didn’t he bring it up himself?

Because she still hadn’t responded to his "The moon is beautiful" confession!

He had his pride too, you know!

…………………………

10:00 AM.

A certain café.

The walk there took barely ten minutes. Clearly, Zhao Yan had chosen this place with his convenience in mind.

Still, he didn’t go in right away. Instead, he lingered outside, scanning through the glass for her.

Sure enough, he spotted her by the window.

Her golden hair cascaded down to her waist, and she wore a pink jacket over a white dress, radiating a youthful, sweet, and effortlessly cool vibe—hardly looking like a student at all.

Just then, she noticed someone watching her from outside.

Zhao Yan turned her head, and when she saw Su Cheng through the window, her face instantly lit up with a bright smile as she waved him over.

Su Cheng took a deep breath and walked in, sitting across from her with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, am I late?"

Zhao Yan shrugged and pointed at her watch. "Look, it’s only 9:55. You’re five minutes early."

"Ah…"

Su Cheng chuckled awkwardly.

"Since we’re discussing something, let’s head to a private room upstairs," Zhao Yan suggested.

Su Cheng nodded, and the two made their way to the second floor.

Inside the room, they each ordered a drink.

Zhao Yan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. "You know, this is actually the first time we’ve met up alone."

Su Cheng took a sip of his hot milk before setting it down. "Yeah, that’s true."

They bantered lightly, reminiscing about past outings. Eventually, Su Cheng brought up last night’s encounter with Xuan Ying, recounting it in detail.

After listening, Zhao Yan sighed, her brows furrowing. "I knew it’d come to this, but I didn’t expect her to sneak off to see you without telling me."

Su Cheng blinked. "Without telling you?"

"Ever since that day on the rooftop, she hasn’t relied on me as much as before."

Zhao Yan’s voice carried a hint of bitterness. "I guess this is what happens when someone falls for another person."

"Is that so…"

Su Cheng fell silent for a moment before asking, "Then who is she close to now?"

He already knew about Sister Qin from the library but wanted to see if Zhao Yan would mention her.

At this, Zhao Yan’s expression grew complicated. "Well…"

She trailed off, hesitating as if holding something back.

"What’s wrong?" Su Cheng pressed.

"Let’s talk about it later."

She blinked her large, pretty eyes meaningfully.