"Yaoyao, you forgot the first time we met, didn't you? That day, after my dad beat me, I was crying outside, and you handed me a tissue," Luo Yuan said.
He had found a secluded spot to cry and ran into Qin Ruoyao.
Qin Ruoyao handed him a tissue, and when he looked up, he saw her pure and innocent face. At that moment, he felt like he had seen an angel.
From then on, he became a devoted follower, ever chasing after Qin Ruoyao.
He even transferred to her school.
Damn it, his youth had been utterly wasted!
Thinking about his past self, Luo Yuan couldn't help but want to give himself two big slaps.
He had been so stupid.
If it weren't for Qin Ruoyao revealing her true colors after his family went bankrupt, he probably would've kept licking her boots indefinitely.
Qin Ruoyao's lips curled into a smile. "You're one of my most important friends. How could I forget the day we first met?"
"Yaoyao, do you remember if it was sunny or cloudy that day?" Luo Yuan asked.
Qin Ruoyao frowned. "Who remembers such details? It's been so long. I only remember you that day."
In the past, Luo Yuan would have been moved to tears.
Now, all he felt was cold mockery.
He had been spinning in circles, tricked by Qin Ruoyao's sweet words.
"Yaoyao, let's not talk about other things. Let's eat some cake together."
Luo Yuan cut the cake and handed a piece to Qin Ruoyao, but she only managed to eat a small portion before she couldn't finish it.
Luo Yuan then poured her a glass of wine. "Here, Yaoyao, have some wine. This bottle costs a whopping $150,000, and I heard it's really good. You should try it."
As he handed her the glass, just as it was about to reach her hand, Luo Yuan suddenly let go, and the glass fell onto Qin Ruoyao's skirt, staining her white dress red with wine.
"Yaoyao, are you okay?" Luo Yuan asked anxiously.
“I'm fine,” Qin Ruoyao shook her head, looking down at her wine-stained skirt with distress.
This was a dress she had spent $30,000 on, and now it was ruined...
"Yaoyao, I thought you had grabbed the glass. I must have let go too early," Luo Yuan said, sounding genuinely guilty.
"It's fine, I'll just change into another one," Qin Ruoyao said, not wanting Luo Yuan to see her in such a state. She quickly got up and headed to her bedroom to change.
Seeing this, Luo Yuan swiftly picked up Qin Ruoyao's phone from the table.
He accurately entered the password and started searching for videos.
When he found one, he tapped it open, his eyes lighting up. It really had been recorded!
Luo Yuan sent the video to his own phone, deleted the record, and then placed Qin Ruoyao's phone back in its original spot.
Soon, Qin Ruoyao returned to the living room.
Luo Yuan stood up from his seat. "I have something to do. I'm leaving."
Thank goodness, he didn't have to keep being Qin Ruoyao's lapdog anymore.
Luo Yuan held the roses in his hand. He wasn't going to leave them for Qin Ruoyao, not even in the trash. Not just the roses, but also the wine and the cake were coming with him.
He would take the cake home for his parents to eat, and such expensive wine certainly wouldn't be left for Qin Ruoyao.
Qin Ruoyao watched as Luo Yuan picked up all the things he had brought, her face filled with confusion.
"Luo Yuan, what are you doing...?"
Luo Yuan: "Are you blind? Going home! These are things I bought, so I can take them with me if I want to."
With that, he left Qin Ruoyao's house, carrying all his belongings.
Qin Ruoyao frowned.
Why did she feel that Luo Yuan's attitude toward her was so different from before?
Thinking about it, Qin Ruoyao shook her head. It was probably just her imagination.
But for some reason, she felt a heaviness in her heart, as if something was slipping away from her...
Later that afternoon, Luo Yuan stood under a tree, waiting for Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan got out of the car. His clothes were a bit messy, and there was a noticeable lipstick mark on his neck.
Everyone around gave him teasing glances.
"Ah, Xuan," Su Hua stepped out of the car and walked over to Lin Xuan. Standing on her tiptoes, she began to straighten his clothes.
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wow, Ms. Su is so gentle with Lin Xuan, it's unbelievable! She's like a completely different person compared to when she came to our school to give a speech."
"Wow, I wish I could be Lin Xuan! Ms. Su only has eyes for him!"
"Don't mention it, jealousy is making me hideous."
After Su Hua straightened Lin Xuan's clothes, she placed a quick kiss on his lips, just a brief touch.
"Wow~"
Someone couldn't help but let out a gasp.
"This is a goodbye kiss," Su Hua said, her eyes crinkling with laughter. "Xuan, wait for me tonight. I'll come pick you up and we'll go home together."
"Okay," Lin Xuan nodded.
Luo Yuan felt his teeth ache from the sourness.
Back in the day, both he and Lin Xuan had been chasing after Qin Ruoyao. Now, Lin Xuan had married a rich, beautiful woman and was living the high life, while his family was now so poor they could barely make ends meet.
Damn it!
How could the gap between people be so huge?
Su Hua left, and Lin Xuan began walking towards the classroom building.
"Lin Xuan," Luo Yuan called out.
Lin Xuan approached Luo Yuan.
"What is it?" Lin Xuan asked.
"Everything you wanted is here. These should be enough to expose Qin Ruoyao's relationship with Lin Li," Luo Yuan said, handing a USB drive to Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan took the USB drive.
"Well done. This is faster than I expected," Lin Xuan nodded.
"Lin Xuan, when are you going to get the money back from Qin Ruoyao?" Luo Yuan asked eagerly, already anticipating the moment when Qin Ruoyao would fall from grace.
"There's no rush. We'll wait until this matter comes to light."
By then, Lin Li and Qin Ruoyao would have completely fallen out.
Only then would they pressure Qin Ruoyao for the money, and with no way out, she would have to sell her house to pay the debt.
That would mark the beginning of Qin Ruoyao's nightmare.
These days, Luo Yuan had been leading Qin Ruoyao through a life of luxury. As the saying goes, it's easy to get used to a life of luxury, but hard to adapt back to a simple life.
Qin Ruoyao wouldn't be able to satisfy her material desires, and she would fall into decadence on her own.
"Alright," Luo Yuan nodded.
"By the way, Lin Xuan, why are you helping me like this?" Luo Yuan couldn't help but ask.
Back then, his father had been in the ICU. If it weren't for the money from Lin Xuan, he might not be alive now.
And he, perhaps, might have already jumped off a building and killed himself.
Lin Xuan: "First, you were easier to manipulate and get close to Qin Ruoyao. It was clear she wouldn't be suspicious if you spent money on her."
"Second," Lin Xuan smiled slightly, "Like you, I was once a devoted follower of Qin Ruoyao. I just wanted to pull you out of that situation as well."
If it weren't for the chance to be reborn, his fate might have been even worse than Luo Yuan's.
At least in the previous life, after Luo Yuan saw through Qin Ruoyao's true nature, he managed to live his own life.
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
