Youth Quietly Changes with Time

"I'm going out."

"It's so late, why are you going out now?"

Hearing this, Xue Shaohua helplessly stopped in his tracks, looking at the shabby rented apartment and Ye Liangchen lounging on the couch, picking at his feet. "What else can I do? Next month's rent is due soon."

"I told you, don’t worry about this. Remember what I said—time will..."

"Time will prove everything, right?" Xue Shaohua had lost count of how many times he’d heard this line.

Since their sophomore year, these words had been Ye Liangchen’s mantra. Back then, he had been so full of confidence.

Xue Shaohua had believed him—only to end up losing everything in the stock market, down to their last penny.

In the end, Ye Liangchen’s parents had to sell their house, and Xue Shaohua’s family had to fork over a huge sum just to cover the losses.

During college, Ye Liangchen, for some unknown reason, became obsessed with starting businesses—one after another, each one failing spectacularly.

He’d always mutter, "This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Hu Yuying did it this way too."

But by then, Hu Yuying had already ridden the wave of the internet boom, becoming a campus celebrity.

She’d even founded her own brand with Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning...

The girl they once fantasized about had become someone far beyond their reach.

Ye Liangchen would also often spout nonsense about being their "savior."

But what was the result?

When they went to borrow money from her, they were thrown out—utterly humiliated.

Yet despite all this, Ye Liangchen still clung to his delusion that time would prove him right, that he was destined to be their salvation.

Eight years had passed since graduation.

In those years, they had lost their youthful vigor, ground down by the harsh realities of life, squeezed into unrecognizable shapes by society.

Taking a deep breath, Xue Shaohua said quietly, "That’s enough. I’m going out."

Watching Xue Shaohua leave, Ye Liangchen frowned slightly.

Sure, he’d hit a rough patch, but time would eventually vindicate him.

Once Hu Yuying and the others came to their senses, he’d be back on top in no time.

But before that happened, Xue Shaohua’s recent behavior had started to bother him.

This had been going on for over a year—his attitude shifting, growing distant.

Slipping on his shoes, Ye Liangchen decided to follow him.

From a distance, he saw Xue Shaohua get into a car.

It looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it.

Hailing a taxi, he tailed them closely.

When they arrived at their destination, Ye Liangchen’s frown deepened.

This had to be a misunderstanding. Maybe he was hallucinating from hunger—after all, he’d barely eaten in days.

Because there was no way he was seeing Gao Quan leading Xue Shaohua into a hotel.

Then it hit him—the car was the same one Gao Quan had flaunted in a recent social media post.

Gritting his teeth, Ye Liangchen stormed inside.

Thanks to his past experience of stalking Hu Yuying and her friends, he moved unnoticed.

But when he heard the voices behind the door, the last thread of his restraint snapped.

Gao Quan: "Go take a shower first. Did Ye Liangchen notice anything?"

Xue Shaohua: "No. He’s practically a vegetable now—sleeps eighteen hours a day, spends the rest on the couch..."

"And don’t you think it’s more thrilling to do this right under his nose?"

Gao Quan chuckled. "You’re right. It does add some excitement."

"He really is worthless now."

"You could’ve had a bright future, but thanks to his stock market gamble, you’re stuck as a financial pariah. If not for him, you wouldn’t be rotting in that dump."

No matter how close they once were, when one person drags the other down, the resentment festers—invisible at first, but always there.

The mere thought of it made Xue Shaohua sick with regret.

He’d been an A-tier university student—proof of his brilliance. If he’d just graduated normally, landing a top-tier job would’ve been effortless.

The bitterness overwhelmed him.

And Gao Quan, once naive and pure, had grown twisted and obsessive after everything with Ye Liangchen...

Time had reshaped them all in ways they never expected.

Soon, the unmistakable sounds of intimacy filled the room.

Outside the door, Ye Liangchen clutched his face in disbelief.

His best friend had betrayed him—stolen everything from him.

And the way they spoke about him... like he was nothing.

Rage.

Pure, unbridled rage.

He thought back to his glory days, when his charm and confidence had won them over again and again...

The injustice burned inside him. They had no idea who they were dealing with.

He was the savior.

He was a reincarnator.

He had outlasted even the legendary Long Aotian.

All he needed was for Hu Yuying and the others to remember his worth, to come crawling back—then he’d reclaim his destiny, rise to the pinnacle of life.

But they dared betray him?

He laughed. A cold, mirthless laugh. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed like this.

They had awakened the slumbering wolf.

And now that he was awake: "Are you ready for the wolf king’s vengeance?"

Face dark with fury, he stormed out of the hotel—only to return three minutes later, expressionless.

Inside, the "battle" seemed to have ended; the room was silent now.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked. "Room service. Complimentary fruit platter."

From inside, voices murmured:

"Wow, this place gives free fruit?"

"Let’s take it. I haven’t had fresh fruit in ages, thanks to Ye Liangchen."

"Pathetic. Has he really fallen that low?"

"You should just leave him and stay with me..."

The voices grew closer as footsteps approached the door.

When it swung open—

Gao Quan and Xue Shaohua froze.

Ye Liangchen smirked. "Well, well. I never thought you’d stoop to this."

"And you—didn’t I bring you fruit scraps before? Don’t act like I starved you."

Caught red-handed, the two exchanged glances—then decided to lay their cards on the table.

Gao Quan declared that the current Ye Liangchen was no different from a worthless loser, spending his days in a rented apartment lost in delusions, no longer deserving of Xue Shaohua.

Xue Shaohua also stated that it was because of Ye Liangchen that she had ended up in such a miserable state. Now, parting ways amicably would be a sign of mutual respect.

In response to their words, Ye Liangchen merely flashed a confident smile, flicked his hair, and then, right in front of them, slowly spread his arms, tilting his head at a 45-degree angle as he murmured softly, "The Wolf King has awakened. The hunt begins!"

With that, he pulled out a fruit knife tucked in his waistband and charged at the two of them.

Amid the struggle, Gao Quan collapsed into a pool of blood.

In a final surge of strength, he crushed Ye Liangchen's family jewels with a vicious grip.

Writhing in agony, Ye Liangchen accidentally shoved Xue Shaohua out of the window in his frantic thrashing.

In the end, the severely wounded Ye Liangchen had no choice but to flee as a fugitive.

Days later, Ye Liangchen clutched a half-eaten moldy fried dough stick in his hand, his vision blurring as fragments of his life flashed before his eyes—him running under the sunset, a fleeting glimpse of his lost youth...

He thought to himself—if given another chance, he would follow the straight and narrow, never again letting pity for Hu Yuying alter the course of his life...

As dawn barely broke, a terrified cleaner stammered into a police call, reporting a corpse found beside a dumpster...