Elegance Never Goes Out of Style

As Ye Liangchen walked closer to the restaurant where Hu Yuying and Long Aotian were, a growing sense of dread and helplessness began to rise within him.

By the time he reached the entrance, he leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.

"Brother Liangchen, what's wrong? Did eating a meal almost cost you half your life? Don’t worry, I brought money," Gao Quan said, looking at Ye Liangchen with confusion.

The way Ye Liangchen was acting seemed incredibly strange to him.

Ye Liangchen took a deep breath and waved his hand dismissively. "It’s nothing. I’m still me—Ye Liangchen, who dares to love and hate, who isn’t afraid of challenges. I’ll take back everything I’ve lost, bit by bit, with my own hands."

Indeed, Ye Liangchen was caught in a state of duality. On one hand, he truly despised Long Aotian.

On the other hand, he was genuinely afraid that Long Aotian might harm him. Long Aotian was like a persistent leech—once he set his sights on someone, there was no escaping him.

Ye Liangchen could never forget the pain of Long Aotian smashing a bottle over his head...

But things had already reached this point, and it was no longer a situation that could be resolved by backing down or giving in.

He might not be able to defeat Long Aotian, but surely Long Aotian wouldn’t attack him just out of jealousy for his excellence, right?

As long as he appeared in front of the "treasure girl" alongside Long Aotian, his superior qualities as a high-quality man would surely outshine Long Aotian.

He would make Hu Yuying see the stark contrast between his refined self and Long Aotian’s crude and vulgar demeanor, subtly drawing her attention.

Thinking this, the fear in Ye Liangchen’s heart began to dissipate.

At the same time, he felt a growing sense of anticipation.

Just imagine—Hu Yuying might still be with Long Aotian on the surface, but secretly, she’d be entangled with him. The mere thought of it was thrilling.

"Being arrogant is useless. Soon enough, I’ll be the one cuckolding him," Ye Liangchen thought to himself.

With this realization, Ye Liangchen’s earlier timidity vanished. He straightened his clothes and hair, then walked into the restaurant with Gao Quan.

Hands in his pockets, he glanced around with a smile, finally locking eyes on the table where Long Aotian and Hu Yuying were seated. He straightened his posture, confidently flicked his hair, and struck what he thought was a handsome pose as he approached.

He sat down at a table right next to theirs, separated only by an aisle.

At first, Ye Liangchen thought his bold approach would surely catch the attention of either Long Aotian or Hu Yuying.

After all, once a girl’s attention is captured, well...

But in reality, neither of them even glanced his way. No, to be precise, their gazes never once turned toward him.

"Dammit!" Ye Liangchen clenched his fists in frustration. "How dare they ignore me? Fine, very fine."

The restaurant specialized in shrimp hotpot—first eating the shrimp, then using the broth for a hotpot.

Ye Liangchen and Gao Quan ordered a large pot without hesitation. Why? Because they could afford it.

Before the waiter left, Ye Liangchen had a sudden thought. "Bring us two crates of beer," he added.

Though both Ye Liangchen and Gao Quan were still students, they were already of legal drinking age, so ordering alcohol wasn’t out of place.

"Brother Liangchen, when did you learn to drink? That’s so badass!" Gao Quan exclaimed, wide-eyed.

For students, drinking was considered a bold and impressive act.

At least for Gao Quan, it was. He had never even tasted alcohol before.

As the two crates of beer were placed at their feet, Ye Liangchen confidently grabbed two bottles, placing one foot on the unopened crate. He used a bottle opener to pop the caps off both bottles.

After taking a deep breath and flicking his hair once more, he stood up and walked over to Long Aotian’s table.

"Hello," Ye Liangchen greeted them with a flick of his hair, a faint smile on his lips.

At this moment, Ye Liangchen exuded an air of gentlemanly charm, every movement deliberate and refined.

When Hu Yuying saw Ye Liangchen, she frowned in disgust. She had never disliked someone so intensely before, and Ye Liangchen was at the top of that list.

She glanced subtly at Long Aotian, feeling a sense of reassurance. "Ye Liangchen, with my big brother here today, I’m not afraid of you," she thought to herself.

Hearing the name, Long Aotian took a closer look.

He realized this was the same guy who had run away in fear after their encounter at the school gate.

And wasn’t he also the one who stood in the rain at Nanfeng Square, holding an umbrella but still getting soaked?

Noticing Long Aotian’s gaze, Ye Liangchen flicked his hair and smiled confidently.

At least in front of Long Aotian, he had to maintain his elegance. After all, elegance never goes out of style!

"My behavior last time was inappropriate. Running into you today, I wanted to apologize for what happened," Ye Liangchen said, his lips curling into what he thought was a charming smile.

Seeing this "crooked smile," Long Aotian couldn’t help but think, "What the hell?"

He had always found the concept of a "crooked smile" in novels hard to understand, but now it was being perfectly demonstrated right in front of him.

Hu Yuying was a kind-hearted person. Though she despised Ye Liangchen, she didn’t say much, given that he had come specifically to apologize. However, the best way to deal with someone like Ye Liangchen was to simply ignore him.

Ye Liangchen maintained his crooked smile and turned his attention to Long Aotian. "Let’s have a drink together," he said confidently.

After all, a person’s character could be judged by how they handled alcohol.

Moreover, Ye Liangchen had honed his drinking skills in his past life. Getting an eighteen-year-old drunk would be a breeze—no pressure at all.

He wanted Long Aotian to make a fool of himself in front of Hu Yuying.

Meanwhile, he would stand protectively by Hu Yuying’s side. With such a stark contrast, he was sure to leave a lasting impression on her.

Compared to his gentle, kind, and sunny personality, Long Aotian—who often bullied her and pressured her into intimate situations—would surely lose favor in Hu Yuying’s heart.

Long Aotian noticed that while Ye Liangchen was speaking to him, his eyes kept darting toward Hu Yuying.

Hu Yuying, on the other hand, was frowning deeply—a rare expression of genuine discomfort and disgust.

Though he didn’t know what had caused Hu Yuying to feel this way about Ye Liangchen, one thing was clear: as her big brother, he had to stand by her side.

"Not interested. Please don’t disturb our meal," Long Aotian said coldly, his eyes locking onto Ye Liangchen’s.

Seeing Long Aotian’s piercing gaze, Ye Liangchen instinctively took a step back.

He clenched his fists tightly, wishing he could smash the bottle in his hand over Long Aotian’s head. But he knew he couldn’t, so he forced a smile and said, "Alright, I won’t disturb you anymore."