Xia Qiuzhi Finally Tasted the Bitter Fruit of Regret

"Was it your idea or Zhou Yi's to have dinner together?"

"It was Yi-gege's idea. He didn’t want to ruin the relationship between you and me, so he suggested talking it out."

"Have you ever considered that as long as he exists, there will always be a crack between us?"

"Why do you have to think like that? Yi-gege has always said he only wishes us happiness. Ever since we got together, he’s been nothing but kind to you. Why do you always assume the worst of him?"

Xia Qiuzhi’s words only poured fuel on the fire.

Wang Xuan was so furious his mind went blank, and his words became reckless.

"Of course he’s nice to me—because of you! Don’t you know how deep his feelings for you are? What’s the point of keeping him around? Am I not enough for you? Do you need Zhou Yi to constantly fuss over you? Are you that desperate for male attention?"

His tone was full of accusation.

He rarely lashed out at Xia Qiuzhi like this, but seeing her reconnect with Zhou Yi today had pushed him over the edge.

On top of that, Zhou Yi had become both handsome and wealthy, filling Wang Xuan with uncontrollable dread.

He knew he couldn’t compete with Zhou Yi anymore. If Zhou Yi ever decided to make a move, who would Xia Qiuzhi choose? The answer was obvious.

Xia Qiuzhi froze at his words before her eyes welled up with tears, which soon began to fall.

"Since we started dating, I’ve cut off all contact with other male friends except for Zhou Yi. Do you expect me to abandon all my friends for you?"

"Anyone but Zhou Yi."

"He’s been my friend for over ten years. He was there for me during the hardest times of my life."

"See? You always have an excuse. You just refuse to distance yourself from him. I don’t want to hear any more about your history together."

"I... I’ve already been harsh toward him. Why are you still so bothered by his presence?"

Wang Xuan was at a loss.

There were things he couldn’t—and didn’t dare—spell out. If Xia Qiuzhi ever realized the truth, it would be over for him.

He took a deep breath and softened his tone. "Fine. Let’s have dinner with him. It’s time we talked this out."

Arguing with Xia Qiuzhi any longer would only play into Zhou Yi’s hands.

Xia Qiuzhi exhaled in relief and replied quietly, "Okay. But please don’t act upset when we meet. Yi-gege already—"

"—Enough!"

Wang Xuan slammed his fist on the table, gritting his teeth. "Agreeing to see him is already me backing down. Don’t push your luck."

Xia Qiuzhi wiped her tears, hurt.

"Why are you being so mean today? You’ve never been like this before."

"Because what you said was too much. You didn’t consider my feelings as your boyfriend at all."

Too much?

Xia Qiuzhi didn’t understand. All she wanted was for Wang Xuan to get along with her friend.

What had Zhou Yi even done?

He hadn’t done anything wrong in this situation—Wang Xuan was the one at fault.

In the past, no matter how cruel or harsh she had been to Zhou Yi, he had never once raised his voice at her. But Wang Xuan couldn’t do the same.

At that thought, her eyes dimmed with disappointment.

Now, even if she was upset or hurt, Zhou Yi wouldn’t comfort her anymore.

For the first time, she wondered if pushing Zhou Yi away for Wang Xuan had been worth it.

A flicker of doubt crossed her eyes.

"Whatever. I don’t want to argue. Think about whether you’ve done anything wrong."

With that, Wang Xuan hung up.

Xia Qiuzhi stood on the balcony, staring blankly at the night sky, suddenly remembering the times she and Zhou Yi had watched the stars together on the orphanage rooftop.

Once, a shooting star had streaked across the sky, and they had made wishes under its glow.

She had asked Zhou Yi what he wished for.

With a silly, blushing smile, he had said, "I wish for the princess to always be happy."

The memory flooded back, and Xia Qiuzhi leaned against the railing, sobbing.

When Zhou Yi said he didn’t want anything to do with her, she had been devastated.

Because she had never imagined it possible, she had taken his love for granted, carelessly squandering it.

Now, she was finally tasting regret.

[Xia Qiuzhi’s regret value +30, affection value +20.]

Zhou Yi, who had been replying to a text, raised an eyebrow.

Looks like she fought with Wang Xuan. Otherwise, why would her regret value suddenly spike?

He smirked mockingly. If only she had realized sooner.

Zhou Yi only had the original host’s memories and couldn’t view their relationship from an outsider’s perspective.

In that regard, Wang Xuan saw things much more clearly.

Zhou Yi assumed Wang Xuan’s hostility stemmed from disdain or hatred for the original host.

In truth, Wang Xuan was afraid Zhou Yi would steal Xia Qiuzhi away.

He had no idea how many fights Wang Xuan and Xia Qiuzhi had had over the original host.

Xia Qiuzhi had treated the original host terribly, but she wasn’t completely devoid of feelings for him.

In many ways, she had relied on Zhou Yi deeply, always turning to him first—whether in joy or sorrow.

Unlike Chu Han, who only reached out when she needed money, Xia Qiuzhi had shared every emotion with Zhou Yi.

Whenever she was upset, he was the only one she wanted to confide in.

Because in her eyes, only Zhou Yi was allowed to see her vulnerability.

Who else in this world would treat an orphanage girl like a princess besides Zhou Yi?

If Xia Qiuzhi had never met Wang Xuan, if she had tempered her temper and cherished Zhou Yi’s devotion, maybe they wouldn’t have ended up like this.

But there were no what-ifs.

.

Zhou Yi was exhausted and dozed off in the car, his new phone carelessly tossed aside.

"Hey, we’re here. Wake up."

The taxi driver’s voice jolted him awake. Rubbing his eyes, Zhou Yi nodded. "Thanks."

After paying the fare, he stepped out onto the nearly empty street, dimly lit by a few flickering streetlights.

Inside a small fast-food restaurant, a woman was busy cleaning, her profile softened by the warm glow of the lights.

To Zhou Yi, the scene was soothing, filling him with a sense of comfort and ease.

It was 8 p.m., and You Man’s shop was almost empty. She was bent over, wiping down a table when Zhou Yi pushed the door open, his new phone in hand.

"Welcome—Xiao Yi!"

You Man froze, her eyes lighting up with surprise.

She dropped the rag, suddenly flustered, as if still embarrassed by what had happened between them last time.

Was she looking unkempt? If she had known he was coming, she would have dressed up.

Zhou Yi set the phone aside and strode over.

"Man-jie, let me help."

"No, no! Just sit. I’m almost done."

"Really?"

"Really! Go ahead and sit. I’ll wash my hands and get you some water."

You Man hurried into the kitchen, washed her hands, and returned with a glass of water.

"It’s so late. Doesn’t your school have a curfew?"