Early the next morning, the first ray of sunlight penetrated through the gap in the curtains into the bedroom, casting a beam of light on the pristine white blanket.

Chen Die had turned over while sleeping at some point, and now she was facing Wen Liang. Upon opening her eyes, she saw his magnified face.

Black hair, very short, with smooth jawline contours. His upper body was bare, with clearly defined muscle lines on his chest and arms. Besides the scar on his brow bone, there was another one on his ribcage.

Chen Die didn’t know much about this matter, only vaguely aware that Wen Liang’s father, finding him difficult to discipline, had sent him to a military camp in his twenties, resulting in these scars.

His arm was wrapped around her waist, radiating heat. Chen Die moved his hand away, turned over, and continued sleeping.

When she woke up again, there was no one beside her.

Chen Die yawned, slowly sat up, and then shuffled into the bathroom in her slippers.

She looked at herself in the mirror, wearing a silver-white silk spaghetti-strap nightgown, with two thin straps hooked over her beautiful, thin shoulders.

However, after last night’s tussle, the nightgown was all wrinkled, and there was an alarming bloodstain on her shoulder.

Chen Die frowned slightly. This was a bite mark from Wen Liang.

That dog-like creature.

She changed into a new outfit and went downstairs. Wen Liang was already gone. She took out her phone and checked the time—not even 8 o’clock yet.

Previously, when they stayed together, they would usually leave together the next day, with Wen Liang driving her to school or elsewhere.

The driver approached as soon as he saw her coming out and took her bag. “Boss Wen had a meeting this morning and has already gone to the company with Assistant Zhu.”

After a pause, perhaps fearing she would be angry, he added, “He originally wanted to accompany you to school, but the meeting time was very tight.”

Chen Die gave a soft “Mm” and got into the car.

It was the last month of her senior year, with no more classes at school. She was going to school today to attend the screening of the promotional video as a cast member.

Lu Chuan had high standards for filming, exceeding the scheduled time to complete it. They were forced to edit while filming, and the screening was hastily arranged for the day after filming was completed.

The driver stopped the car at the entrance of the art gallery.

“Miss, when should I pick you up?” the driver asked.

Chen Die replied, “No need. I’ll go back by myself later.”

Xia Ying was already waiting for her at the entrance of the art gallery.

Her first question was, “Did you see the forum post?”

“Hmm?”

Chen Die had completely forgotten about this matter after last night’s exertions. Even the half-edited message to Lu Chuan hadn’t been sent.

“What happened?”

Xia Ying winked at her mischievously. “It’s amazing—the face-slapping I witnessed last night was the most satisfying I’ve seen in my twenty-plus years of life.”

Chen Die raised her eyebrows.

Xia Ying continued, “Lu Chuan spoke up for you in that post. His ID was previously discovered by fans, so everyone knew it was him.”

Chen Die paused, remembering her unsent message.

Xia Ying lifted her chin and recited Lu Chuan’s words by heart: “Please don’t spread rumors. Chen Die isn’t that kind of girl. She was very serious and professional during filming, and she’s very much in love with her boyfriend. So please don’t smear such stigma on her. It’s immoral and an infringement on her right to reputation.”

After reciting this, Xia Ying slapped her shoulder heavily. “So satisfying! Everyone who went to the celebration party knows that the post was by Chen Shuyuan. Getting face-slapped by her crush—r-e-l-a-x!”

Lu Chuan was a legendary figure at the school.

Everyone knew that directing was an extremely difficult profession to excel in. Every year, many new graduates from the directing department entered the field, but only Lu Chuan had achieved such success at such a young age.

Moreover, he was handsome and elegant, with half the female students in the school being his fans.

So his words completely changed the direction of the latter half of the post.

After clearing Chen Die’s “wrongful accusation,” the discussion digressed into gossip about Lu Chuan.

The center of the gossip was naturally Chen Shuyuan—the well-known wealthy daughter, bad-tempered and arrogant, who had unrequitedly pursued Lu Chuan for years without success.

Both are surnamed Chen, yet the difference is so huge [smirk]

I even suspect this post was made by Chen Shuyuan!

I agree with the comment above!!

If it really was Chen Shuyuan who posted this, that’s too miserable!! These photos were taken by classmates who went together, so isn’t Lu Chuan directly slapping Chen Shuyuan’s face?

The rich little princess looks down on everyone all day, but isn’t she just like me—unable to win over the male god? [shrug]

…

“Then half an hour later, the original poster requested to delete the post!!” Xia Ying vividly narrated the entire forum drama that had unfolded the previous night.

Chen Die was amused by her account and gave her a look. “Until what time were you following this drama last night?”

“Three in the morning.” Xia Ying yawned. “I had to apply concealer for a long time this morning to cover up the dark circles.”

They walked into the screening hall.

The two found seats and sat down.

Chen Die took out her phone, deleted the half-edited message from yesterday, and sent a “Thank you” to Lu Chuan.

At that moment, Lu Chuan was at the front of the screening hall doing final adjustments.

Below, many teachers and student representatives were seated.

“By the way, have you made up with your boyfriend?” Xia Ying asked.

“Mm.”

Xia Ying assumed an understanding expression. “That’s what I thought. With a heavenly fairy like you as a girlfriend, who would bear to be angry with you? He must have eagerly come to make up with you.”

It would be a miracle if Wen Liang ever came to coax her, Chen Die thought to herself.

Having been together for so long, they naturally had their share of arguments, but Wen Liang’s temperament was too hard. At most, he would half-forcibly hold her and say a few words that would make her face burn.

More often, Wen Liang was aloof, and their disputes would naturally pass with time.

Xia Ying looked around the screening hall. “Chen Shuyuan doesn’t seem to be here. Indeed, if I were her, I wouldn’t have the face to come either.”

“You and your boyfriend are going to get married soon, right?” Chen Die looked up.

Although Xia Ying was also a performance major, she had chosen this specialty just for fun, with no intention of entering the entertainment industry. Her relationship with her boyfriend was also very stable.

“Not yet. He still wants to study abroad.”

“Get married after he returns to China?”

Xia Ying hummed in affirmation, nodding, then after a pause asked, “What about you? If you want to be an actress, it seems better to be single. Will you have a secret marriage with your big boss?”

Chen Die smiled, tilting her head back nonchalantly. “I’ll probably break up with him after the graduation ceremony.”

Xia Ying didn’t have time to wonder why the breakup had to wait until graduation. She immediately widened her eyes. “Why?!”

She recalled the message Chen Die had sent her when returning to Yan City yesterday. At the time, she thought it was just a casual joke.

“Is it because you enter into the entertainment industry?” Xia Ying asked softly.

“It’s not just because of that,” Chen Die laughed lightly. “It’s because I don’t want to lose myself for him anymore.”

Besides, they had originally signed a contract stating that their relationship would only last until graduation.

Xia Ying felt somewhat emotional. When Chen Die first entered university as a freshman, she became famous because of a photo shoot. Countless people were waiting outside the dormitory building to confess to her.

Chen Die had only one response: I already have a boyfriend.

Later, people discovered that a black Bentley occasionally came to pick Chen Die up from school. Rumor had it that this was her boyfriend, which completely extinguished the eager hearts of many young men.

Having been friends with Chen Die for four years, Xia Ying always thought she was an extremely cool person. Even now, she couldn’t see how she would lose herself to a man.

Xia Ying suddenly asked, “How did you and your boyfriend meet?”

Chen Die hadn’t heard this question for a long time and was momentarily dazed.

“We met too early,” she smiled. “Everything that followed just seemed natural.”

Chen Die would probably never forget the scene when she first met Wen Liang.

It was a cool night, with a noisy group of people behind her.

Chen Die was crouching alone under a bus stop sign in front of the train station.

Six years ago, Yan City’s train station hadn’t been renovated yet. Cylindrical fluorescent lights stood along the roadside, attracting many insects.

Chen Die was wearing a knee-length school uniform skirt, her calves covered in mosquito bites.

She scratched them, then hugged her knees, lowering her eyes.

All the turning points in her life happened on that day.

Earlier, a convoy of cars had suddenly arrived in the small town, entering with great pomp and circumstance. They knocked on Chen Die’s door.

They told her foster parents that she was the blood of the Chen family from Yan City. Due to a hospital mix-up, she had been sent to an orphanage and subsequently adopted into this small town.

What an absurd situation.

Then, Chen Die was brought to Yan City.

Just as she walked out of the train station, she saw the girl who had been swapped with her—now the true Chen family daughter—threatening suicide and insisting that Chen Die be sent back.

That was Chen Shuyuan.

After all, after 16 years of nurturing, even if not biologically related, deep feelings had developed.

Yet Chen Die was treated like a commodity, sold by her foster parents. Now, a group of people behind her were deciding her fate.

In this unfamiliar city, Chen Die crouched by the bus stop sign, feeling like she belonged nowhere.

Suddenly, she heard dragging footsteps. A small pebble rolled to Chen Die’s feet, hitting her white shoes.

She looked up to see a young man standing in front of her.

Chen Die had never seen such a handsome young man in the small town where she had lived before.

He stood under the streetlight, very thin and tall, with a crew cut, sharp facial features, and pitch-black eyes. His index finger hooked around a military cap, giving him a roguish air.

Yet the light behind him created a halo around his head.

A word popped into Chen Die’s mind: divine.

The young man’s gaze fell on her, then swept behind her. With one stride of his long legs, he approached her.

Chen Die was crouching, while he was standing—a contrast of looking up and looking down.

The young man looked down at her from his height. After a moment, he bent down and blew a puff of smoke in her face.

The smell of smoke was pungent. Chen Die immediately frowned, but before she could cough, she heard him say, “Want to come with me?”

His voice had a lazy quality, deep and magnetic, floating into Chen Die’s ears on the summer night.

Chen Die’s black eyes stared at him, the arguing voices behind her gradually fading away.

She nodded, her voice very timid: “Okay.”

The young man straightened up again, laughing, though it was unclear whether it was mockery or disdain.

“Then let’s go.”

He turned and walked away without extending a hand to her, his shoulders relaxed and his figure tall.

Chen Die glanced behind her. The girl called Chen Shuyuan was sitting on the ground crying, with a group of people surrounding and comforting her.

Then, she turned her gaze back, timidly taking her first step toward the young man’s back, with the subsequent steps becoming more fluid.

Chen Die followed behind him.

He lit another cigarette, holding it between his fingers.

After walking a short distance, a voice suddenly sounded from behind: “Director Chen! That kid is gone!”

Before Chen Die could react, the young man grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward forcefully. She nearly fell.

The two ran wildly through the streets. The wind brushed past her face and ears. Chen Die couldn’t keep up, but he kept pulling her forward.

The young man continued pulling her until they reached a corner where a shiny motorcycle was parked.

A helmet was pressed onto Chen Die’s head, the strap rubbing against her cheek, causing a stinging sensation.

When the Chen family arrived in their car to chase them, the young man had already sped away on his motorcycle.

Accompanied by Chen Die’s screams, she closed her eyes tightly, clutching the young man’s clothes. After trembling for a moment, she opened her eyes.

The bustling city, the spiraling overpasses, and the neon lights illuminated the entire night, bright as day, making it almost impossible to see stars.

Chen Die’s vision was restricted by the helmet. She looked up to find the young man.

She thought people in the city were truly good-looking.

The honking of the cars behind gradually faded away, and the motorcycle stopped by the river.

Chen Die was at a loss until the young man turned his head and said, “Aren’t you getting off?”

This was the third sentence he had spoken to her. Chen Die let out an “Oh” and quickly jumped off, staggering a step.

The young man swung his long leg off, flipped the military cap that had been hooked on his fingertips upside down onto his head, pressed down the brim, and leaned against the motorcycle, looking down at her. “Chen family’s daughter?”

Chen Die was startled, clearly not expecting him to know this. She hesitantly nodded: “Seems like it.”

“Do you know who I am, yet you just followed me?” The young man sneered, taking a heavy drag of his cigarette, commenting on her, “Stupid.”

“I don’t like them,” Chen Die said softly, then couldn’t help but defend herself. “And I’m not stupid.”

The young man was too lazy to pay attention to her. His gaze moved to the riverside. Only after finishing that cigarette did he ask casually, “You didn’t bring any luggage with you?”

Chen Die was stunned, lamenting with an “Ah”: “I forgot it at the station.”

The young man gave her a sidelong glance: “Just admit you’re stupid.”

“…”

That night, Chen Die, who had lost her ID card and suitcase, went home with the young man.

He lived alone in a grand house. Even the town mayor’s house in Chen Die’s former small town couldn’t compare to one-tenth of his.

However, the Chen family quickly discovered who had taken their biological daughter away. If it had been anyone else, it might have been fine, but it had to be that madman.

No one could persuade him, and when he was ruthless, he had no regard for life.

When the Chen family came to demand her return, standing at the doorpost, the young man tilted his head toward Chen Die: “Ask her if she wants to go back.”

Chen Die obediently followed his words and immediately shook her head.

“See?” He smiled roguishly, arrogant and self-important.

A Chen family member exclaimed, “What does it mean for my daughter to live with a madman like you? Where will our family’s face be placed? If you don’t hand her over, beware that I…”

Before he could finish, the young man’s smile suddenly disappeared. He kicked over a flower pot on a stone pedestal, exploding in anger without warning, saying coldly, “Just try if you dare.”

Afterward, the Chen family came a few more times, but ultimately concerned about the family’s reputation, and with their other daughter making such a fuss, they decided to let it go. The matter was thus left unresolved.

Outsiders only knew that there was a girl by his side, but they didn’t know that girl was the Chen family’s daughter.

It was only later that Chen Die learned his name—

Wen Liang.

“Wen Liang.” She repeated it over and over.

He would never know that when Chen Die was studying, her draft notebook was filled with two characters—Wen Liang.

This was all so long ago.

Chen Die leaned her head back against the chair, letting out a soft breath.

So long ago that she could barely remember how much she had once liked Wen Liang.