Chapter 20: Wanting to Be Glorious for a Lifetime
“Lian Li, hello.” A tall, unfamiliar young man stared at her with burning eyes.
Lian Li shifted her gaze from a bouquet of delicate, dewy roses to the young man’s face, and curved her lips into a polite smile. “Hello, do you need something?”
“It’s just…” Being looked at so directly, the spring water in the young man’s heart instantly surged, and he became shy.
He took a deep breath and blurted out in a rapid voice: “Actually, I’ve liked you for a long time. Ever since you gave your speech as the freshman representative at the opening ceremony in our first year, I’ve liked you. Could you be my girlfriend?”
“She can’t!” a slightly hoarse voice suddenly rang out.
Xue Shufan, dressed in a casual suit and with a backpack slung over her shoulder, strode over and familiarly put an arm around Lian Li’s shoulder, declaring her claim:
“She’s mine.”
Passing students glanced back at the scene, but everyone was busy with their own affairs and no one lingered to watch.
Lian Li calmly raised her eyelashes, a faint smile on her face. “Thank you, I don’t like roses.”
It wasn’t the roses she disliked, was it? It was him.
The young man had mustered the courage to confess before graduation, and although the outcome wasn’t ideal, he had no regrets.
Without sparing a glance for the crestfallen young man, Xue Shufan linked arms with Lian Li and headed towards the canteen.
Birds soared in the distance, egrets stirred the water, and mallards swam freely under the scorching sun. A few chirps brought Weiming Lake to vibrant life.
Yellowed ash trees lined the road, their leaves rustling as they fell to the ground, carpeting it with golden ginkgo leaves.
Lian Li and Xue Shufan went up to the third floor of the canteen. They first found a window seat to place their bags, then went to the ordering counter, swiped their cards, got a number, and bought the Banana Leaf Grilled Fish Rice.
There were fewer people on the third floor, so the waiting time wasn’t long.
Lian Li sat at the pear wood-colored dining table and asked Xue Shufan opposite her, “How’s the laboratory recently?”
“After constant hammering, my junior’s stubborn head has become a more receptive one,” Xue Shufan said.
Lian Li smiled charmingly. “That’s quite impressive, a qualitative change.”
Xue Shufan raised an eyebrow at her words.
Sunlight streamed through the glass window, falling on Lian Li’s side. The long black hair on her shoulder shone like silk, reflecting fine glints of light.
With dark hair and fair skin, her features were exquisite, possessing a refined elegance that commanded attention.
She also had a silver tongue, capable of making bitter things sound sweet.
“Of course, who do you think I am?”
Xue Shufan said without false modesty, “I’m destined for a life of glory.”
Xue Shufan was indeed living a glorious life.
After leaving the Xue Family, her cards were all frozen, yet the fallen young lady remained as radiant as ever. She spent a fortune paving her own way, buying a pile of expensive equipment, and joining a research team for an expedition in the tropical rainforest.
Her mark was left in tropical rainforests all over the world.
For science, she even ran out of money for food. Xue Shufan fainted from low blood sugar, and it was Lian Li who took her to the infirmary.
“And you, busy with tedious and boring papers?” Xue Shufan asked.
Lian Li replied, “I haven’t chosen a topic yet. The professor is in Boston for a research program. I’ll decide on a direction when she returns next month.”
Xue Shufan nodded and then asked, “Are you considering pursuing your master’s degree in the United States later on?”
“No,” Lian Li shook her head. She had to stay in the Capital City.
Xue Shufan chuckled. “It seems Grandma’s house isn’t very appealing, no one’s living in it.”
Before Grandma Xue passed away, she had planned to send Xue Shufan to study at Stanford and bought a townhouse in New York’s Upper East Side.
Grandma Xue probably never expected Xue Shufan to leave the Xue Family, not go to Stanford, and stay in the Capital City, possibly joining a research institute in the future.
The Banana Leaf Grilled Fish Rice had a soft, glutinous texture with flavors of both teriyaki and savory sauce. Lian Li chewed slowly. She had previously suggested Xue Shufan rent out the house, but Xue Shufan had said it was left by her grandmother and she wouldn’t let anyone else live there.
“Do you know about the Shen Family matter?” Lian Li looked up at Xue Shufan and asked softly.
“I saw the news report. How is your roommate? Is she still coming to school?” Xue Shufan said.
Shen Huaining, the young lady of the Shen Family, was one of Lian Li’s roommates.
In a single turn of events, the Shen Family collapsed. Glory and wealth were fleeting, and no one wanted to face the misfortune of a falling edifice.
Lian Li replied, “I’m not sure, no one’s in the dormitory.”
“Life is unpredictable, like fragile glass, only this is real,” Xue Shufan said, raising her left hand and showing off the Vancleef & Arpels Diamond Watch on her wrist. “Although the Shen Family has fallen, Shen Huaining’s maternal family still owns several shops on London’s Bond Street and vineyards in Bordeaux.”
Xue Shufan had many close friends and a wide network of information, readily sharing anecdotes from their circle.
“In Sijiucheng, if you want to talk about the most stable foundation, it would have to be the Jin Family; they’ve been unassailable for a century.”
Xue Shufan couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh! Not just for a century, they’ve become increasingly brilliant!”
The usual tone of elders when joking often depended on how much authority that person held, whether their status was high or low. When adults mentioned the Jin Family, their wording was always very precise and cautious.
“I heard my grandmother say that over twenty years ago, the Zhong Family and the Duan Family formed a marriage alliance with the aim of jointly weakening the Jin Family’s overwhelming power. The bride was Zhong Yang’s paternal aunt, and the groom was the Duan Family’s second son, who had a promising future in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time, meaning Duan Yu’s uncle,” Xue Shufan recounted.
Lian Li was unfamiliar with this matter, so she listened intently. “And then?”
“Then, for reasons unknown, the conflict subsided. The Duan Family’s second son was transferred, and his entire family moved abroad.”
Xue Shufan took a sip of soup. “The scions of noble families are a mixed bag… except for the Jin Family; every single one of them is no ordinary person. When Old Master Xue held family meetings, he specifically and earnestly told us that among the new generation of disciples, the one person you absolutely cannot offend is the Second Young Master Jin.”
Lian Li asked, puzzled, “Why him?”
Xue Shufan replied, “Because Jin Shi Yue acts as he pleases, he’s ostentatious and arrogant, yet he has no weaknesses.”
People in their circle were outwardly polite and harmonious, but in reality, they were already dissatisfied due to conflicts of interest, and many wanted to bring down the Jin Family.
In other words, the Jin Family had many enemies. Any slight disturbance would have been seized upon by those with ulterior motives and used to drag them down.
Jin Shi Yue’s impeccably handsome face flashed in Lian Li’s mind. After a moment, she nodded in agreement. “He is indeed quite capricious.”
Playing psychological games with girls, ‘tormenting’ them was one thing, but even ‘swindling’ their New Year’s Money… I’ve never seen anyone like him.
Although he returned later, for a money-minded person, the sadness of losing money in that instant was real and could not be erased.
“Jin Yan Ting is different. He is a dignified gentleman, acts with prudence, and Old Master Xue has always used him as a positive example to teach his children.”
Xue Shufan put down her spoon, slowly wiped her fingers with a tissue, paused for three seconds, then leaned forward and lowered her voice to ask.
“Hey, Li Li, what’s your situation with him?”
There’s one more chapter today, will update later.
