On the crowded street, He Li and Miao Xiaoyu walked side by side, a striking couple whose good looks turned heads everywhere. Passersby couldn’t help but sigh at how perfect they looked together—some even mistook them for celebrities and secretly snapped photos.
Miao Xiaoyu had always lived like a beloved star surrounded by admirers, so this kind of attention didn’t faze her. But whenever someone misunderstood their relationship, she couldn’t help blushing shyly.
“By the way, what are we doing here on Hongyun Street?” she asked, forcing down her shyness and moving a little closer to He Li before finally remembering the purpose of their visit.
“To buy medicine,” He Li replied.
“You’re sick?” Miao Xiaoyu asked, confused.
“Of course not.” He Li shook his head. “I found out that one of the pharmacies here is selling unapproved medicine. Once the pharmaceutical company discovers it, they’ll pull the stock immediately.”
Unapproved medicine? Miao Xiaoyu squinted.
She recalled the regulations in her mind… If substandard drugs were found circulating in the market, the fines could be up to twenty times the total value, with a minimum of ten times. That meant if He Li bought the entire batch, he could easily contact the pharmaceutical company and claim tens or even hundreds of thousands in compensation. Since the company wouldn’t want a scandal, they’d definitely pay him off.
This deal was more lucrative than yesterday’s umbrella sale.
She was genuinely curious how He Li figured this out. After all, ordinary people couldn’t possibly tell whether a drug had passed inspection. Had he studied pharmaceuticals before? That couldn’t be it—she had never seen him read any related material.
The more she thought about it, the more curious she became. She tilted her little head to sneak glances at He Li’s handsome profile, hoping to see some clue. But the more she looked, the more entranced she became, and all her thoughts flew out of her head. Her mind was now full of things like “so handsome,” “so attractive,” and soon her whole face turned red.
It wasn’t until He Li reached the pharmacy ahead and stepped inside to ask about the medicine that she snapped out of it, following shyly behind.
There were many pharmacies on Hongyun Street. Not all of them had restocked recently, so He Li had to ask around one by one—it was time-consuming. But Miao Xiaoyu didn’t mind at all. For her, being by He Li’s side, no matter how long, was never boring. In fact, she was delighted, asking questions and chatting with him along the way.
However, the cheerful atmosphere between the two was quickly shattered when they bumped into three familiar faces…
“He Li? What are you doing here?” Li Feng’er asked curiously at the entrance of a pharmacy.
Next to her stood Liu Yuyan, wearing a mask. And carrying bags, like a loyal dog trailing behind, was none other than Li Lingjie.
From the medicine bag in Li Lingjie’s hand and Liu Yuyan’s appearance, He Li and Miao Xiaoyu could easily guess—she had caught a cold. Probably from last night’s rain. The temperature had dropped, Liu Yuyan had dressed lightly, and on the way home the wind and rain had picked up—she must’ve gotten wet.
So her catching a cold wasn’t surprising.
He Li hadn’t planned to acknowledge the three of them, but since Li Feng’er had spoken up, he gave a casual nod. “Just browsing, and picking up some medicine.”
He turned to enter the store with Miao Xiaoyu.
But Li Feng’er couldn’t hold back. “He Li, our Yuyan’s sick, and you’re not even going to check on her?”
Liu Yuyan’s gaze locked onto him.
In the past, even if she wasn’t sick—just feeling a bit unwell—He Li would panic, doing everything he could to help, buying medicine and coaxing her sweetly. But now she had a cold, and even though he clearly saw her, he was pretending not to?
If Li Feng’er hadn’t called out, would he really have just walked away?
The more Liu Yuyan thought about it, the more wronged she felt. She didn’t believe He Li truly didn’t care. She thought he was only pretending to be cold and indifferent so she would give in and make peace. He was trying to pressure her into apologizing.
“I’m sick, and you’re still mad at me?” Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“You used to be so gentle. You’d never treat me like this.”
“And now just to make me bow my head, you’re being so heartless?”
“He Li, you’re breaking my heart!”
“Do you even know that you’re going to lose me this way?”
Liu Yuyan’s eyes turned red as she looked at him. Though she said nothing, her heart was full of grievances. Unfortunately, He Li couldn’t hear her inner thoughts. Even if he could, he wouldn’t care.
He simply frowned at Li Feng’er’s question, “She’s not a kid anymore. Does she really need someone to comfort her? Sorry, I don’t have the time.”
“You…” Li Feng’er was speechless.
Liu Yuyan’s body trembled, her eyes full of disbelief.
Li Lingjie immediately burst out in anger, “He Li, how can you be so heartless toward Yuyan? After all she’s done for you, even giving you chances to chase after her!”
“She’s been trying to make peace, and you keep treating her like this?”
“Bullying a girl like this—are you even a man?”
“Exactly!” Li Feng’er added. “Yuyan is actually really kind. If you apologized, she might even forgive you. But treating her like this—it’s just too much.”
He Li was getting impatient with their nonsense.
But before he could speak, Miao Xiaoyu stepped in.
“Are you two her guard dogs or something? So loyal to your master?” Her tone was cold and sharp, a far cry from her usual gentleness.
She fixed her eyes on Li Lingjie. “Whether He Li is a man or not, Liu Yuyan knows best. But maybe she doesn’t realize that a simp like you will never become the real deal.”
Li Lingjie’s face went pale.
He turned to Liu Yuyan instinctively.
But she pressed her lips together and remained silent.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to defend him, but Miao Xiaoyu’s words were too brutal. If she tried to refute them, it would be the same as saying He Li wasn’t a man—confirming everything. That would only push He Li even further away. Then, if Miao Xiaoyu stepped in to defend He Li again, she might just take him from her altogether.
Liu Yuyan saw through Miao Xiaoyu’s intentions.
So she didn’t dare speak.
But staying silent only ended up hurting Li Lingjie. Liu Yuyan had never liked him much to begin with. She didn’t care if he got hurt.
So Li Lingjie was bound to be wounded.
Especially when he saw Liu Yuyan silently stand there without defending him, he felt like the sky had fallen. His entire body went numb. Even Li Feng’er was shaken. She hadn’t expected Miao Xiaoyu to clap back so harshly.
One sentence. That’s all it took to hurt someone’s heart and ruin their reputation. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
And yet, Liu Yuyan and Li Lingjie could only swallow the humiliation.
Suddenly, Li Feng’er grew uneasy. What if Miao Xiaoyu came after her next?
And sure enough, her fears came true.
Miao Xiaoyu’s sharp gaze turned her way.
“They say you should guard against fire, theft, and fake friends. You sitting here fanning the flames—what are you really after?”
“Can’t get him, so you want to ruin it for someone else?”
“A more despicable person doesn’t exist!”
Li Feng’er’s expression twisted. “That’s not true! I didn’t mean it like that!”
“Didn’t mean it? Weren’t you just pushing He Li to apologize?”
“I was… but…” Li Feng’er fumbled, unable to explain.
Even Liu Yuyan started to doubt her.
Now that she thought about it, hadn’t her relationship with He Li started going south after taking Li Feng’er’s ‘advice’? Could it be… Li Feng’er had deliberately led her to ruin things with He Li?
In that moment, all three of them were thrown into chaos.
He Li, on the other hand, looked at Miao Xiaoyu with a wide grin. Her defense of him warmed his heart.
Miao Xiaoyu turned back toward him, her face once again soft and sweet, as if none of that had happened. He Li chuckled, “I was going to snap back, but you beat me to it.”
“I… I just didn’t want you to suffer…” she mumbled, shyly clutching the hem of her shirt.
He Li nodded, “Yeah, I know.”
“As a thank you… how about lunch at my place this afternoon?”
His casual invitation made Miao Xiaoyu’s eyes light up.
“Sure! I’d love to!” she nodded eagerly, afraid he’d change his mind.
The two of them walked into the pharmacy.
Meanwhile, Liu Yuyan, overwhelmed with emotion, suddenly snapped inside.
What? He Li invited Miao Xiaoyu to his house for lunch?
What… what does that mean?
Could He Li actually like Miao Xiaoyu?
Otherwise, why would he invite her over?
The thought hit her like a punch to the chest. It felt like her heart was being squeezed by an invisible hand—tight and unbearable…