The smile on Xie Yunzhou’s face suddenly froze.
Oh no, oh no! I let it slip!
Xie Jingmo lifted his eyes and slowly glanced toward him, his gaze carrying a clear warning.
Cold sweat immediately broke out on Xie Yunzhou’s back.
Why did I have to open my big mouth?!
“Uh… well, Sister-in-law, you and my brother have an engagement, right? So of course I knew about you!”
Yu Zhiwan nodded.
“Oh, I see.”
So that’s how he knew.
“And, Sister-in-law…” Xie Yunzhou winked at her with his left eye. “We actually went to the same high school and were in the same year! We weren’t in the same class, but my classroom was right next to yours. Don’t you remember me?”
Yu Zhiwan thought carefully for a moment.
“I think I remember now.”
Xie Yunzhou lifted his chin.
“See? My brother also went to the same high school as you!”
That, Yu Zhiwan was certain about.
She nodded.
“I know.”
Xie Yunzhou couldn’t help grinning. He raised his eyebrows meaningfully and secretly nudged his brother with his elbow.
See, Brother? Even though you and Sister-in-law weren’t in the same year, she remembers you really well!
Xie Jingmo curled his lips.
“Zhiwan remembers me that clearly?”
Yu Zhiwan glanced at him.
“Of course.”
After all, Xie Jingmo had been such a prominent figure back then. It would have been difficult not to remember him.
At that time, Yu Zhiwan was somewhat introverted and didn’t pay much attention to her classmates.
But Xie Jingmo…
He was simply different.
The incident she remembered most clearly happened when he had been publicly reprimanded by the school for getting into a fight.
The very next day, he stood on stage in front of the entire school as the top student, giving a speech after scoring perfect marks in several subjects.
He was both the troublemaker and the model student.
Xie Jingmo was handsome, rebellious, and yet incredibly intelligent. Naturally, he was extremely popular with the girls.
He was dazzling—a proud, brilliant young man who seemed destined for greatness.
Even though they weren’t in the same year, Yu Zhiwan often heard his name whenever she walked around campus.
Xie Yunzhou was afraid he might accidentally reveal something else, so he quickly stuffed a few orange slices into his mouth to keep himself quiet.
Actually, he had been the first one to learn about Yu Zhiwan.
That year, he had just started his first year of high school.
He heard that the student who had ranked first in the entire grade was a beautiful girl who had scored far ahead of the second-place student.
But her family wasn’t well-off.
Her father was addicted to gambling and didn’t want her to continue studying. He wanted her to drop out and start working to earn money.
Her mother didn’t care about her either and only focused on her younger brother.
The teachers couldn’t bear to see such a talented student give up her education just to work.
They visited her home and explained that because she had been admitted to high school with the highest score, she could have her tuition waived and receive a scholarship.
Only then did her father agree to let her continue her studies.
Xie Yunzhou was curious, so he deliberately looked through the examination rankings.
The girl who had ranked first was named Yu Zhiwan.
That very evening, Xie Yunzhou casually mentioned her to his brother.
That was how Xie Jingmo first learned about Yu Zhiwan.
Of course, Xie Yunzhou could tell that, at first, his brother had merely listened.
He thought it was impressive that a girl could achieve such excellent grades despite growing up in such a difficult family environment.
He admired her and felt some sympathy for her.
But that was all.
Xie Jingmo didn’t pay particular attention to her.
Then one evening, Xie Yunzhou was playing basketball with his brother on the school grounds when they happened to see a boy confessing to Yu Zhiwan.
The boy clearly looked like a spoiled rich kid who didn’t take studying seriously.
He grinned arrogantly.
“Yu Zhiwan, be my girlfriend!”
The girl’s expression remained cold.
“I don’t date.”
The boy wasn’t discouraged.
“Don’t reject me so quickly. Aren’t you short of money? If you agree to be my girlfriend, I’ll give you money. I’ll buy you clothes and a phone!”
Yu Zhiwan frowned and turned to leave.
The boy immediately stepped in front of her, acting domineering and unreasonable.
“Yu Zhiwan, stop being so stubborn. I know you want to get away from your parents and escape your family situation. I’m helping you!”
“I have plenty of money. I can take you in and give you money to spend. As long as you’re willing to be my girlfriend, let me kiss and hug you. We both get what we want. Isn’t that fair?”
“Here, I have a card with twenty thousand yuan on it. Take it as spending money. Consider it a sign of my sincerity!”
He held the card out to her.
Yu Zhiwan didn’t even look at it.
She stared at him with a cold, indifferent gaze, like a patch of snow beneath the eaves on a winter day.
“I do want to escape my family.”
“But…”
“After escaping a painful family, I’d only be jumping straight into your filthy, stinking cesspit?”
“Sorry. I’m not that stupid.”
The boy was completely stunned.
It took him a moment to recover after Yu Zhiwan walked away.
A filthy, stinking cesspit?
She actually dared to insult him!
He angrily prepared to chase after her and teach her a lesson.
Xie Yunzhou was completely stunned by what he had just witnessed.
No wonder she’s the top student. She’s seriously impressive.
But what shocked him even more was that when the boy tried to go after Yu Zhiwan, Xie Jingmo stepped forward and blocked him.
There was an almost amused smile on his face.
“You got rejected and now you’re throwing a tantrum.”
“What? You want to cause trouble for a girl because she rejected you?”
The moment the boy saw Xie Jingmo, his arrogance instantly disappeared.
He forced out an awkward laugh.
“N-No, of course not.”
Xie Yunzhou also despised that kind of guy.
What kind of man picks on a girl just because she rejected him?
At his brother’s signal, Xie Yunzhou warned the boy,
“Don’t say one thing and do another. If anything happens to Yu Zhiwan in the future, I’ll come straight to you. Understand?”
The boy’s face went pale with fear.
He didn’t dare disobey.
After promising that he wouldn’t bother Yu Zhiwan again, he hurried away with his tail between his legs.
Xie Yunzhou could tell that his brother had stepped in because he felt some pity for Yu Zhiwan.
But more than that, he admired her.
He admired the way she refused to bow her head, the stubborn strength with which she kept moving forward despite everything life had thrown at her.
Xie Yunzhou was also certain that, at that point, his brother had no feelings for Yu Zhiwan beyond admiration.
But then, somehow, about two months later…
His brother suddenly fell in love with her.
Xie Yunzhou was completely bewildered.
What happened?
How did that happen?
Something’s not right!
There had to be something that happened between his brother and Yu Zhiwan without him knowing.
Xie Yunzhou had always believed that his brother would never easily fall in love with anyone.
And even if he did fall for someone, he would still remain proud and untamed.
He wouldn’t allow himself to be controlled by love.
He would remain the untouchable young master standing above everyone else—confident, carefree, and always in control.
But then his brother fell in love with Yu Zhiwan.
Only then did Xie Yunzhou realize—
That was what his brother looked like when he truly loved someone.
He could actually become humble.
He could actually become vulnerable.
The god who had once stood high above everyone else willingly descended from his throne, simply so he could lift her up and hold her high.
He offered her everything—
Even his heart and his very soul.