Outside the Temple of Music, Ye Nan stood with his head bowed, utterly dejected. The crowd had long since dispersed; even the cleanup crew had mostly left. A faint slap mark still lingered on his cheek, and from afar, he resembled a man nursing a broken heart.
Now he truly understood the meaning of "asking for trouble." Not only had he failed to win Su Wanwan back, but he had also driven Su Nian away in a fit of anger. Great—he had lost both the watermelon and the sesame seed.
A fair and delicate hand patted him gently on the back. Ye Nan ignored it. The hand persisted, tapping a few more times.
With a snarl, Ye Nan whirled around, gritting his teeth:"Can you just—ugh… it's you?"
Xia Kelan's wide eyes blinked in surprise, her expression tinged with fear and the faint redness of nearly shed tears."Are you alright? You looked terrifying just now…"
Ye Nan hastily collected himself, forcing a weak smile."Sorry for scaring you. I'm fine."
Xia Kelan let out a relieved sigh."I've been looking for you everywhere. You weren't answering your phone.""Mr. Ye, don't tell me you forgot about our dinner plans?""Were you trying to dodge my invitation?"
Her smile was sweet and radiant, the perfect balm for emotional wounds.
"Of course not," Ye Nan replied quickly.
Xia Kelan exhaled deeply."That's good. By the way, where's your girlfriend? You should've invited her along."
Ye Nan's smile faltered ever so slightly."She wasn't feeling well, so she went home first."
Worry flashed across Xia Kelan's face."Ah, no wonder she looked pale earlier. You should go take care of her—really, I can eat by myself."
"It's alright," Ye Nan said, gently guiding her to his car. "I promised you, and I always keep my word."
After arriving at the restaurant and letting her order, the two chatted idly over dinner.
"Watching you and Miss Su together really makes me envious," Xia Kelan said with a wistful sigh."I wonder when I'll meet my Mr. Right…"
Ye Nan asked casually, "Don't you have someone you like?"
"Hmm… I do."
"What kind of guy is he?"
"Oh, he's gentle, thoughtful, understanding, and a perfect gentleman."
Though she didn't name anyone, Ye Nan couldn't help but see himself in her words. Xia Kelan knew when to stop, swiftly changing the topic.
"Let's not talk about me. Tell me about you.""You and Miss Su seem so close—are wedding bells in the near future?"
Ye Nan fell silent for a moment before speaking, as though baring his soul:"My parents don't really approve of her."
"What? But Miss Su seems so gentle and demure—just the type elders usually adore."
Ye Nan simply shook his head and said no more.
After dinner, Ye Nan drove Xia Kelan home. On the way, they passed a bakery, and he bought some pastries, handing a few to her.
"Are these for Miss Su?" Xia Kelan asked, curiosity gleaming in her eyes.
"Yes."
She looked at him with open admiration."She's lucky to have a boyfriend like you."
Ye Nan responded with a faint smile.
He followed the GPS directions until they arrived at a private villa. Ye Nan's eyes widened in disbelief.
"This is your home?"
Though he had also purchased a villa, it was a modest one among many in a residential area. A standalone estate in such a prime location—this place had to be worth tens of millions at the very least!
Who would've thought that Xia Kelan was secretly a wealthy heiress?
She nodded, "Yes. If Miss Su were here, I would've invited you both in."
The implication was clear: a man and a woman alone in a house was improper.
"No worries. I'll come visit another time."
Watching Xia Kelan disappear into the villa, Ye Nan's emotions churned. As he turned the wheel, his mind spun with thoughts.
He had assumed Xia Kelan was just an ordinary girl—but she turned out to be immensely wealthy! More importantly, she had an innocent face, clearly inexperienced in love, and thus… easy to win over. While she lacked Su Wanwan's rare beauty, she was still quite attractive. At the very least, far better than Su Nian.
Glancing at the cake box in the passenger seat, Ye Nan suddenly slammed on the brakes.
The cars behind him honked furiously, their drivers shouting curses:"Idiot!""Do you even know how to drive?!""Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Ye Nan rolled down the window, hurled the cake box out, and turned the car around.
Su Residence
In the living room, Su Nian wept bitterly, her tears streaming down her cheeks and dripping from her chin. Song Hui sat beside her, dabbing uselessly at the tears, her own heart wrung with helpless pain.
Su Father sat on the sofa, a rare weariness etching his face. His fingers splayed across his forehead, massaging his temples with frustration.
"That's enough! Crying won't solve anything!" he snapped.
His heart was already troubled by the online chaos, and Su Nian's sobbing was like a swarm of flies buzzing in his ears, making his head throb.
At her father's scolding, Su Nian cried even harder."Dad, what should I do… Brother Nan even said that kind of thing in front of Su Wanwan. I… I…"
Though irritated, Su Father remained unusually clear-headed."So what?""Su Wanwan is already married!""If she dares do anything inappropriate with Ye Nan, do you think the Fu family will let it slide?""You think Young Master Fu will just look the other way?""Ye Nan is just confused right now—they only recently broke up.""Wait and see. Once he comes to his senses, he'll come back to you."
Su Nian looked up with tear-reddened eyes, wide as a rabbit's."Really?"
"Really."
Song Hui nodded earnestly."Yes, sweetie. Don't be so upset. Ye Nan truly likes you—otherwise, you wouldn't have been discussing marriage already, right?"
Su Nian finally seemed a little comforted."But what about all the things being said online?"
Su Father gave a cold snort."This incident has damaged your reputation. You'd best make a public apology."
"Apologize? To Su Wanwan?" Su Nian shot to her feet like a cat whose tail had been stepped on."That's impossible!"
With a thunderous slap, Su Father slammed his palm on the table."Do you want to be blacklisted from the industry?""Do you even understand how serious this is?"
"No matter what, I will never bow to Su Wanwan!" Su Nian shouted, then stormed upstairs and locked herself in her bedroom.
Bang!The door slammed shut.
She picked up her phone and logged in to her account.The screen froze momentarily.
When it finally refreshed, a flood of hateful private messages covered the screen—relentless and endless.