"I think our classmate Celia is far prettier than Campus Belle Yara."
"Sure, the Rocket Class may have better grades, but we have the most gorgeous campus belle. Isn't that enough to make them angry? Haha!"
Zuo Ming proudly led the students of Class 28 away.
Ning Xiner and the students from the Rocket Class were fuming."Those people really get arrogant the moment they succeed. I still say our Campus Belle Yara is more beautiful than Celia!"
"The campus belle showdown has officially begun. I refuse to believe our Yara would ever lose to her!"
······
Meanwhile, Yara Lu had arrived in Zhouzhuang, completely unaware of the storm brewing outside. She was here for one reason—to find Nathaniel Fu.
He had a social engagement here tonight, so she had taken the initiative to come on her own.
Soon, Nathaniel's tall, commanding figure appeared. Yara's eyes lit up, and she immediately ran toward him."Nathaniel~"
She flung herself into his arms, wrapping her hands around his strong waist.
Nathaniel lowered his sharp gaze, his voice calm. "Why are you here?"
Yara tilted up her delicate face, her tone soft and affectionate. "I came to see you."
The once-proud Miss Lu shed her usual aloofness, her smile coquettish and flattering.
Nathaniel reached out, placing an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. Whatever unpleasantness lingered from the bar earlier had already faded. He asked gently, "Have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet. I'm starving." Yara pouted, her expression deliberately pitiful.
"Then let's eat together." He guided her toward the private dining room with a steady arm around her.
"Nathaniel, you're entertaining CEOs in there, aren't you? Wouldn't it be inappropriate for me to intrude?"
"You're my fiancée. What's inappropriate about that?"
Yara's heart bloomed with sweetness. She knew that with just a little charm and some playful gestures, she could easily keep Nathaniel within her grasp.
The waiter opened the doors to the luxurious private room. Several executives in suits immediately rose."Mr. Fu, you've arrived.""And Mr. Fu has brought his fiancée with him tonight.""Mr. Fu and Miss Lu truly are inseparable—even before marriage."
The waiter drew out a chair, and Yara gracefully sat beside Nathaniel, her lips curving in contentment. The respectful gazes, the atmosphere of prestige—this was the life she believed belonged to her.
Nathaniel glanced at the table. "What were you all discussing just now? Looked like a lively conversation."
One executive chuckled. "Mr. Fu, haven't you heard? There's a new campus beauty at Tsinghua. She's breathtaking, like a fairy descended from the heavens. Everyone calls her Celia Xian. She's the talk of all Beijing's young elites right now."
Celia Xian?
Nathaniel's composed face didn't shift, but his brows drew together ever so slightly. His lips curved faintly as he asked in a deceptively casual tone, "Celia Xian—what's her real name?"
"This Celia Xian is the adopted daughter brought back by the Shen family matriarch. Her surname is Su, her given name is Celia—Celia Su."
Celia Su.
The name fell like a stone into silence. Nathaniel's hand stilled for a beat.
He couldn't recall how long it had been since they'd last seen each other. His mind replayed that moment at Yipinlan Villa—when he ended it, and she had only smiled faintly, answering with a soft, obedient "Okay."
Hearing her name again stirred something deep, something he thought he had buried.
"Miss Lu," an executive turned to her with a polite smile, "surely you know this Celia Xian. After all, you were classmates at Tsinghua."
Yara froze. Celia Su? That scarred, unremarkable girl?
A chill ran through her. She had always dismissed Celia as insignificant, unworthy of attention, yet here she was—Celia Xian, a radiant, fairy-like beauty commanding the attention of all Beijing's elite.
Her mind raced. How could the once-mocked adopted daughter suddenly become so dazzling, so powerful in presence? Was there something she had missed at Tsinghua? Something that transformed the clown girl into a goddess overnight?
A tight knot of jealousy and unease twisted in Yara's chest. She glanced at Nathaniel, who seemed calm, yet a flicker in his eyes betrayed a trace of recognition—of longing.
Could it be… Yara's thoughts raced, he still remembers her? He… he's not indifferent like I thought.
Her smile, once serene and confident, faltered. A pang of insecurity gnawed at her pride. She had come to hold his attention, yet it seemed all at once that Celia—this girl she had underestimated—had already captured it.
Why is she so perfect? Yara thought, bitterness creeping in. She's not supposed to shine like this. Not in front of him… not in front of me.
Every detail of Celia's image—her radiant skin, her delicate features, the aura that seemed to command the room—felt like a blow to Yara's carefully constructed world. The very thought that Nathaniel might still feel a stir of recognition for Celia ignited a burning jealousy she couldn't easily suppress.
I must find out what happened at Tsinghua… I must make sure no one can outshine me in his eyes—not her.
Her usual calm and poise now felt fragile, her heartbeat quickened, and a storm of doubt and rivalry churned deep within her. She forced a composed smile for the executives around her, but inside, Yara's mind was a tempest.
I will not lose to her. Celia Su… I will not allow her to take what is mine.