“Su Rong!” Just as Ye Chu and Su Rong were talking, a voice cut in. Ye Chu turned his head and saw Chen Bowen walking towards them.
Ye Chu looked at Chen Bowen’s pale face and could not help laughing inwardly. He thought this fellow was really pushing himself too hard. With his injuries, he should not have recovered without resting for at least half a month. Yet here he was after just a few days, probably enduring unbearable pain.
“Brother Bowen!” Su Rong nodded and smiled at Chen Bowen. “Is something the matter?”
Chen Bowen’s sudden appearance beside Ye Chu and Su Rong drew everyone’s attention. The originally noisy banquet hall suddenly grew several times quieter.
One was Ye Chu, infamous three years ago but now seemingly transformed. The other was Chen Bowen, who had always been praised and admired. Two men from completely different paths both liked Su Rong, and no one knew whom she would choose. Some of the women could not help imagining themselves in her place and suddenly found they preferred the somewhat wicked yet melancholic Ye Chu.
Everyone perked up, their gazes fixed intently on the scene. Anyone could tell that Ye Chu and Chen Bowen were bound to have a confrontation.
“A birthday gift for you. I hope you like it!” Chen Bowen said, then took out a gift box and handed it to Su Rong. “Open it and see!”
Under Chen Bowen’s gaze, Su Rong nodded, accepted it, and opened the box. Inside was a translucent pill.
“This is a pill refined by an Innate Realm alchemist. I had originally planned to use it when I break through to the Innate Realm. Now I’m giving it to you!” As Chen Bowen spoke, his eyes flicked towards Ye Chu. Though his expression seemed calm, Ye Chu clearly saw the provocation in his gaze.
A collective gasp rose.
The young men and women of Yao City were stunned by Chen Bowen’s generosity. They thought he really was willing to pay a heavy price. Such a pill could not be bought with money, yet he was giving it away.
Everyone’s eyes turned to Ye Chu, wondering what he would do now that Chen Bowen had gone this far. Would Ye Chu respond with something to match it?
Seeing everyone staring at him, Ye Chu curiously asked Su Rong, “Why is everyone looking at me? I can understand the women, but shouldn’t the men feel ashamed of themselves when they see my handsome face?”
Su Rong spat at Ye Chu in mock annoyance, but she also knew what Zhang Su’er and the others were thinking. Her face flushed slightly. “Just ignore them!”
Pang Shao had long disliked Chen Bowen. He could tolerate Ye Chu stealing the spotlight, since he could not compare to Ye Chu anyway. But he could not stand this pretty boy trying to show off.
“Ye Chu! It’s your dream girl’s birthday. Aren’t you going to give her a gift?” Pang Shao slapped Ye Chu on the back. He knew Ye Chu had some good things. Even something casual would outshine Chen Bowen.
“Oh!” Ye Chu glanced at Su Rong, reached into his pocket, rummaged around, and finally pulled out a paper aeroplane. He handed it to Su Rong and said, “Happy birthday!”
Everyone stared dumbfounded at the paper aeroplane in Su Rong’s hand. They could not believe that Ye Chu’s birthday gift to Su Rong was just some strange folded paper thing. Pang Shao nearly fell over. “Bloody hell! Isn’t Ye Chu being too stingy? This is his dream girl!”
“Thank you!” Su Rong took it. She did not dislike it just because it was this item. Instead, she asked curiously, “What is this?”
“This? It’s a model that can soar into the ninth heaven. I spent a whole month folding it. Look, my hands even bled from all the folding.” Ye Chu held out his hand. Su Rong and the others looked. His hand was very fair, with not a trace of blood anywhere.
“Then thank you!” Su Rong wanted to laugh but felt it would be rude, so she held it in, her face turning red.
“No need to thank me! Although it took up so much of my time, it’s worth it if you like it!” Ye Chu looked at Su Rong with utmost seriousness. He thought to himself that yesterday he had folded one for Yao Yao in just a minute, and she had not liked it and casually stuffed it in her pocket. He never expected it would come in handy now.
“You two chat!” Ye Chu smiled at Chen Bowen and Su Rong, then dragged Pang Shao out to the balcony.
“Ah! I still have some things to do. I’m leaving first!” Pang Shao saw Ye Chu looking at him, shivered, and quickly ran off from the balcony. He did not dare stand next to Ye Chu.
Seeing Ye Chu actually retreat to the balcony, everyone exchanged glances. “What does this mean? Is Ye Chu admitting defeat?”
“Does he think he cannot compare to Chen Bowen and is just giving up like that?”
“What is this? Su Rong hasn’t even said anything yet. How can he back out?”
“…”
All eyes turned to Su Rong, seemingly waiting for her choice. But Su Rong appeared not to notice the stares and continued chatting and laughing with Chen Bowen.
Liang Shan saw this and could not help sighing. “It’s over! I originally thought Ye Chu could make a comeback, but it looks like he cannot.”
Yet just as Liang Shan sighed, he noticed Su Rong say something to Chen Bowen and then walk towards the balcony. His eyes lit up instantly. The others clearly noticed this too, their hearts stirring as their gazes all fell on the balcony half-hidden by curtains.
Ye Chu leaned on the balcony railing, looking at the cold lake ahead. He thought that in his previous life, a lake-view property like this would drive people mad with envy.
Su Rong stepped in and saw Ye Chu’s hair tousled by the wind, standing there with effortless ease. It was hard to imagine this was the Ye Chu from three years ago.
“After leaving for three years, does the cold lake look any different to you?” Su Rong asked with a smile, seeing him staring at the lake.
“It does look a little different! In the past I could see beauties bathing naked in it. Now I cannot anymore!” Ye Chu laughed.
This remark made Su Rong’s face flush red. She spat at him but found it amusing too. Back then, which of those women who went naked swimming in the lake had not been forced by you? How dare you even bring it up!
“What do you think Su Rong and Ye Chu are doing on the balcony? Is Ye Chu going to confess to her?”
“Hehe! Probably! It’s Su Rong’s birthday. If he confesses now and succeeds, that would be such a romantic story.”
“I really didn’t expect that someone who was once as rotten as Ye Chu could like Su Rong this much.”
“…”
Voices from the other side of the balcony kept drifting into their ears, one after another. The gossip grew wilder and wilder. By the end, people were saying that after Ye Chu confessed to Su Rong, there would surely be a long kiss.
The unabashed voices reached Ye Chu and Su Rong’s ears. Su Rong felt her heart about to leap out of her chest. Her face burned fiercely. Seeing Ye Chu gazing at her with a smiling look in his eyes, she dared not meet his gaze directly.
She took several deep breaths before finally exhaling softly. Looking at the still composed Ye Chu in front of her, she asked, “Did you really come back to Yao City for the reasons they say?”
Her voice was soft, a little sweet and charming. It stirred the lingering attachment deep in Ye Chu’s soul. This was the woman his previous life’s soul had been infatuated with. Even Ye Chu felt dazed by the emotion. He let out a soft breath and asked, “Do you hope that it is true?”
Ye Chu’s gaze fell on Su Rong, taking in her exquisite and graceful figure. They stood very close. He could even smell the faint fragrance from her body.
Su Rong’s heart suddenly pounded faster. She knew what her answer would mean. It would determine the two possible paths her future life could take, and whether this man would be there to accompany her from now on.
Ye Chu stood there, looking straight at Su Rong, waiting for the choice of the girl who had been the dream of the previous Ye Chu!