one hundred and one

Xia Yuwei listened to their conversation, and only then did she realize that Ye Lifeng was far more calculating than she had imagined. He understood her hesitation. He knew she would not bring this up to her parents so quickly.

So he did it for her.

At that thought, Xia Yuwei felt a chill and folded her arms around herself.

Ye Lifeng did not think he had done anything wrong. Human relationships were like business dealings; if one could not see through the other person’s thoughts, if one could not make use of their weaknesses, failure was inevitable. And with Xia Yuwei, he would not allow himself to fail.

In the suite living room of the Emperor Hotel, the Xia family sat on the sofa.

Xia Yuwei idly changed channels with the remote, one station after another. So irritating. Not a single decent program.

Wang Yanran took an apple and handed it to her husband, then picked up another and passed it to Xia Yuwei before taking one for herself.

“What thoughts?” she asked, pretending not to understand.

“Do you really think I should get engaged to him? Should I go with him?” Xia Yuwei wanted her parents to say something. More. More than that.

“What do you think?” Wang Yanran countered.

Xia Yuwei could not stand her mother’s roundabout way of speaking anymore. She flung the remote onto the coffee table. She rarely behaved so stubbornly, so the sharp crack startled both Wang Yanran and Xia Changxi.

“I don’t want to think for myself. I want you to say it! You don’t want me anymore, do you? You just want to push me off on someone else, don’t you? I’m only twenty—why are you in such a hurry to marry me off?” she cried, tears welling in her eyes. She threw herself onto the sofa, and the apple in her hand rolled to the floor.

“My dear, what’s wrong with you?” Wang Yanran had not expected such a strong reaction from a casual remark. Xia Changxi also looked over and rose to his feet.

“Sweetheart, if you have something to say, let’s talk properly. What’s wrong?” Xia Changxi asked.

“Yuwei, how could we not want you? What nonsense are you saying? What do you mean, push you off on someone else? You and Lifeng are doing well, aren’t you? Whether to leave or to get engaged—that should be your own decision,” Xia Changxi said.

“Exactly. Why are you being so silly? Isn’t this something to be happy about? No matter how reluctant we are, we can’t stand in the way of our child’s happiness for a lifetime. Would you rather we opposed you?” Wang Yanran patted Xia Yuwei’s shoulder. “Yuwei, get up and tell us what’s really going on.”

“Mom, I… I can’t bear it. I don’t want to give up. I don’t want to give up on Lu Yichen… I’m afraid I’ll regret it…” Xia Yuwei cried into the sofa, refusing to rise. “I think I still like him. I like him…”

Xia Changxi and Wang Yanran exchanged a look.

What on earth was this all about?

Neither of them spoke, waiting for Xia Yuwei to finish crying before explaining herself.

“Dad, go away. I want to talk to Mom.” Sniffling, Xia Yuwei got up and pushed Xia Changxi toward the bedroom.

“All right, all right… Honestly, now that my daughter’s grown up, she doesn’t even want her father anymore…” Xia Changxi muttered, walking off toward the bedroom in displeasure.

Once he was gone, Xia Yuwei told Wang Yanran everything that had happened over the past period of time, every last detail. Wang Yanran listened in stunned silence.

“…That’s how it is. He stopped talking to me. He disappeared. I wanted to see him, but I didn’t want to forgive him. He must hate me now too. Mom, what should I do? Do I really have to marry Ye Lifeng? I’m unwilling… but if this goes on, I won’t be able to stand it either. I want to leave so badly. If I don’t marry him, where am I supposed to go? Mom…” As she spoke, Xia Yuwei cried again. So heartbroken. So helpless. Yet in front of her mother, she had still spoken the truth from her heart.

“Yuwei, even without my saying it, you’ve already made up your mind in your heart, haven’t you?” Wang Yanran knew that if she spoke ill of Lu Yichen now, it might only arouse Xia Yuwei’s rebellion. So she did not. “Your father’s position and mine are very clear. In this world, you may marry anyone you truly like, except Lu Yichen. You can choose Ye Lifeng, or you can choose not to. That is your freedom. Think it over carefully yourself. I have nothing more to say.”

Anyone, except Lu Yichen.

So what difference did it make whether it was Ye Lifeng, or someone else?

She was utterly dejected.

When Xia Yuwei returned to where she was staying, she sank gloomily into her room and listlessly played with her phone. Then, as if possessed by some strange impulse, she dialed Lu Yichen’s number.

The familiar ringtone sounded on the other end.

I gave you my love. I gave you everything I had inside.

I gave you my love. I gave you everything I had inside.

Again and again, but no one answered.

She hung up.

Then Xia Yuwei called Ye Lifeng.

“...Lifeng, I’ve decided.”

That night, the city blazed with lights and wine.

Key Bar was one of the city’s most exclusive bars, frequented only by its highest-ranking figures. With such strict entry requirements, it was not a place one could simply walk into just because one had money.

A single call from Xia Yuwei left Ye Lifeng elated beyond measure. He immediately phoned his close friend Xi Mingxuan and asked him out for drinks.

The moment they met, Xi Mingxuan teased him. “Ye Lifeng, how rare. Even you, the good man, know how to come out for a drink?”

“Get lost. I’m just drinking with you. Any problem with that?” The smile at the corner of Ye Lifeng’s mouth would not fade. Yes, he was far too happy today. Yuwei had decided so quickly to get engaged to him and go to Europe with him. He did not know how else to vent the joy surging through him besides drinking.

“I’m not satisfied with just drinking with you. You know that.” Xi Mingxuan’s gaze swept across the bar. A wicked, captivating smile drew the eyes of everyone nearby. The women here were all top-tier—celebrities, models, beauties of every kind—each hoping to catch the attention of this city’s most alluring young tycoon. That was one of the things Xi Mingxuan liked best about this place.

“Lifeng, look over there. Who’s that handsome guy? Why are there so many gorgeous women around him? Damn, I’m jealous.”