Chapter 62: Chapter 61: Keeping the Appointment
Though it’s a college-level event, A University’s business school is the best, known for producing talents and beauties, so many people from other departments managed to get invitations through various means.
Looking around, the ball seemed like a small social gathering.
People who usually do not dress up looked different this time, especially the girls, all resonating with the lyrics:
The swaying wine glass, lips stained like blood...
Su Xiaomeng lowered her head and used her phone to examine herself; should her makeup be a bit heavier?
Forget it, she thought, scanning the room for Ren Yixuan.
The college auditorium wasn’t much smaller than the university theater, accommodating four to five hundred people easily.
Soon, she saw Ren Yixuan’s head popping out from the lively crowd!
Being tall is always good...
Holding a bit of nervousness, she walked slowly toward the large circle...
The melodious waltz music was vibrant and intoxicating; she hummed softly to calm her nerves. The closer she got, the more uneasy she became...
She finally squeezed into the crowd—
The circle formed by the people was like a dance floor, where pairs of men and women waltzed together; each couple had matching numbers on them.
This... was the couple dance competition Ren Yixuan mentioned...
Su Xiaomeng licked her lips, her prepared smile slightly froze—
The person she was looking for had the same number as another girl; he was dancing with that girl.
At this moment, Su Xiaomeng suddenly felt her eyes sting...
"... I’m here to deliver the invitation for the Finance College’s Christmas Eve dance ball."
"Thank you, senior, but..."
"You and Yi Xuan had a quarrel, right?... But he asked me to give you the invitation."
Recalling what Xiao Ling said when she delivered the invitation, Su Xiaomeng couldn’t understand, why send her an invitation when he’d already chosen someone else as his partner?
... Was it to retaliate against her?
She sniffed, feeling a bit overwhelmed, just about to turn around—
"Xiao Meng?"
A slightly surprised voice held her back.
Su Xiaomeng clenched her teeth, suppressed her feelings, and looked up at Xiao Ling and Ren Yixuan standing before her.
"Senior..."
Ren Yixuan frowned slightly, "Why are you here?"
Su Xiaomeng’s back tensed again, that question...
Her lips moved, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say, making her appear hesitant.
"Ah! I forgot..." Xiao Ling quickly tapped her head and then looked apologetically at Ren Yixuan, "You said you’d be my dance partner without giving Xiao Meng the invitation... but ended up giving it to her that day."
Su Xiaomeng looked at Xiao Ling, her expression wooden. What did that mean?
Didn’t the senior say the invitation was from Ren Yixuan?
Why did it change to Ren Yixuan saying not to give her the invitation?
Ren Yixuan pressed his lips tightly, looked at Su Xiaomeng, took a deep breath, just about to speak, but was interrupted by Su Xiaomeng...
"Since you already have a partner, I’ll leave now. Merry Christmas to you both."
Su Xiaomeng wanted to give them a carefree smile but found she couldn’t manage it!
As she turned around, she was almost about to burst into tears.
She thought she had really lost Ren Yixuan, the boy who grew up with her, maybe the most understanding person besides her parents...
He wouldn’t even give her a chance to apologize.
The years spent together vanished in an instant; she felt her heart being sliced by a knife.
No longer lovers, even friends seemed impossible—the cruelty of this truth hit hard.
"Where are you going!"
Her wrist was grabbed by a firm yet domineering force.
Su Xiaomeng faced Ren Yixuan’s tightened brows with her red eyes...
"Didn’t you say you’d help me win the trophy?"
He asked.
Su Xiaomeng’s tears fell, and she stared blankly at Ren Yixuan.
"Yi Xuan..." Xiao Ling stood aside, her expression somewhat rigid.
"Since you sent her the invitation, she’s still my dance partner." Ren Yixuan didn’t even glance at Xiao Ling but stepped forward to wipe Su Xiaomeng’s tears.
This act made her tears fall even faster.
"Why are you crying?"
Su Xiaomeng lowered her head, her sad face supported by her voice, murmured hoarsely, "I thought... you never intended to care about me again..."
Ren Yixuan stepped forward, sighed, and embraced her, "All right, no more crying. Do you want everyone to see you like this?"
Su Xiaomeng quickly shook her head, wiping her tears on his suit.
"Yi Xuan, otherwise... let Xiao Meng dance with someone else, we’ve all registered together..."
Xiao Ling softly suggested.
She didn’t deliver the invitation to Su Xiaomeng for this kind of outcome!
She merely wanted Su Xiaomeng to witness who Ren Yixuan chose in the end; she wanted her to understand that only Xiao Ling was worthy of Ren Yixuan.
Ren Yixuan looked down at her tear-streaked face, "Go wash up in the restroom, your makeup’s messed up."
"Ah? Really?"
Su Xiaomeng used her phone to check, indeed...
Ren Yixuan couldn’t help but laugh at her pitiful face, "Hurry up, go on?"
"Oh! Okay!"
Su Xiaomeng handed the phone to him and walked towards the restroom.
Once she was far enough away, Ren Yixuan turned to Xiao Ling, "You’re such an intelligent girl, always organized, how could you forget?"
"Yi Xuan... What do you mean by that?"
"Su Xiaomeng is not as smart as you. I pressured her into getting into A University, and even then she barely made the minimum score."
"So?"
Xiao Ling looked at him, a bad feeling creeping in...
"Don’t play mind games with someone who’s not your equal, it lacks class."
His words were clear enough.
Xiao Ling clutched her clothes, "You think... I did it on purpose?"
Ren Yixuan tore off the number attached to him and gave it to her, "I’m just drawing conclusions based on what I know about you and Su Xiaomeng. If I’m wrong, I apologize."
"But Xiao Ling, whether you forgot or did it on purpose, Su Xiaomeng has arrived."
"She’s here, so you don’t care about anyone else?"
"She’s here, so I can’t care about anyone else."
Xiao Ling bit her lip, "Ren Yixuan, sometimes you really are quite infuriating! Have you forgotten how she treated you during your argument a while ago? You were so down for her! Did she care about you then?"
"I admit, I’m infuriating."
"Ren Yixuan, she’s not good enough for you! Girls like her are everywhere! You should know how I’ve felt about you all these years—"
"I understand."
Ren Yixuan took a deep breath, looked up as Su Xiaomeng slowly approached, and said calmly, "But liking someone is never about whether they’re good enough, it’s that... she’s just walking towards me, and my heart is full of joy."
"Yi Xuan..."
"Finished freshening up?"
"Mm... Should I touch up my makeup or something?" Su Xiaomeng asked.
"No need, you look great just like that."
"Hehe!" Su Xiaomeng giggled.
She knew that no one in the world would treat her better than Ren Yixuan, but precisely because of this, she couldn’t let him feel wronged.
They would always be more than friends, less than lovers... actually, more like family.
"Senior..."
Su Xiaomeng looked at Xiao Ling and slowly said, "I don’t want to apologize, but I have to say thank you. If it weren’t for you ’forgetting’..."
She left the rest unsaid, believing Xiao Ling understood.
"Su Xiaomeng, you’re not showing off to me, are you?"
"How could I? It’s a genuine thank you."
Su Xiaomeng said, indeed without a hint of showing off, but neither was it truly sincere!
She used to think Xiao Ling was smart, pretty, and really liked her!
Ren Yixuan took Su Xiaomeng’s hand, "Let’s go."
"Mm!"
Ren Yixuan requested another set of numbers from the judges.
"Since when did your sense of rhythm improve?"
Su Xiaomeng placed her hand on his shoulder, blinking and asking.
"Why are you curious about that?"
"I’m just curious... you used to always miss the beat!"
"You used to always score poorly, yet now you’re at A University?" Ren Yixuan raised his eyebrows and let out a snort.
Su Xiaomeng blushed and mumbled, "Could you not bring up the past?"
"Weren’t you the one who brought it up first?"
"..." Su Xiaomeng lowered her head, feeling at fault.
Ren Yixuan looked at the top of her head, scanning downwards, noticing she had gained some weight...
It was hard not to notice her stomach, but Ren Yixuan knew deep down that focusing on her stomach would mean losing Su Xiaomeng altogether.
Given the situation, all he could do was accept it.
This was the girl he chose, and now that she’s in trouble, even if he has to crawl, he’ll help her clean up the mess, just as always.
Su Xiaomeng... just this once, in this lifetime, I’ll forgive you just this once. If it happens again, I’ll definitely strangle you! Better than being tormented to death by you...
"Yi Xuan..."
"Mm?"
"It’s not that I can’t tell you, nor that you don’t have the right to know... it’s just I don’t want to bring it up, I don’t want anyone else to know..."
She looked down at Ren Yixuan’s shiny black shoes, observing each step he took silently.
"Alright, if you don’t want to mention it... then don’t."
"... In the future, let’s not argue anymore..."
"If you don’t provoke me, why would I argue with you?"
"Then I’ll... try not to provoke you."
"... That statement itself is quite provoking."
Ren Yixuan was a bit speechless.
Su Xiaomeng felt much better in her heart at this moment. She thought, she and Ren Yixuan weren’t meant to be lovers, otherwise, how could they hit this roadblock after knowing each other for twenty years?
"President... you two dance seriously..."
A student judge whispered as they passed by Ren Yixuan.
Su Xiaomeng quickly pulled herself together, tightly gripping Ren Yixuan’s hand, "Come on, with the president of the OMG Club as your partner, there’s no way we can lose!"
Ren Yixuan shook his head, not listening to her, only changing his stance to embrace her gently, swaying softly.
"... Yi Xuan?"