Chapter 57: A Love Reserved for You Alone

"Don't mention it. The more you do, the angrier I get. Li Yanyan, what are your nerves made of?"

He sounded accusatory, yet didn't move an inch. Xu Yaochuan had always been arrogant. He lounged on the sofa, eyes shifting like stormy clouds, then added in a pointed tone, "I almost forgot—Miss Li, you're now favored by President Fu. Times have changed. The Xu family must rely on you for business. It's us juniors who are being inconsiderate."

Her patience was wearing thin as she listened to this.

She plopped herself directly into the headmaster's chair. Her figure was not exactly seductive, but her hands, slender and long, rested on the armrests like those of a feudal lord from a bygone dynasty. She had always carried such natural authority, unafraid of power, at ease no matter the time or place.

Sitting there, she glanced at Xu Yaochuan with a faint, mocking smile.

If everyone insists on being shameless, so be it.

"Then, Young Master Xu, you should consider how to win me over," she quipped.

"Your benefactor is joining me for dinner later. Miss Li, will you grace us with your presence?"

Xu Yuan was displeased. She slammed her teacup on the table. "Brother, I want to go too."

Smack!

Xu Yaochuan, still leaning lazily, gave Xu Yuan a light slap. It wasn't heavy, but enough to redden her cheek.

The headmaster hurried to refill their tea, just as the woman occupying his seat spoke in a slow, slightly threatening tone, "I hope the headmaster will be impartial in judging this performance—no favoritism."

"Of course," he replied. "If we allowed that, it would be as good as tearing down the reputation of Haiyan Arts University for all to see."

Zhong Huayan turned her eyes to the nearby teacher. "And this is my makeup and costume instructor?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll go prepare."

Xu Yaochuan watched her walk a few meters away, then turned to the headmaster and muttered, "See that? You can't spoil a woman like her. President Fu's indulgence has made her impossible."

Xu Yuan began to sob again. She knew that no man could truly resist a woman's frailty. They all claimed to dislike it, but secretly adored it. For instance, her brother preferred delicate women and detested those who were too assertive.

"Brother, are you siding with her too? You're all I have."

"Oh, my dear sister," he sighed. "The world doesn't revolve around me. Try to be a little smarter. Don't keep turning against your own family."

"How am I turning against you? Everything I do is for you."

He gripped her chin, warning, "You and Fu Yanyan are impossible. Don't get yourself into trouble because of wishful thinking."

Xu Yuan knew her brother had never liked Fu Yanyan. The two behaved as if they were bitter enemies, though they were courteous in public.

"I've given up on Fu Yanyan. I've chased him for years, but to him, I mean nothing. I thought it was just his personality, so I waited, wasting my youth on hope. But he still pines for the dead, still chooses to guard a living widow. I’m jealous of her, and now I’m jealous of Li Yanyan too. Why should a pretty face erase all my years of devotion? He isn’t cold by nature; he’s just given all his love to someone else. Humiliated by her, beaten and mocked at school, and still, I couldn’t earn a word of care. People are made of flesh and blood, but he isn’t."

"At least you’re coming to your senses. Learn a thing or two from Li Yanyan—stop throwing yourself at him. I’m a man; I know men best. If you can’t conquer a man, don’t approach him. Especially one like Fu Yanyan—mishandle him and he’ll devour you."

All Xu Yuan wanted now was to reclaim her dignity. She refused to be trampled underfoot—she was, after all, a child of a noble Beijing family, how could she resign herself to such humiliation?

Zhong Huayan had no patience for the sibling drama. Her heart belonged to her career—and, at most, to Fu Yanyan.

After checking the performance venue and costumes for the Haiyan University Arts Festival, she returned to Jingfu University to continue her studies.

She drifted off during lectures as usual—not from lack of interest, but because the material was too easy.

Honestly, she had no wish to see Xu Yaochuan again, but fate had other plans: he appeared at dinner with Fu Yanyan that evening.

Fu Yanyan wore a suit that hugged his strong waist and broad shoulders. His features were as tranquil as autumn leaves, but when sharp, as cold as frost. They had reserved a private room for dinner, surrounded outside by a sea of bodyguards.

Several servants came in to brew the finest tea, serving the most distinguished man in Beijing.

They couldn’t help but admire him, but Fu Yanyan avoided their gaze, more concerned that the woman beside him might overthink and feel wronged.

He removed the fish bones and placed the fillet on her plate.

Whenever she looked up at him, he would instinctively avert his gaze. Sometimes, he wished he could spend every day by her side, witnessing the endless beauty of the world together, wandering through splendor, hiding away in some quiet corner of the earth, embracing each other without restraint for a lifetime.

But, sadly, he could not.

People said he ascended to the altar in just ten years. Yet if she wished, he would step down and live an ordinary life with her, two birds in the human world flying side by side.

He was made of iron and had braved all for fame and fortune, but whenever he thought of her, he realized that the sword he had honed for ten years could be laid down in a second. She had conquered him completely—his heart, his soul, everything.

"Fu Yanyan, I’ll be performing Kunqu the day after tomorrow."

"I’ll attend every performance you give, Ah Hua."

"After the show, when I go to Italy for the painting competition, let’s visit the Colosseum, the Vatican, all the places I’ve dreamed of but never seen. Is there anywhere you’d like to go?"

He was thrilled inside, but only gripped his chopsticks a little tighter. Outwardly, he remained calm, replying quietly, "Wherever Ah Hua is, that’s the most beautiful place."

Zhong Huayan pinched his waist—firm and unyielding—but his ears turned visibly red.

"You’re so good at sweet talk; how are you still so shy?"

He was flustered, only managing a dazed, "Mm."

Just then, as they ate and laughed together, Xu Yaochuan arrived uninvited.

He carried a cashmere coat on his arm, every detail impeccable, not a wrinkle in sight. His hair was swept back rakishly, an air of rebellion about him, especially in the greedy glint of his eyes and his unruly demeanor. He was every inch the second-generation scion—a stark contrast to officials, and his traits were so pronounced they were impossible to ignore. Even if he was incorrigible, fate seemed determined to favor him.

Behind him, an assistant from the Xu family placed several stacks of documents on the table.

He looked at her with his habitual smile.

"Sorry—did I interrupt your little rendezvous? If I’d known, I’d have brought a girlfriend too."