Chapter 76

“Alright, alright, everyone, disperse ba.” Zhang Chuanze waved his hand, scattering the onlookers.

Yu Nian took a tissue out of her pocket and handed it to Liu Manman. She stood silently to the side, not knowing what to say, and for the first time, her eyes looked helplessly at Li Xiang.

Yu Nian’s gaze was too clear, revealing everything, and Li Xiang saw through her at a glance.

“It’s not your problem.” Li Xiang walked over and gave Yu Nian a reassuring look, speaking softly to comfort her.

The corner of Yu Nian’s lips moved slightly as if she wanted to say something, but she was interrupted by Shi Zhenqing’s voice coming from the stairs.

“Nian Nian, what are you all piling here for?”

Yu Nian’s heart felt ashamed, and when suddenly addressed by Shi Zhenqing, she stammered like a child caught doing something wrong. “I…”

“Mom, Uncle Shi, why don’t you both head back first? We still have something to do,” Li Xiang suggested.

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“Od.”

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Yu Nian was about to try persuading her again when Li Xiang suddenly spoke up, “Nian Nian, you and Da Chuan go first and wait for me downstairs. I want to talk with Liu Manman alone.”

Though puzzled, Yu Nian still gestured towards Zhang Chuanze and headed downstairs first.

Zhang Chuanze, who was straightforward, didn’t understand Liu Manman’s behavior. As they walked, he couldn’t help but grumble, “What’s with this person ah? Trying to help her with good intentions and still ungrateful.”

“Keep your voice down!” Yu Nian thought he was being too insensitive and quickly pulled him along as they went downstairs.

Once the two left, with only Li Xiang and Liu Manman remaining, Li Xiang’s previously gentle gaze hardened, and it was as if he had become a different person.

No wonder the male lead had no idea how to show tenderness; even though Liu Manman was crying like a fragile flower in the rain, Li Xiang, the original author, felt no sympathy whatsoever.

Liu Manman raised her eyes and met Li Xiang’s unfamiliar and sharp gaze. Instinctively, she tightened her grip on her backpack strap, a strange shiver running through her heart.

“When Nian Nian was here just now, there were some things I didn’t feel comfortable saying. Now that it’s just the two of us, there’s no need for you to pretend to be aggrieved.”

Li Xiang, drawing on his excellent rational thinking, began to reason with Liu Manman one point at a time.

“First of all, you say we didn’t consider you a friend, but ask yourself honestly, have you ever truly considered Nian Nian a friend? Nian Nian has a big heart and often chooses not to fuss over things, but that doesn’t mean she won’t feel hurt. You know very well what you did when you used Nian Nian to get closer to me.”

“Secondly, when Nian Nian was mocked by others, you were right there. You know exactly what it was in your heart. Were you genuinely trying to speak up for her, or was it just out of pity?”

“In your heart, you’ve always believed that Nian Nian is inferior to you in every way. So when you found out that her family background was better than yours, your pitiful pride began to act up.”

As Li Xiang said this, he saw Liu Manman about to speak in denial, but he didn’t give her a chance and continued, “Don’t think I’m falsely accusing you.”

After all, you are a character I created. As the father of the work, I probably know your personality better than the character herself.

Of course, this is something that Li Xiang naturally didn’t say.

“Lastly, about that dress. If you truly like something, you should obtain it with your own efforts, not by using the grant meant for poverty subsidy.”

“That grant isn’t just yours. You need to remember the school’s original intention for setting it up. It’s not something you can squander as you please. You may be immature and lack understanding of your parents’ efforts, but you can’t project all that resentment onto Nian Nian. She’s innocent.”

“The day you argued with Nian Nian, she came back distracted and only reluctantly told me about it after I questioned her.”

“Nian Nian was worried that if others found out you bought that dress, it would affect your evaluation this semester. But what did you think? You didn’t even give her a chance to explain and assumed she looked down on you.”

“But have you ever thought that the person who looks down on you the most is actually yourself?”

Li Xiang originally didn’t want to say all this; in reality, he might have chosen to leave coldly.

But now, he couldn’t bear to leave things as they were.

First, seeing Yu Nian feeling guilty because of Liu Manman’s situation made his heart ache.

Second, he could no longer remain uninvolved.

As the original author of this story, he could no longer predict the future paths of each character. All he could do now was to personally convey his values to the characters within the story.

People can make mistakes, but they should not make the same mistakes knowingly.

As an author, he wouldn’t easily give up on any character in his story.

Because in reality, every person is an independent individual, each deserving to be the protagonist of their own world.

Even if many protagonists gather together, creating a hierarchy among them, they should still have their own values, rather than being defeated by negative emotions.

Liu Manman stood there in a daze, staring straight at the person in front of her, momentarily speechless.

When her once disgraceful, filthy, and contemptible thoughts were laid bare for all to see, Liu Manman’s usual pride was shattered. She even forgot to sob, her face flushed red, and for the first time, she felt utterly ashamed in front of Li Xiang.

“Don’t question why I know so much,” Li Xiang said calmly, his tone even. “If you still want someone to care about you, don’t let your jealousy blind you and cause you to hurt those who truly care about you.”

With that, Li Xiang turned and walked away.

Meanwhile, Yu Nian, who had been waiting downstairs for quite a while, had grown cold from the chilly wind and was stomping her feet to keep warm, her neck desperately shrank into her scarf.

Beside her, Zhang Chuanze leaned against a marble column like a boneless person. He glanced at Yu Nian and asked, “Nian Nian, what do you think Chi Yao is saying behind our backs, to be talking for this long?”

“I don’t know.” Yu Nian was also dying of curiosity.

But she felt that lovers should have their own privacy and shouldn’t pry into everything, so she held back.

Not long after, they heard footsteps behind them. The two turned around and saw Li Xiang slowly walking down the steps, with a flushed Liu Manman following him from around the corner.

“Finished talking?” Yu Nian mouthed the words quietly.

Li Xiang chuckled softly. He walked over, and couldn’t resist ruffling Yu Nian’s hair. “En. Are you cold?”

“Cold.” Yu Nian replied, the tip of her nose red from the cold, while she glanced at Liu Manman behind him.

Liu Manman happened to look up and meet Yu Nian’s clear gaze, seeing a hint of concern in those innocent eyes.

Although Liu Manman knew she had gone too far this time, she found it hard to swallow her pride and apologize to Yu Nian in front of so many people.

However, Yu Nian noticed her discomfort. She grinned and said, “Manman, let’s go. We’ll send you back.”

This time, Liu Manman didn’t refuse. Instead, she quietly followed in their footsteps.