Chapter 66: Qiao Zhen No Longer Pursues Him

Raindrops pattered softly on the umbrella, growing louder and louder until Qin Yichi could no longer distinguish the sound of rain from the pounding of his own heart.

—“Qin Yichi, I want to be with you. Is that alright?”

Each word struck him deeply, sending ripples across his heart, gathering within him into a wild, nameless emotion that clamored and surged uncontrollably.

His arm holding the umbrella stiffened; his gaze met the girl’s eyes, and even his breath caught for a moment.

The whole world suddenly fell silent.

Is that alright? How could he ever refuse.

Beneath the curtain of rain, he heard his own voice:

“Then it’s settled for winter break, Qiao Zhen. Let’s go skiing together.”

Qiao Zhen nodded expectantly. “Mm!”

He took in every detail of her reaction, and couldn’t help the gentle upward curve of his lips, as if a great weight had been lifted from his soul.

He couldn’t help but sigh—what a beautiful day it was.

The silhouettes of the boy and girl blended in harmony, gradually vanishing at the street corner.

Yet inside the luxury car, the atmosphere had plunged to freezing.

Ji Xian felt as though all the blood in his body had frozen; his entire face was about to crumble.

It wasn’t just a ticket that Qiao Zhen had torn to pieces—it was his heart, slashed again and again by sharp, merciless blades until it bled.

An overwhelming ache welled up in his chest, spreading relentlessly throughout his body.

His eyes, usually clear and cold as glass, now showed traces of red, stained with a possessive, menacing haze—and a hint of bewilderment.

How could Qiao Zhen have rejected him, torn it up…

A tide of panic crashed over him, suffocating and unstoppable.

Ji Xian’s chest heaved violently, as if he might shatter at any moment, his expression dark enough to be frightening.

Lately, memories from his past life had haunted his dreams. Back then, when Qiao Zhen was rejected by him, did she feel this way too?

The other boys, meanwhile, stared in shock—especially one who, just two minutes earlier, had boasted, “If Qiao Zhen really doesn’t come, I’ll chop off my own head and kick it around like a soccer ball.”

He’d been proven so embarrassingly wrong his cheeks burned.

The boy stood dumbstruck for several seconds before coming to his senses and hugging his head.

“Did I see that right? Qiao Zhen… this time she’s serious. She’s not playing hard to get, not pretending to refuse—she’s really not chasing him anymore!”

“…Was her rejection not obvious enough?” another boy couldn’t help but interject.

Noticing Ji Xian’s face, someone tried to smooth things over, “Ahem… Women lining up to chase after our Ji Xian would stretch all the way to France. What’s one less? If she doesn’t like him, she doesn’t like him—Qiao Zhen’s nothing special—”

But before he could finish, Ji Xian seized his collar with a single hand, veins bulging on his pale, cold arm.

“She’s not,” Ji Xian spat out icily.

“She likes me.” His voice was stubborn, gaze cuttingly cold as it swept over the boy, a chill raging across his face.

In the previous life, for seven years, no matter the ridicule or scorn, Qiao Zhen had followed him step by step.

Ji Xian didn’t know how things eventually turned out in that past life, but he was certain—Qiao Zhen would marry no one but him; she would never leave him.

Not in the past, not in this life.

Thinking of this, Ji Xian forced himself to steady his nerves, taking a deep breath.

He managed to feign certainty, but his face was ghastly, his usually delicate eyes threaded with red, stubbornly repeating, “She likes me.”

Whether he was saying it to the others or to himself was unclear.

One of the more sensible boys couldn’t bear to watch and gently tried to reason with him:

“But… liking something isn’t forever. I used to love skateboarding—so much that everyone knew it. But now, I’m over it.”

The unspoken meaning: Qiao Zhen didn’t like him anymore.

At those words, Ji Xian’s chest rose and fell sharply, his fingertips faintly trembling, but he still replied coldly and calmly, “No, you don’t understand Qiao Zhen.”

She wouldn’t give up so easily.

The boys exchanged glances in silence, reading shock and disbelief in each other’s eyes.

When had Ji Xian become like this, so madly calm?

Did he even realize he was just deceiving himself…

Outside, rain and snow splattered against the car windows, each drop like a bucket of ice water pouring over Ji Xian’s head, mocking him mercilessly.

He sat dazed for a long time, then silently rolled up the window, his face ashen and grim, coldness emanating from every pore.

The driver in the front seat, shivering from the chill after eavesdropping on half the drama, quietly turned up the heat.

He glanced in the rearview mirror for a long while before cautiously speaking: “Young Master, are we heading back to the old house now?”

After all, the young master was acting out of character today, asking him to wait here.

A moment later, Ji Xian slowly raised his head, eyes icy as he stared at the driver, squeezing out three words through clenched teeth:

“What do you think?”

The driver paused, then replied, “…Yes, Young Master!”

He prayed to the heavens for mercy—serving the frozen young master was truly a thankless job!

Sweating profusely, the driver started the car and raised the partition, quietly analyzing the situation.

Having served the young master for over a decade, he knew well that Ji Xian always kept his emotions in check.

Though he usually seemed aloof and indifferent, as if nothing mattered to him, today felt like the calm before a storm.

The young master resembled a fragile bubble, feigning strength and coldness.

One gentle poke would be all it took for him to fall apart completely…

January arrived, and winter break officially began.

Not long after, Qiao Zhen received wonderful news: she had passed the preliminary round of the singing competition, received a prize, and qualified for the next stage.

The moment she received the official message, it was as if a box of joy had burst open over her—she rolled around on her bed, instinctively sharing the good news with Qin Yichi.

A second later, a WeChat notification popped up: [“Chi” patted my head and said: “Well done.”]

Chi: [I’ll be with you for the next round, too.]

Qiao Zhen paused, reading the message over and over.

For some reason, that “pat” felt so real, as if Qin Yichi had truly reached out and ruffled her hair, doting and affectionate…

No! What on earth was she imagining?

Clutching her phone, her heart raced, and it felt as if a little figure inside her was boxing the air in delight.

It was as if Qin Yichi had really patted her on the head, her heart bouncing around her chest like a ping-pong ball, unable to settle down.

She didn’t know when it had started, but she found herself looking forward to every message from Qin Yichi…

February 2nd was Niu Yifeng’s birthday, and everyone planned to set off on a trip that day—two days and one night—to celebrate.

In the group chat, Niu Yifeng wailed: [Boohoo, guys, I’m so touched! I love you all! (crying emoji)]

Someone replied at once: [Don’t love me, that’s gross]

Qin Yichi: [This birthday suits you—so silly.]

Niu Yifeng: […]

Niu Yifeng: [@Qiao Zhen, Qiao, look at him! He’s bullying me in broad daylight, you have to stand up for me!!]

Another boy tagged her too, saying only she could handle Qin Yichi.

Clutching her phone, Qiao Zhen felt a strange emotion flutter in her chest.

How could she possibly handle Qin Yichi…

In the end, she simply sent a cute sticker as a gesture of comfort.

There were eight people in the skiing group: Qin Yichi, Qiao Zhen, Niu Yifeng, Zhang Yu, Zhang Yu’s younger sister Zhang Ning…

The rest had internships or family emergencies, expressing their regret and mourning their absence in the group chat.

Qiao Zhen had long started looking forward to the trip, constantly packing necessities into her suitcase, searching for guides online, and booking tickets in advance.

After all, it was skiing—something she had been dreaming about for ages—and she was going with Qin Yichi.

Her mind was filled with nothing but: Qin Yichi, skiing, Qin Yichi, skiing, Qin Yichi…

Finally, unable to bear it anymore, she buried her face in her pillow to hide the blush spreading across her cheeks.

Damn that Qin Yichi—what kind of spell had he secretly cast on her!