Chapter 193

Ruan Mian's attention also fell on her childhood friend, whom she hadn't seen in ages.

"Quan Yu?" Surprise flashed in Ruan Mian's bright almond-shaped eyes. She hadn't expected him to show up here.

After hearing his heartfelt confession, she resisted the urge to rub her forehead. She pulled him aside and said helplessly but sincerely, "Quan Yu, I appreciate your concern."

"But we're not engaged. That was just a joke the elders made. Besides, I'm no longer part of the Yu Family."

"I think of you as my best friend. Don't make that kind of joke again."

Ruan Mian said that last sentence firmly.

She had no romantic feelings for Quan Yu, and the same was true of him. More than any half-formed notion of love, he simply couldn't accept change.

Ruan Mian understood him. His experiences growing up had left him deeply insecure and possessive of his friends.

They could be best friends, but they would never be a couple.

Now that she had left the Yu Family, Quan Yu's mother wouldn't approve of them dating anyway.

"You came without telling your mother," Ruan Mian said with certainty. "You gave the driver the slip?"

Quan Yu's eyes were dark. He looked steadily at Ruan Mian, undeterred by her rejection. "Yeah. I wanted to see you."

He had missed Ruan Mian, so he'd secretly shaken off the driver and bodyguards and come here to wait for her after school.

He'd waited three hours. Rather than feeling impatient, he'd been excited the whole time.

"Whether you're Yu Mian or Ruan Mian, I'll always be on your side."

"That's all I came to tell you."

After more than ten years together, Quan Yu knew how to soften Ruan Mian's heart.

And he meant every word.

"You..." Ruan Mian's eyes reddened slightly. His