Brutally putting that old fake sweetheart in her place, right in front of the school beauty!]
Lu Yuanqiu only wanted Bai Qingxia to stay and watch the show that was about to unfold.
Because right up until her death, this girl had never known that one small act of kindness had ended up benefiting someone else.
It really was an infuriating memory.
Back then, like so many of the other simps in their class, Lu Yuanqiu had a crush on Hu Caiwei. After learning that she had cast the only vote he received, he became even more devoted to her.
But faced with Lu Yuanqiu's enthusiasm, Hu Caiwei took the same attitude she had toward that vote: neither confirming nor denying anything.
She neither confirmed nor denied her relationship with Lu Yuanqiu, either.
She accepted every gift, but kept her distance when they were together.
She said the time before graduation would be a trial period, and told Lu Yuanqiu to prove himself.
And so Lu Yuanqiu thought he understood.
While his dad stocked the supermarket, he supplied Hu Caiwei. His fourteen-year-old sister could barely contain her contempt for his shameless fawning.
But after graduation, Lu Yuanqiu failed to get into college, while Hu Caiwei got into a second-tier university.
During her freshman year, Lu Yuanqiu remained as devoted as ever, mailing her all sorts of things. Hu Caiwei still accepted everything, but whenever he tried to call her, she refused, claiming she was too busy studying.
It was not until her sophomore year that Lu Yuanqiu learned she had already been dating an upperclassman for a year.
The news left Lu Yuanqiu utterly heartbroken.
He threw himself into making something of himself and started a business. Riding the boom in online sales, he used his family's savings to expand it steadily, eventually amassing a net worth of over a hundred million by his early thirties.
By then, Hu Caiwei had been abandoned by her ex-husband and was raising a child alone. Although Lu Yuanqiu was no longer hung up on her, he still helped her a great deal for old times' sake.
Until he learned in that café that Hu Caiwei had not cast that vote all those years ago...
Lu Yuanqiu suddenly felt like laughing.
Only then did he seem to truly realize how many ridiculous things he had done for this woman over the years.
Angry?
Not really. After everything he had been through, he had long since stopped caring.
But when he learned that the person who had actually voted for him was the girl who had died fifteen years earlier, Lu Yuanqiu was genuinely furious.
Thankfully, he had been given another chance at life.
Now, Bai Qingxia stood quietly and patiently by the door, holding two schoolbags against her chest.
After Hu Caiwei appeared, she returned to her usual cool demeanor at school, radiating an aloofness that kept strangers at bay.
Lu Yuanqiu suddenly felt that this cold exterior might have been her camouflage all along.
"Well, look at you, Lu Yuanqiu. You're even talking to Bai Qingxia now. So, who do you think is prettier, Bai Qingxia or me?"
Hu Caiwei rested both hands on the checkout counter, a trace of jealousy coloring her snide tone.
Lu Yuanqiu sneered. Is your brain underdeveloped, or did it never develop at all?
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Do you really have to humiliate yourself?
Don't have a mirror at home? Is your piss matte, too?
Of course, Hu Caiwei was pretty and dressed stylishly, but none of that amounted to anything beside Bai Qingxia's captivating face-the very picture of a first love.
But Bai Qingxia had no friends and was usually very aloof, so the boys generally never tried to pursue her. That had made Hu Caiwei the most sought-after girl in their class.
The moment Bai Qingxia started interacting with the boys, Hu Caiwei felt threatened.
There was no point trading barbs with her. Sitting at the cashier's station, Lu Yuanqiu said evenly, "She came to buy something. What would you like today, Hu Caiwei?"
Hu Caiwei felt that something about Lu Yuanqiu was strange today.
More specifically, the usual nervous caution he showed around her was gone. The look in his eyes now held a worldly sophistication that only came from experience.
But that was just an impression. Maybe he was putting on an act because there were more girls around today.
"Caiwei, your classmate's family really does own a supermarket! This place is huge."
The girl beside her covered her mouth as she spoke in surprise.
Looking rather pleased with herself, Hu Caiwei waved generously. "Yep. Have a look around and grab whatever you like. My treat today."
The two girls looked envious and wasted no time picking things out around the supermarket.
Bai Qingxia watched in silence, her thoughts unreadable.
She was actually well aware of Lu Yuanqiu's crush on Hu Caiwei.
Before long, the two girls returned happily with armfuls of chips and snacks, piling everything onto the checkout counter. They really had come to help themselves to a buffet.
Hu Caiwei also picked up a few packs of gum and some drinks, as usual.
She rose onto her toes and leaned forward, asking sweetly, "Lu Yuanqiu, get us two big bags, would you?"
"Sure." Lu Yuanqiu agreed without hesitation and began scanning the items one by one.
Hu Caiwei suddenly froze and could not help asking, "What... what are you doing?"
"Scanning the prices," Lu Yuanqiu replied matter-of-factly. "Aren't you here to buy things?"
At those words, the two girls behind Hu Caiwei exchanged a silent, startled look.
They whispered, "Didn't Caiwei say we wouldn't have to pay?"
Hearing her friends' discussion, Hu Caiwei felt embarrassed. She frowned. "Lu Yuanqiu, why are you being so stingy today? It's just a few snacks. They're not even expensive."
Lu Yuanqiu laughed. "Exactly. They're not expensive. You said it was your treat, didn't you? Can't afford it?"
"I..." Hu Caiwei was left speechless.
Standing off to the side, Bai Qingxia blinked as she watched the scene in surprise.
She had always quietly noticed all of Lu Yuanqiu's pathetic fawning in class.
But today, he seemed different.
Feeling her two friends' eyes on her, Hu Caiwei's back burned with embarrassment. Then, in anger, she raised both hands and slammed them onto the checkout counter.
"Lu Yuanqiu! Don't tell me you're serious! I'm really angry now!"
"Look at you, getting worked up again. So what if you're angry? Are you going to rob me in broad daylight?"
Hu Caiwei froze. Lu Yuanqiu was acting far too strangely today.
Suddenly, a possibility occurred to her, and she asked tentatively, "Did you... did you see me shopping with the class president yesterday? Lu Yuanqiu, how can you be so petty? I just happened to run into him!"
"Sorry, I slept at home all day yesterday. I didn't go to the mall."
"Then what's gotten into you today?!"
"I"
"Am acting perfectly normally. Isn't paying for what you buy perfectly normal, too? Bai Qingxia, wouldn't you agree?"
At that, Bai Qingxia turned her head away and ignored him.
Because she had just stolen something, she felt she had no right to answer that question.
"Maybe we should just forget it, Caiwei... We don't really want the snacks that much..."
"Yeah, Caiwei. It's not worth getting angry over this..."
Hu Caiwei's two friends could not bear to watch any longer.
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Lu Yuanqiu's reasoning was flawless. Even if they wanted to speak up for Hu Caiwei, they had nothing to say.
Because the truth was that Hu Caiwei and Lu Yuanqiu were only classmates. Their relationship had never gone any further.
Unwilling to back down, Hu Caiwei played her trump card. "Lu Yuanqiu! Just so you know, the class president confessed his feelings to me yesterday!"