Chapter 642: Chapter 642: No Wonder
Li Yulan lay quietly in bed all night without closing her eyes.
The scenes of her past flashed quickly before her eyes, and Li Yulan felt that her life hadn’t been as glamorous and successful as she had imagined.
Her father, who was violent when she was young, left home too early, abandoning her mother. Even though she later excelled academically, she couldn’t compensate for the family shortcomings.
She wanted to rise higher and kept finding ways to climb up.
But only after suffering so many setbacks did she realize that sometimes her hard work might not be as useful as what others could obtain with a mere gesture.
Thus, she embarked on a road of no return.
She set her sights on rich men. She knew she looked delicate, and combined with her frequent aloof demeanor, she was seen as a high-flown flower unattainable to others.
But only she knew that it wasn’t that she avoided intimacy with others; she was afraid of it.
Though always alone, she still felt that living such secure days wasn’t bad.
Yet because of this, Li Yulan found herself isolated invisibly.
But even so, it didn’t matter, because these things meant nothing to her.
More importantly, she later used this trait to attract Xiang Bei.
During a school celebration, as an alumnus who hadn’t returned to his alma mater for many years, Xiang Bei noticed Li Yulan when she performed a solo dance. She believed her beauty and uniqueness were enough to captivate everyone present.
At that time, Xiang Bei had not yet become ostentatious or extravagant. He personally handed flowers to her in person.
She still remembered the first thing he said to her: "I never expected to find such a fairy among my juniors. If I had known, I would have come back every year to see."
While everyone thought Xiang Bei would receive her cold shoulder, Li Yulan, who rarely liked to smile, showed a smile: "Thank you for the compliment, but if you came back every year, you’d find my performance quite ordinary."
She could sense the stunned eyes behind her, but she didn’t care.
She knew what kind of man stood before her, and knew what benefits she might gain by being with him. Knowing that was enough!
"How could it be? A fairy isn’t something you see every year!" The greasy-sounding words were seen as rare good words by those who admired Xiang Bei: "I wonder if I have the honor of inviting you to dinner?"
Li Yulan smiled faintly: "Maybe another day! I’m a bit tired today."
She understood the meaning of the phrase "playing hard to get," and directly agreeing with Xiang Bei would diminish his interest in her.
Moreover, now, since he had brought her flowers, it showed he was interested in her.
How could a hunter easily let go of his prey?
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Xiang Bei somehow got her number and invited her out for dinner.
This time, Li Yulan didn’t refuse.
In a high-end restaurant, a shy young girl sat across from Xiang Bei, and even without the aid of lighting, the scene looked exceptionally beautiful.
That day might have been Li Yulan’s first experience with the beauty brought by money and power.
Because of Xiang Bei, people treated her politely, even refraining from mocking her attire.
Everything was because of the man sitting opposite her.
Though she wasn’t accustomed to it, she liked the feeling.
That night, Xiang Bei gifted her a necklace and, displaying gentlemanly manners, drove her back to school after dinner.
"Will you be busy recently?" Xiang Bei looked at her. Although his looks couldn’t compare to the later Gu Zheng, under the moonlight, he seemed more handsome due to the gemstone necklace on her neck: "If not, could I invite you to a party? Everyone else will have a partner, but I don’t, and I’ll be ridiculed again!"
Li Yulan certainly didn’t believe this. Xiang Bei was already financially strong by then, and having a partner was merely a matter of him beckoning with a finger.
He said this because he was satisfied with her looks and behavior that evening, and subsequently made that decision!
Considering this, Li Yulan smiled: "I’m afraid I’d embarrass you. I’ve never attended a banquet, always alone, and truly have no experience in socializing or interacting with people. I’m afraid I’d cause trouble. Better not attend! Sorry!"
Her rejection was just right, showing her solitary personality and simple social relationships, while giving Xiang Bei a convenient excuse.
"What does it matter? I’m here!" Xiang Bei’s eyes lit up further: "Are you just worried about me? I’ll make sure you return safely!"
Li Yulan smiled: "Why would I doubt you? It’s more about my lack of confidence! But... since you insist, I can’t refuse... just ask you to look after me when the time comes!"
At that time, she still retained a bit of youthful innocence.
Looking back, in all the interactions that followed, she might have developed genuine feelings for Xiang Bei!
It’s a pity, but now it seems everything was misplaced trust!
Xiang Bei, after all, only admired her beauty; otherwise, why would he break up with her once he grew tired?
Thinking back, lying in bed, Li Yulan’s fingers clenched tightly into fists again.
Xiang Bei... Did you not have any genuine feelings for me?
If you did, why did you come back to provoke me after I found a ’home’?
Tears flowed down her cheeks, surprising even her, who hadn’t cried in years.
She thought she’d never shed tears again, as all had passed with the pains of her childhood.
But that night, her tears continued flowing, unstoppable.
Why did things turn out this way?
Had she truly made a mistake? Li Yulan sobbed, picked up her phone, and messaged Xiang Bei: "We’re getting divorced."
For a long, long time, the phone remained silent, without any response.
Looking at the empty phone, Li Yulan’s eyes had lost their luster.
By this time, he was probably already asleep with that woman! No wonder he didn’t reply to her message.
After an undetermined amount of time passed, Li Yulan finally slipped into a dream...
