Chapter 5: In Youth, One Fails to See the Grace of a Lady and Mistakenly Cherishes a Young Girl as a Treasure

“You!”
In the past, Su Chen had always obeyed Xi Siyuan without question. Zhou Yuyan, as Xi Siyuan’s agent, had even less restraint in scolding him as she pleased.
But today, she found herself struggling to suppress his aura.
Did I dress too provocatively today, igniting the fire in this man’s heart?
She even began to doubt herself.
Once inside the car, Zhou Yuyan took the front seat, while Su Chen and Xi Siyuan sat side by side in the back.
Xi Siyuan was dressed simply today—a white T-shirt with jeans and her hair in a high ponytail, the very picture of youthful innocence.
“Am I really as despicable as you say?”
She spoke with a blank expression as soon as they got in.
“Yes!”
Su Chen answered without hesitation, then, as if something occurred to him, added with a touch of irony,
“So, the famous campus belle Xi, you went to the event in person today?”
“Weren’t you supposed to be unwell?”
Xi Siyuan’s breath caught for a split second before she retorted coldly,
“I went so you could make an appearance in front of industry insiders and maybe get a shot at something!”
Here we go again!
Su Chen couldn’t be bothered to reply and simply shrugged indifferently.
Seeing Su Chen unmoved by her tactics, Xi Siyuan frowned slightly. He seemed different today.
She’d known him for four years and knew his character inside out.
Tonight, he’d openly confronted her at the party, and now he was just as sharp.
Could someone be manipulating him from behind the scenes?
She brushed aside her wild suspicions and spoke calmly,
“In your eyes, what kind of person am I?”
At those words, Su Chen caught a heavy whiff of manipulation.
If this had been the old Su Chen, he’d have started flattering her endlessly, then apologized, “That’s not what I meant.”
But those old tricks were like a child drawing talismans before a grand exorcist.
He’d seen it all before in his past life.
There was no reason for him to tolerate it now; he replied, every word cutting straight to the bone.
“Selfish! Cold! Hypocritical!”
With each word, Xi Siyuan’s face darkened further.
“Is that enough? I have more!”
“Green tea, heartbreaker, fickle!”
Xi Siyuan fixed her gaze on him, as if she wanted to devour him whole.
“Su Chen, don’t go too far!”
Zhou Yuyan could no longer listen in silence and snapped loudly.
Su Chen ignored her. Since the masks were off, he might as well tear them to shreds.
“Despicable and shameless!”
“Ungrateful!”
He continued, oblivious, while Xi Siyuan’s face was so dark it looked as if it might drip water.
“Homewrecker?”
He looked up after speaking, catching the tears welling in Xi Siyuan’s eyes.
What the—she’s crying?
Truly, he hadn’t expected the campus belle to ever be moved to tears by anger.
But Su Chen’s heart was steely: she could cry if she wished; he would enjoy his satisfaction. There was no conflict.
“If I’m so awful in your eyes, and you’re so desperate to break up, then let’s end things right here.”
…
Or perhaps I’m still too naïve. A woman like her would never do anything without reason.
Just listen—
“You’re the one who wants to break up!”
Those words!
“I just thought, after all we’ve been through together, it hasn’t been easy.”
“After all these years, there should be a good ending.”
“But I never expected…”
Su Chen couldn’t bear it any longer. At a time like this, she was still acting?
With that performance, she deserved an Oscar.
“Enough, enough—stop right there! It’s settled. Goodbye!”
“No, wait—better not see each other again!”
“I’m feeling a bit nauseous!”
With that, Su Chen reached for the car door to get out.
“Wait!”
Zhou Yuyan called after him. Su Chen turned his head.
He saw Zhou Yuyan take an envelope from her handbag in the front seat and hand it to him.
He took it nonchalantly, opened it, and found a bank card inside.
“What’s this supposed to mean?”
Zhou Yuyan spoke,
“There’s half a million inside. Take it.”
Money? A bribe? Hush money?
Su Chen instantly grasped the situation. Zhou Yuyan continued,
“You two have been together since college. I believe there were real feelings.”
“Maybe, for all kinds of reasons, you couldn’t make it to the end.”
“But I hope you’ll both leave a little dignity for each other!”
Su Chen interrupted, “Get to the point. I have things to do. I don’t have time to waste here.”
A flash of anger crossed Zhou Yuyan’s face, but she held it in.
“Yuan Yuan’s career is on the rise. I don’t want her caught up in any rumors.”
Su Chen smiled—just as he’d expected. This whole charade tonight, all these words, were just to hand him this hush money.
A celebrity embroiled in gossip was nothing new—truth and lies always blurred.
But being branded as ungrateful and backstabbing would be a lasting stain in the industry.
Any mention of it would have her character called into question.
So…
That was the reason for this show tonight.
“Put it away. That money burns my hands.”
“As for this relationship, or that matter, I have no obligation to keep it a secret.”
“What? You think what you’ve done shouldn’t be talked about?”
Zhou Yuyan, seeing that Su Chen was unmoved, slapped the seat in frustration, her body trembling with rage.
“Su Chen, you’d better be sensible. It’s for everyone’s good!”
“I’m the kind who, if I don’t like the polite toast, will drink the penalty cup instead. Who knows, if I’m in a bad mood, I might just tell all. All right, that’s that.”
Su Chen got out, but just as he was about to close the door, he paused and leaned back in.
He glanced at Xi Siyuan: “Let’s not contact each other again.”
Then looked at Zhou Yuyan with a smile: “But Auntie, you’re welcome to call me anytime.”
“Young men don’t know the value of an aunt, and mistake girls for treasures!”
The moment the door closed, a furious shout erupted.
“Su Chen!”
Zhou Yuyan was truly enraged. She was just in her thirties; no one had ever called her “Auntie” before, at least not in the industry—she was always called “Sister” or “Miss.”
Today, Su Chen’s words made her wonder if she really was getting old.
But…
Thinking back to his last remark, she felt a strange sensation in her heart.
So what if she was an aunt?
Aunts could still be charming, and aunts could still be caring!
She turned to look at Xi Siyuan, whose face was still streaked with tears.
“Yuan Yuan, Su Chen’s gone.”
The implication: you can stop acting now.
Hearing this, Xi Siyuan’s tears flowed even harder. She had been acting at first, but was later genuinely angered to tears.
Su Chen’s words were just too cruel.
Yes, she had done those things, but his evaluation was unbearable.
That was exactly it!
And then Zhou Yuyan’s second round of “damage” just made her feel even more wronged.
Once she managed to stop crying, she said quietly, “He didn’t take the money.”
“He’s no longer capable of causing any waves.”
Zhou Yuyan replied at once.
“I think he’s changed a lot. I’m worried…”
Zhou Yuyan scoffed.
“It’s already confirmed his voice is ruined, his songwriting is mediocre. Nothing he does will matter now.”
“Tonight’s song was unusual, but it was just a stunt. He and you now live in entirely different worlds.”
“Even if he reveals the past, who would care who he is? They’d just see him as a random person trying to ride your fame.”
“Besides, would your fans ever let him off?”
Xi Siyuan nodded. Three years ago, when she’d just debuted, she’d been afraid Su Chen would cause trouble, so she had to keep him appeased.
Back then, as a newcomer, even the slightest scandal would have destroyed her.
For three years, Su Chen had been at her beck and call. Now, with her circumstances, she could cast him off at any time.
Tonight was just about seeking a clean break.
If Su Chen had taken the money and kept silent, it would have ended well for everyone.
But since he refused, it might only cause some minor trouble—not enough to matter.
In any case, the outcome had already been achieved.