When Will My Childhood Sweetheart Marry Me?-Chapter 221: Negative Emotions

The amount of information was somewhat overwhelming.

Jiang Shuyao slowly turned her head to look the other way.

Unsurprisingly, she met Pei Yan’s gaze, which was full of interest.

However, what was more melodramatic was yet to come.

It was distinctly felt that, since the moment Xie Anyu and the boy entered, the atmosphere in the small pavilion had begun to grow strange.

The once lively corner table suddenly quieted down.

This silence lasted no more than two minutes before a chilly, mocking voice sounded, "No matter which team wins the award, it must be truly deserved, unlike some teams that push through every loophole and go to great lengths just for a competition."

’Push through every loophole’?

From Lao She’s "Female Shop Assistant," Act One, it’s a neutral term, but from the tone of the speaker, it clearly contained a derogatory implication.

As the top science student, she pondered for quite a while before she could barely grasp its essence.

The gist of it was, getting ahead through back channels.

As the table discussed, Jiang Xubai, who hadn’t made a peep, suddenly joined the conversation.

He glanced at Lin Yan across from him and, after a moment’s choice of words, said, "I heard today that at Ligong University, there was a team whose supervisor had a talk with the sponsors before the competition."

After Jiang Xubai finished, the corner was already buzzing with criticism.

At this point, as a member of Ligong University, Lin Yan could not help but cough awkwardly twice.

"Actually... according to the competition rules, if Lu Chen’s team is able to sell their patent, they qualify as a product in collaboration with a company, and therefore shouldn’t participate in the competition, which is fair for everyone."

If you don’t participate in the competition, then there’s no question of getting ahead through back channels.

But Jiang Xubai was puzzled, "If sponsors are interested, they could just wait until after the competition to talk about corporate collaborations, right? That way, they could both win the prize and make money. Wouldn’t that be better?"

Uh.

This question was too profound, and Lin Yan, scratching her head, indicated she didn’t understand either.

However, someone in the crowd blurted out, "It’s obvious, isn’t it? The program has too many flaws, and they were worried it wouldn’t stand up to scrutiny, so they were in a hurry to sell it off to avoid missing the opportunity."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Believe it or not, I’ll sue you for defamation!"

The boy accompanying Xie Anyu couldn’t bear it any longer and suddenly stood up angrily after banging the table.

One could hardly argue against the masses, and the teams participating in the competition came from all over, very few willing to be outdone in verbal disputes.

"What’s it to you if we sell our patent? If you’re not up to par, don’t get sour over others."

"Oh, playing deaf and dumb and not letting others talk? Everyone can see the reality for themselves. Before doubting others’ skills, you should spend more time looking in the mirror at your own vile face."

"You—"

The boy’s face turned iron blue with anger, and he rolled up his sleeves, ready to charge over before Xie Anyu held him back.

"Forget it. As long as we have nothing to be ashamed of, that’s enough."

Once the belle of Yunzhong, now she could effortless conceal all emotions.

Under the light, her figure in the white dress overlapped with images from memory, causing a momentary trance.

"Let’s go."

Xie Anyu signaled to the boy, and as they turned around, they caught Jiang Shuyao’s gaze.

Her breath hitched.

Almost subconsciously, Xie Anyu’s eyes flicked towards Pei Yan, who was sitting quietly by the side, drinking tea. At this moment, perhaps, she truly understood the meaning of turbulent waves.

Lu Chen had mentioned they would encounter familiar faces here.

She hadn’t taken it to heart at the time, yet she hadn’t expected that these familiar faces would be Pei Yan and Jiang Shuyao.

To meet again in a foreign land the one you had liked in your youth, nobody could remain completely unfazed.

But in such a situation, a reunion with old acquaintances could only be awkward.

Xie Anyu lowered her gaze as she brushed past Jiang Shuyao, both tacitly not initiating a greeting.

The topic of conversation had left, and the small pavilion gradually regained its liveliness; the table of boys drank to their heart’s content, quickly casting the recent episode out of their minds.

Lin Yan, curious, peered towards the entrance, "You know them?"

Jiang Shuyao remained silent.

The northern girl continued, "Did you feel it? Just now, Xie Anyu’s look when she was looking at your group leader."

Tsk tsk.

She was even more overt than Lin Yan herself.

When Lin Yan had a crush on someone, she never hid it.

Realizing the target of her interest was too eye-catching, to avoid long nights and dreams, she rushed over and patted Pei Yan’s shoulder, "Handsome, do me a favor, let’s add each other on WeChat, and help me with a slash on Pinduoduo."

Jiang Shuyao, out of sight, out of mind, promptly got up and left.

*

The twilight was hazy, the willow branches on both sides of the lake drooped down, spreading out along the path’s end.

The moon of the Capital wasn’t as bright as it was in Rong City.

It was like a thin veil covered it, making it hard to see its true face.

Jiang Shuyao sat on a stone bench by the shore, gazing at the reflections in the water, dim and lackluster, even somewhat shattered.

Everything she heard in the pavilion, she did not know what to make of it.

Perhaps there was a moment when she felt that all her efforts over the past three months had been in vain, a burning passion that, when the battle came, was met with an opponent suddenly declaring from high above their departure for another path to victory.

So pointless.

Why bother fighting, just to satisfy her petty and pitiful vanity by making Lu Chen lose to Pei Yan? 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Her liking for Pei Yan had started back when he was still an uneducated and quick-tempered patient.

She never cared before, so why should she scrutinize others’ looks now?

Let him win, there will always be more than one opportunity.

Jiang Shuyao picked up a pebble from the ground and threw it into the lake with force, as if to vent her feelings.

The ripples spread out in the water, breaking through the barriers of her heart and also shattering the long-standing figure behind her.

Her eyes slightly narrowed, she didn’t know when he had arrived.

"Are you unhappy, Princess?"

Pei Yan’s voice, as usual, was calm and casual, laced with a hint of teasing, and under the night, a bit tender.

Jiang Shuyao looked down and gently shook her head.

The next moment, the warmth of his palm was on the back of her neck, Pei Yan sat down next to her on the stone bench, his large hand guiding her head to rest on his shoulder.

"Just now inside—"

"It’s not because of that."

The night breeze carried her hastily spoken words, interrupting him.

Pei Yan’s fingertips caressed her cheek, "In front of me, you don’t have to suppress your feelings, even a subtle look in your eyes, I can tell what you’re thinking."

Jiang Shuyao felt a twinge in her heart: "You’re wrong, I didn’t."

No matter how he tried to lead, she still wouldn’t admit it.

The competition was just her obsession acting up; now that the result was set, what they had to do was to face tomorrow’s defense with a normal attitude, not for Pei Yan to be preoccupied with soothing her negative emotions.

Jiang Shuyao tried to change the subject to something lighter, her mind racing as she asked on a whim, "What do you think of Lin Yan?"

Pei Yan lit a cigarette, "Specifically what aspect?"

Seeing his serious expression, Jiang Shuyao reflexively said, "She doesn’t know you have a girlfriend."

Immediately regretting her words,

She felt the jealousy too strong and was about to explain herself when Pei Yan chuckled lightly, "I’ll make it quick."

His tone was unhurried, and under his influence, Jiang Shuyao’s mood slowly calmed down.

So much so, she forgot to ask what he meant by that just now.