Chapter 508: Chapter 192: The Prelude Rings, Even the Dogs by the Road Feel Regret (10,000-Word Mega Chapter, Please Subscribe)_2

He stood there like an unmoving, towering mountain, a guitar on his back and a bouquet of fresh flowers in his hands, quietly awaiting Jiang Zhiyu’s arrival.

Since she had already agreed, Li Yuan firmly believed that she would come down to see him.

"I’ve already been waiting for over ten minutes. School Beauty Jiang isn’t going to stand him up, is she? I’m desperate to use the bathroom. Let the show begin already!"

"Who does that girl think she is, making Xia Hua wait so long? Seriously... My idol, hold your head high. Don’t look down, or your crown will fall."

"Hurry up and come down, my arm’s getting numb from holding up my phone. Speaking of which, he’s carrying a guitar. You don’t think he’s going to perform a song on the spot, do you?"

"If he really performs, then skipping class to see this was worth it. ’Love Confession Balloon,’ ’Natural Beauty,’ and ’Just Met You’ are undoubtedly the top three hits of the year. It makes me even more excited to see if Xia Hua will have a new song today."

"I’m looking forward to it too. It’s a shame I couldn’t really hear ’Just Met You’ during the live performance that day. The volume was too low, so it was missing that special something."

"Xia Hua, we’re all your fans! Can you sing ’Just Met You’ for us?"

"Holy crap, are those girls insane? He’s here to confess his feelings to School Beauty Jiang, not to hold a concert. Why would he sing?"

"Well, he does have a guitar... Maybe he’ll debut a new song today? Now that you mention it, I’m really looking forward to it!"

...

Amidst the crowd’s chattering, Jiang Zhiyu’s figure appeared in front of the dormitory building.

She was accompanied by Xie Ping, Zhang Ruoxue, and Li Qingqing.

Li Qingqing immediately spotted Li Yuan standing at the dormitory entrance. When she glanced at the large crowd of Ji University students that had gathered, she gasped and whispered, "Pingping, Ruoxue, this is a huge scene. Why are there so many gossips here?"

"Gossip is human nature, whether you’re a man or a woman!" Zhang Ruoxue replied with a cheerful smile.

Xie Ping was also startled by the scene at first but quickly regained her composure. She had seen many confession attempts like this before.

"Don’t worry, it’s no big deal. Zhiyu and Li Yuan can handle it. The two of them have performed on the university-wide stage in front of tens of thousands of people."

Li Qingqing nodded. "You’re right, this really is nothing to them."

Zhang Ruoxue urged, "Let’s hurry and get closer, we can’t miss a single thing! I want to witness with my own eyes how Li Scumbag coaxes Zhiyu."

...

Jiang Zhiyu was dressed refreshingly today. Instead of her usual Hanfu, she wore a beige dress. Her faintly blonde hair was casually tied up and draped over her shoulders. In the sunlight, her snow-white neck seemed to glow. She completed the look with a pair of small, white leather shoes.

Jiang Zhiyu approached Li Yuan with light steps, her body trembling slightly. Her palms were already slick with sweat.

She gazed at the boy she had thought of day and night.

If this were before, she wouldn’t have hesitated for a moment to rush over, wrap her arms around his, and happily call out, "Xia Hua..."

And the boy before her would have fondly ruffled her hair, pulled her into his embrace, and smiled back, "Little Fish..."

But now, though only a single step separated them, it felt as if an entire world lay between them. They could never return to how things used to be.

Gone was the sweet love, the lingering longing, and the joyful laughter... All that remained was endless grief and sorrow.

As Jiang Zhiyu looked at Li Yuan, he too was staring intently into her eyes.

Seeing her visibly thinner, haggard face and her melancholy, sorrowful eyes, Li Yuan felt a raw, stabbing pain in his heart, as if it had been slashed by a knife.

Li Yuan gently stepped forward, closing the distance between them to less than twenty centimeters. They were now close enough to hear each other’s heartbeat.

Li Yuan looked at this lively and adorable, tradition-loving girl—an angel who used to depend on him entirely, incessantly calling him "Xia Hua." He spoke in a deep, emotional voice.

"Little Fish, thank you for being willing to see me one more time."

At the sound of Li Yuan’s voice, Jiang Zhiyu’s body shuddered violently, and crystalline teardrops mischievously welled in the corners of her eyes.

She fought the impulse to rush into his arms. Staring at Li Yuan through blurry eyes, her lips pressed together, she looked aggrieved and on the verge of tears.

She truly felt wronged—so wronged that she didn’t know how to face him, so heartbroken that she wanted to flee the country, to leave this painful place behind.

Seeing Jiang Zhiyu like this, Li Yuan’s heart twisted in agony. He felt incredibly distressed.

It was just like the day he went to Sucheng to find Zhong Tingyue; seeing her haggard face had stirred the same heart-wrenching feeling.

Li Yuan’s gaze softened as he looked at Jiang Zhiyu. "Little Fish," he asked, "will you take a walk with me?"

Jiang Zhiyu looked at Li Yuan’s sincere face, held his gaze for a long moment, and finally nodded.

Li Yuan, holding the bouquet in one arm, extended his left hand to her.

After a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Zhiyu mustered her courage and placed her small hand in his.

This scene immediately sent the surrounding onlookers into a flurry of disappointed whispers.

"Heh, that’s it? They’re already holding hands and making up? Are you kidding me? I wanted to see a vicious, love-hate showdown..."

"School Beauty Jiang, you can’t be so weak! Aren’t you supposed to give that scumbag a hard slap? Spit in his face and tell him, ’Pah, you scumbag! Get the hell away from me!’ This plot isn’t developing the way it’s supposed to, is it?"