"In that world, I was deeply in love with a girl. It started in high school; she was my entire world. For her, I was willing to do anything. I worked multiple part-time jobs and did everything I could to earn money... and then she abandoned me. Her name was Bai Weixi, my high school classmate.

"After that, I lost all hope in romance. I didn’t believe in feelings anymore... until I met Bai Weixi’s roommate. She seemed aloof on the outside but was actually incredibly warm-hearted. She gave me warmth when I was at my lowest and most helpless point...

"I don’t know how much time passed in that dream before I suddenly awoke. My personality had become reclusive, even a little twisted. I started to give up on myself... I wanted revenge on Bai Weixi. I wanted to make her pay for treating me so cruelly in that realistic dream world...

"At that time, I just wanted to be a complete scumbag—never initiating, never refusing, and never taking responsibility..."

Jiang Zhiyu rested her chin in her hands, listening quietly to the story Li Yuan described. At some point, crystal-clear tears had welled up in her beautiful eyes...

As if he hadn’t noticed, Li Yuan continued to recount the psychological changes he had undergone.

"On my first day of university, as if by fate, I first met Zhong Tingyue, and then an unfortunate girl in our class who had lost both her parents when she was eight. Her name was Xia Zhijin..."

Li Yuan looked at Jiang Zhiyu, gently stroking her head as he gave a bitter, self-mocking smile.

"And then there was you, Little Fish, who made my heart pound the very first time I saw you, dressed in traditional Hanfu."

"Xia Hua!"

Jiang Zhiyu’s expression was filled with emotion. With tears streaming down her face, she tightly gripped Li Yuan’s large hand with her own soft, pale ones, her gaze blurry as she stared at him.

Li Yuan smiled bitterly in self-mockery. "Influenced by that realistic dream from my past life, I told myself I wanted to be a scumbag. But after meeting you, I found it impossible to be so cruel. I couldn’t stop myself from falling for you, and I became a walking bundle of contradictions..."

After he finished speaking, his gaze fell upon the tearful Jiang Zhiyu. A deep pang of sorrow struck his heart.

This feeling had been a constant torment for a long time, ever since the battleground erupted and he had seen the grief-stricken tears of Zhong Tingyue, Xia Zhijin, and Jiang Zhiyu.

"Little Fish, I don’t know how you see me now, and I know I have no right to ask for your forgiveness.

"It’s true that I initially had the mindset of being a scumbag, but after meeting all of you, I’ve been suffering from this inner torment every single day...

"I’m only telling you this because I want you to know my true thoughts. I don’t want to deceive you, and I will respect any choice you make..."

Jiang Zhiyu stared blankly at Li Yuan, her mind a complete daze. She had never imagined there was such a story between Li Yuan and the three of them. It caught her completely off guard.

Regarding Li Yuan’s other three girlfriends, she had seen their photos, thanks to someone’s deliberate actions, but she knew nothing about the story behind it all. When she first found out he had other girlfriends, she was so furious precisely because she felt deceived.

If Li Yuan didn’t like me, he could have just told me. Why did he have to string me along, never rejecting any of my confessions? Sometimes, I even started to doubt if he was just playing with my feelings and had never truly loved me at all. But a part of me refused to believe that, which is why I went to his book signing, just to watch him in secret... It was that song, "Just Met You," that stirred my heart and made me want to know for sure if he really cared for me, if he truly loved me... That’s why I thought about going abroad, to test his feelings for me... But after hearing the story Li Yuan just told, combined with his reaction when he heard I was leaving and the songs he wrote for me... I refuse to believe he was just deceiving me or playing with my feelings... Because, so many times, I was the one who took the initiative. He had chances to have me completely, but he always held back...

Li Yuan once again gently ruffled Jiang Zhiyu’s hair and brushed the tip of her tear-streaked nose. His voice was low and filled with deep affection as he spoke.

"Little Fish, I don’t want you to leave your friends, your family, or this familiar place because of a scumbag like me.

"I just want you to be happy, to go back to being the playful, cute, quirky, and carefree Little Fish I first met.

"As long as you can be happy, I’m willing to disappear from your life completely.

"Little Fish, promise me you’ll go back to being yourself. Don’t go abroad, okay?"

Listening to Li Yuan’s heartfelt plea, Jiang Zhiyu’s heart was a turmoil of mixed emotions, her mind a swirl of chaotic thoughts. She gazed at his face with a complex expression for a long moment before she finally, slowly, nodded.

"Xia Hua, I promise you!"

Hearing her agree not to go abroad, Li Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. If she had really chosen to study in a foreign country because of me, I would never be able to forgive myself.

Li Yuan looked at her and asked tentatively, "Little Fish, what are your plans now?"

Jiang Zhiyu faltered, her heart suddenly seized by panic. Meeting his gaze, she understood the meaning behind his question. Biting her lip, she shook her head slightly.

"I... I don’t know either!"

A flicker of secret joy crossed Li Yuan’s mind. She didn’t reject me outright. Her hesitation means she still has very deep feelings for me.

"Xia Hua, I truly don’t know how to face you. A part of me can’t bear the thought of letting you go and wants to be with you every single moment. But at the same time, I can’t stand sharing you with other girls. The thought alone is enough to make my heart ache unbearably..."