Master Lie could see her change, but there was nothing he could do. Time, place, and circumstances all forbade it; no matter how many cunning plans he had, he could only watch helplessly.

Explain to Chen Yanfei? Unrealistic. And explain what? The facts were undeniable; there was no reason for Chen Yanfei to be mollified.

Force Pan Ge to back down and tell her to stop causing trouble? The family had just agreed to the engagement; Han Lie couldn't bear to hurt her feelings. In terms of intimacy and importance, Pan Ge clearly ranked above all other women.

Try to appease both sides to muddle through for now? Contemptible, and impossible.

Among these youngsters around, who is worthy of watching me lose my composure?!

At this moment, anything he did would only make things worse. Any attempt to save face would only cost him more and make him a laughingstock to outsiders.

Han Lie could only remain silent, waiting for Pan Ge to make her move.

At this moment, his heart was filled with deep emotion.

That year, at eighteen, he had stood on the grounds of his alma mater, aimlessly watching the privileged elite, those golden boys and girls, wantonly squandering their youth, while he himself wandered like a nobody.

Back then, loser Lie, whenever he saw Chen Yanfei's smile, would subconsciously straighten his back. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

But, barely a year had passed in physical time, and Han Lie no longer needed anyone to give him Strength.

There's no going back...

That kind of Strength derived from others was too illusory; ultimately, it wasn't as meaningful as one's own growth.

The benefit of growth was—Han Lie no longer feared losing anyone, even if she had been the pillar of his soul during his youth.

The cost of growth, however, was—Han Lie no longer feared losing anyone; he had permanently lost a certain pure and sincere emotion.

Just at this instant, upon realizing he wasn't fearful, anxious, or frightened about anything that might happen next, Han Lie finally, completely let go.

I will eventually become His. Let it begin from this moment...

Pan Ge indeed had no intention of abandoning her plan to utterly crush Chen Yanfei. She smiled like a blooming flower, gently nestling beside Han Lie, and winked at Chen Yanfei.

"Oh, right, it's time to reintroduce him to you—Han Lie, my fiancé..."

CRACK! A metaphorical thunderbolt struck Chen Yanfei, leaving her utterly devastated.

"What does that mean?!"

Chen Yanfei's eyes widened, her voice trembling, and she immediately spun her head to look at Han Lie.

The bastard sighed silently and calmly took the initiative to explain, "Pan Ge's parents are visiting my home. They arrived quite suddenly, but their timing was perfect. If all goes well, we should be engaged next year..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Chen Yanfei's eyes had turned completely red.

She glared fiercely at Han Lie, then suddenly turned without a word and rushed out of the private room.

The room instantly fell into an eerie silence.

The classmates at the table were all dumbfounded. No one had expected that a gathering that was supposed to be peaceful and harmonious would suddenly erupt with such explosive drama.

Damn you, Han Lie! So you were two-timing, and it all blew up in your face, huh?!

Who knew how many people, amidst their shock, were starting to revel in his misfortune. And Wen Yu was still there, quietly fanning the flames.

The little snake, Wen Yu, feigned exaggerated shock, trying to get a rise out of Han Lie: "Brother Lie, after seeing you and Chen Yanfei interact yesterday, I really thought you two were an item! So, you actually have an official fiancée, huh?!"

Han Lie was extremely annoyed; a fire seemed to burn in his chest. But he didn't want to lash out now, and certainly not at Pan Ge.

"Satisfied now?"

He shook his head with a wry smile and took Pan Ge's hand. "If you are, let's go. There are many people waiting at home."

Pan Ge was taken aback; her trembling hand suddenly steadied.

Actually, after Pan Ge had taken it upon herself to confront and drive away Chen Yanfei, she had felt a little uneasy, wondering how Han Lie would react.

The result... was quite unexpected, yet it aligned with her understanding of Han Lie.

My man is truly magnanimous!

Faced with such an unavoidably tumultuous scene and a foregone conclusion, he truly displayed the magnanimity and bearing of a superior man.

I think... I've fallen even more hopelessly devoted to you...

She smiled sweetly, regaining her composure. Her voice, now tinged with an indescribable sense of ease and affection, softly replied, "Okay, let's go home!"

And just like that, she followed Han Lie out, ignoring everyone else.

The clever girl had long since realized that no one present was truly Han Lie's friend. That being the case, why should I, a princess, waste any expressions on them?

Han Lie, however, paused as he passed Niu Ben.

Niu Ben tensed all his muscles, subconsciously feeling a bit nervous.

No, he was quite nervous.

He didn't understand why, but he genuinely felt a strong sense of apprehension and fear towards Han Lie.

It was actually due to Han Lie's inscrutable composure, his ability to remain unfazed even if Mount Tai were to collapse before him.

At their current age, such profound composure was far beyond their comprehension, naturally fostering an intuitive judgment: He is far stronger than I am.

No reason was needed, nor any other corroborating evidence; the more sensitive a person was, the more acutely they could perceive that disparity.

"Brother Lie?"

Niu Ben suppressed all his rebelliousness, naturally adopting a more deferential posture, and spoke tentatively.

Han Lie didn't respond immediately.

He patted his pocket, then frowned slightly. After a moment, he casually unfastened the LV watch from his wrist and handed it to Niu Ben.

"Huh?"

Niu Ben was stunned.

Han Lie said nonchalantly, "I came in a hurry and didn't prepare a gift. Just take this watch. It's nothing valuable, just an LV fashion watch. It sells for 90,000 euros abroad, so theoretically, it's worth over a million in China. But honestly, you'd be lucky to get even thirty percent of that selling it second-hand."