Chapter Twenty: Yan Mu’s Close Friend

Several months had passed, and the college entrance exams were fast approaching. Ye Mengxia was still asleep when her phone rang, displaying an unfamiliar number.

She narrowed her eyes and smiled faintly, already knowing who it was—Su Yichen’s father. In the comic, he was the wealthy and powerful mogul of City B, and Su Yichen was his illegitimate son. The call was meant to bring him home.

All these months, Su Yichen’s restlessness must have stemmed from this.

“Hello…” she answered the call with a calm indifference.

An hour later, Su Yichen was at her door, knocking urgently. The pounding pulled her from bed, and she quickly changed before opening the door.

Su Yichen held her tightly. “Mengxia, thank goodness you’re still here.”

She had to admit, over the past months he was becoming more and more like his comic counterpart. She patted him gently and turned to close the door.

“What’s wrong? Why are you here so early?”

Su Yichen’s gaze flickered; he smiled and shook his head. “The exams are coming soon. I just wanted to see you.”

“Mengxia, let me take you out for dinner. It’s been so long since we went out together.”

Ye Mengxia’s smile was faint, her eyes distant. “Let’s wait until after the exams, then we can go.”

Suddenly, Su Yichen grabbed her hand. “Mengxia, you’re not going to leave me, are you?” There was a trace of fear in his eyes.

Ye Mengxia squeezed his hand back and recited the line from the comic, “Of course not. After the exams, we can apply to the same university, and then we’ll always be together.”

His grip hurt her hand.

This wasn’t the first time Su Yichen had lost control. Perhaps influenced by the comic, he was becoming increasingly possessive.

After Su Yichen left, Ye Mengxia lay back in bed, expressionless.

Time seemed to pass faster and faster. That day, Xi Yue came to visit her; her expression was solemn. “Mengxia, have you noticed how quickly time is moving?”

“What’s wrong? Didn’t it speed up by a year before?”

Xi Yue shook her head and asked, “Where’s the book? How far have you and he progressed?”

She took the book from her drawer and opened to chapter fifty. “Here. A few days ago, his father called me. According to the story, after the exams, he’ll leave with his father.”

Xi Yue’s expression grew sadder. “But why is Xiaofeng’s condition worsening? He’s not getting any better. Why has it turned out like this?”

“Mengxia, what should I do? The doctor says Xiaofeng only has a month left, but just a few days ago he seemed almost recovered.”

Ye Mengxia looked at her, unsure what to say. Perhaps… No…

“Perhaps Ye Xingchen hasn’t disappeared,” she suddenly thought, carefully flipping through the book, examining every word. At last, she found an unnamed character in the supporting cast.

Yan Mu’s classmate, good friend, loves playing basketball.

Xi Yue said, “You mean everything that’s changed can be changed back, as long as you follow the prescribed path. Ye Xingchen hasn’t disappeared; his presence has simply been erased.”

Xi Yue grew anxious. “Mengxia, what about Xiaofeng? Please help him. Can you visit him tomorrow? Maybe he’ll get better if you do.”

Ye Mengxia understood Xi Yue’s desperation. “Alright, I’ll try.”

“Thank you, Mengxia.”

The next day, Ye Mengxia quickly got ready and headed to school. She memorized the description of the character and waited at Yan Mu’s classroom. Yan Mu had just finished a cup of soy milk and was startled to see her.

“You—why are you here again?” He wasn’t eager to help her pack again.

Ye Mengxia nodded and smiled, handing him a carton of milk. “This is for you.”

“Huh?” Yan Mu looked puzzled. Was she falling for him? He hoped not—he shook his head quickly. “No thanks, I’ve already had something.”

“Oh.” Of course she knew—she’d seen him finish his soy milk upstairs. She’d brought the milk on purpose. “Actually, I need a favor.”

Yan Mu relaxed. “Oh, that’s easy. What is it?”

“I’m moving, but I have a lot of stuff. Do you have time to help me? Maybe you could bring some friends, especially that friend who’s really good at basketball. Could he come?”

Yan Mu was stunned for a moment before replying, “He should be able to. I’ll text him, and if he can come I’ll call you.”

“Okay.” Ye Mengxia clutched her phone, both hopeful and anxious.

At noon, she and Xi Yue visited the hospital. Xiaofeng lay in bed, hooked up to various tubes, his face pale, but he smiled when he saw them.

“Xiaofeng, how are you? Did you eat well today?”

“Big sister, Xiaofeng ate well. Who is this pretty sister?”

“She’s my best friend—she came to see you.”

Ye Mengxia’s eyes stung. She stepped forward and took Xiaofeng’s hand. “When you’re better, I’ll take you to the amusement park. How about it?”

“Okay, I love going out to play.”

Outside the hospital, Xi Yue wiped her tears. “Thank you, Mengxia.”

“It’s nothing.”

Ye Mengxia didn’t know how to comfort her. If nothing had changed, her life wouldn’t be so painful—but if nothing changed, Xiaofeng might have already left.

So, she always believed that whether to change or not, one should follow their heart.

Afternoon came quickly. During class, she finished the math test and handed it in, then hurried to Yan Mu’s classroom.

She searched, but Yan Mu was gone, and there was no message on her phone. Sitting on the stairs, she dialed his number; thankfully, he answered.

“Hello?” she spoke anxiously. “Yan Mu, where are you? Are you still coming?”

“We are. I forgot to tell you—my phone died, so I went to the shop to charge it.”

“And him—your friend, is he coming?” she asked nervously.

Yan Mu replied, “Oh, he’s here. I see you now.”

Ye Mengxia looked up. Standing next to Yan Mu was Ye Xingchen. In that instant, she couldn’t hold back her tears.

Yan Mu and his friends came up, startled by the scene. “You—there’s no need to cry like this.”

Ye Mengxia quickly wiped her tears. “It’s nothing. I just got something in my eye. Come, I’ll treat you all to dinner at my place.”

“Dinner? Aren’t we moving?”

“Oh, right, but let’s eat first. We can move after.” Ye Mengxia kept her gaze fixed on Ye Xingchen.

In the car, Yan Mu sat in the middle, Ye Xingchen by the door. She walked around to his side, opened the door, and nodded at him. He glanced at her, nudged Yan Mu aside, and moved over a seat.

Yan Mu was puzzled, mumbling, “Why did you go around?”

She said nothing, leaning against the car, savoring Ye Xingchen’s presence. It was the happiest she’d been in months. She pointed at him casually. “You—are you strong?”

She just wanted to talk to him.

Ye Xingchen replied, “Not bad.”

Hearing his voice, Ye Mengxia smiled. “That’s wonderful…”

Yan Mu muttered, “…What kind of conversation is this? Isn’t it odd?”