Chapter 265: The Irrepressible Tenderness

Under the ink-black sky, a group of people walked unhurriedly along Zijin Road, passing one streetlamp after another; the dim, bright light stretched their figures long and thin, as if they were about to extend to the edge of the horizon.

The cold wind blew mercilessly, occasionally whipping up waves of dust on the ground, and without a moment's care, Shen Yan got something in his eye.

This made him feel a sense of discomfort and irritation, as if countless fine needles were gently pricking his eyeball.

Rubbing it back and forth did no good.

So he pulled over Wu Yueer, who was beside him, and whispered, "I think I got something in my eye, could you help me blow it out?"

Wu Yueer smiled sweetly; there was only a five-centimeter difference in height between the two, and she stood on her tiptoes slightly to lean in.

And this scene was caught exactly by Yu Youwei, who had quietly turned around to look for Shen Yan.

Her almond-shaped eyes suddenly widened, her fists clenched, and her face was filled with disbelief.

What were the two of them doing?

Standing so close... their faces were still moving closer, and from the inside out, from top to bottom, every movement and expression revealed an ambiguous atmosphere.

No matter how you looked at it, this scene was like the prelude to a kiss.

Yu Youwei's body instantly became incredibly stiff; she subconsciously held her breath, her entire state no different from someone who had been dead for a long time.

That's impossible, aren't they good friends, good buddies? Besides, Shen Yan has a girlfriend, how could he do such a thing so blatantly on the street.

It was just too much!

The most critical thing was.

In the depths of Wu Yueer's eyes was an irrepressible tenderness, a look Yu Youwei had never seen before.

This made her feel almost suffocated.

Yu Youwei subconsciously wanted to call out to stop them, but the situation seemed different from what she had imagined; she saw Shen Yan pull open his right eyelid and lower his head slightly, while Wu Yueer pursed her red lips and blew into Shen Yan's eye with tender affection.

So it turned out there was sand in his eye.

Even so, Yu Youwei still felt heart-wrenching distress, as if her heart were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, making it impossible to breathe, her emotions surging.

So the look in one's eyes when they like someone really does have a glow; at this moment, Yu Youwei finally confirmed her suspicion.

Wu Yueer was indeed fond of Shen Yan.

And it was the kind of affection between a man and a woman, unrelated to friendship.

If this were in the past, Yu Youwei would definitely have rushed forward without hesitation to have it out with Wu Yueer, determined to get to the bottom of things.

But times had changed; what she had seen and heard during this trip to Hengdian, as well as the various things Shen Yan had done, had left Yu Youwei tossing and turning, unable to sleep in the dead of night.

She couldn't help but start to weigh and consider what was worth doing, what was a waste of effort, what human nature was, the causes and consequences, the pros and cons...

For Yu Youwei, these few short days had been longer than a century.

Although her thinking was not yet fully comprehensive, she was no longer that impulsive and irritable naive girl, but someone who knew how to think calmly and weigh the pros and cons.

This transformation did not happen overnight, but was gradually formed through constant self-reflection and growth.

Exposing this on the spot would only make the situation uncontrollable; Yu Youwei believed she still needed to have an in-depth conversation with Wu Yueer first.

To talk openly and honestly.

Thinking of this, she acted as if she hadn't seen that scene just now, turned around, and continued walking with a heavy heart until the two caught up, at which point she said to Wu Yueer in a low voice, "Yue'er, let's find a place to have a good talk."

For some reason, looking at those pupils containing a myriad of emotions and that calm, pure face, Wu Yueer only felt a chill in her heart, as if she were being watched by some dangerous creature.

She asked in confusion, "Talk about what?"

"About you and Shen Yan."

Wu Yueer's heart skipped a beat at first, thinking she had revealed some flaw, but she immediately reacted.

Why talk now of all times?

She figured the little princess was probably being overly sentimental again; she had a mind to ignore her, but that firm gaze revealed an unquestionable radiance.

Fine, let's talk!

So the two found an excuse and slipped away from the main group to wander along the road.

The others didn't pay any attention and continued the previous topic, only hearing Zhu Baoping say, "I really want to start working soon, so I don't have to be as poor as I am now."

Shen Yan replied, "Then you might be too optimistic; not working just means being poor, but once you start working, you're both tired and poor."

"Pfft!"

The group couldn't hold it in and all burst into laughter.

The mischievous Shen Yan was back online.

Luo Qiqi giggled and punched Shen Yan's arm, retorting, "If you want to make money, you definitely have to learn to endure hardship; don't tell me you're waiting for pie to fall from the sky."

Shen Yan nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, yes, that's a very good realization; as long as you are willing to endure hardship, there will be an endless amount of hardship to endure."

Uh...

Luo Qiqi's smile froze.

What he said made so much sense that she was actually speechless.

Luo Qiqi's mother had taught her since she was a child that one must endure the bitterest of the bitter to become the best of the best, and that there is no sweetness without bitterness. Luo Qiqi had always kept her mother's teachings in mind and held onto a firm belief—that a little bitterness and fatigue were nothing, and as long as she persisted, there would eventually come a day when the bitterness would end and the sweetness would begin.

However, to this day, the situation at home had not changed at all; her parents worked hard and diligently from the beginning of the year to the end, but the rewards they received were minimal.

It really did prove that saying: "As long as you are willing to endure hardship, there will be an endless amount of hardship to endure."

This made Luo Qiqi start to reflect: could it be that hard work and dedication cannot bring the desired results?

Once this question arose, it took root in the bottom of her heart.

It wouldn't go away no matter what.

Seeing that even someone as shrewd as Luo Qiqi had almost been led astray, Chen Shanni giggled while unable to help but speak up: "Qiqi, Shen Yan is just joking, you really shouldn't take it seriously."

Zhu Baoping: "Why do I feel like Old Shen makes a lot of sense?"

Shen Yan: "I'm not joking; people shouldn't always endure hardship, otherwise it will become a habit, and when they encounter anything, they will only know how to grit their teeth and push through it, but is this way of life really good?"

"Unless it's a last resort, who would willingly endure hardship? Those farmers and workers can endure hardship, but aren't they still struggling at the bottom of society? You are all highly educated people; you must learn to use your brains and think. The biggest gap between people lies in the gap in cognition and thinking."

These thought-provoking words, like the roots of an old tree, were deeply branded into everyone's hearts and kept echoing there.

Although they didn't quite understand it, they felt it was impressive.

It seemed to make a lot of sense.

Only a few people from difficult family backgrounds nodded as if they had realized something.

At this moment, Zhu Baoping asked another question: "Old Shen, how do you think one can find a woman willing to give her heart and soul to you?"

"Go to Northern Myanmar; I heard there are people there who specialize in this kind of activity," Shen Yan said with a straight face.

"Hahaha!"

Everyone couldn't hold it in again and burst into loud laughter.

Pi Yan truly lived up to his reputation.