Chi You stared at her with that same look.

Xu Xueyin sat up and wiped the water off her face. Her hair was wet, sticking to her cheeks and neck, giving her a disheveled appearance.

“You… Why are you here?” Xu Xueyin asked.

Chi You frowned, “You should thank me first. If it weren’t for me, you would have…”

Chi You didn’t finish her sentence, and it seemed like she was restraining herself from lecturing Xu Xueyin.

Xu Xueyin felt absurd about the thoughts in her mind.

Lecture?

What kind of person was she to herself?

“Chi You.”

Xu Xueyin’s voice was hoarse.

Chi You squinted her eyes, staring at her face.

“Do you… hate me a lot?”

Being splashed with water seemed to make Xu Xueyin look more presentable, an untimely thought crossed Chi You’s mind.

Her tone was cold, “Are you only realizing it now?”

Xu Xueyin’s gaze fell to the floor, “Then why did you come to save me?”

Chi You replied, “Even if it wasn’t you, I would have come anyway.”

Xu Xueyin remained silent.

She looked pitiful, and after a couple of seconds, she suddenly laughed in a self-deprecating manner, “Why do you have the right to hate me? I’ve lived miserably for so many years, isn’t it because of you? You took away everything that belonged to me!”

If it wasn’t for Chi You, she would have grown up in the Chi family. She wouldn’t have been looked down upon by these people, nor would she have been casually taken to a hotel.

It was all Chi You’s fault.

Everything was Chi You’s fault!

Chi You stood by the bed, coldly observing her expression. After a moment, she said softly, “If I could, I wouldn’t want to grow up in the Chi family either.”

She didn’t want to be in the Chi family, but she had no choice.

Those intangible things she couldn’t touch – ideals, wishes, freedom…

They were like stars in the sky.

She couldn’t reach them, so she hoped someone else could pluck them for her.

But she didn’t find the right person, and in the end, she didn’t get her stars.

So later on, she became her own star.

Xu Xueyin shivered, lifted her head with wide eyes, and spoke sharply, “Is it still meaningful for you to say these things now? You, who were pampered and raised in comfort all these years! Now, you’re the one who’s free and unrestrained, not subject to any rules! What else do you have to say?!”

Chi You’s eyes flickered.

She stared at Xu Xueyin for a moment, and a meaningless smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

The girl didn’t say another word to her; she turned around and left the room.

…

The good mood that had come from the outing was completely ruined. He Cheran coaxed Chi You to eat a few more bites of cake, but in the end, the girl left with a cold expression.

During this time, the weather had turned colder. When Chi You arrived home, she took off her coat and, while changing shoes, noticed Gu Jingxu’s pair of shoes also in the entranceway.

She peeked into the living room, finding it empty.

“Gu Jingxu?”

“Hmm?” A man’s voice echoed from the study, and the next moment, Gu Jingxu walked out.

“Why are you only coming back now? Are you hungry?”

He reached out to hold her hand, but Chi You slightly avoided it.

“Not hungry, I want yogurt.”

Gu Jingxu had bought some from the supermarket earlier, so he turned around to get it from the fridge.

Chi You washed her hands, came back, and sat by the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room. She saw Gu Jingxu pouring two glasses of yogurt.

The man who used to always have coffee in hand was now getting used to the taste of milk.

Chi You took one glass, brought it to her lips, and took a sip.

Gu Jingxu had been busy with work recently, and now that he had a bit more time, he wanted to take Chi You out on a date. However, he hadn’t decided where to go yet. While thinking about how to ask her about her preferred places subtly, Chi You suddenly looked at him seriously.

“Gu Jingxu, if I weren’t Chi You…”

Chi You pursed her lips, saying, “If I had a different face, would you still want to keep me by your side?”

Gu Jingxu was stunned.

He held the glass in his hand, and a momentary panic flashed across his mind.

Chi You had initially just wanted to casually ask, but on the way back, she had thought about many things and almost got tangled up in her own thoughts. The moment the words came out, she actually had already figured it out.

She was still Chi You.

This face was also her original face.

Chi You has always been herself since she met Gu Jingxu.

She didn’t need to ponder over those things.

However, after seeing Gu Jingxu’s reaction, these thoughts seemed to vanish in an instant.

She blinked twice and suddenly smiled, “What’s the silence supposed to mean?”

Gu Jingxu looked bewildered, and his Adam’s apple moved up and down. He said, “I just… haven’t figured out how to answer that question.”

Chi You raised an eyebrow.

“Then wait until you figure it out before answering.”

The girl gently placed the glass down and stood up to leave.

Gu Jingxu’s heart suddenly trembled. He instinctively reached out to stop Chi You, and in the process, the yogurt in the cup spilled.

Gu Jingxu’s heart skipped a beat. Looking up, he saw Chi You looking down at him coldly.

After a moment, she furrowed her brows and spoke with a hint of impatience, “This is my new dress.”

Gu Jingxu panicked, “You…”

“Wash it for me.”

Chi You avoided his hand, finally finding an outlet for her emotions, “It’s expensive, so it needs to be hand-washed.”