She said this casually, with a bit of banter and self - mockery.
After all, the last time they met at the high - school gate, they had discussed the topic of puppy love.
Pei Jiangmu said that she didn't seem like the type to have a puppy love.
And he himself had never had a puppy love either.
But college doesn't fall into the category of puppy love. Imagining a campus romance sounds so wonderful.
However, this sentence once again precisely stepped on Pei Jiangmu's sore spot.
Last time, she said she had a crush on someone in high school.
Now, she was regretting not knowing if she had been in a relationship in college.
Was she really so infatuated with that guy?
She could forget everything, but she just couldn't forget her longing for that person?
And she even felt sorry for missing out on it?
Wasn't she already in a relationship with him when she was in college?
So in her heart, it wasn't a real relationship at all. It was just his coercion, right?
The color instantly faded from Pei Jiangmu's face. His heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand, bringing a sharp pain and a sense of suffocation.
The hand hanging by his side tightened unconsciously, and his knuckles turned white.
But he quickly forced himself to relax. He mustn't show any abnormality in front of her.
He managed to pull out a smile that looked a bit shy and a bit helpless, but his voice was slightly strained.
"Please don't make fun of me, sister. I just want to focus on my studies and find a good job now. I'm not considering anything else for the time being."
He lowered his head to hide the surging dark emotions in his eyes.
Inside, his heart was filled with jealousy. The sourness and violence intertwined, almost devouring him.
Meng Ruozhao didn't notice his abnormality. She just finished the cake and then threw herself into work.
Pei Jiangmu stayed by her side to help all the time.
They didn't talk constantly, but they were very in sync, giving a sense of peaceful years.
For three consecutive days, Meng Ruozhao went back and forth between the apartment and "Fuyunxuan" like a pendulum.
During this period, Yan Qiubai didn't contact her.
If it weren't for Du Feng constantly contacting her in various ways and urging her to apologize,
she would almost have thought that Yan Qiubai had silently accepted their breakup.
However, she knew clearly that Du Feng's actions, to a certain extent, represented Yan Qiubai's intentions.
That is to say, Yan Qiubai didn't seem to want to break up with her.
But why?
She really couldn't understand.
In the past six months, her resistance to Yan Qiubai was obvious to him.
The way they got along didn't seem like a couple's at all.
Wasn't he tired of it yet?
She couldn't figure it out, so she decided to take things as they came and wait for him to contact her.
But after three days, Yan Qiubai still didn't contact her.
She didn't want to wait any longer. She took the initiative to contact Yan Qiubai, intending to end this relationship completely.
However, it was Yan Qiubai's assistant, Zhou Qiao, who answered the phone.
Zhou Qiao's voice was as formulaic and polite as ever, but there was a hint of imperceptible haste.
"Ms. Meng, hello."
"Mr. Yan is currently out of the country. He flew to the United States urgently yesterday to deal with some sudden and important matters. He can't contact you for the time being."
"If you have anything to say, you can tell me first. I'll convey it for you."
"Or, you can wait until Mr. Yan comes back in about a week and then..."
Sudden matters? An urgent flight to the United States?
Meng Ruozhao held the phone and was stunned for a moment.
Her first reaction was whether Yan Qiubai was deliberately avoiding her and using a stalling tactic.
But after thinking carefully, she felt it was unlikely.
With Yan Qiubai's proud personality, he wouldn't use such an almost evasive method.
Maybe he really encountered some tough business problems.
She was silent for a few seconds and then replied calmly.
"No need to convey it. It's not an urgent matter. I'll wait until he comes back. Thank you, Assistant Zhou."
After hanging up the phone, she looked out of the window and let out a soft sigh.
A week is just a week. It won't affect her decision.
She put this matter aside for the time being and devoted herself more whole - heartedly to the costume preparation for the Republic - of - China drama "Old Friends in the Mountains and Seas".
However, one week passed, and then two weeks...
Yan Qiubai didn't return to China as Assistant Zhou had said. There wasn't even a single piece of news.
She would occasionally check the news online.
She saw a trending topic that mentioned that the Yan Group seemed to be in big trouble.
Their recently launched core project, which had a huge investment, was being sniped by a strong competitor. The future was uncertain, and billions of investment might go down the drain.
The report was written in obscure language. Meng Ruozhao didn't understand much about business operations, so she only got a vague idea.
But she could sense that the Yan family must be in a complete mess recently.
And soon, this trending topic disappeared.
Although she didn't understand business, she understood the meaning of trying to cover up something.
It was obvious that the trouble the Yan Group was facing was real.
No wonder Yan Qiubai hadn't contacted her recently.
Moreover, Du Feng and Xia Lian also miraculously stopped calling to urge or threaten her.
It made sense. If the Yan family was really in a crisis, the value of this engagement to the Du family would be greatly reduced.
Naturally, they lost their previous eagerness and were probably secretly observing the follow - up development.
Meng Ruozhao was glad for the peace.
She silently assumed that her relationship with Yan Qiubai had naturally ended because of the long - term disconnection and the previous conflict.
So she stopped thinking about it and threw herself whole - heartedly into work.
One month later, "Old Friends in the Mountains and Seas" officially started filming.
As the main clothing sponsor for the leading actress, Meng Ruozhao needed to stay with the crew for a while.
This was to fine - tune and perfect the costumes at any time according to the on - site shooting effects and the director's requirements.
The day after the opening ceremony, she brought several sets of prepared costumes and tools to the film and television base.
While communicating with the costume - department colleagues, she suddenly felt a pair of eyes staring at her.
She instinctively turned around.
Not far away, the actress Yi Mo, who was playing the leading actress, was looking straight at her.
She was wearing a cheongsam from the drama, with delicate makeup, but she frowned slightly, and her eyes were full of exploration and uncertainty.
Meng Ruozhao was a bit confused. What was with that look in her eyes? Did she dislike the clothes?
She politely nodded to Yi Mo and was about to continue with her work.
Unexpectedly, Yi Mo walked towards her.
"Sorry to bother you."
Yi Mo's voice was clear and pleasant, but there was a hint of hesitation.
"May I ask your name?"
"Hello, Ms. Yi. I'm Meng Ruozhao. I'm in charge of some of the costumes for your drama."
Meng Ruozhao replied politely.
Yi Mo didn't follow up on the topic of costumes. Instead, she sized Meng Ruozhao up carefully for a few more times and finally couldn't help asking.
"May I be so bold as to ask if you went to Xingxing Kindergarten in Haicheng when you were a child?"
Meng Ruozhao was completely stunned. There was obvious surprise in her eyes.
"Xingxing Kindergarten?"
She paused for a moment and then added helplessly.
"Sorry, I had a car accident six months ago and lost most of my memories. I don't remember anything about my childhood."
"Amnesia?!"
An expression of sudden realization instantly appeared on Yi Mo's face, which was then replaced by great excitement and surprise.
"No wonder! No wonder you seemed to have no idea who I was! I thought I had mistaken you for someone else!"
"However, although you've grown up, your facial features haven't changed much!"