The words of Yikeng and others still echoed in my ears.
"Not really."
"How can an ordinary person compare to Miss Liang?"
"If it weren't for that girl getting in the way, Manager Yi would have been with Miss Liang long ago."
It turns out I had become the ex he spoke of.
That most disliked ex.
Yes, I had become the person he hated the most.
He is now a successful tech mogul, the dream lover of countless girls.
And I am just an ordinary person who has experienced the devastation of losing my family and the hardships of life.
Ordinary enough that I couldn't even speak loudly in front of him.
Ordinary enough that I could only watch his brilliance from afar, too afraid to approach.
In college, Yikeng was as poor as could be.
But he stood out.
I liked his voice, his eyes, and his upright posture despite being so poorly dressed.
I knew he was short on money.
The financial aid for underprivileged students was taken by someone connected to the counselor, and he kept smoking, taking deep drags and slowly exhaling.
Amidst the swirling smoke, his brows were tightly furrowed.
The evening glow enveloped him as he stood by the window, like a deity.
A statue can only be admired from afar, not desecrated.
But that night, driven by some unseen force, I stepped forward and gently took his hand. "Yikeng, let's date. I'll share my living expenses with you."
I even shamelessly added, "If you're willing, I can pay for your kiss."
He was taken aback, coughing violently and looking at me in disbelief.
I felt my face flush under his gaze, but I stubbornly waited for his answer.
He rejected me.
After being turned down, I still moved on smoothly.
I liked him without seeing him, agreed without confessing, and broke up without being together.
It seemed like life was unaffected.
But I was obstinate.
I couldn't accept it.
I paid off the medical bills for his critically ill grandfather.
Finally, he yielded to me.
I was overjoyed.
I thought I had finally won him over.
Yet he still worked odd jobs to earn a living.
He rarely used my money.
But after that, life became harder for him.
Rumors started to spread in school.
He was given a very unflattering nickname.
The way his classmates looked at him changed.
I didn't understand; everyone had been fine before.
I held him and whispered, "They must be jealous."
But in truth, I didn't really understand him.
I only loved him in my own way.
I never considered whether he accepted that way of love.
In my senior year, my family went bankrupt.
I didn't tell him; I just said we should break up.
I left without telling anyone where I was going.
Three months ago, I returned.
He was doing well and had become a tech mogul.
Before I came back, I had heard that he succeeded and was with Liang Qiuyao.
I felt bittersweet, but I was also happy for him.
At four in the morning, I finished my shift, being the last one to leave.
My colleagues thought no one was left; the lights were off, and the elevator had stopped.
I stood in front of the elevator, irritated, pressing the button hard in an attempt to wake it up.
"Call the engineering department."
Yikeng's voice came from behind me.
After work at the bar, I waited for the elevator alone.
My colleagues had left early, and the elevator was taking its time.
I pressed the button impatiently when a familiar voice sounded behind me: "With such a high salary, do you really need to work overtime until dawn?"
It was Yikeng.
I turned my back to him and calmly replied, "It's not like this every day; we had VIPs today, and we can only leave after they do."
He chuckled lightly, "What’s wrong? No boyfriend to pick you up? Feeling down?"
"I live nearby; I don't need anyone to pick me up."
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