Chapter 8

Meng Yuan had first noticed me because of my ‘romance’ with Jiang Dai.

By then, he’d graduated and gone abroad.

But students were still passing around stories about us and photos of us together.

“Good looks, a great boyfriend, good grades. Everything went your way.

“I thought that was wrong. Everyone ought to have something missing in their life, so other people can feel better about theirs.

“But you didn’t just get into a prestigious university. You kept getting more popular too.”

“So you came to my university and tried to steal my boyfriend?”

She bit her lip.

“At first, yes. But not any more.

“Xu Lang’s rich and handsome, but the moment you dumped him, he lost all his appeal to me.

“When I realised that, I lay awake all night. Eventually I understood: I couldn’t tell envy from aspiration.

“That resentful feeling I got whenever I heard about you was really longing.

“I just wanted to be like you.”

Meng Yuan was only a first-year student. The way she thought about things was still immature.

But I wasn’t going to tell her.

That I had parents who valued sons over daughters.

That I’d been betrayed and ostracised by a close friend.

That I was two-faced and petty, always scheming behind people’s backs.

That I needed money so badly I didn’t care whom I used.

Where there was light, there was shadow.

I didn’t believe I owed anyone my blood and tears to fill a hole in their life.

“Meng Yuan, you’re you, and I’m me. Understanding that is enough.”

I never saw her again after that day.

Time hurried past.

I got the offer and scholarship from the university I wanted.

The only problem was that the scholarship wouldn’t cover my living expenses. I also needed proof of a certain amount in savings.

I found my parents’ phone number, but couldn’t bring myself to press Call.

If they learned I planned to go abroad, they probably wouldn’t just refuse to provide proof of funds. They’d start arranging blind dates for me.

In the end, I called Jiang Dai.

Zhou Mingxi answered.

Her voice was courteous and considerate once more.

“Su Ying, would you like to come to our engagement ceremony?”

After I showed my invitation, a waiter politely led me inside.

Zhou Mingxi had excellent taste.

Everything at the engagement banquet was beautiful, from the decorations to the food.

Of course, the most dazzling sight was the couple themselves.

They stood onstage in the lights, receiving applause and everyone’s good wishes.

“Not jealous?”

At some point, Xu Lang had appeared beside me.

I smiled. “Of course I am. Someone else’s fiancé can handle a problem and has good manners. Unlike my ex, who’s completely useless when it counts.”

His face turned green at the jab, but the occasion kept him from making a scene.

I turned away and took a glass from the champagne tower Zhou Mingxi and Jiang Dai had filled together.

A little luck from the rich lady and the rich gentleman couldn’t hurt.

They came round making toasts. When they reached me, Jiang Dai looked distinctly surprised.

“I invited her,” Zhou Mingxi explained with a smile.

She clinked her glass against mine. “Su Ying, I hear you’ve got into a good university. Your supervisor is very well known in the field. Perhaps we’ll have a chance to work together in future.”

She never mentioned what she’d done to me. She simply put possible future interests on the table as her bargaining chip for making peace.

To achieve big things, you needed a thick skin.

I took a sip and smiled too. “I’d look forward to that.”

I didn’t know why getting into a university had changed her attitude so dramatically, in an age when people with master’s degrees were everywhere. But I’d always known when to take an opening.

“You had something to talk to Jiang Dai about, didn’t you?” she said cheerfully. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Nearly two years had passed since I’d last seen him. He looked more mature.

“Your supervisor rarely takes students from China,” he said. “Mingxi’s been trying to make contact for ages without any luck.”

So that explained it.

I raised my glass. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” he said evenly.

A moment of silence hung between us.

I asked the question I had no right to ask anyway. “Do you like her?”

“She doesn’t like me either.”

I nodded and decided to ask another foolish question.

“Then why get married? For money? Don’t you already have more than you could ever spend?”

He didn’t laugh at me.

“Combining our resources will let me put the plans I want into motion,” he explained patiently.

Everyone had a central purpose to pursue in life.

Everything else had to give way to it.

“In the novels I used to read, domineering CEOs never had to compromise for ‘resources’. They just did whatever they wanted.”

“I’m a company president, not the president of a country. If I had the final say in everything, why would I bother doing business? I might as well be emperor.”

That made me laugh.

Jiang Dai looked at me intently for a while, then smiled too.

He handed me a bank card.

There was enough money on it for me to finish my studies comfortably.

“Su Ying, I wish you all the best.”

I’d come to his engagement banquet to borrow money.

I just hadn’t expected that, this time, he wouldn’t make me ask.

“This is a loan. I’ll pay you back.”

“All right.”