He tricked the female lead into becoming his boyfriend, but then went on to criticize the male lead.

A huge question immediately arose in Sang Jiuning's mind, and she couldn't help but wonder: Why did he come back?

Didn't Weng Zhicheng go abroad to study a long time ago?

She stood there stunned for two seconds, her gaze fixed on him, somewhat taken aback by this unexpected encounter.

At that moment, Weng Zhicheng, who was under the tree, accurately spotted her in the crowd.

His eyes lit up slightly, and he walked straight out from under the tree. Looking at her from a few steps away, his tone carried a casual ease, as if they were reunited after a long separation. He raised his hand to greet her: "Sang Jiuning?!"

He paused for a moment, then asked softly, "Do you have time? Let's talk?"

Sang Jiuning suppressed her surprise and slowly walked towards him.

The two stood in the shade of the tree, surrounded by classmates coming and going, chatting and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere that made their solitude all the more conspicuous.

The first thought that came to Sang Jiuning's mind was Su Qingyan.

Everyone knows that Weng Zhicheng used to be completely devoted to Su Qingyan, and he pursued her for more than half a year, which was common knowledge in the school.

So what else could he want besides finding out about Su Qingyan when he came back to find me?

With this in mind, Sang Jiuning spoke first, her tone calm and natural: "You're looking for Qingyan?"

She was certain that this was the reason he had sought her out.

After all, she and Su Qingyan were classmates and roommates.

But Weng Zhicheng gently shook his head, his eyes serious, without the slightest hesitation: "No, I'm looking for you."

Upon hearing this, Sang Jiuning was completely stunned.

She frowned slightly, pondering over and over in her mind: Looking for her? What could she possibly want with her? She and he were never close, at most they had only bumped into each other a few times on the street.

Completely baffled, she simply asked, "What do you want with me?"

Weng Zhicheng's gaze slowly descended, landing on her fair and delicate face. His eyes were exceptionally serious, without a trace of jest.

He paused for a brief moment, as if making a serious decision, and then said clearly, word by word, "Be my girlfriend."

Sang Jiuning: "???!!!"

At that moment, her mind went completely blank, as if fireworks had suddenly exploded, leaving her in a chaotic mess, her mind filled with disbelief.

Is Weng Zhicheng going to pursue her?

Didn't he always like Su Qingyan? How come he suddenly fell for someone else and came back to me?

She was completely stunned.

A profound sense of shock enveloped her, leaving her momentarily at a loss for how to react.

A dozen seconds later, Sang Jiuning barely came to her senses and subconsciously raised her right hand, revealing the plain band ring on her ring finger (the pink diamond one was too eye-catching, so Sang Jiuning asked Wen Zhaoci to replace it with a simple plain band like his), and gently dangled it.

She spoke calmly and bluntly: "I'm married."

These words, though seemingly casual, shattered all of Weng Zhicheng's courage and resolve.

When it was Weng Zhicheng's turn to be completely stunned, the seriousness in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by shock and disbelief.

He stared blankly at the ring on her finger, his pupils slightly contracting, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

She said she didn't have a boyfriend, but that she was married.

No one knew that he had thought everything through long ago when he made this special trip back to China.

During his six months abroad, he gradually realized that he had been stringing Su Qingyan along all along. Su Qingyan enjoyed his kindness while never giving him a clear answer, keeping things ambiguous and wearing him down.

A few days ago, he overheard that Su Qingyan had already withdrawn from school and left the city and the school completely.

At that moment, he finally let go of that obsession in his heart.

It was only after calming down that he slowly remembered Sang Jiuning.

He and Sang Jiuning weren't very close, but they would always bump into each other unexpectedly when they were in school.

Corridors, playgrounds, school gates—all sorts of places.

He had always had a good impression of this little girl; she was clean and neat, with a gentle and tidy personality, and a sweet smile that made her particularly likable.

He had originally planned to try pursuing her after returning to China to fill the void in his heart.

But to everyone's surprise, after all the twists and turns, it was still too late.

Weng Zhicheng's voice instantly turned somber, filled with obvious disappointment and melancholy. He asked again in a low voice, "You're not kidding me, are you? Seriously?"

Seeing the disappointment in his eyes, Sang Jiuning understood slightly. She nodded gently, her tone firm and without a trace of falsehood: "Really."

Fearing he wouldn't believe her, she added, "You might even know my husband; his name is Wen Zhaoci."

Upon hearing those three words, the last glimmer of hope in Weng Zhicheng's heart was completely extinguished.

How could he not recognize Wen Zhaoci?

They were originally from the same social circle.

To prevent their descendants from being unruly and causing trouble, all top families have their children recognize each other's faces from a young age by having peers in the social circle look at their photos.

Even if they don't usually interact or have a close relationship, everyone knows each other's names and appearances very clearly.

The disappointment in Weng Zhicheng's eyes deepened, and his tone carried a hint of helpless self-mockery: "Yes, I do know him."

He paused, then said softly, "My phone number and his number differ by only one digit at the end."

Sang Jiuning listened, her eyebrows curving slightly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile flashing in her eyes, and softly replied, "Yes, I know."

Of course she knew.

In the very beginning, she accidentally added the wrong person on WeChat, which led to her meeting Wen Zhaoci by sheer coincidence.

Looking at her gentle features, Weng Zhicheng felt even more regretful.

To be honest, if Sang Jiuning only had a boyfriend, he might still be unwilling to accept it and would still think about whether he should persist and try to win her over or steal her away.

But she directly said that she was married.

Then there really won't be any chance at all.

Marriage is different from dating; it's a real status and a destination, and there's no room for overstepping boundaries.

Moreover, the other party was Wen Zhaoci.

Wen Zhaoci was a notoriously ruthless character in their entire elite circle. She was cold-blooded, extremely possessive, and her methods were not to be underestimated.

Everyone in the circle knows that no one dares to, and would never, provoke Wen Zhaoci, let alone try to steal his girlfriend; that would be asking for trouble.

Weng Zhicheng was completely heartbroken; all his hopes had vanished, leaving only deep regret.

That's probably what it means to be destined to meet but not to be together.

He took a deep breath, suppressing all the disappointment and melancholy in his heart, composed himself, and forced a faint expression, saying softly, "That's alright then. I wish you happiness. Goodbye."

Continuing to argue like this would be inappropriate.

Sang Jiuning watched his lonely figure as he walked away, and said in a calm and polite tone, "Goodbye."

Weng Zhicheng didn't look back. He turned and walked straight out of the tree-lined path, his steps heavy with melancholy, until he disappeared completely into the crowd.