Chapter 10 Rivals

una, leaving their bodies feeling heavy as if encased in thick armor. Now that they could rinse off here, it was incredibly refreshing.The group did not wash for long; they washed briefly until they f...Chapter 10: Arch-Enemy

Zhou Guangtao took out a wad of money from his pocket and handed it to Yan Luoxi, saying, "You've started working now; you're practically an adult. Take this money and buy yourself some nice clothes."

"I don't want it, I don't want it! I have my own money," Yan Luoxi quickly declined, glancing at the thickness of the wad which indicated a considerable amount.

The more unfortunate she was, the stronger she had to be. When Yan Luoxi first left the Li family, she did carry some money with her. She used this money to live by dodging and weaving for a while but later when her health deteriorated, part of it went towards medical expenses.

Finally, she came to this city, rented out a small room, found herself a cram school, and the following year paid a high price to have someone help her sign up for college entrance exams. After being accepted into university, she spent more money on tuition fees, with what was left covering her living expenses.

Four years of university life required considerable spending; the money in her possession gradually dwindled down. She then started working part-time while studying. Even after reuniting with Zhou Guangtao, she insisted that she had enough money and refused to accept any financial help from him or allow He Yufan and Ye Wenxin to disclose her predicament to Zhou Guangtao.

Zhou Guangtao was busy at work and often traveled abroad. In the beginning, he didn't notice anything amiss but later could vaguely sense that Yan Luoxi was financially strapped—she almost never bought new clothes nor went out for extravagant meals. Of course, he wanted to help her, yet each time he offered money she resolutely refused; even when giving her gifts, she would only accept after a heated argument.

They had grown up together since childhood and Zhou Guangtao knew that despite her outwardly composed demeanor, Yan Luoxi was actually quite stubborn. Especially after experiencing numerous family upheavals, she had cultivated an indomitable spirit.

She hated others' sympathy towards her; she needed to rely on her own resilience to live a vibrant life. Facing life's challenges, she would never be the weakling in need of pity—a point proven long ago.

But he wasn't just anyone; as her boyfriend, he always wanted to do something for her. Each time he tried to help and was rejected left him feeling increasingly uncomfortable.

"Luoxi, you must take this money. It's a happy occasion that you've started working, and as your boyfriend, it's only natural I want to give you a gift."

Zhou Guangtao grabbed her hand, pushing the money into hers.

"You don't have to give me money for gifts. Just buy me flowers!" Yan Luoxi struggled with Zhou Guangtao, refusing to accept his money.

"I don't want to give you flowers, I just want to give you some money so that you can buy yourself a piece of clothing. There's no other meaning behind it." Over the past two years, Zhou Guangtao has tried countless ways to help Yan Luoxi, but every time he ends up with the same result—she struggles and pushes the money back at him.

The bills slipped from their hands onto the ground during their struggle. People passing by the dormitory entrance began giving them strange looks.

Such a stubborn Yan Luoxi is really frustrating. Zhou Guangtao was beginning to lose his temper. He stopped and said, somewhat agitatedly, "Yan Luoxi, why are you so awkward Why do you have to be so clear about this Even if I am not your boyfriend, I'm still your brother, it's only natural for me to give you money!"

Yan Luoxi clenched her fingers tightly and dug them into the flesh of her palm. She lowered her head to avoid his intense gaze and apologized softly, "I’m sorry, I just don’t want to spend your money!"

"You never saw me as your boyfriend in the first place, so you keep acting like a stranger around me, right" Zhou Guangtao rarely showed any emotions, but tonight he was truly angered by Yan Luoxi's stubbornness. His voice became somewhat agitated, "Are you afraid that if you take my money, you’ll owe me something Are you worried I'll cling to you when we break up in the future"

Yan Luoxi felt uneasy at Zhou Guangtao’s wounded tone, “That's not it, really. How could I possibly want to break up with you…”

Zhou Guangtao was still angry but seeing her distressed look made his heart ache. He sighed softly and rubbed her hair, unsure of how to help her.

"Luoxi, take this money. We have work tomorrow, go upstairs and rest." Zhou Guangtao put the money in her hand, leaned down to kiss her forehead, then walked away.

Yan Luoxi watched as his figure disappeared into the night, feeling dejected and holding onto the money while walking up the stairs. She cursed herself silently for being so clumsy; she had been looking forward to seeing him all day but ended up driving him off with her behavior.

When she entered the dormitory, He Yufan was still awake, applying toner in front of a mirror. Seeing Yan Luoxi's sour expression, she immediately fired off a question, "What happened You look so downcast—did he force himself on you"

"Are your brains made of grass Can someone be forced upon that quickly" Yan Luoxi retorted irritably. In reality, she had never been intimate with Zhou Guangtao; her experiences in this area came solely from Li An, who was especially good at enduring for long periods.

"Well, that's hard to say." He Yufan noticed the rare interaction between Yan Luoxi and herself and perked up at the opportunity to discuss a topic they usually avoided. She leaned closer to Yan Luoxi with narrowed eyes as if she was about to delve into research mode, "Maybe your old Zhou missed you after all this time and got excited in a critical moment…"

"Stop it, you act as if you've been injected with adrenaline just by mentioning this." Yan Luoxi took her pajamas to take a shower.

Under the showerhead, she was still thinking about Zhou Guangtao's face.

She and Zhou Guangtao were truly childhood sweethearts in others' mouths; their families had been neighbors since they were young, growing up together. For several years, Zhou Guangtao's widowed mother married her widower father, and at one point, Zhou Guangtao had treated her as a little sister.

Later, her father died unexpectedly, she was adopted by the Li family, and left the Zhou household, but she could still often see Zhou Guangtao.

The Li couple were benevolent; when they adopted her, seeing how pitiful it was for Zhou Guangtao's mother and him to rely on each other for survival, they offered to cover all of his education expenses since childhood and sent him to the same prestigious school as Yan Luoxi and Li An.

Later, some things happened, she had no choice but to flee far away, losing contact with Zhou Guangtao. But fortunately, two years ago, they unexpectedly met again by chance.

The next day when she came to work, everything went relatively smoothly; Li An seemed busy discussing a big deal and didn't have the time to intentionally make her life difficult. She was responsible for photocopying documents and receiving faxes for him, somewhat busy but without Li An's刁難，她的心情是好的。

That day, she truly witnessed another side of Li An at work; seated behind his desk talking with people, he appeared very authoritative, distant when not smiling, making it clear to everyone that he was the boss and evoking fear.

He didn't speak much when others were speaking, narrowing his eyes slightly, looking grave. But once he spoke, his words carried decisive weight; his serious work attitude was vastly different from his image as a cocky playboy, almost like two completely different people.

A busy morning left Yan Luoxi tired despite not having done much substantive work; just after sitting down at her desk for some air, she caught the scent of perfume wafting over. A tall, gorgeously dressed lady gracefully appeared before her eyes.

This woman strode confidently toward Li An's office, looking haughty and disregarding Yan Luoxi and everyone else in the secretary’s area.

Five years had passed, yet she still lived life arrogantly!

This woman, Yan Luoxi, recognizes. Her name is Shao Meizhuo, and her mother is the closest friend of Li An's mother. Her maternal grandfather was sworn brothers with Li An’s father. It sounds quite complicated, but this doesn’t affect the preferential treatment and warmth Shao Meizhuo receives in the Li family.

Li An’s mother, Gu Xiaobei, adores girls very much but ended up having two boys herself. Therefore, she dotes on her best friend's daughter immensely. Shao Meizhuo has a brother at home and is naturally the beloved little princess who receives everyone's affection.

Having grown up amidst countless people’s pampering, Shao Meizhuo embodies all the spoiled brat traits: capriciousness, arrogance, lack of propriety. Nowadays, besides some few adults stubbornly loving her, everyone else finds her unbearable.

Upon seeing Shao Meizhuo swagger into Li An’s office with great confidence, Yan Luoxi felt glee inside. The world works in strange ways; for every overbearing and self-important young master like Li An, there needs to be a headstrong and impudent miss like Shao Meizhuo to counterbalance.

As soon as he heard the rhythmic heels and the loud bangs of someone aggressively opening and closing doors, Li An knew who it was. His face darkened involuntarily, and without lifting his head, he asked, “Why are you here again!”

"Knowing that you find me annoying, I came just for that!" Shao Meizhuo didn’t mind Li An’s coldness at all; once she entered his office, it was as if she had come home. She tossed her handbag and kicked off her high heels, ran barefoot to the rest room inside looking for disposable slippers to change into, then rummaged around in various places for snacks or drinks.

Li An helplessly closed his eyes, feeling overwhelmed. He’s seen irritating people before, but never someone as annoying as Shao Meizhuo!

He didn’t understand why even after he had escaped to a faraway northern city from home, Shao Meizhuo still wouldn’t leave him alone.

Before Shao Meizhuo could walk upright, Li An was already widely acknowledged as the "little devil," annoying everyone and evading dogs. It infuriated his father, Li Haonan, to such an extent that he often thought about choking Li An out of frustration if not for fearing upsetting his delicate wife.

As Shao Meizhuo grew up, adults lamented the emergence of another troublemaker. Just as they collectively sighed in despair, they unexpectedly discovered a silver lining: it turned out that Shao Meizhuo’s arrival wasn’t random; she came specifically to curb Li An's mischief.

Over these years, what Li An dreads most is still Shao Meizhuo.

Li An isn't afraid of her or incapable of dealing with this simpleton. It’s just that the support network behind Shao Meizhuo is overwhelmingly powerful; she truly is a little princess showered with attention and love!ited her, taking her out for meals and giving her small gifts.After winter came the season of rebirth.A bright day dawned with golden sunlight sparkling and spring breezes rustling through branches as...