Meihui Zi frowned upon seeing this, her voice filled with confusion, "Long, is this 'she' of yours?"
Chen Fan did not answer. He took a step forward, blocking Wang Tingting.
Su Yingxue was flustered and rushed forward to mediate, "Tingting, don't act rashly, stop it quickly."
Wang Tingting refused to stop, roaring, "Fine, Chen, you're still helping this vixen! You're shameless! I've disliked you for a long time. Today, I'll deal with both of you."
Saying that, she disregarded everything and slapped towards Chen Fan's face.
Chen Fan casually grabbed her wrist and said sternly, "Wang Tingting, have you caused enough trouble?"
"Bastard, Chen, you think I can't beat you? Just you wait, I'll make you pay!"
Wang Tingting shouted angrily and kicked towards Chen Fan's ankle.
Upon impact, Chen Fan didn't budge.
"Enough, Wang Tingting!"
Seeing the situation escalating uncontrollably, Su Yingxue, both anxious and angry, rushed to pull Wang Tingting, only to be stumbled by Wang Tingting.
Hathaway giggled triumphantly, "Chen is mine. You, woman, are not worthy of Chen at all!"
Chen Fan's expression turned cold.
Around them, people were pointing fingers and murmuring. Some were even recording with their phones.
Su Yingxue, overhearing Hathaway's words, felt a surge of intense heartache.
She let go of Wang Tingting, covered her face, and ran away.
Chen Fan flicked his hand, throwing Wang Tingting to the ground.
"Chen, you're the best!"
Hathaway smiled victoriously and moved closer to Chen Fan.
Although she felt a bit strange, thinking that the woman Chen Fan liked couldn't possibly be so shallow and unruly, Chen Fan blocking in front of her made her feel more surprised than anything else.
But in the next instant, her movements stiffened.
Chen Fan completely ignored her and strode towards the direction Su Yingxue had run, calling out Su Yingxue's name.
Hathaway's face froze.
Wang Tingting got up, unyielding, "Vixen, I'll disfigure your face!"
But before she could get close, two burly men appeared, one on each side, gripping her shoulders and rendering her immobile.
Wang Tingting struggled furiously.
The two burly men were foreigners and looked at Hathaway for instructions.
With Hathaway's high intelligence, she immediately understood she had made a mistake.
Gazing in the direction Chen Fan had gone, Hathaway shook her head and said, "Let her go!"
Wang Tingting was stunned. She shot Hathaway a hateful glance, then turned and left resentfully.
"The one Long likes, is it that woman?" Hathaway's face held a hint of bitterness. "Meihui Zi, did you get a good look at that woman?"
Meihui Zi nodded, "She's very beautiful!"
"Just beautiful?"
Meihui Zi's face showed a touch of disappointment. "Her clothes were quite ordinary. She was constantly trying to stop her friend. She seemed like a very kind person."
"Kind?"
Mulling over the word, a touch of melancholy appeared in Hathaway's eyes.
Over there, Chen Fan moved quickly, catching up to Su Yingxue more than a hundred meters away.
Su Yingxue glanced back and slowed her pace slightly, forcing a smile. "Brother Chen, I'm sorry, we've caused you trouble again!"
Chen Fan shook his head. "Yingxue, listen to me. They are my friends. They've traveled a long way. You know, foreign cultures are different from ours, so they were a bit too enthusiastic..."
"No need to explain, Brother Chen!"
Su Yingxue smiled reluctantly. "We are just friends, and you don't need to explain this to me. It was Tingting who misunderstood. That's just her personality and temper. I hope you don't take it to heart and don't blame her!"
Just friends?
Chen Fan felt a moment of distraction and silence at her words.
A sense of loss and melancholy crept into his heart.
"Actually, Brother Chen, why did you appear and save me that day? Why are you so good to me?" Su Yingxue said with a smile. "Do you know, this makes me very troubled, I'm afraid I might unconsciously fall for you!"
Although she was smiling as if magnanimous, deep within Su Yingxue's eyes, shyness and wistfulness were hidden.
Chen Fan's heart trembled. He didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed.
Should he tell her about what happened back then and explain things clearly?
The problem was, did she still remember what happened back then?
So much time had passed, fifteen years was enough to forget too much.
Perhaps, an experience that was more important than life to him was just an insignificant trace in her life, so faint it had blurred.
"I'm sorry, Brother Chen!"
Seeing Chen Fan remain silent, Su Yingxue said softly, "I, perhaps I'm just overthinking it, but I have to tell you, in my heart, there's already someone I like."
What?
Chen Fan's heart was greatly shocked, followed by a surge of bitterness.
"The person I like is a great hero. When I was at my most helpless and desperate, he gave me the courage to walk out of the darkness. From that moment on, he occupied my heart, and there was no extra room for anyone else!"
"I'm sorry, Brother Chen, I'm not talking about the time you saved me at the Imperial Grand Ballroom, but much earlier than that!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Fan felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him, chilling him from head to toe.
So, it was all his own wishful thinking?
The great hero she spoke of could never be him.
In the cold, dark night fifteen years ago, he was timid and cowardly, his eyes blinded by tears. If she hadn't carried him out of that cruel small dark room, there would be no him today.
Therefore, what she said could never be about him.
For a moment, Chen Fan felt nothing but bitterness in his heart and mouth. The taste of bitterness spread, unresolvable, leaving him feeling lost.
It was as if his life had suddenly lost its direction, becoming meaningless.
For fifteen years, he had countless times in his heart anticipated reuniting with her, imagining telling her about that year, even if she mocked him for being cowardly or questioned why he was so late.
In his imagination, any words he could exchange with her were what he had dreamed of.
But not like this.
She had forgotten that year. Her heart belonged to her 'hero', and that hero was not him!
His expression turned dazed.
"I'm sorry!"
Su Yingxue's voice continued to echo in his ears, but to Chen Fan, it sounded distant.
"Brother Chen, I don't want you to misunderstand. I also don't want the person I'm waiting for to misunderstand. I interviewed for a good job today, and once I get paid, I'll move out and stop causing you trouble!"
Looking at the silent Chen Fan, Su Yingxue inexplicably felt a strong pang of sadness.
She felt an emptiness in her heart, as if she had lost something, and had the urge to cry.
Seeing Chen Fan's lack of reaction, she feared she might actually shed tears and said softly, "Brother Chen, I'm sorry!"
Footsteps approached, followed by Wang Tingting's calls.
Su Yingxue walked forward, brushed past Chen Fan, and immediately covered Wang Tingting's mouth, pulling her away.
Chen Fan remained standing there for a long time.
Until Hathaway and Meihui Zi found them along the path.
He came back to himself, smiled self-deprecatingly, waved at Hathaway and Meihui Zi, and turned to leave.
He decided to look again.
As long as Su Yingxue could be happy, then he would act as if he had never been here.
After all, fifteen years ago, when that girl carried him to safety, the promise he had made was to ensure her happiness for the rest of her life.