Chapter 027 Extra 5

Chapter 027 Extra 5

During her four years at Jiangdong University, Pu Shu lived a very happy life—excelling academically, having a lover, and enjoying friendships. Everything was fine except for Ye Sui's occasional bouts of possessiveness, which were manageable. As long as it wasn't too extreme, she actually kind of liked that possessiveness, since she had her own share of it too.

Of course, this was all on the premise that she had kept her relationship a tightly guarded secret. However, Zhao Jin texted her today, saying her eldest brother had already found out she had a boyfriend. He was on a plane now and expected to arrive soon, also to attend her graduation ceremony.

Big Idiot: Shushu, I'll be back at school soon to pick you up. I've prepared a surprise for you, mwah~

Big Idiot was the nickname Pu Shu had set for Ye Sui. They had agreed that Ye Sui would come find her later, because she had stayed up late chatting with her roommate last night and couldn't get up this morning.

Pu Shu: I'm going to have to cancel today. I've got something to take care of. You go have fun on your own, or head back to the dorm.

Pu Shu hadn't yet told Ye Sui that she was a member of the Zhao family. As for sharing the same surname, there were too many people with the same surname on campus, so as long as she didn't make a big deal out of it, no one would know.

Big Idiot: Alright, then I'll head back to school first. I can check out the surprise tomorrow. Let me know when you're done, and I'll pick you up for dinner tonight.

Pu Shu: OK, see you tonight, mwah~

Ye Sui replied with a hugging and kissing emoji.

Then, the next second, a message from her eldest brother popped up, and Pu Shu's heart skipped a beat. She carefully checked—she hadn't sent the message to the wrong person. She breathed a sigh of relief. If she had accidentally sent it to her brother, she'd want to crawl into a hole. She had both her family and Ye Sui pinned at the top of her chat list.

Her brother said he had already arrived in Jiangdong and was now parked on the school's main road, near the girls' dormitory. He told her to come down immediately and he would take her home.

Pu Shu had no choice but to obediently go downstairs. Sure enough, a black sedan was already parked there. It was the Zhao family car—she recognized the license plate, no mistake.

She walked over, opened the back door, and found Zhao Xi already inside, dressed in a white shirt and dress pants. When he turned his head to look at her, Pu Shu felt a twinge of guilt, but she straightened up and got in, speaking boldly, "Brother, how do you, a busy person, have time to come? Where are Dad and Mom?"

Zhao Xi's features were gentle, and he spoke slowly, "My little sister's graduation ceremony—no matter how busy I am, I have to make time to attend. Mom and Dad can't get away, but they've already prepared gifts for you. After the ceremony, you're coming back to Jiangbei. The whole family misses you so much they can't sleep. You don't need to keep in touch with irrelevant people outside."

After all that, the last sentence was the real point, delivered with a hint of gritted teeth.

"Brother, that's not nice to say. What do you mean by 'irrelevant people'? They're all my good friends and classmates." Pu Shu picked at the leather seat, retorting stubbornly, deliberately ignoring a certain someone.

Zhao Xi just smiled. A sister grown up is hard to control—after only four years away, she was already turning outward. "Oh? Are you sure I was talking about those people?"

Pu Shu crossed her arms, no longer hiding anything. "Oh, come on, I'm not playing word games with you. The fact is, I have a boyfriend and I'm in a relationship. You already know, so why bother asking all coy? Aren't you tired? We have a great relationship, so don't even think about breaking us up like some meddling matchmaker. I won't listen to you."

"Getting a boyfriend makes you this full of yourself, huh? And since when did I say I was going to break you up? What kind of image do you have of me? Is that how you talk to your own brother?" Zhao Xi couldn't help but reveal his goofy side, rolling his eyes in exasperation. Truly siblings—even the way they rolled their eyes was the same.

"Neener neener, so what if I'm proud?" Pu Shu was smug, snorting lightly. "I'm not like you, a single dog who doesn't even have someone to call late at night."

As she spoke, she caught a suspicious hint of guilt and a blush on Zhao Xi's face. This was a huge discovery! Pu Shu instantly got excited. "What's going on? Zhao Xi, you have a girlfriend?! Oh my god, is the sun rising from the west? How is that even possible?!"

"...Is that any way to talk about your own brother? One day without discipline and you're climbing the roof. And call me 'big brother'—do you understand? 'Big brother'! All you ever do is call me by my name." Zhao Xi looked at Pu Shu's expression as if she'd discovered a new continent, feeling thoroughly roasted. He ruffled her hair in annoyance. So what if he had a girlfriend? Was that really such a strange thing? Everyone has a significant other, for crying out loud!

"No, no, something's off." Pu Shu sensed something wrong. She stroked her chin, switching into detective mode. "You... holy crap, Zhao Xi, are you dating Sister Xuan?"

Only that would make him too embarrassed to say it, because Sister Xuan was two years older than him and also from Jiangbei, raised in the same circle. But Sister Xuan was a domineering figure, known in their circle as the "Female Demon."

Sister Xuan was the one who had given her that sports car last time. She ran a racing club and was an incredibly cool and awesome girl! She also did boxing—super cool!

Seeing Zhao Xi blushing and not denying it, with a smug smile on his lips, what else was there to understand? Pu Shu was devastated. She grabbed Zhao Xi's arm and shook it. "Zhao Xi! You sly fox! Sister Xuan used to say she had no interest in dating—she just wanted to travel the world, do boxing, race cars, climb mountains. Tell me, what dirty tricks did you use to trick Sister Xuan into falling for you?!"

"Hey hey hey, watch your language. What 'dirty tricks'? What 'trick'? I used myself as bait to lure the prey in, understand? We're in love." Zhao Xi looked smug, which made Pu Shu want to punch him. She snorted heavily and turned away.

Although she would be one hundred percent happy to have Sister Xuan as her sister-in-law, still! Her brother was a glutinous rice ball—white on the outside, black on the inside, sesame-filled. Ordinary people couldn't outsmart him. For him to make Sister Xuan, a "Fahai-style nun," fall for worldly desires, he must have schemed for a long time in secret. What a schemer! Her poor Sister Xuan was going to be completely wrapped around his finger.

"And what about you? Isn't your boyfriend completely wrapped around your finger?" Zhao Xi was also in a sweet romantic phase, so he wasn't as angry about his sister dating in Jiangdong. After all, she was grown up now, as long as she wasn't being deceived. But he was certainly annoyed. "Let me tell you now—you're coming back to Jiangbei. If he can't accept that, then end it sooner rather than later. Don't be indecisive."

They would never agree to Pu Shu marrying outside of Jiangbei. Their precious little sister, raised with such care, had to be protected under their watch. If he treated her badly, she'd be kicked to the curb immediately.

Pu Shu was very confident. "Don't worry. Wherever I am, Ye Sui will follow me devotedly."

"Don't bully him too much either," Zhao Xi said, knowing his sister's temperament well.

She was fine most of the time, easy to coax, but when she really threw a tantrum, ordinary people couldn't handle it. Yet Ye Sui could take it and even found it sweet, thinking that her fussing meant she loved him and cared. It was true love indeed—one willing to hit, one willing to take it. A perfect match.

Zhao Xi had already learned everything about Ye Sui through Zhao Jin. He was fairly satisfied with the person—had ability, wasn't impatient, and could build something in time. But the details would have to be assessed face-to-face.

"I do not bully him! Besides, if I don't bully him for one day, he'd cry."

That wasn't bullying—that was affection!

Every couple has their own way of interacting. It's not the same for everyone; as long as it works for them.

The siblings bickered all the way back. Pu Shu felt like she had forgotten something but couldn't remember what, so she let it go.

*

Ye Sui returned to school and just happened to see Pu Shu get into a luxury car worth tens of millions and drive away.

In that moment, his heart dropped heavily, panicking, worrying she had abandoned him. But he quickly steadied himself. He knew Pu Shu's character—if she wanted to break up, she would say it openly, not do something so shady. That would be beneath her.

Ye Sui had come back to move some things. He still had some belongings in the dorm. He ran into a lot of people who looked at him strangely. He could even hear someone whispering, "I knew it—Zhao Pu Shu is so beautiful, how could she be with a poor guy? That car just now was top-tier luxury. Must be some old man..." Before the guy could finish, Ye Sui grabbed him by the collar and slapped him. The guy was stunned, and so were the people around him. They couldn't snap out of it.

Then they recognized Ye Sui, Pu Shu's boyfriend, and fell silent. Well... he deserved the beating.

"Badmouthing others behind their backs with your mouth—is that the skill you learned at Jiangdong University? From the looks of it, your brain isn't up to par. You probably didn't earn your way into Jiangdong University by your own ability. Did you have someone take the exam for you, or cheat? Or maybe... you managed to get the answers to the college entrance exam and used that to get in."

Ye Sui's face was cold, his voice devoid of warmth. The boy was terrified, his face stinging with pain. He angrily retorted, "I got into Jiangdong University on my own! Every point I earned through hard work in high school! Don't slander me!"

"So you know what slander is, yet here you are spreading rumors and stirring trouble. With such an ugly face, I suggest you go work at a haunted house after graduation. With a face like yours, the scare factor would be maxed out." Ye Sui released him and shoved him. The guy landed on his butt, aching and furious but unable to say a word. As Ye Sui walked away, he heard laughter around him, which only made him angrier. But he couldn't argue about it—this was too embarrassing, and he had his pride.

Ye Sui wasn't affected by this. He packed up and left school. Not long after, he got a call from Pu Shu asking him to come to Jinyu Ting to meet someone. She told him to tidy up properly, and Ye Sui quickly did as she said.

When he arrived, he saw a refined man who looked a bit like Pu Shu, who introduced himself as her brother.

Suddenly meeting the family, Ye Sui was nervous inside but tried to stay calm on the surface. When asked about Pu Shu's future development back in Jiangbei, Ye Sui didn't hesitate. "I was homeless anyway. Wherever Shushu is, that's my home. As long as she doesn't abandon me, I'll go anywhere."

Pu Shu raised an eyebrow, deliberately teasing, "Since when did I say I'd abandon you? Or did you do something to betray me? Hiding something from me?"

"Shushu, I haven't. I report everything all the time." Ye Sui raised his hand, explaining smoothly.

This was a common exchange between them. As they talked, he skillfully coaxed her back, and their eyes locked, forgetting anyone else was present.

Zhao Xi: "...Ahem! Ahem!"

Was he, a living, breathing person sitting here, invisible? The lights in this room were not as bright as he was!

*

Pu Shu only found out about the "misunderstanding" caused by her brother picking her up when she went back to get her diploma. It was pretty ridiculous. There was no need to explain—when she walked with her brother, and the secretary called her "Miss," the rumors died on their own.

Her roommates were the most shocked. All three were stunned. Four years, and her heiress identity had been hidden so well! They had thought she came from a difficult background and had secretly helped her out of respect for her pride. Now they were in tears.

"Alright, it's my fault for not telling you the truth. How about this—come to Jiangbei with me. All expenses are on me! And the graduation trip we planned—I'll cover that too. We'll rent an RV." Pu Shu knew just how to use her money-smoothing skills. The three of them cheered up instantly, fulfilling the dream of millions of netizens: "When my sister gets rich, she'll take me along." Hooray!

Before going back, Pu Shu went to check out the surprise Ye Sui had prepared for her. It was a spacious river-view apartment, a penthouse, and also... a mystical spirit spring space!

When Pu Shu was led into the space, all her doubts disappeared. She excitedly looked around, marveling at how amazing it was. She threw herself into Ye Sui's arms, pulling him to look around, wanting to figure it out. "Ye Sui, where did this space come from? Are you an alien? Are you hiding your identity on Earth? Or are you a first-generation robot? Do you need to recharge? Where's your charging port?"

Her wild imagination depended on whatever movie she had recently watched. Coincidentally, two days ago, she had watched a sweet idol drama about a robot boyfriend. She had even made Ye Sui pretend to be a robot and dance a robot dance to amuse her. Ye Sui had had to secretly learn a few moves to cheer her up. Once she was happy, he got his reward too.

"I am a human, not an alien or a robot. Stop overthinking it, will you?" Ye Sui said with amusement. "I bought this house, and the developer gave me a shopping card. When I went to look at furniture, I found a nice diamond shell necklace and bought it. I just didn't expect that my finger would get scratched by accident and touch the necklace, which activated the space contract."

Li Pushu was dumbfounded. How could this even happen? What a magical turn of events. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and said, "That space is not yours; from now on it's mine. You must always remember that, got it?"

"Alright, it's all yours." Ye Sui smiled and gently booped her nose. Of course, he brought her in because he wanted to share it with her.

Pushu was overjoyed. She wasn't strapped for cash, but she wouldn't say no to being even richer. "Ye Sui, why do you love me so much? Is it because I helped you when we were kids?"

She had never thought about this before, but now she suddenly felt that Ye Sui... really did love her deeply.

Ye Sui pretended to think seriously. "Hmm... maybe that's part of it."

But Pushu rolled her eyes at him. She pulled away from his embrace, turned around, and huffed in anger. "You had to think that long, so there must be a problem! So it really is because of that childhood thing! Then if back then some other girl had helped you, would you love her the same way now?"

"Shushu..." Seeing her angry, Ye Sui knew he had gone too far with his teasing. He reached out to touch her, but she slapped his hand away and kept walking in a huff.

Pushu was furious. Suddenly, she spun around and found herself soaking in the spirit spring space. Ye Sui's hands were still teasing her, so she pouted angrily. "Ye Sui! You jerk!"

"Shushu, that won't happen. Unless it's you standing in front of me, no matter who it is, I wouldn't give them a second look." Ye Sui kissed her cheek, his eyes full of love, and explained softly. "If such a situation could happen, I wouldn't have waited this long. You are you. No one else can replace you. Perhaps some people who've had the same experience as me only seek that feeling of chasing the light. At that same moment, anyone could fill that role. But not for me. I know clearly in my heart what kind of light I want. I never mix things up, and I'm not that casual about it."

"Shushu, do you know? Every day, I am grateful that you chose me. It's because of you that I became the Ye Sui of today—someone who can feel happiness."

He was a devout worshipper, embracing her as his goddess. "Your coming into my life is heaven's mercy on me. If it hadn't happened, I would have accepted my fate—resigned to my destiny. I think I would have died young or ended up alone."

Perhaps it would have been an early death. Once the spirit withers, a person cannot live long—the heart becomes like dead wood.

Pushu knew he meant it. She knew that was just who Ye Sui was. She gently caressed his face, her eyes smiling, but still said, "Maybe the reason you love me now is because of years of pent-up obsession fermenting. And it just so happens I'm good-looking, someone everyone loves, so perfect and outstanding that this obsession directly transformed into admiration. If you had seen me grown up and found me unattractive or unremarkable, the obsession wouldn't have fermented into admiration. It might have been disappointment, even laughable—how ridiculous to hold onto such a long-lasting obsession."

"Shushu, what you said is partly right and partly wrong. It's not because of your looks or your excellence. If that were the case, then if someone more beautiful and more excellent came along, wouldn't you naturally be replaced? Inner excellence never changes. An ordinary person who does an ordinary thing well is also a very excellent person. Evaluating whether someone is excellent cannot be based on a single standard; that's unfair to many ordinary people and shuts them out from being considered hardworking. Some people are already excellent just by living, by doing the best they can."

They often engaged in calm debates on various topics, expressing their viewpoints. Ye Sui looked at her tenderly. "For me, at first, it was an obsession—something I wanted to pursue. Later, it was your personality, the charm radiating from within you, that completely captivated me. That's when I realized it was love. You are truly wonderful, not because of your appearance, but because of the character you show. Being with you, every moment is happy and joyful. If your character were bad, even the most beautiful appearance would only be a shell. Over time, only the shell would remain. If someone approaches only for the outward appearance, they will eventually leave because of what you say and do."

"Maybe you don't realize it yourself, because you are just being you. To you, it's natural behavior. But you protect the weak, you have a soft heart, you teach others to be confident, you communicate when there's an issue, you praise yourself and then praise others, you empathize... So many things, too many for me to list. You've shown me another side of life."

Ye Sui's heart was filled with her, and he remembered every little thing she did. "Look, from the teachers and classmates at school to the cafeteria aunties—they all like you and take care of you. When you graduated, so many cried because they couldn't bear to part with you. Remember one rainy day when a cafeteria aunt fell, and you carried her to the infirmary, helped clean her up, and took care of her? That's not something that can be done just with a pretty face. They will always like you and remember you, ultimately because they are conquered by your charm. Your heart is very pure."

"I am also one of those conquered, just lucky enough to have met you first and earned your favor." Ye Sui thought he was fortunate. "If someone else had been chosen by you, they would surely love you just as much as I do. That is an inevitable result."

Occasionally, he also pondered: if he hadn't come to Jiangdong, and Pushu hadn't suddenly signed up to come to Jiangdong, they would have been two parallel lines that never intersect. When he died alone, would his Shushu have met someone she chose, someone who would treasure and love her deeply? Though he felt unwilling and heartbroken just thinking about it, he still hoped that she would live happily and blissfully in a world without him.

"Ha, I'm not as wonderful as you say. On the contrary, I have quite a temper." Pushu was quite full of herself, but hearing Ye Sui praise her so much, she felt awkward and even blushed.

Had she really done so many things? She didn't know; she hadn't felt it herself. She didn't think any of it was worth constantly mentioning, nor did she need to do it expecting others to remember. She believed that many people would do the same if they encountered such situations.

"Even with that big temper of yours, I love you." So cute. Ye Sui gave a doting smile, hooked his arm around Pushu's waist, and pulled her into his embrace. "Now, let's try this spirit spring water and see if it brings any other sensations. It looks like it can cleanse the marrow; maybe it has a dual cultivation effect."

He couldn't stay serious for even two minutes, this pervert! Pushu pinched his waist, but that only made him more excited.

"Shushu... we must be together forever..."

After a long, long time, as they held each other, Ye Sui relaxed and spoke, satisfied and happy.

*

Today, exclusive report.

The golden wedding anniversary of Ms. Zhao Pushu and Mr. Ye Sui took place, with bigwigs from all walks of life coming to congratulate them.

The scene was magnificent. Countless people tried every possible way to get in and pay their respects, but only a few videos leaked out, along with photos of them from their youth.

In the pictures, from black hair to white, they were always holding hands. Whenever they appeared together, Mr. Ye's gaze frequently fell on Ms. Zhao, his love seemingly pouring out from his eyes, envied by all.

To capture one person's heart, and stay together until our hair turns white.

.

————The End————