Chapter 7. Encounter

My Youth Began With Him

Back in high school, Qin Chu was the most important person in Huo Mian's life, with whom she had experienced all sorts of emotions – infatuation, love, hate… Now, he had returned, seven years after he disappeared without even saying goodbye. Moreover, he was proposing, at the worst time and location, to the wrong person. This was probably the single most preposterous thing Huo Mian had ever experienced.

"Qin Chu, stop it. We're not children anymore," Huo Mian's voice sounded hoarse as she turned her face away from him.

"I'm not joking around," Qin Chu stared at Huo Mian's familiar face as he reiterated.

"So you're just messing with my emotions? Are you enjoying yourself?" Huo Mian laughed dryly, noticing the despair in her own voice.

"I'm not."

"So, you're telling me that you're serious?" Huo Mian's fury turned into laughter as she looked at him, suddenly finding him ridiculous.

Qin Chu didn't reply, but his expression said it all.

Huo Mian took a deep breath in and pointed at him, "Fine, Qin Chu, repeat what you just said."

"Huo Mian, let's get married." He knew her well enough to repeat this statement immediately.

"Qin Chu, listen to me. I am getting married, but not to you. You need to stop living in a fantasy because it's never going to happen between us. Don't you remember me saying that even if all the men on this planet die, I'm still not going to get back together with you? You might not know this, but you're the only person I've ever hated. You hurt me and almost destroyed me, but you'll never understand how I felt because you're not me. You never lived through the nightmare that I have. So please, we each have our own lives now and I have a boyfriend who loves me more than anything in this world. Just leave, I never want to see you again. To me, you're just a spell that can never be broken, so I would rather go on with my life without you in it."

Huo Mian thought that she had made herself very clear, so she turned around to head back upstairs.

However, Qin Chu suddenly grabbed her arm…

"Let go of me! Qin Chu, what else do you want from me?" Huo Mian barely finished her sentence before Qin Chu pulled her into his embrace.

He hugged Huo Mian so hard that her head smashed right onto his broad chest; she smelled the light scent of a Versace brand cologne on his white shirt. For a second, Huo Mian felt extremely comfortable and familiar in his arms. Tears welled up in her eyes as memories flashed by.

Surprised at herself, Huo Mian cursed in her head. Huo Mian, are you crazy? Don't you remember what this man did to you back then?

He's the devil, so why are you wasting your time talking to him? You're about to get married to Ning Zhiyuan now! Huo Mian suddenly came back to her senses at the thought of this.

"Qin Chu, let go of me, you asshole, or else I'm going to scream for help!" Huo Mian threatened him as she furrowed her eyebrows.

Yet, Qin Chu didn't seem to hear her – he closed his arms around her even more, unwilling to let go…

He hugged her tightly as if he had retrieved a piece of lost treasure. Qin Chu was not a man of many words; he was happy just to be able to hold Huo Mian in his arms like this. Coming back, he had one goal: no one will ever break them up again, no one.

Just then, Huo Mian heard a familiar voice behind her, "What are you doing?"