Age of Legends

Chapter 323 A Turnaround
In fact, it wasn't just Shen Nuoyi who looked back at Zhang Chen; everyone who knew about the connection between the two was looking at Zhang Chen, who was not far behind them.

Perhaps they weren't looking at him, but rather at the colorful clouds on the horizon. As dusk settled and the last rays of light poured down, they dyed the clouds with an almost tragic brilliance, like molten glass, so dazzling, yet seemingly foreshadowing the impending submersion.

Zhang Chen was actually unsure herself, mainly because the foundation between her and Shen Nuoyi wasn't solid. Young girls always remember the first person they fall for most vividly. Unfortunately, and quite obviously, Zhang Chen wasn't the first person to capture her heart.

Pei Yan is undoubtedly outstanding and dazzling at any time, like a beam of strong light that attracts the attention of all admirers as he grows. It is perfectly normal that Shen Nuoyi was also attracted to him.

But Pei Yan was also sharp and ambitious, and Shen Nuoyi was also proud. When two proud peaks meet, they either complement each other or collide and create cracks. Zhang Chen was able to pry open a possibility, perhaps precisely because of the latter two—Pei Yan never bowed his head, and Shen Nuoyi would never bend his back. So, after realizing that they were incompatible, they each went their separate ways.

But now a worrying variable has emerged: Pei Yan has shown weakness.

He abandoned his usual strong image and pride, revealing his previously unseen vulnerability to Shen Nuoyi in a way that stripped away his aura. This could very well shatter the girl's long-held impression of Pei Yan, and this contrast might even directly shake her heart.

It's certain that Pei Yan's show of weakness today will cause a huge uproar. The reputation he's built up at other schools and Yude will collapse in an instant. Those who idolize him will go crazy, take their anger out on Shen Nuoyi, and might even cause her best friend Han Zhouxuan to turn against her.

He was trying to change the "death sentence" that Shen Nuoyi had once sentenced him to in this way.

In the past, Zhang Chen would have been somewhat confident in her abilities. But now, right now, the Shen family's business has been affected by her attitude towards Pei Yan. With all these factors combined, and under immense pressure, will she soften her stance? Will she allow Pei Yan's desperate gamble... to set things right?

Zhang Chen didn't know that his heart sank slightly because of the last look Shen Nuoyi gave him.

As a reborn individual, he could change many things—perhaps rectify regrets, perhaps alter the course of events, or even create miracles. But Zhang Chen always understood that the most difficult thing to change and influence in this world was the human heart. Yet, the most changeable thing was also the unfathomable human heart.

"It is easy to change an old person's heart, but it is said that an old person's heart is easy to change."

Under his gaze, the girl, who was not publicly acknowledged as his girlfriend but had been implicitly accepted as such, finally walked step by step toward Pei Yan and stopped in front of him.

Finally, the person he had been longing for was willing to face him directly. Pei Yan felt as if the torment of the past few days had finally found an outlet. His voice was dry, almost trembling with a hint of hope: "Let's be together, then my mother won't have anything to say! And my uncle won't be able to find fault with us anymore."

His voice wasn't loud, and it even had a slightly hoarse, magnetic quality, likely due to his repeated confrontations with his family. But the crowd of passersby suddenly slowed down, and countless people heard him clearly.

All those gazes, like pairs of javelins, were directed at Shen Nuoyi.

Shen Nuo stood there, the setting sun outlining her silhouette. Her hair swayed slightly in the wind, and her once clear and bright phoenix eyes were now somewhat misty, making it impossible to discern whether the emotions surging within them were surprise, wavering, or something else entirely.

But at this moment, the girls around Pei Yan who admired him were probably pounding their hearts out, wishing they could do something in place of the female lead.

But the faint gasps and whispers around them seemed to recede into the distance, forming a blurry, rustling background noise. Everyone's attention was fixed on the two people.

At this moment, it seems that there are only two people in the world, and those others who interfere with them, such as Zhang Chen, are no longer important. Perhaps the passerby could have not existed at all.

Pei Yan's gaze was intense, filled with a desperate urgency and an unprecedented pleading, fixed firmly on Shen Nuoyi. He had abandoned all his pride, staked everything, just to earn a nod from her. This heavy and resolute stance was powerfully impactful in itself.

Time seemed to stretch out, and every second felt like torture to him.

Finally, Shen Nuoyi's eyelashes fluttered slightly. She took a subtle, almost imperceptible breath, raised her head, and faced Pei Yan, who was holding his breath. Her voice was not loud, but it was clear as if it pierced through the noisy air, carrying a calmness that she had returned to after adjusting all her emotions, including surprise and astonishment.

"How do you know this isn't the decision my father would make?" Shen Nuoyi's eyes were calm and resolute. But in that instant, Pei Yan felt as if he had been struck by a sledgehammer; his body swayed, and he seemed about to collapse.

He was a smart man, and naturally understood all the meaning behind Shen Nuoyi's words.

That was her retaliation. Ultimately, she was like her father, a cold, hard stone, fighting back against reality.

Are you trying to blackmail me into coercing me into cooperating? Fine, I also want to break free from my dependence on you and start afresh.

What he received was not her weakness, nor her sympathy for him that swayed him to his will. On the contrary, she expressed their family's attitude and conveyed her own in her own way.

Never before had Pei Yan felt such hatred for her mother, whose cleverness had backfired so badly. She might be able to build a business empire, to do as she pleased within it, to be domineering and tyrannical. But when she believed she could impose her will on others and influence everything around her, that arrogance ultimately led her to destroy it all.

"Besides, Pei Yan, I have a boyfriend. But your visit today shows you genuinely consider me a friend, thank you."

Concise and concise.

The smile Shen Nuoyi showed at that moment gave Pei Yan a tearing feeling as if he was about to lose her forever.

His previous confidence stemmed from the belief that he could let her fly first, that the kite string was still in his hand, and that sooner or later, she would inevitably follow the string in his hand and fly back again.

At this moment, looking at the girl he had once shared sunsets with, the girl he had once strolled through the streets and eaten ice cream with, he would pretend to be casual but secretly glance at her profile. When they played together, he always tried to find opportunities to be with her, even though Han Zhouxuan would quickly interrupt them. But he always looked forward to seeing her again.

He suddenly realized that it seemed there would never be a "next time" after this.

His mind went blank for a moment, which led him to say some "foolish" things: "Stop talking nonsense. I'll be here every afternoon from now on until you come to your senses!"

Shen Nuoyi looked at him as if he were a truly irrational person, and said softly, "Don't do anything foolish. Go home early."

At that moment, she realized that she had actually completed her mature transformation, while she herself had become the child who wanted to go home.

Seeing Pei Yan's dejected state, Shen Nuoyi finally couldn't bear it and said, "Then, I'm leaving."

Feeling completely drained, Pei Yan watched helplessly as Shen Nuo turned around and headed in the direction behind him.

Zhang Chen walked over there.

But Zhang Chen suddenly moved, not to meet her, but to walk straight down the side path.

This time, Shen Nuoyi's slender figure suddenly froze in place, a look of unexpected astonishment appearing on her usually cool and composed face.

Pei Yanxin felt waves of pain, like spasms.

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(End of this chapter)