Chapter 160: The Delights of Youth

After leaving his dorm room, Ye Junze walked out of the dormitory building.

Having traveled the path to the academy’s dining hall many times before, he naturally did not need much guidance and could easily retrace his steps relying on his memory.

As he walked, the night sky had already grown quite dark, but because many windows in the dormitory buildings were still brightly lit, there was little cause for concern.

Not to mention, the pathways within Anze Academy were equipped with numerous magical streetlamps crafted from spirit artifacts.

When people walked around the campus at night, these spirit-artifact lamps emitted a warm glow, illuminating the path ahead for everyone.

Neither blinding nor dim, they simply cast a guiding light for all the students of Anze.

Thinking that it was already so late and that there would hardly be anyone else around, Ye Junze was surprised to see quite a few people wandering casually across the campus.

He even spotted several couples walking closely together, occasionally letting out cheerful, dainty laughs. They certainly looked like lovers.

Ye Junze shook his head, not giving it much thought. After all, his mind was burdened with many matters, leaving him with little interest in romantic pursuits at the moment.

In truth, Ye Junze’s appearance was far from ordinary. On the contrary, his striking white hair added a distinct touch of mystery to his handsome features.

Throughout his previous student days, quite a few girls had confessed their feelings to him. Of course, most of them were merely captivated by his looks, knowing nothing of his character, temper, or habits. To such advances, Ye Junze would only smile and politely turn the girls down.

This became even more pronounced after the profound changes he underwent and the emergence of his white hair. An even greater number of girls than before continually slipped him love letters to express their admiration. It was not just girls from his own grade who held a favorable impression of him; even younger girls several years his junior boldly declared their affection.

Yet Ye Junze remained unchanged, rejecting every single one of them without exception.

Because his demeanor during these rejections was exceptionally gentle and polite, the rejected girls seldom felt deeply grieved. Most would simply smile, nod, thank him, and turn away.

Occasionally, a girl who truly fancied him deeply would wipe away her tears while uttering sincere words such as, "I really like you."

"If I cannot be with you, my life will lose all meaning."

"......"

To this, Ye Junze would merely shake his head, unmoved by their tears or their words.

Realizing that saying more was pointless, the girls would wipe their dry eyes, compose their emotions, and depart.

At the time, some classmates on good terms with him even whispered that Ye Junze might be a bit too ruthless.

To that, Ye Junze said nothing. Some things are best kept to oneself.

Affection in youth is prone to coming and going in a flash—one might fall desperately in love with someone simply because of their appearance.

Or perhaps, because someone spoke to you frequently, you might convince yourself that you shared endless common topics and a boundless stream of conversation, foolishly thinking that staying together like this would be enough.

Even a completely uneventful moment, where he happened to flash you a casual smile, could make your entire world suddenly brighten, sparking an intense, overwhelming fondness born purely from that single smile.

Yet liking someone is, after all, only liking someone, and many forms of affection in this world fail to withstand scrutiny.

Perhaps one day, looking back at how you did so many self-proclaimed remarkable things for the person you fancied, only to receive a perfunctory "thank you" in return—or worse, not even a thank you, just cold indifference—you would simply chuckle bitterly at yourself, wondering why you had been so naive back then.

Still, affection is affection, and there are rarely logical reasons for it. Since it was already done, regret was entirely useless.

Reflecting on this, those girls who had once wept like pear blossoms in the rain after being rejected by Ye Junze, proclaiming their undying sincerity, were often seen standing before another boy just days later, whether accepting a confession or offering one of their own.

Naturally, Ye Junze would harbor no resentment or judgment over such matters, nor would he ever march up to demand an explanation.

Some things are better left known and forgotten; once the past is gone, there is no need to drag it back up.

After all, Ye Junze had been far more mature than his peers even back then. Many truths did not require someone else to spell them out for him to understand.

Pulling his thoughts back, Ye Junze looked up at the twinkling stars in the sky.

The moon and stars shone brightly, the Milky Way spanned the firmament, and though human voices were absent, sound rustled softly among the trees.

The present scene could not have been more pleasant.

Walking along, Ye Junze thoroughly enjoyed the tranquility of the moment.

As he walked and observed his surroundings, he finally drew close to the dining hall.

At this hour, a considerable number of students bustled around the restaurant—some heading inside just like him, others walking out.

Seeing this, Ye Junze quickened his pace and stepped inside.

The moment he crossed the threshold, his phone chimed with an incoming notification.

Stopping in his tracks, Ye Junze pulled out his phone and checked the message. It was from Li Ling, as expected.

"Ye Junze, have you arrived? We're still on the first floor of the dining hall, at our usual table from last time. You'll see us as soon as you walk over. Hurry up."

Ye Junze typed back: "Alright, I know. I've already arrived and am heading over right now."

Putting his phone away, he walked toward the spot where they had previously gathered.

Sure enough, upon drawing closer, he spotted Li Ling, Lu Renjia, and Yun Tianhan. Only Fan Yan had yet to arrive.

Catching sight of Yun Tianhan, Ye Junze felt a slight pang of surprise, but he quickly understood. No wonder he hadn't seen him on the way here today.

Given Yun Tianhan's personality, whenever there was a chance for a free meal, he would invariably show up earlier than anyone else.

With his sharp eyes, Li Ling spotted Ye Junze approaching and immediately waved to him, shouting, "Ye Junze, over here!"

Smiling and nodding, Ye Junze walked over.

After taking a seat, he asked, "How is it just the few of you? Fan Yan hasn't arrived yet?"

"That shows how out of the loop you are," Yun Tianhan chimed in with a mysterious grin before anyone else could answer.

Raising an eyebrow, Ye Junze asked, "Oh? You know something?"

"Of course," Yun Tianhan nodded sagely. "Big Sister Fan is, after all, a young lady. Women need time to go out, put on makeup, and all that. You wouldn't understand."

Ye Junze was left momentarily speechless, blinking before simply nodding without offering a comment.

Just as the group chuckled quietly among themselves, a familiar female voice rang out. "Well, well! I was wondering why I suddenly sneezed on my way over. Turns out someone was talking about me behind my back. What bad things were you saying about me this time?"

Hearing the voice, Yun Tianhan instantly assumed the expression of a man facing mortal peril and flashed a ingratiating smile. "Big Sister Fan, you're here! Who would dare say anything bad about you? I was just praising you. I was telling everyone how beautiful, kind-hearted, and wonderfully figure-conscious Big Sister Fan is, and how much everyone adores you."

Fan Yan merely smiled at this, though her gaze and expression brimmed with deep skepticism.

Sensing her disbelief, Yun Tianhan quickly turned to the others. "What? You don't believe me? Go ahead and ask them! Didn't I just say that?"

As he spoke, Yun Tianhan shot frantic winks at Ye Junze and the rest.

Yet Ye Junze and the others deliberately averted their gaze, adopting an attitude of absolute detachment, focusing intently on the bridge of their own noses as if the matter had nothing whatsoever to do with them.

Fortunately, Fan Yan did not press the issue further. Waving a hand dismissively, she said, "Fine, I can't be bothered to argue with you. Hurry up and sit down."

With that, Fan Yan took her seat as well.

As if granted a royal pardon, Yun Tianhan immediately sat down, making sure to slip in a few more flattering remarks about Fan Yan along the way.

Finally, Li Ling stepped in to mediate. "Alright, let's save the chatter for later. Let's order our food first; I imagine everyone is starving."

Nodding in agreement, the rest of the group signaled that they had no objections.

Without further ado, they turned their attention to ordering their meal.