Chapter 21: The White Moonlight vs. The Childhood Sweetheart

As the morning military training concluded, Huang Feiyang and Chen Xiruo walked hand-in-hand toward the school cafeteria. Chen Xiruo preferred not to draw too much attention, so at her suggestion, Huang Feiyang had no intention of leaving campus. By now, their classmates had become completely accustomed to seeing the two of them inseparable.

"Hmm?"

After collecting their food and sitting down, a flash of confusion crossed Huang Feiyang’s eyes. He had the distinct feeling that someone was watching him from the shadows. Just as they were chatting and eating, a tall figure carrying a meal tray suddenly appeared before them.

"Oh?"

Instinctively, they both looked up. Their reactions were polar opposites: Chen Xiruo was first puzzled, then a flicker of hostility crossed her eyes, while Huang Feiyang was stunned, followed by a bright, happy smile.

The girl before them had sweet features and a gentle air that naturally stirred a sense of protectiveness in others. She was none other than the girl from his childhood memories. Suddenly, fragments of unfamiliar memories flooded Huang Feiyang’s mind. He finally understood why he hadn't seen her until now—in this life, she was still his childhood neighbor, but her family background had shifted. They had moved to the Imperial Capital several years ago.

She was Yang Yiyi, his childhood sweetheart from his early memories.

"Brother Feiyang, it really is you!" she exclaimed, her pretty face beaming with genuine surprise and delight. "I thought I had mistaken you for someone else! Didn't Grandpa Huang say you had become a little hedonist? How did you suddenly become so impressive? Was that really you who nearly got a perfect score on the college entrance exam? I thought it was just a coincidence of names! And why didn't you tell me you changed your number? I called your house three times, and you never answered!"

She blinked, looking at him with curious, pouting frustration.

"Sister Yiyi!" Huang Feiyang smiled at the girl who was a year his junior. He wisely chose to play dumb regarding her barrage of questions; they were, after all, rather difficult to answer.

Across from him, Chen Xiruo felt a sudden prickle of jealousy. Her expression shifted slightly, though she quickly regained her composure. Nearby, onlookers watched with piqued interest, many wearing expressions of gossip or schadenfreude.

"Who is she?" Chen Xiruo and Yang Yiyi asked in unison, eyeing each other with brief flashes of hostility.

"Uh..." Huang Feiyang rubbed his nose and briefly introduced them to one another. After a polite exchange of greetings, Yang Yiyi sat down right next to Huang Feiyang.

Huang Feiyang’s mouth twitched as he watched Chen Xiruo glare at him while simultaneously engaging in pleasant, lively conversation with Yang Yiyi. Girls’ minds were truly impossible to fathom. Their conversation, while seemingly lighthearted, was sharp and pointed, laden with hidden barbs.

"Huang Feiyang, didn't you ask me to stay at your villa?" Chen Xiruo suddenly said, looking at him. "I've decided: I'm moving in tonight."

"Brother Feiyang, I want to move in with you too!" Yang Yiyi chimed in, refusing to be outdone, casting a wary glance at Chen Xiruo.

"You!" Chen Xiruo was incensed, but Yang Yiyi merely returned a look of feigned innocence.

Huang Feiyang could only be speechless. What was this? A "happy" problem? The male students nearby were deeply disappointed; they had been hoping for a catfight—or perhaps a slap to Huang Feiyang’s face—but the two beauties seemed to be getting along just fine. The female students, however, looked on with contemplative glints in their eyes, eventually shooting looks of gloating pity toward Huang Feiyang.

After lunch, things only got worse for Chen Xiruo: wherever she and Huang Feiyang went, Yang Yiyi followed. Yang Yiyi even made a phone call to have her family help her transfer majors. Clearly, she was set on competing with Chen Xiruo. What frustrated Chen Xiruo most was that when she held one of Huang Feiyang’s hands, Yang Yiyi would grab the other. To avoid a scene, they eventually reached a consensus: no holding Huang Feiyang’s hands on campus.

Huang Feiyang, the culprit behind it all, maintained a facade of innocent confusion, acting like a wooden post. In reality, he was internally ecstatic. His "white moonlight" and his childhood sweetheart—both his greatest regrets in his past life—were now fighting over him in this one. He was perfectly content to stay right where he was.

But as the saying goes, one man’s joy is another’s woe. While Huang Feiyang was having the time of his life, his grandfather, Elder Huang, was nursing a headache. That afternoon, he received two calls that left him both laughing and crying. First came the grandfather of Chen Xiruo, followed immediately by the grandfather of Yang Yiyi.

The content of both calls was identical: marriage alliances. Both families wanted to tie the knot with the Huang household. The Chen family wanted to marry off their precious Chen Xiruo, and the Yang family wanted to marry off their precious Yang Yiyi. Listening to his old friends, it seemed both granddaughters had initiated the ideas themselves, and the elders were more than happy to oblige.

Elder Huang gave the same response to both: "This is a matter for that brat Feiyang to decide himself! Besides, he’s still young, isn't he? No need to rush!"

Rubbing his temples, Elder Huang sighed with a bitter smile. Two years ago, he had indeed tried to arrange marriages for his grandson to keep him in line, but everyone had politely refused because Huang Feiyang had been a notorious playboy. How, in the blink of an eye, had he turned into such a sought-after prize?