Chapter 491: Striving to Carve Out a World of Our Own

The auditorium was packed with a sea of people, all looking for seats.

Zhai Hao sat in a relatively front row seat and looked around. He spotted Nie Yan and others entering through the auditorium entrance and quickly waved at them.

Nie Yan saw Zhai Hao and walked toward him with Xie Yao.

“Li Rui, Nie Yan is here,” Zhai Hao said excitedly. Since the previous incident, Zhai Hao, Li Rui, and others had come to accept Nie Yan as one of their own. At this moment, if anyone dared to pick a fight with Nie Yan, Zhai Hao, Li Rui, and Liu Chengxu would be the first to step in and beat them up.

Seeing Nie Yan approach, Zhai Hao walked over and said, “Nie Yan, this is our class’s seating area. I picked out a few good seats.”

“Xie Yao and I will sit here, thanks,” Nie Yan replied. With so many people in the auditorium, he was worried something might happen, so he and Xie Yao chose to sit in a corner.

“No problem, we’re brothers. Why thank me?” Zhai Hao chuckled, looking somewhat honest and simple.

Nie Yan and Zhai Hao exchanged smiles.

“Everyone came today for the graduation ceremony. Many people wanted to see you. You’ve become a celebrity in our class. Even those who haven’t shown up for class in ages came today,” Zhai Hao said.

“Let’s wait until the graduation ceremony ends,” Nie Yan replied.

The group sat down. Xia Ling sat with Xie Yao, whispering about something. Xia Ling occasionally glanced toward Nie Yan, casting a teasing look at Xie Yao.

“You two wouldn’t have… done anything, would you?” Xia Ling whispered into Xie Yao’s ear.

“Of course not!” Xie Yao blushed and hastily denied.

“I don’t think Nie Yan would dare. If he really did anything, just wait until your dad gets hold of him,” Xia Ling laughed, seeing Xie Yao’s flustered expression.

Xie Yao finally relaxed and began playfully interacting with Xia Ling.

Nie Yan looked at Xie Yao, who was smiling and chatting nearby, then at the auditorium, feeling a surge of emotion. It felt like a dream. He remembered in his previous life, he could only sit in the corner and watch Xie Yao’s back from the front row. Back then, just a glance at her was enough to satisfy him.

He never imagined that in this life, he would sit beside Xie Yao. The circumstances arranged by fate were truly amazing.

The performance lasted three hours. When the music ended and the crowd dispersed, he and Xie Yao went their separate ways, becoming strangers in distant places. At that time, his heart felt hollow, as if his soul had been lost. After the graduation ceremony, Zhai Hao, Li Rui, and Liu Xuchen accompanied him to drink heavily at a KTV, singing all night and going wild.

During his lowest moments, these friends stayed by his side, helping him through those dark days. Even when many people avoided him after his life-changing events, brothers like Tang Yao, Zhai Hao, Li Rui, and Liu Xuchen remained steadfast. True friendship is revealed in adversity. What he didn’t know in his previous life was that Xie Yao also stayed, just in a different way—accompanying him online under the alias “Yaoyao,” unfortunately unknown to him at the time.

Thinking back to his previous life, so many regrets had finally been reversed.

“How are you and Xia Ling?” Nie Yan asked Zhai Hao beside him. They were quite the pair of playful adversaries. He hoped their happiness would continue in this life.

Speaking of Xia Ling, Zhai Hao coughed awkwardly and chuckled, “Same old story. I just got her phone number. We can keep in touch after graduation.”

Nie Yan smiled. In his previous life, the two had dated for years before finally getting together. It was still early now. Zhai Hao might not be very romantic, but after graduating from college, Xia Ling married him precisely because she saw his good character.

The auditorium gradually filled with more students, making the hall quite noisy. However, soon everyone found their seats. After a while, the principal stepped onto the stage, summarizing the academic achievements, and especially praised Nie Yan generously.

All the students in the auditorium turned their eyes toward Nie Yan’s seat, whispering among themselves. Some were envious, others jealous. Nie Yan, however, remained calm. As a mature person, these honors no longer meant much to him.

After the principal’s speech, the student-organized performances began. Since Huada High School had many art students, the performances were of very high quality.

“Next is Jiang Yingyu’s peacock dance,” Zhai Hao chuckled, flashing a grin that all men would understand.

“Aren’t you trying to win Xia Ling over?” Nie Yan teased.

“Well… pursuing Xia Ling doesn’t conflict with watching the performance,” Zhai Hao awkwardly replied with a grin.

Nie Yan knew Zhai Hao well. Zhai Hao was essentially honest and deeply devoted to Xia Ling. Even if Jiang Yingyu gave him a chance, he might not pursue her. However, among men, they would always talk about topics like whose figure was better or who was prettier.

Nie Yan had no interest in Jiang Yingyu. In the end, she married a wealthy businessman. He didn’t want to judge right or wrong—everyone had the right to choose their lifestyle, while many people didn’t even have that choice. Nie Yan didn’t know Jiang Yingyu’s fate in his previous life, so it was wrong to hastily judge others.

With a click, the hall lights dimmed, and a spotlight shone onto the stage. Jiang Yingyu, dressed in a light yellow tight-fitting gown, appeared before everyone. A low murmur spread through the hall as all eyes focused on Jiang Yingyu on the stage.

Nie Yan overheard some whispers.

“Damn, Jiang Yingyu’s figure is amazing.”

“Such a perfect body.”

Like a dream, Jiang Yingyu danced gracefully under the spotlight, like a peacock dancing under moonlight, pleasing to the eye. Her bones were so flexible that she seemed perfect for dancing, which might explain why she was recommended to the military art college by Huada High School.

Her perfect curves and toned long legs made people’s hearts race.

Nie Yan heard some indecent comments from the boys nearby. They said they would gladly trade ten years of their lives for a single night with Jiang Yingyu. This was undoubtedly the sentiment of most men in the hall.

Nie Yan smiled. In his previous life, he had once considered Jiang Yingyu, but that was just adolescent infatuation. Later, when he matured, he realized that a woman like Jiang Yingyu was not on the same path as him. In his previous life, he might have had a fleeting desire for Jiang Yingyu, but his feelings for Xie Yao had deepened over time, becoming unbreakable.

Nie Yan drifted into thought, recalling his past life. To Xie Yao beside him, it seemed he was just engrossed in the performance, causing her to feel a bit resentful.

“Is it really that good to watch?” Xie Yao whispered into Nie Yan’s ear.

“Not bad,” Nie Yan casually replied. Seeing Xie Yao pouting, he smiled and explained, “I’m just talking about the dance. She really captured the grace and allure of the peacock dance.”

Xie Yao had to admit that Jiang Yingyu had a great figure and danced well, which was undeniable.

“I can dance the peacock dance too, though I haven’t practiced in a while,” Xie Yao said, somewhat hesitantly.

“Then dance it for me next time,” Nie Yan smiled. Under the dim lighting, Xie Yao looked charming and adorable. He gently squeezed her hand, feeling her soft and delicate skin, causing his heart to flutter.

“Okay, I’ll dance for you when we get home,” Xie Yao replied, unwilling to lose to Jiang Yingyu.

“Preferably wearing that lace nightgown,” Nie Yan whispered in Xie Yao’s ear, a mischievous smile on his lips. He could imagine the scene, his heart instantly heating up. Xie Yao’s body might not be worse than Jiang Yingyu’s at all. While Jiang Yingyu’s body was flexible due to dance training, Xie Yao was also tall and slim, well-nourished and well-developed. Her pair of soft mounds couldn’t even be fully cupped in one hand. And because she practiced Taekwondo, her legs were long and toned—Nie Yan was very familiar with this. Moreover, in a few years, Xie Yao would become even more alluring. Nie Yan recalled a gathering years after graduation in his previous life, where Xie Yao was dazzlingly beautiful, exuding a mature and seductive charm, making his heart race.

Both Jiang Yingyu and Xie Yao were absolute beauties in men’s eyes. However, if a person were only driven by desire, he would be no different from an animal. Emotion was the most important thing. If it weren’t for Xie Yao being too young, Nie Yan would have already taken her long ago.

Hearing Nie Yan’s teasing words, Xie Yao’s face instantly turned bright red. She glanced around to make sure no one else had heard, then calmed down, her heart still pounding. Looking at Nie Yan’s profile, she pouted. Nie Yan was such a rogue. But she had already let Nie Yan see things she shouldn’t have, so what was there to fear? She would dance for him. Who was afraid of whom?

Xie Yao was determined to firmly entice Nie Yan, ensuring he would never think of other women—especially Jiang Yingyu. A woman’s natural instinct was to feel rivalry toward her competition.

Nie Yan and Xie Yao chatted for a while. After about ten minutes, the dance was nearing its end.

On stage, Jiang Yingyu danced like a lively sprite, expressing beauty and youthfulness in her unique way. At that moment, she was the sole protagonist on stage. This was her solo performance. When the music ended, the lights clicked off, plunging the stage into darkness. When the spotlight returned, she was gone, leaving the audience with a sigh of disappointment.

However, everyone quickly regained their enthusiasm for the following performances.

There were other dance performances after that. Although none were as eye-catching as Jiang Yingyu’s peacock dance, they were still quite good. During one of the dances, a girl even presented Nie Yan with flowers. She was decent-looking, but Nie Yan couldn’t recall where he had seen her before. He simply smiled it off.

“I didn’t expect you to be so popular,” Zhai Hao patted Nie Yan’s shoulder.

Nie Yan smiled. He considered this incident just a minor episode.

“After entering the First Military Academy, don’t forget to keep in touch with us,” Zhai Hao sighed.

“Have you joined the Tribe of Elites?” Nie Yan asked. In his previous life, Zhai Hao, Li Rui, and Liu Xuchen had shown considerable talent.

“Yeah,” Zhai Hao nodded.

“Do you want to follow me and carve out a world for ourselves?” Nie Yan’s words were full of persuasion.

“Really?” Zhai Hao looked at Nie Yan, his long-dormant heart igniting with a burning flame. Every man had an unquenchable fire in his heart!