{"id":3683,"date":"2026-05-28T04:20:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T04:20:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/summer-night-breeze-21\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T04:20:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T04:20:19","slug":"summer-night-breeze-21","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ko\/chapter\/summer-night-breeze-21\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer Night Breeze 21"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 21: Don’t Ask, Don’t Interfere

Friend!

Chen Ciyi once again brought up the word “friend.”

Xu Yannuo couldn’t help but recall that alley from middle school where she had been bullied… Back then, she was still weak. When she was pinned to the ground, she was so terrified. When they threatened to come after her every day if she didn’t obey, she felt utterly hopeless. At that moment, how she wished someone could save her\u2014even if it was just lending her a hand…

But no one did!

Was she just not lucky enough to have passersby come by?

No, those who passed weren’t just strangers\u2014they were her close friends. They happened to walk by at that moment, even heard her cries for help and saw her face. But just as she glimpsed hope, believing she might finally be rescued, her good friends were so terrified they pretended not to see her and immediately ran away.

At that time, she didn’t yet feel despair. She thought, they were just too scared\u2014even she herself was afraid. How could she demand bravery from her friends? At the very least, they had seen her. They would surely report it to the teacher or gather help to rescue her.

But they didn’t.

They vanished from her sight just like that, never to return. Time passed bit by bit, as all her hopes gradually dimmed like the fading daylight, slowly replaced by despair\u2014until the girls who bullied her snatched her pocket money, beat her until they’d had their fill, and left when they grew bored. Her friends never showed up again.

When school resumed afterward, they acted as if they didn\u2019t know her. Not a single word of explanation\u2014they wouldn\u2019t even speak to her anymore. They began avoiding her, taking detours when they saw her, treating her like the “bad kid” teachers and parents warned others not to play with.

Soon, not only did her friends isolate her, but the rest of the class also began quietly shunning and avoiding her.

Perhaps they were just afraid\u2014afraid of being dragged down by her. Or perhaps\u2026

Damn it! Who the hell knows why! She didn’t want to think about it, let alone dwell on it.

Yet in just a few short minutes, Xu Yannuo’s mind inexplicably started racing. She inadvertently recalled her elementary school days when everyone had already begun developing their own little thoughts and ideas, no longer just playing mindlessly like in kindergarten.

Though still quite childish\u2014like refusing to be friends today over some trivial matter or not playing together tomorrow\u2014they had already started forming friendships with those they got along with and sharing secrets.

Secrets came in many forms: which boy you liked, which boy I liked; how my mom treated me, what she bought me; or how my mom treated me, what hurtful things she said that made me sad today. But no matter the kind, they were all heartwarming in their own way.

Only she had no friends, because there was nothing to talk about!

Back then, people hadn’t yet learned to conceal their inner thoughts. When the children talked about their families, she had nothing to say and could only listen silently. Later, she didn’t even want to listen anymore.

Yeah, what to listen to, and what to talk about?

Listening to them talk about how happy their families are, how good their parents are to them, where they took them to play, and what little trinkets they bought that they liked\u2014or should we talk about how Xu Cheng came home drunk, not only taking all the cash from the house but also beating Cheng Yun until she was bruised and swollen, lying on the ground unable to get up, while she didn\u2019t know what to do except cry and scream, screaming until Xu Cheng left, her voice completely gone, left helplessly crouching beside Cheng Yun, watching her cry?

Friend?

Xu Yannuo stopped in her tracks and looked at Chen Ciyi, “I don’t need friends!”

That’s right, she didn’t need the kind of friends who lacked loyalty and would abandon her at the first sign of trouble, who would spread the news of her being bullied\u2014not to help her, but to make everyone fear being implicated and isolate her.

Friends to confide in and share secrets with? She needed them even less. She didn’t want others knowing her business.

As for Zhang Qi and Zhao Ying, the two of them had been genuinely good to her. But precisely because they were good, she wanted even less to drag them into her pitch-black life.

Looking at Xu Yannuo, whose expression suddenly turned icy cold\u2014of course, she had been indifferent ever since “rescuing” him\u2014but this current coldness was different from before. Earlier, she had simply ignored him, a superficial kind of coldness. Now, however, it was a bone-chilling coldness, eerie and unsettling.

That visual and intangible sensory impact made Chen Ciyi pause involuntarily. He frowned slightly as he looked at Xu Yannuo, “Did… did you recall something unpleasant?” It was just an offhand question, but it instantly plunged Xu Yannuo’s demeanor below freezing point.

“My affairs are none of your business. Don’t interfere and don’t ask. You’d better stay away from me.” Xu Yannuo paused, glaring at Chen Ciyi, “Follow me again, and I’ll beat you to death!” With that, she strode forward without looking back, disappearing into the dark night.

Watching her retreating figure, Chen Ciyi finally didn’t pursue this time. If aura had temperature, then Xu Yannuo’s current intensity could freeze everything around her to death.

So, no matter how curious I am, I shouldn’t follow anymore now. This is respect, and it’s also courtesy.

Watching Xu Yannuo’s figure disappear, Chen Ci turned around to leave. But after just two steps, he suddenly remembered something. He immediately stopped and looked down at his school uniform jacket. Seeing the black and red stains still clinging to it\u2014the mix of the buzz-cut guy’s nosebleed and dirt\u2014he frowned deeply, feeling so disgusted he could almost vomit.

After that, he immediately took off his school uniform jacket. On a northern early summer night, the wind carried a chill capable of giving someone a cold. With the jacket removed, all he had left was a black short-sleeved T-shirt. Just then, a gust of wind blew past, and Chen Ciyi instantly felt an unfriendly chill, involuntarily shivering. Yet, without hesitation and with a look of disgust, he pinched the jacket between two fingers and tossed it into a nearby trash bin before jogging all the way home.

He got off the elevator and walked to his front door, unlocking it with his fingerprint. The apartment was as dark as ever, with only him inside. He turned on the lights as usual and walked in. After entering, he first ordered takeout, then went straight to the bathroom to shower. By the time he finished showering, the food had already been left at his doorstep.

He changed into a white T-shirt and black sweatpants, then grabbed the takeout while drying his hair. He opened an app and clicked “confirm delivery.” Then he remembered his phone had vibrated several times during the fight earlier, and soon after, Xu Yannuo arrived\u2014he hadn\u2019t had the chance to check it yet.

He placed the takeout on the dining table, draped the towel around his neck, and then unlocked his phone.<\/p>","protected":false},"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"novel":[],"class_list":["post-3683","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3683"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3684,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3683\/revisions\/3684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=3683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}