The summer ball's glory was fleeting; the library was Li Yan's sanctuary. When she was reading, the struggles of life temporarily disappeared. The knowledge accumulated in the library would never betray her. Li Yan loved the seat in the library that was bathed in sunlight. In rainy England, sunlight was a luxury. Today, the atmosphere was a bit unusual. Li Yan had just sat down when a blonde woman sat directly across from her. The sculpted face gave Li Yan a sense of intimidation without the woman even trying. Li Yan sensed a hint of hostility. Not wanting to confront her, she started gathering her books to find another seat.

　　"Cinderella, where are your glass slippers today?" The blonde woman's tone was highly provocative.

　　Li Yan paused for a moment, glanced at her, and recognized her as one of the girls John had turned down at the ball last night. So, the blonde had mistaken her for John's girlfriend.

　　Li Yan didn't want a conflict. She pretended not to hear the blonde's words and quickened her pace in packing her bag.

　　"Playing dumb? You're just looking for a British guy to stay in our country," the blonde said aggressively.

　　"Is Britain that great? Don't look down on people." Li Yan retorted angrily.

　　"Who's been clinging to John? Chinese women are best at these tricks."

　　"I'm not in a relationship with John," Li Yan clarified.

　　The blonde sneered, "At least you have some self-awareness. John is just playing with you. Once he's tired of you, you'll be back on a refrigerated truck full of tomatoes, heading back to your country!" The blonde was mocking Li Yan with the recent tragic incident at Dover Port involving illegal Chinese immigrants.

　　As soon as she finished speaking, several white students around them snickered.

　　This is the Western world: "political correctness" is just a fig leaf covering "racial discrimination." Some elite clubs can't hang signs that say "No Chinese Allowed," so they hang "WHITE ONLY" signs instead. Because Black people protested against always being cast as villains in movies, now it's East Asian faces that play the con artists and thieves. Whenever there's an economic crisis or unresolved social conflict, the Chinese become the scapegoats.

　　Li Yan was full of grievances, with a voice inside her saying, "Don't cry, if you cry, you lose." She held back her tears and quickly left the library, only to run into John.

　　John grabbed her arm, "You’re not really that petty, are you? I’m only five minutes late, and you’re already mad?”

　　Li Yan turned away and quickly wiped her tears, “I don’t feel well.”

　　“I’ll take you back to your apartment.”

　　“No, I can manage on my own.” Li Yan wanted to shake John off and quickened her pace.

　　John caught up in a few strides, “I’d be worried if you went back alone.”

　　Li Yan pushed him away, “Mr. Huntington, please keep your distance. I don’t want your admirers to think I’m some scheming Cinderella trying to stay in England by getting close to you.”

　　John was stunned, unable to speak for a moment. They parted on bad terms.

　　Since the incident at the library, Li Yan had been deliberately avoiding John, not giving him any chance to be alone with her. Her avoidance was a silent judgment to John. Her glances, her faint smiles, her praises had once made John think she was showing interest in him, but now those seemed insignificant.

　　He cared about her. She was beautiful, but didn’t flaunt her looks like other girls who couldn’t help but try to attract his attention. She was sincere; despite knowing the vast gap between their backgrounds, she treated everyone equally, never showing him undue flattery. She was gentle, able to adapt and accept with the right amount of flexibility when it came to non-principle issues, and finding compromises in difficult situations that made others comfortable without compromising herself. With her, even boring studies became enjoyable. She didn’t preach, but always found a way to guide his thoughts in the direction she wanted, making him feel like the ideas came from his own mind. John's progress on his thesis was impressive, thanks to her, yet she never took credit. She was like soft background music—not grabbing attention immediately, but her sudden absence left him feeling lost.

　　He cared about her and was anxious about her reactions to him, yet he still felt at ease around her. Talking to his mother meant either choosing words carefully or bracing for a big argument, which usually ended with both of them saying the most hurtful things they could think of. Chatting with his sister required guarding against her reporting back to their mother, repeating every word he said. Being with Li Yan was the exact opposite. She never tried to change or influence him; she was willing to listen but never judged. He loved it when she asked for his help because he always managed to assist her perfectly, giving him a sense of accomplishment.

　　Li Yan was understanding and sensitive, and even though John hadn't officially started a relationship with her, he couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed his obvious affection. Her previous mix of interest and distance, turning into coldness now, was a reminder of his unrequited love. John had been afraid of a direct confession and possible rejection, fearing it would ruin their friendship. Now, he regretted not being straightforward. Regardless of the outcome, John wanted to bear Rachel’s wrath himself rather than let Li Yan suffer it. Cutting ties with Li Yan had brought back the disheartened John he once was.

　　The atmosphere in the lab was unusually tense, with Anna and Saeed speaking in hushed tones, barely daring to breathe.

　　After days of struggle, John handed Li Yan a letter. “You have to read this carefully. Everything I want to say is in there.” With that, he left the lab dejectedly.

　　Li Yan opened the letter, handwritten in neat script without a single correction. John must have painstakingly crafted it, as if his life depended on it.

　　“Li Yan,

　　It was snowing the first time we met. That day I was in a gloomy mood, but after meeting you, my life gradually brightened. Unlike you, I didn’t come to Merton because I loved the museum studies program. My family has been in the art auction business since my great-grandfather. From the moment I was born, my fate was decided. Like my great-grandfather, grandfather, and father, I had no choice but to graduate from Oxford and take over the family business. My twin sister is much luckier. She loves art and can design outrageous costumes at the London College of Fashion and make obscure short films that even she can’t understand. I, on the other hand, am destined to deal with old antiques, which I have no interest in. When I graduated from high school, I received an acceptance letter from the Berklee College of Music. Just as I was celebrating the chance to escape my stifling home, my mother burned the letter in front of me.

　　I’ve thought about dropping out of Oxford more than once, but my parents wouldn’t hear of it, because it would "bring shame to our family." But after meeting you, I found our weekly meetings became interesting. I loved watching you immerse yourself so deeply in your research, and I admired the way you spoke so eloquently during our discussions. You opened a door for me to the ancient world. These antiques were no longer just cold relics in a lab, dry data in a paper, or profitable auction items. They became a living history, a captivating story, and a red thread connecting us.

　　That woman who humiliated you in the library is a close friend of my sister and the daughter of my parents’ friends, the Russells. I sincerely apologize for Rachel's arrogance and prejudice. I have never had any feelings for her beyond friendship. If she misunderstood my intentions, I will distance myself from her to prevent further misunderstandings and to avoid making you uncomfortable.

　　You were unjustly insulted because of me, and I don’t know how to make amends. If my feelings for you are causing you distress, I will hide my affection and maintain a simple classmate friendship. This might not be easy for me at first, but time will eventually dull my feelings. However, if you have any affection for me, please let go of your worries. I don’t care about nationality, social class, or family background. I just want to be there for you.

　　John Huntington

　　July 1998

　　John had laid bare his toughest secrets to Liyan. When a man is wooing a woman, he often makes promises without knowing if he can keep them, and his sweet words can be more alluring than a melody. John's honesty was far more telling than any sugary words or solemn vows—it proved that she held a higher place in his heart than any other girl.

　　Liyan felt a deep regret for how she had treated John over the past two weeks. She realized she had unfairly taken out her anger from Rachel’s insults on innocent John. John had done nothing wrong; if anything, his only fault was his hopeless affection for her.

　　Liyan was restless, as if two children were arguing in her mind. One said, "Give him a chance, and give yourself a chance too." The other said, "If you accept him, aren’t you admitting you’re Cinderella?"

　　Liyan confided John's confession to Anna, who wasn’t surprised at all. Anna asked her, “You must have realized John was pursuing you long ago. Haven’t you felt anything for him?”

　　After admitting she did have feelings for John, Liyan shared her concerns with Anna: "John's social circle is full of women with backgrounds similar to his. They’re the ones who share his world. Maybe John finds my Asian features intriguing, but how long will that novelty last?" Liyan had another worry she couldn’t voice: If she accepted John, wouldn’t that confirm what her fellow countrymen scorned as a gold digger, what Rachel despised as a schemer, and what Justin saw as an easy Asian girl?

　　Anna tried to comfort her, “So what if they grew up together? So what if they come from similar backgrounds? Does being born privileged give someone the right to humiliate others? If Rachel was truly confident in her feelings for John, she wouldn’t need to put on such a show in front of you. Your twenties are the best years of your life. You should be laughing freely, crying stubbornly. Watching you live so cautiously is exhausting for me.”

　　“As a government-sponsored student, I have to return to my country after finishing my studies. Knowing that this love story is doomed from the start, why even begin?”

　　The idea of dating solely for marriage shocked Anna. “You’re overthinking it. When you’re young, you should enjoy falling in love. By the time you figure everything out, John might be with someone else. Won’t you regret that?”

　　Liyan was speechless. She fell into deep thought, as if Anna’s hypothetical scenario was already happening.

　　“Life is a battle without gunfire. You have to fight for what you want,” Anna said, raising an eyebrow and giving her a teasing look. “John is quite a catch, you know.”

　　Liyan deeply admired Anna’s boldness and ability to live in the moment, loving fiercely and without regret. With Anna’s encouragement, Liyan decided to let go of her doubts and live for herself, following her heart.

　　Reconnecting with Liyan felt like a fresh start for John. Although Liyan wouldn't explicitly say, “I agree to be your girlfriend,” her willingness to restore their friendship and let John be by her side was a clear sign that she was open to their relationship naturally progressing.

　　To keep Rachel from bothering Liyan, John took the initiative to explain his feelings for Liyan to her. Rachel's overbearing attitude was just a front to hide her impending defeat in love. She knew that throwing a fit would only push John further away. Rather than groveling for a love that had already fallen apart, she chose to let go and maintain her dignity. She never troubled Liyan again.