CHAPTER 69: CHAPTER 69: THE PURE LOVE OF YOUTH

Jenny seemed encouraged, certain that Victoria really cared about this point.

Tiffany Rhodes smiled, "Why bring up Eugene’s first love?"

"Tell me about it! I’m curious!" Jenny shook Tiffany’s arm.

"Didn’t I tell you before?"

Jenny knelt on the sofa, leaned to Tiffany’s ear, and whispered, "Tell me again, I want to piss off this troublemaker, she caused Vivian so much trouble!"

"Who is she?" Tiffany asked softly.

"A girl who’s been relentlessly pursuing my brother, her identity isn’t important, what matters is her vanity and cunning nature."

This sounded to Tiffany like Victoria was undoubtedly a green tea bitch.

Tiffany cleared her throat and said, "I know your big brother’s first love best."

"The year we started the second year of high school, a group of outstanding students from another school came to share their study methods and experiences with us at School No. 17. Among them was a very pretty freshman, and your big brother fell in love with her at first sight during such a boring sharing talk, he was totally engrossed, and from then on, it was unstoppable."

Even hearing about it again, Jenny couldn’t help but feel happy and romantic, covering her mouth and laughing.

Victoria listened attentively by the side.

In her heart, she comforted herself, everyone has a past, right?

Especially during the youthful school years, having one or two pure relationships is quite normal.

Although she seemed open-minded and calm, her heart still felt inexplicably blocked, gloomy, and heavy.

Not happy, yet wanting to listen.

Tiffany leaned back on the sofa, smiling as she continued, "When you’re young, you must meet an exceptional person, and fall in love with her, she will make you better and better, become the best version of yourself. Your big brother met such a person, he was crazy, every day after school he’d ride half an hour to wait at School No. 1’s gate just to encounter that girl after school, gathering information about her, inquiring about her, and eventually even transferred to School No. 1."

Hearing this, Victoria was stunned, Eugene was a transfer student at School No. 1? Turns out they were not only college classmates but also high school mates!

Jenny excitedly exclaimed, "I know this, School No. 1 is a key high school in our area, my big brother studied day and night to get in back then, he even had my uncle hire dozens of private tutors for him, every minute outside of eating and sleeping was filled with classes. Even after a year, he couldn’t get in, so my uncle used money and connections to get him into School No. 1."

Tiffany chuckled and nodded, "Indeed, after transferring to School No. 1, he purposely stayed back a year to be in the same grade as that girl. Despite the circumstances of his admission, he lived up to expectations and eventually got into Sterling University."

Jenny lightly patted Tiffany’s shoulder, "Do you know what my big brother’s goal was during the college entrance examination?"

Tiffany shook her head, "I was just drifting along at School No. 17, how would I know his college entrance exam goals at School No. 1?"

Jenny smiled, "His goal was to get into the same university as her. That ’her’ with the female radical character. My big brother, for this girl, was really driven, he studied so hard back then that my family was heartbroken. He’d get up at five in the morning to memorize vocabulary, still doing practice papers at one in the morning, no nap, no socializing, he even gave up his favorite basketball. Anyone who disturbed his studies, he’d get mad at them."

"My uncle asked him at the time, which university do you want to go? I’ll donate two buildings to get you admitted, just sleep well and stop studying. He refused to rely on his own ability. On the day the college entrance exam results were announced, I heard him crying in his room."

Tiffany sighed deeply, "I guess that girl must have been extraordinary, so Eugene often said he wasn’t good enough for her and didn’t dare to confess, only worked silently to be worthy of her, I wonder if they ended up together in university."

Jenny raised an eyebrow and glanced at Victoria triumphantly, "Of course they did."

"Really?"

"Of course! During university, he had a thin black rubber band on his wrist, it was a girl’s hair tie, surely a token of love, he wore it for a long time. Once, he even asked Auntie Rose how to deal with a girl’s period cramps and anemia. Auntie Rose taught him to make ginger and brown sugar egg water, he made it for six days and personally brought it to university."

Tiffany sighed again, "Twelve years have passed, I wonder if he’s still with that girl now."

"He’s not," Jenny’s tone turned somber, somewhat remorseful, she looked at Victoria with a hint of resentment, "I guess my brother got bewitched, he was supposed to study at Massachusetts for a two-year master’s degree, but only studied for a year and a half, hurriedly graduated and came back to start blind dates, and married an average woman, with an ordinary family, background, looks, education, job, everything about her was just ordinary."

Tiffany was shocked, "Eugene got married?"

"Yes, but they’re almost divorced!" Jenny gritted her teeth and glared at Victoria.

Victoria sighed softly, slowly stood up, and left the living room.

She didn’t care about Jenny’s words, but thinking of Eugene’s first love made her feel heavy.

Turns out Eugene had such a wonderful first love when he was young.

No wonder Eugene had previously asked her if a drug could be invented to selectively erase memories.

Was he trying to forget this unforgettable first love?

The youthful relationship must have been so beautiful and pure for him to relentlessly strive, improve, and make himself better and more outstanding.

To this day, he still can’t forget his first love.

Victoria suddenly reflected that when she was in university, she should have pursued a pure relationship too.

To not waste her youth, to not waste the beauty of being young.

Now she realizes that in the adult world of emotions, people focus too much on gains and losses, benefits and costs, it’s not as pure as it was when they were young.

Victoria walked out to the garden, taking in some fresh air.

Her heart feeling a bit sour.

After a long time, Eugene finally came out of the villa.

Seeing him stride towards her, Victoria’s downcast mood eased a bit, she squeezed a smile to face him.

Eugene took her hand, "A childhood friend of mine is back from the military, I want to introduce you."

"I’ve already met, it’s Tiffany Rhodes, right?" Victoria didn’t want to go back inside to avoid any awkwardness.

After all, Tiffany and Jenny had just teamed up to intentionally annoy her, they didn’t know she was Eugene’s wife.

Eugene gave a small smile, "Why aren’t you inside waiting?"

"I wanted to give Jenny and Tiffany some private space."

Eugene chuckled, nodding in agreement, "They are childhood sweethearts, both like each other a lot."

Victoria changed the topic, "Did dad want to talk to you about something?"

"Nothing, just chatting," Eugene replied, taking her towards the car, his tone heavy, not like someone without concerns.

Once in the car, Victoria put on her seatbelt and sat still.

Eugene didn’t start the car.

Victoria turned to look at him, noticing his dark expression; he hadn’t put on his seatbelt and seemed not ready to drive, quietly sitting there, a heavy atmosphere surrounding him, oppressive and heavy.

Even though Eugene didn’t speak, Victoria understood his tangled emotions.

Her heart felt a faint pang of soreness, the lavender fields they were looking forward to were probably out of the question; feeling a bit of disappointment was inevitable.

She understood Eugene’s difficulties, so she assumingly said nonchalantly, "If you want to go see Vivian, go ahead, we can go to the lavender fields another day."

Surprised, Eugene turned to look at her.

Victoria gave a small smile, composed, "You can drop me off at the subway station, I’ll take the subway home."

"How did you know I planned to see Vivian?" Eugene asked, puzzled.

Victoria avoided his gaze, looking straight ahead, her voice soft and powerless, a hint of resignation, "I heard Jenny mention some things about Vivian, so I guessed what dad might say to you in the study. Whether Vivian is pretending to be ill or truly sick, if she’s not eating or leaving the house, making herself depressed, exaggerating to the point that all the elders blame me for it."

Victoria sighed softly, lowered her head, and rubbed her dress between her fingers, continuing, "Because she drank a wrong bottle of water and said things that weren’t true, in the elders’ eyes, it’s nothing at all. You fired her and cut ties with her, causing her depression, losing her appetite. The elders of the two families would only feel you were too harsh, and I’d become the instigator who sowed discord in your friendship."

Eugene gently took her hand, softly caressing its back with his thumb, leaning back in the seat, "Seeing things so clearly, to be honest, do you care? Do you care if I go see Vivian?"