Chapter 034

Lu Jin walked quickly, but he didn’t go far.

Zhou Xiangming, riding Lu Jin’s bike with mixed feelings, turned a corner and saw Lu Jin in front of him.

He stood under some tall green bamboo, shrouded in shadows, looking off into the distance.

Zhou Xiangming turned to see what Lu Jin was looking at. He saw the badminton court hidden in the community’s landscape and He Ye slowly leaving toward Building 7.

Zhou Xiangming sighed.

He had never been in love, but seeing Lu Jin like this made him feel sad.

No one understood better than him how much Lu Jin liked He Ye.

He stopped beside Lu Jin and asked quietly, “What’s going on?”

Lu Jin ignored him and continued to watch the distant figure. His profile looked stubborn and lonely.

From Zhou Xiangming’s view, Lu Jin’s profile was perfect, and his sad look could make girls feel pity. Unfortunately, no matter how handsome he was, it didn’t help when it came to breakups.

“Is it really impossible to get back together?”

After He Ye’s figure disappeared, Zhou Xiangming asked again.

Lu Jin finally looked at him, showing a blank expression.

Zhou Xiangming understood this hopeless look, leaving him unsure of what to say.

Should he ask more? If not, what comfort could he offer? Would a few words ease the pain of heartbreak? Talking would only make it worse.

He stayed silent beside his friend.

Then, Lu Jin suddenly smiled.

Zhou Xiangming was shocked and worried about Lu Jin’s state of mind: “What are you laughing at?”

Lu Jin didn’t respond. He took the left handlebar of the bike with one hand and said, looking down, “It’s late. You should go home.”

Zhou Xiangming asked, “I’m going home too. How about I buy some beers and we find a place to drink?” 

That’s what they do in movies: people with broken hearts often drink to forget.

Lu Jin replied, “I’m going home too.”

Building 10, 801.

It was almost ten o’clock. Lu Jiping was sitting on the sofa, with Lin Yun resting her head on his legs, watching TV and eating snacks he fed her.

During a commercial break, she looked at the clock and complained to her husband, “Is your son going to stay out all night?”

Lu Jiping replied, “Why not?”

Lin Yun said, “College students are starting school soon, and it’s tricky for young couples in love.”

Just then, the door unlocked with a beep, indicating someone had come home.

Lin Yun quickly changed her position.

The couple watched their 1.80-meter-tall son walk in without any expression. He changed into slippers and went straight to his room, ignoring his parents on the sofa. He seemed completely different from the cheerful son who had left in the morning.

Lin Yun sighed: “…The passionate love is over.”

Lu Jiping replied: “Should we ask him?”

Lin Yun thought she probably wouldn’t get anything out of him, but she still went to his door to try. When she turned the handle, it was locked from the inside.

She asked softly, “Xiao Lu, are you okay?” 

Xiao Lu is her son, while Lao Lu is her husband.

“I’m fine, I’m going to sleep,” he replied.

Lin Yun said “Oh,” returned to the living room, and gave Lu Jiping a helpless look. 

As children grow up, they often don’t need their parents’ involvement in certain issues.

Bedroom.

Lu Jin entered and lay down on the bed without turning on the light.

He lay there for a while until his phone rang.

Lu Jin took out his phone and looked at it without much interest. He knew what he was hoping for, even if he acted indifferent.

Changzhou Xiangming texted: [Don’t be too upset. If you can break up, you can get back together. You must have made He Ye angry. If you try hard, you might be able to save the relationship.]

Lu Jin dropped his phone and buried his face in his pillow.

You can apologize if someone is angry, but what if you just don’t like them anymore?

School is about to start; she is in the south, and he is in the north. Even if he wanted to try again, there wouldn’t be a chance.

In a long-distance relationship, visiting each other on weekends might work, but pursuing her like that would only make things harder for her.

Dislike…

Lu Jin chuckled to himself.

She didn’t like him, yet she still kissed him, hugged him, and he even coaxed her into going to a hotel.

He picked up his phone and opened the photo album filled with pictures he had taken of her.

He remembered the first time he saw He Ye with her hair down, the first time she curiously looked out a taxi window, and the first time she wore a beautiful dress. He also recalled the first time she smiled sweetly at the entrance of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and when she was happily eating in a restaurant, only to realize he was secretly photographing her.

In his arms, He Ye smiled more comfortably.

He had clearly enjoyed their time together, yet he had dragged her to a hotel without her knowing.

He clenched his phone, then relaxed and held it in front of him.

He sent her a message: [I’ll return the photos to you, please don’t share them, okay?]

When she didn’t reply, he sent another: [It’s okay to call occasionally; it doesn’t matter if we haven’t seen each other for four years.]

[I didn’t understand your feelings before, but now I do. I won’t make that mistake again.]

[He Ye, don’t do this. Don’t stay silent.]

After a long silence, she finally replied.

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Lu Jin, don’t do this. You’ll make me feel guilty. I shouldn’t have agreed to your request without thinking it through.]

Team leader: [Don’t feel guilty; I missed my chance. Let’s try again, okay?]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Sorry, I want to focus on my studies.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Lu Jin, school is about to start; you should prepare well. I prefer your nerdy look.]

Team leader: [If you promise to try again, I’ll aim to be in the top five in the grade.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Don’t be like that. I won’t say more. I’m going to turn off my phone and go to sleep.]

Lu Jin waited a few minutes and called her.

“Sorry, the user you dialed is powered off.”

He lay down again.

It was a little after five in the morning, and dawn was breaking.

Around six o’clock, Lu Jiping and Lin Yun got up—one to prepare breakfast and the other to shower.

After breakfast was ready, Lin Yun knocked on her son’s door: “Xiao Lu, are you awake? Come out for breakfast?”

“Not hungry,” he replied.

Lin Yun sighed.

Persuasion didn’t work. Before leaving for work, Lin Yun sent a voice message to Zhou Xiangming: “Xiangming, Xiao Lu isn’t in a good mood and hasn’t eaten breakfast. You two are close; can you go over and keep him company?”

Zhou Xiangming replied: “Don’t worry, Auntie, I promise to make him eat three bowls of rice!”

Zhou Xiangming quickly arrived at the Lu family home.

He rang the doorbell repeatedly, but no one answered. Zhou Xiangming asked Lin Yun for a password, entered, and then found himself locked outside Lu Jin’s bedroom.

Zhou Xiangming tried to coax Lu Jin with kind words, but nothing worked.

Finally, frustrated, he kicked the door and shouted: “Can you be a little more ambitious? You were so confident when you first pursued He Ye, but after being rejected, you don’t dare to try again. Do you have no confidence?”

“He Ye asked me to give you the necklace last night. I thought you wouldn’t give up easily, so I didn’t help you. If you really give up, I’ll go get it from her right now!”

The provocation didn’t work; there was still silence inside.

Zhou Xiangming scoffed: “Okay, I still don’t believe you can go a whole day without eating!”

Leaving his friends behind, Zhou Xiangming sat on the sofa to watch a movie.

From morning until evening, no matter how much Zhou Xiangming talked, Lu Jin stayed inside.

Eventually, Zhou Xiangming gave up and called He Ye via video chat.

He Ye had just returned home with food from her father. When the video call connected, she first asked if Lu Jin was with Zhou Xiangming.

Zhou Xiangming stood at Lu Jin’s door and deliberately turned up the volume: “Don’t worry, Lu Jin isn’t here. He’s locked himself in his room and has given up. He hasn’t even eaten breakfast or lunch.”

He Ye: “…”

Zhou Xiangming asked: “Have you eaten?”

He Ye nodded.

Zhou Xiangming tried to get her to talk: “When does school start?”

He Ye replied: “September 7th. Well, if there’s nothing else. I’m hanging up.”

Zhou Xiangming’s expression changed. He lowered his voice and went to the living room to discuss with He Ye: “Lu Jin is like this. No matter how we persuade him, it’s useless. Can you help convince him? He needs to report to Beijing the day after tomorrow; don’t let him delay things.”

He Ye bit her lip and hung up the video call. 

A few minutes later, she sent a message to Lu Jin: [What are you doing?]

The chat box showed that he was typing, but his reply took a long time.

Team Leader: [Reading.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Take care of yourself so uncle and aunt don’t worry.]

Team Leader: [OK.]

Half an hour later, Changzhou Xiangming messaged: [Finally, you came out. You told me not to bother you again as soon as you opened the door.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [I’m glad you’re okay.]

Changzhou Xiangming: [It would be strange if nothing happened. He looks lost.]

He Ye didn’t know what to say.

Changzhou Xiangming: [Is it really impossible for you two to get back together?]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Yes, it has nothing to do with him. I just want to focus on studying at university.]

Changzhou Xiangming: [That’s fine. No matter what happens between you two, we are still good friends. Let’s keep in touch!]

He Ye smiled: [Of course.]

She didn’t have many friends, and Zhou Xiangming was one of them. She wouldn’t ignore him unless he distanced himself first.

He Ye had a calm day but suffered from insomnia that night.

Tomorrow was the day Lu Jin would report to university, and she worried whether he was doing okay.

Her concern wasn’t about liking him; it was the impact of their short relationship.

He was upset because she broke up with him. If he delayed something as important as reporting…

A new message appeared on her phone.

Team Leader: [Are you asleep?]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Not yet.]

Team Leader: [I’m going to Beijing tomorrow on a morning flight.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Okay, have a safe journey.]

Team Leader: [I haven’t been doing well these past two days, please don’t mind me.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [No, don’t overthink it.]

Team Leader: [You did nothing wrong from the beginning to the end, so don’t feel guilty.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan felt a bit sad at that.

Team Leader: [I have a suggestion.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [What is it?]

Team Leader: [If someone confesses to you again in the future, unless you really like them, don’t agree. You’re too soft. If they are as eager as I was, you might get hurt.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Don’t worry, I won’t do that again. I’m sorry.]

Team Leader: [Don’t say that. I don’t mean to blame you. Do you have any advice for me?]

He Ye felt embarrassed.

As a boyfriend, Lu Jin was a good guy, but he was too intense about certain things.

It was hard to bring that up again.

She replied: [No, you’re a good person. I just wasn’t ready for dating, and I’m sorry for not appreciating your kindness.]

Team Leader: [He Ye, you are great. I didn’t take care of you well enough.]

There was a moment of silence.

Team Leader: [Let’s not dwell on it. Will we still be friends in the future?]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Yes.]

Compared to their previous chats, this one felt calm and peaceful.

But they both knew their friendship had changed; they had never really been close.