Chapter 18: A Boy’s Heart Often Dies Slowly.

The room was pitch black, only illuminated by a sliver of light from the window, barely enough to make out anything.

The already spacious living room felt even more quiet and cold.

Mo Yuqing, her face set in a grim expression, stared intently at her phone screen. She then squinted and lowered the brightness.

The faint light of her phone illuminated her exquisitely beautiful face, like a spotlight in the dim living room, showcasing the girl’s helplessness and despair.

After a series of beeps, the call finally connected.

A cold, stern voice came from the other end.

“Hello.”

“Mom, you didn’t come back?” Mo Yuqing’s voice was slightly urgent, tinged with a hint of grievance.

“No, I have something urgent to attend to. We’ll talk later.”

Seeing that there was no response for a while, the voice on the other end continued, “Cheer up, honey. Your Uncle Lin is currently in the country. He said he wants to take you out for dinner. Let him keep you company. We’ve been together for so long, you should accept him.”

“No!! I’ll stay by myself! Do whatever you want, it’s none of my business.” Mo Yuqing choked back a sob, “You and him, you can have your own lives with your own child. Don’t bother me.”

“What are you talking about, kid? You’re all grown up, why are you so unreasonable? Doesn’t your mom love you enough? How many kids have your kind of conditions? From childhood to adulthood, what have I not bought you? Be sensible, honey. I’m hanging up now. If you need money, just tell me.”

Without waiting for Mo Yuqing to say anything else, the call ended.

“…”

Mo Yuqing slowly placed her phone on the coffee table and leaned against the large floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the river view.

She curled up, hugging her legs, feeling lost and confused.

The buildings in the surrounding neighborhood were all lit up, each light representing a life.

Only she felt alone, as if abandoned by the world.

When she realized it, she found that she had almost instinctively dialed Chen Lu’s number.

She quickly retracted her finger, which was about to press down on the button.

She couldn’t believe she had become so accustomed to it.

Over the years, whenever she encountered such unhappiness, she would turn to Chen Lu…

If it hadn’t been for that incident, all she needed was a phone call and Chen Lu would immediately come to her side.

He would then, as before, take her out to eat, watch movies, go for walks in the park…

He would listen patiently, with a smile, to all her complaints about her unhappiness.

The girl sniffed and hugged her slender legs tighter.

He used to be so good to me…

But why can’t we even be friends anymore?

When did I start to feel that Chen Lu would never leave me?

Mo Yuqing looked at her reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window, her heart heavy.

She hadn’t figured out the answer to either of these questions.

She had rejected so many people, and countless others had continued to show their affection even after being rejected, which annoyed her.

But Chen Lu had simply left her, refusing even to be friends.

Chen Lu had been by her side since they were young. Their fathers were close friends, and she and Chen Lu were true childhood sweethearts. Chen Lu had always been kind to her, almost always catering to her every whim, so she couldn’t tell when she had decided that Chen Lu would never leave her.

Thinking that Chen Lu might be with that girl right now, her tears finally couldn’t hold back anymore, as if Chen Lu had been snatched away by someone else.

No, it wasn’t so much that he was snatched away;

It was more like she had given him away…

“Mo Yuqing, you’ll really regret this.”

Liu Yan’s words echoed in her ears, lingering persistently.

Mo Yuqing’s vision suddenly blurred, all the lights in front of her transformed into colorful stars, and she could only vaguely see her reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window, her tears flowing endlessly.

She had always thought that it was Chen Lu who couldn’t leave her, not the other way around.

Now she realized she had been wrong.

She only now realized how good Chen Lu had been to her;

The irony was, it was after Chen Lu turned and left.

Mo Yuqing felt like she hadn’t figured anything out, except for one thing;

Although she didn’t know what Chen Lu was thinking, this time, he probably wouldn’t come to apologize.

…

Night fell.

After dropping off Liang Zhirou, Chen Lu returned to his dorm in high spirits, only to find Jiang Chao playing games while eating.

He would seize the opportunity to take a few bites between getting killed and watching the black and white TV, then continue playing once he respawned.

This seemed to be a common skill among boys.

“That’s right, I just went to drop her off.” Jiang Chao was about to speak when Chen Lu interrupted him.

“Her name is Liang Zhirou. Don’t call her ‘the girl from the hotpot restaurant’ all the time.”

Jiang Chao raised an eyebrow, “So you’re already protecting her? Things are moving pretty fast.”

“What are you talking about? We’re still just friends, nothing more. It’s not what you think, at least not for now.” Chen Lu walked slowly to the balcony of the dorm and gave a slightly hopeful smile, “But maybe in the future.”

“Take your time, both of us need time.”

“Don’t you want your white moonlight anymore?” Jiang Chao joked, “No, that’s called a cinnabar mole.”

“I think… both.”

Mo Yuqing was both his unattainable moon and his eternal pain.

Chen Lu said this with a self-deprecating smile, then turned back with a serious expression, “Although I know you’re mocking me, I still have to say, no.”

“Not every unrequited love can bear fruit. There are so many people in love, why should I be the one who succeeds?”

“I chased her for seven years, begging for her affection, but it was all in vain. That says enough. I should let go.”

Jiang Chao looked at Chen Lu’s expression, forgetting about his game.

He was curious how Chen Lu could sound both relieved and sad at the same time.

Suddenly, a muffled thunderclap sounded outside, followed by heavy rain.

“Damn, what kind of crazy weather is this?” Jiang Chao’s eyes widened in shock.

He remembered that it was still cold at the beginning of the month, then it inexplicably entered summer, and now it was even raining with thunder.

Where was spring? Where was spring?

Chen Lu turned around and saw the lightning and thunder outside, as if he remembered something.

Rainy days were Mo Yuqing’s least favorite weather. She hated the sound of thunder. He vaguely remembered that it was a day like this when her parents asked her who she wanted to be with.

He could still clearly recall the scene of him braving the heavy rain to find Mo Yuqing who had run away from home. He was just a kid back then.

The two of them, not knowing what they were doing, walked in the rain for a long time, and the next day they both had a fever.

At that time, Chen Lu naively thought that he and Mo Yuqing would always be good friends. He didn’t expect that she would change later.

He quickly shook his head with a bitter smile and sat down beside Jiang Chao.

What did any of this have to do with him now…

A few days ago, Chen Lu was still surprised by his own heartlessness. After all, he had liked Mo Yuqing for so long, how could he be indifferent to her tears in the cafeteria?

But he soon figured it out. He hadn’t become this way overnight. It was just that when he realized it, his heart had already turned to ashes.

As his feelings were constantly neglected and hurt, his heart had been slowly sliced into pieces, like a slow, agonizing torture over the years;

His heart had died slowly.