Chapter 98: Fleeting Memories

“I have a girlfriend.”

Chen Lu looked at the girl with a somewhat forlorn expression, repeating the words one by one.

Mo Yuqing finally recovered from her daze, her face still displaying an inability to accept the reality.

At this moment, all she could think about was that shy-looking girl, standing beside Chen Lu with a look of happiness.

Had they held hands already? Or shared a passionate kiss?

Every imagined scenario pierced Mo Yuqing’s heart with pain.

If she had been a little more proactive, these moments could have been hers.

This boy’s future life seemed to have nothing to do with her anymore.

Was it simply because… she didn’t cherish him?

Mo Yuqing stared at him blankly, speechless for a long time.

Seven years, such a long time, why hadn’t she ever taken the initiative?

Why not even once?

She couldn’t understand her own carelessness, nor her sense of entitlement.

Only when Chen Lu sighed again, his voice filled with helplessness, did her thoughts finally return.

“At least… at least give me a chance to compensate you,” her crimson lips trembled slightly, tears welling up in her eyes, her whole being consumed by regret.

“No need, I told you before, whether it was growing up with you as a child or the past seven years of dedication, I haven’t regretted it for a moment. So you don’t need to compensate me for anything.”

“And if you really care about me…”

“You should keep your distance from me.”

Chen Lu spoke with a serious expression. Whether it was wishful thinking or a missed opportunity, it was all in the past for him.

In fact, once people truly let go, looking back, they only silently say to themselves, “It’s all over now.”

He had sacrificed so much for this in the past, and now all he wanted was to bury these past experiences.

These words exploded in Mo Yuqing’s mind.

Chen Lu’s meaning was clear: she was now an outsider who would affect his relationship stability.

When he was pursuing her, he had maintained a distance from other girls as well.

Now, it was her turn.

Mo Yuqing’s lips curled into a faint smile, tinged with bitterness.

“You haven’t changed a bit…”

Still so resolute, so gentle, so rational in everything you do.

Pursuing me for seven years, must have been the most irrational thing you’ve ever done in your life?

After speaking, she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “I’m sorry, I’ve changed.”

She had finally become like those girls who stood by and watched her, just like those girls envied her, she envied Liang Zhirou.

“Go back now, don’t come back to feed the mosquitoes anymore,” Chen Lu said softly. After finishing, he opened the dormitory door and walked slowly inside.

Although his pace was slow, he walked straight ahead. A single reminder was all he could do. Whether Mo Yuqing listened or not, it was beyond his control, and it no longer concerned him.

Even a single glance back would be irresponsible to Liang Zhirou.

It was unknown how long it took, but Mo Yuqing stopped biting her lower lip and left with heavy steps.

“What did he say to you?” Liu Yan asked.

Under the streetlights, their shadows stretched long, amidst the chirping of insects.

Mo Yuqing looked ahead blankly, her whole body limp and weak. “He said… he’s with Liang Zhirou.”

Liu Yan was taken aback, then sighed deeply. “I guessed it.”

The moment she saw Liang Zhirou on the day Chen Lu recruited people, she had already guessed the outcome.

The more devoted a person is, the more thoroughly they usually give up when they finally lose hope.

And Chen Lu was very dedicated. Under these circumstances, treating Mo Yuqing this way was normal…

Flowers don’t bloom twice; rivers never flow back.

Missing, missing, is wrong, that’s why we say goodbye.

Thinking about this, Liu Yan patted the shoulder of the beautiful girl beside her, feeling both helpless and heartbroken.

The moment she touched her, Mo Yuqing’s tightly held tears finally flowed freely.

After a while.

“He’s such a jerk.”

Mo Yuqing’s voice trembled, choked with sobs. “The more I think about his words about not regretting it, the more I want to cry…”

…

“I came down to throw out some trash, and I ended up getting some gossip.”

Chen Lu had just climbed two flights of stairs when he heard Jiang Chao’s voice.

Looking up, he saw the other guy leaning on the handrail of the stairs, blowing a smoke ring with a playful smile.

“You’re so damn bored,” Chen Lu said helplessly.

Liu Yan had asked Jiang Chao about his whereabouts, which allowed Jiang Chao to always be at the forefront of gossip.

“What trash are you throwing out?”

Chen Lu asked sarcastically.

He had to take this guy down a peg.

“Trash…” Jiang Chao clearly hadn’t thought about it, his hands searching around for a moment before he waved the cigarette butt in his hand with some embarrassment. “It’s here!”

“XX, the trash is in your head.”

Chen Lu laughed and cursed softly, then continued climbing the stairs.

Their footsteps echoed through the hallway, illuminating one light after another.

“Everything will work out for the best,” Jiang Chao suddenly stopped and said to Chen Lu.

Chen Lu smiled. “Yeah.”

…

From then on, Mo Yuqing didn’t come to the dormitory building to find Chen Lu anymore. Time flew by, and it was the end of June in a blink of an eye.

In a week, summer vacation would be here.

Chen Lu and Jiang Chao expanded the number of people in their studio, finalized all the paperwork, and waited to register the company.

That afternoon, the sun hung high in the sky, and the entire Hangzhou city felt like a giant furnace.

If the meme hadn’t been played out so much, Chen Lu really wanted to fry an egg on the road.

A group of people were cleaning up the entrepreneurial base. After a morning of hard work, the once empty space actually looked like a company.

“Liang Zhirou, didn’t I tell you to take a break?” Chen Lu was exasperated, both angry and amused as he watched the girl moving boxes.

“If you keep doing this, I’m not going to call you anymore.”

As a couple who had just started dating, Chen Lu naturally wanted to see Liang Zhirou all the time, so he called her over.

Unexpectedly, this silly girl couldn’t stop working, making Chen Lu call for her to rest countless times throughout the morning. He felt so sorry for her.

He really regretted it, he should have known that Liang Zhirou was a workaholic.

“I know I was wrong…”

Liang Zhirou was holding several stacked boxes, her whole body swaying slightly.

Chen Lu couldn’t even see her face because of the boxes, so he helplessly smiled bitterly, helped her put the boxes down, and took out a tissue to carefully wipe her sweat.

The girl stood there obediently, closing one eye from time to time because of the tissue, she was so adorable.

“Everyone, take a break!” Chen Lu shouted loudly.

He had given up trying to reason with a bull. Everyone else was probably resting, but this silly girl only knew to follow along when everyone else was resting.

It was funny to think about. Seeing that Liang Zhirou, the recognized “boss’s wife,” hadn’t taken a break, everyone in the studio felt a little embarrassed to stop and rest.

After displaying the awards they had won, the second round of recruitment was even more successful than the first.

Now the studio had over a dozen people, many new faces, which was a very good configuration for a newly established studio.

It gave people a sense of truly getting on track.

“Speaking of which, we still haven’t decided on a name for our company or studio. Let’s decide quickly, we need it for registration.”

As Chen Lu wiped Liang Zhirou’s sweat, Jiang Chao came over and said.