Chapter 24 : The Breakup

A gentle breeze brushed by, cool and pleasant.

Lin Ran counted the days on her fingers; there was only one month left until summer vacation. Time passed so quickly. She casually brushed her hair behind her ear and asked Fu Xingjian, “What are your plans for the summer?”

Fu Xingjian looked down, his expression unclear yet surprisingly absent, “I don’t know.”

Silence followed between them.

He didn’t even bother asking her “What about you?”—it was just two words, but he couldn’t even make the effort.

They walked in silence until they reached an intersection. Fu Xingjian stopped, his hands in his pockets, clearly signaling the end of their conversation. Lin Ran had her hand up to wave goodbye, but suddenly, she felt a surge of courage. “Let me walk with you a bit longer.”

The two of them continued walking in silence until they reached the entrance of the boys’ dormitory. Lin Ran looked up and saw a few couples embracing under the trees, and a few daringly kissing. Her ears turned red.

Another gust of wind blew by, but this one was hot and oppressive.

Lin Ran gripped her fingers lightly, raising her flushed face. Maybe it was because she had drunk a bit too much at hotpot, but she suddenly felt dizzy.

She blurted out, “Are you… going to America too?”

Fu Xingjian frowned. He had a striking appearance, and everything he did looked good. Lin Ran’s head was spinning, and she asked again, “Yao Ning is going to America. Aren’t you going with her?”

Her hidden feelings had been exposed. Not only did he notice, but he also addressed it directly, making Fu Xingjian’s expression turn cold in an instant. His eyes, like cold blades, stared at her as if she were a stranger.

The atmosphere around them dropped dramatically.

“Lin Ran, whether I go to America or not has nothing to do with you. There’s no need to inform you.”

His voice was neither loud nor soft, each word clear, and the way he spoke felt like a sharp sword piercing Lin Ran’s heart.

She quickly explained, “No, no, that’s not what I meant. I just thought…” She lowered her head and said softly, “If you like Yao Ning, it’s better to be brave.”

Fu Xingjian sneered lightly. “This has nothing to do with you.”

Lin Ran’s heart turned cold, and her steps faltered. It had reached this point—it was like tearing off a mask. She no longer cared. If it was going to be torn, then let it be. She no longer wanted to pretend, but there was still one thing she really wanted to know.

It was something she had kept hidden in her heart for a long time, a hope she had never dared to expect and had never extinguished.

“Fu Xingjian, tell me, did you… ever like me? Even… just a little bit? Even a tiny bit?”

Some classmates who were passing by noticed the awkward atmosphere and turned to look.

Fu Xingjian turned his back to her, the streetlight casting shadows over his face, but Lin Ran couldn’t see it. However, she could hear the cruelty in his words clearly.

“You’re thinking too much. There’s nothing about you that I’d ever like.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, but Lin Ran lifted her head, refusing to let the tears fall.

Fu Xingjian saw that she was crying, and his face stiffened slightly.

Feeling defiant, Lin Ran asked again, “So, you’ve always seen me as a tool? From the very beginning, you’ve just used me?”

Fu Xingjian lowered his eyelids. Yes, from the photos at the school gate onward, it had all been for his own use.

“I’m sorry.”

Her nails dug into her flesh, but Lin Ran didn’t feel any pain. She wanted to slap Fu Xingjian like in a drama, but she wasn’t the heroine, and… she couldn’t bring herself to hit him. All she could do was silently walk away.

That evening, she deleted both Fu Xingjian and Yao Ning from her WeChat.

She whispered to herself, “I’m starting over.”

But to her surprise, the next day, a video of her confrontation with Fu Xingjian in front of the boys’ dormitory had been secretly recorded and posted online.

Lin Ran became famous once again.