Chapter 183

Hearing Ouyang's words, Qiao Xin was stunned at first, and then she couldn't help but chuckle.

This laughter was filled with endless sadness and self-mockery. She could never have imagined that the man she had been pursuing for seven years had not even received a single bit of sympathy from him.

"Why? Ouyang, tell me, in these long seven years, have you really never had even the slightest affection for me?"

Qiao Xin widened her eyes, staring at the man in front of her who had once haunted her dreams, and questioned him unwillingly.

Facing Qiao Xin's question, Ouyang did not try to dodge. He looked directly into Qiao Xin's eyes and replied coldly, "No, never."

His eyes were so sharp that they seemed to be able to pierce through everything. In his eyes, Qiao Xin was an irreconcilable enemy.

"Okay, if it was in the past, it would be fine, but what about now? You would rather marry a sick and dying woman, Zhou Ling'er who looks like a ghost, than choose me."

"In what way am I inferior to her? In what way am I inferior to her?" Qiao Xin became more and more excited as she spoke. Her voice unconsciously rose an octave. Tears welled up in her eyes and could burst out at any time.

"I just met you later than she did. She has been with you for three whole seven years, and I have been with you for a whole seven years! As long as you are willing, I will stay by your side for every seven years of the rest of your life."

Qiao Xin shouted at the top of her lungs, her beautiful face already blurred by tears.

"I have never been interested in brightly colored clothes, but for you, I changed my preferences and style and tried to dress like Zhou Ling'er."

"I am even willing to be Zhou Ling'er's substitute, but why don't you even give me a chance? Why am I inferior to her?"

The more Qiao Xin spoke, the more emotional she became, and in the end she couldn't help but burst into tears. She really couldn't figure out where she had lost.

Xia Ruoan widened his eyes and looked at the crying woman in front of him in disbelief.

The once extremely proud and confident Qiao Xin would actually be so humble for love that she was willing to be someone else's substitute.

She still remembers that when she first met Qiao Xin, her dressing style was exactly the same as it is now.

At that time, she naively thought that this kind of outfit was what Qiao Xin loved.

It was not until recently when she saw the past photos of Ouyang and Sister Ling'er that she suddenly realized - it turned out that Qiao Xin had been deliberately imitating Sister Ling'er's dress and appearance these days, just to be closer to Ouyang's heart.

Thinking of this, Xia Ruoan couldn't help but feel an indescribable sadness in his heart.

"There is no comparison at all! I have never compared you and Ling'er!"

"I rejected you very clearly at the beginning. No matter if you pursued me for seven years, fourteen years, twenty-one years, or even for a long time from now on, I have never had even the slightest thought of being with you."

Ouyang looked at Qiao Xin with a cold gaze and spoke mercilessly.

"From the beginning to the end, my heart and body are devoted to only Zhou Ling'er."

"To me, you are just a simple classmate or colleague. If it weren't for the fact that you are Ruoan's friend, I would have already developed a dislike for you." Ouyang continued, his words revealing a deep sense of alienation towards Qiao Xin.

"Your hard pursuit is nothing but an endless trouble to me."

"I don't have the slightest affection for you. The only person I love in my heart has always been Zhou Ling'er." Ouyang's tone became more and more firm, as if he was defending the most precious feelings in his heart.

"I proposed to Ling'er and got the marriage certificate. All of this was the result of my painstaking efforts."

"At that time, I knelt down before her and skillfully used her soft and kind heart, and finally I got her consent."

"So, if you want to blame and abuse me, that's up to you, but you have absolutely no right to abuse her at all!"

At this point, Ouyang paused for a moment, then emphasized again: "And even if one day I can no longer find Ling'er's trace, I will never spend my life with you!"

Ouyang's words were like a sharp blade, stabbing Qiao Xin mercilessly, leaving no room for maneuver.

When Qiao Xin heard this, she took a step back involuntarily, her face full of disbelief. She looked straight at him, her lips trembling slightly, and her voice was a little tearful: "You...how could you be so cruel to me?"

In my memory, Ouyang has always been so gentle. Even when facing her endless entanglement and even if he feels a little impatient, he will always persuade her kindly and patiently let her give up this obsession.

However, Ouyang, who was standing in front of her at this moment, was wholeheartedly protecting Zhou Ling'er and even scolded her mercilessly. This change made Qiao Xin feel extremely strange and heartbroken.

"Stop comparing yourself to Ling'er!" Ouyang's words were like a sharp sword, ruthlessly piercing Qiao Xin's heart, "Because in my eyes, my Ling'er is the most beautiful existence in the world, and no one can replace her."

"And I have never compared you two, because you are not worthy at all!" After saying that, Ouyang gently leaned down and kissed the end of Zhou Ling'er's hair affectionately, as if it was the most precious treasure in the world.

Ouyang's gaze always stayed on Zhou Ling'er. He felt distressed when he saw the tears rolling down her eyes.

He lowered his head helplessly and gently kissed away those crystal tears one by one, his eyes filled with unmelted doting and tenderness, as if they were the only two people left in the whole world.

Qiao Xin stared at the scene blankly, tears bursting out like a flood, flowing freely down her cheeks.

She knew that she had really lost this time, and lost miserably.

But she did not lose to Zhou Ling'er, but to Ouyang, who had never fallen in love with her.

She once thought that as long as she worked hard enough and persisted enough, she would be able to win Ouyang's heart one day, but reality gave her such a heavy blow.

Finally, Qiao Xin silently glanced at the two people who were immersed in happiness, turned around and left without saying a word. When she walked to the door, she saw Xia Ruoan.

Xia Ruoan rushed forward and tightly hugged the woman in front of her who was almost on the verge of a breakdown.

She could feel the other person's body trembling slightly, as if he was experiencing a huge storm in his heart.

Xia Ruoan patted Senior Sister Qiao on the back and said softly, "Senior Sister Qiao, I understand your feelings very well. It is really difficult for you to accept all this."

"But, when it comes to relationships, sometimes we really can't force it! Senior Brother Ouyang has turned a blind eye to your silent efforts over the past seven years and rejected you time and time again. It's not because you are not good enough or unworthy of being loved, but because he simply doesn't like you."

"Although this is cruel, it is the truth. People who truly respect and love you will not have the heart to let you remain in this kind of pain and confusion."

Xia Ruoan paused for a moment and continued, "The feeling of liking someone is involuntary. No matter what you become, the person who truly likes you will always like you."

"As for those who don't like you, their rejection is actually the best response. Feelings cannot be measured by the length of time you've known each other or how much you've given. If love could be gained solely by these, there probably wouldn't be so many heartbreaking stories in the world."

At this point, Xia Ruo'an sighed deeply and continued, "It's not wrong for you to like Senior Brother Ouyang. Everyone has the right to pursue the one they love."

"However, Senior Brother Ouyang did nothing wrong. After all, he clearly rejected you from the beginning and never gave you the slightest hope from beginning to end."

"He has the right to choose the person he loves. This is his freedom. Even if you have given a lot to him, it does not mean that he must like you. Love is such a complicated and subtle thing."

Finally, Xia Ruo'an gently raised her head, looked at Senior Sister Qiao's tear-stained face, and sincerely advised: "Sister Ling'er is even more innocent. What you said just now is really too hurtful."

"I can't believe you said those words. Senior, please calm down and think about it carefully. You should go and apologize to Sister Ling'er."

"She once told me in person that if you still love Brother Ouyang after she leaves, she sincerely hopes to help you two be together."

"It's not that she's deliberately making things difficult for me or has any other intentions. It's just that she really loves Senior Brother Ouyang, and that's exactly what Senior Brother Ouyang longs for in his heart—to be able to stay by her side for a long time."

Xia Ruoan said earnestly, "However, love is never about possession or restraint. True love should be based on the other person's happiness as the primary consideration."

When saying this, Xia Ruoan's heart was full of concern and worry for Qiao Xin. She really didn't want to see Qiao Xin become devastated and lose herself because of this heavy blow.

"In my impression, Senior Qiao has always been a helpful, positive, lively, cheerful and generous woman, and she is bold in love and hate when it comes to relationships."

"Those words you said just now must have been the result of your momentary loss of control of your emotions, right?" Xia Ruoan looked at Qiao Xin sincerely, trying to give her some comfort and strength through words.

Qiao Xin burst into tears and choked up as she responded, "Ruo'an, I don't know why, but now I have become someone that even I hate! I really don't understand why things have developed to this point..."

Xia Ruoan gently patted Qiao Xin's shoulder and comforted her, "I understand, I understand everything, Senior Sister. The reason why you have become like this is nothing more than being too obsessed with Senior Brother Ouyang."

"But, Senior Sister, sometimes, you have to let go decisively."

In fact, Xia Ruoan's mind was as clear as a mirror. She knew very well that it was impossible for Ouyang and Qiao Xin to be together.

It was not possible in the past, let alone in the future. Even if Ouyang finds a new love one day, that lucky person will definitely not be Qiao Xin.