Chapter Eleven

The winter sun is gentle and warm, and the snowflakes sparkle in the sunlight, as if they were traces of fallen stars.

Around noon, Xing Bei suddenly jumped out of bed, glanced at the time, and immediately got up to change her clothes.

Oh no, I've stayed up this late for the first time at the Lu family's house. I'm sure I'll leave a bad impression on Lu's mother and the others.

Seeing her rush down, Lu's mother quickly reminded her, "Sweetie, slow down, be careful not to fall."

Xing Bei rubbed her head awkwardly. Lu's mother immediately understood what she meant and smiled as she took her hand: "Sweetie, we don't have so many rules in our family. We just want to sleep comfortably before we get up."

When she inadvertently glanced at the faint red marks on her neck, Mrs. Lu lowered her eyes and secretly smiled.

During the meal, Lu's mother kept putting food into her bowl, and Xing Bei looked at Lu Runxu with some confusion.

Her sudden enthusiasm made her a little embarrassed.

During a break after the meal, Xing Bei went to the restroom and noticed several obvious red marks on her neck. Only then did she understand why Lu's mother had been so enthusiastic at the dinner table.

I finally got to come back, and I was even told to leave a good impression on Lu's mother. But I didn't expect that things would go wrong so many times on the first day. It's so embarrassing. It's all Lu Runxu's fault for not being honest last night.

Xing Bei chatted with Lu's mother for a while. They had previously agreed to move to Zhuqing Bay on New Year's Eve and postpone staying at the old house by one day. Before going home, Lu's mother packed a lot of things into the car.

She thought Lu Runxu had taken the jewelry she had previously separated back to the old house, but she was relieved when she arrived at Zhuqing Bay and found that all of it was in the dressing room.

Lu Runxu built a separate walk-in closet for her on the second floor. All the jewelry that the old man had given her was neatly arranged by color and placed inside. She looked at the jewelry and sighed helplessly.

After returning home and resting for a day, they received news that Mu Rong was about to get engaged. Looking at the invitation, Xing Bei glanced at Lu Runxu. She had heard Lu Runxu mention it before, but she didn't expect it to happen so soon.

Mu Rong's engagement banquet was held at the Su family's old residence. It was a very grand affair, and Xing Bei had only ever seen most of the guests in financial news.

I've heard from outsiders that Mu Rong and that Miss Su are in an arranged marriage, and they seem to be childhood sweethearts.

Rumors circulate that Mu Rong doesn't like this Miss Su, and seems to have always treated her like a younger sister. However, the two are now forced to be bound together by family interests.

Thinking back to Mu Rong's unserious behavior before, I wonder if she will tone it down a bit after the engagement.

She straightened her clothes, took Lu Runxu's arm, and went in to say hello. Unexpectedly, she saw Chi Qingtang, whom she hadn't contacted in a long time, next to Lin Zhuochi. She walked towards Chi Qingtang with a puzzled look.

"Why are you with him?" Xing Bei asked curiously, looking at them.

Chi Qingtang looked at her and immediately became aggrieved, leaning closer to her with a pitiful expression: "Mingzhu, I drank too much that night and got carried away."

"Hmm?" Xing Bei was stunned for a few seconds, looking at her in disbelief, and stammered, "You and him... you did that."

Chi Qingtang nodded and shook her head with a look of utter despair, while Xing Bei twitched her lips speechlessly.

She pointed to Lin Zhuochi on the other side, then looked at her and asked, "So, what's your relationship now?"

“I don’t know.” Chi Qingtang shook her head. “He asked me to take responsibility, but he didn’t make any demands. I don’t know what he was thinking.”

Xing Bei rubbed her temples and finally gave her a thumbs up: "It has to be you, Miss Chi. Let's see how you explain this to your father."

The engagement banquet was about to begin. Chi Qingtang and Lin Zhuochi were seated at another table, while she and Lu Runxu sat on the right side of the stage.

After the engagement ceremony, many people came to talk to Lu Runxu. Xing Bei was bored and went outside for a walk. Unexpectedly, she ran into Zhou Xuzhe, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, just as she turned the corner after leaving the restroom.

Seeing the person she hadn't seen in a long time, Xing Bei's heart skipped a beat. She lowered her eyes and pretended not to see him, but Zhou Xuzhe still saw her.

"Beibei, long time no see." Zhou Xuzhe looked at her, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Can we have a proper talk?"

Xing Bei unconsciously clenched her fist in her pocket, looked up and took a step back to distance herself from him: "Zhou Xuzhe, I think I've already made myself clear. We don't have anything to talk about."

Perhaps because it had been a long time since we last met, Zhou Xuzhe seemed to have lost a lot of weight. His complexion was poor, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes. He looked very tired.

When Zhou Xuzhe saw her deliberate distancing, a hint of sadness flashed in his eyes. Before Xing Bei could see it clearly, Zhou Xuzhe returned to his usual gentle and indifferent demeanor, as if what she saw was just her imagination.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk to me about Lu Runxu?" Zhou Xuzhe looked at her, betting that Xing Bei would stop because of Lu Runxu.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard Lu Runxu's name and decided to stay. Zhou Xuzhe looked at her and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

Xing Bei turned to the side, her captivating peach blossom eyes sweeping over Zhou Xuzhe's face. She was quite curious about what Zhou Xuzhe might know.

Zhou Xuzhe glanced around and quickly pulled her aside: "Beibei, Lu Runxu is not a good person. He approached you with ulterior motives. You can't get too close to this kind of person."

Xing Bei's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly as she shook off Zhou Xuzhe's hand that was gripping her wrist: "If you're sick, go get treatment. Why are you slandering people without any evidence?"

She thought Zhou Xuzhe would reveal some secrets she didn't know, but he started spouting nonsense right away.

Seeing that she didn't believe him, Zhou Xuzhe anxiously pressed down on her shoulder: "Really, do you think it was an accident that his phone died when you first met in the coffee shop? Actually, he did it on purpose."

Xing Bei frowned even more. Had he investigated Lu Runxu?

Is this person sick, invading other people's privacy at will?

Xing Bei looked at the man in front of her with confusion, sometimes she really couldn't understand what Zhou Xuzhe was thinking: "Zhou Xuzhe, so what if he deliberately approached me? There's nothing about me that he wants."

Zhou Xuzhe took her hand and looked at her with concern: "Can you stay away from Lu Runxu? I'm worried you'll be deceived."

Hearing this, she couldn't help but laugh, her red lips curving into a mocking smile: "Zhou Xuzhe, you're really funny. What gives you the right to stand here and say these things to me?"

She slowly approached him, her slender fingers poking his shoulder forcefully: "Zhou Xuzhe, we've already broken up. Be a good ex and don't bother me."

Upon hearing the question about his identity, Zhou Xuzhe completely lost his confidence, and his hand on her shoulder fell limply. At this point, their relationship might not even qualify as friendship.

But he didn't understand. They were clearly very harmonious together, and they had rarely argued in the past seven years. He was usually very busy, so why would Xing Bei suddenly break up with him?

He lowered his eyes and said softly, "Beibei, although I don't know what I did to upset you, I will change in the future. Can you give me another chance?"

Xing Bei rolled her eyes at him on the spot. Did he not know he was wrong but still insisted on admitting it? Did he really think she was a garbage dump or that he was some kind of affectionate young man?

Every day is filled with ghostly illusions.

Zhou Xuzhe held her hand tightly and asked sincerely, "Beibei, can you give me another chance? I will definitely make it up to you."

Xing Bei chuckled and raised an eyebrow at him: "Make amends my ass. Do you think this place is a garbage dump?"

The person on the other end just wouldn't give up: "Beibei, please give me another chance, okay?"

Xing Bei clenched her fists tightly. At this moment, she really wanted to give Zhou Xuzhe a good beating to bring him to his senses.

How come she never noticed before that Zhou Xuzhe had this ability to be persistent and clingy?

Xing Bei took a deep breath and looked at Zhou Xuze's expectant eyes: "Zhou Xuze, I have only one question for you: do you like Chu Yunyao or me?"

“I…” Zhou Xuzhe’s eyes flickered, and he didn’t dare to meet her gaze. “Yaoyao is just my sister.”

Sister my ass.

The way he looks at Chu Yunyao is so tender it could drown a person; there's no way he could treat Chu Yunyao like a younger sister.

Xing Bei sneered and cracked her knuckles. Just as she was about to slap Zhou Xuzhe, a cold, clear voice, slightly hoarse, came from not far away.

"I never expected Mr. Zhou to have a hobby of poaching other people's partners."

Xing Bei looked in the direction of the sound and suddenly stopped.

The man stood tall and straight under the corridor lights, his handsome face seemingly shrouded in an invisible chill. His fox-like eyes were deep and held a hint of mockery, making him unfathomable.

Lu Runxu glanced indifferently at the people beside her, and finally his gaze fell on her. Xing Bei subconsciously distanced herself from Zhou Xuzhe.

Why is he here?

Could it be that she overheard their conversation?

Lu Runxu slowly walked up to them, extended his hand to Xing Bei, who was wearing a white coat, and his clear voice came from his lips: "Aren't you coming over here, girlfriend?"

My girlfriend has changed her identity again.

Xing Bei ran over somewhat guiltily, and as soon as her palm touched the man's large, strong hand, it was firmly grasped.

The man beside her saw her run over and instinctively tried to grab her, but missed. Zhou Xuzhe looked at his hand hanging in mid-air, chuckled, and awkwardly withdrew his hand.

When Lu Runxu looked at Xing Bei, his eyes softened considerably, but when he looked up again, his gentle eyes instantly turned several degrees colder.

He hadn't been seen for a short while, and he was already being watched. If he had arrived any later, the corner of the wall would probably have been dug up.

He didn't really want to talk to Zhou Xuzhe, and his tone was impatient: "Mr. Zhou, I warned you last time not to get close to my girlfriend, or I would be unhappy."

Seeing their fingers intertwined, Zhou Xuzhe's pent-up anger was finally unleashed, and he spoke with a sarcastic tone: "Lu Runxu, you've only resorted to some underhanded tricks. If I hadn't realized my feelings for Beibei sooner, do you think you could have taken advantage of me?"

"Is that so?" Lu Runxu sneered. "According to you, I should be thanking you."

He glanced at the person beside him: "My girlfriend used to love you wholeheartedly, but you didn't cherish it. Now it's too late to win her back. My girlfriend loves me very much now."

Zhou Xuzhe was so angry that he lost his temper: "Bullshit! Beibei doesn't love you at all!"

"You think you really like her? It's just a man's possessiveness being aroused." Zhou Xuzhe looked at Xing Bei with red eyes, veins bulging on his neck. "Beibei, can you guarantee he really doesn't have any other intentions towards you?"

Lu Runxu gave him a cold look: "Of course I have designs on my girlfriend. I want her love for you that she was so devoted to before. I want to know why I didn't meet her sooner, so that my girlfriend could like me a little more."

After hearing what she said, not only was the person opposite her stunned, but Xing Bei was also completely bewildered. When she looked up, she met Lu Runxu's affectionate eyes, and her heart skipped a beat for no reason.

What's going on here? He suddenly confessed his feelings to her.

Is there anything more outrageous than this?

Zhou Xuzhe didn't expect him to pull this stunt: "You... shameless."

Xing Bei, holding Lu Runxu's hand, was getting annoyed listening to the conversation. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a shadow on the ground around the corner, and without even guessing, she knew who it was.

"That's enough, Zhou Xuzhe, we're in the past." She wasn't the type to get entangled with people, "Continuing to drag this out will only disgust me."

My good mood for the night was ruined by Zhou Xuzhe. He's so annoying. He can't even maintain a sense of propriety after a breakup. Doesn't he know that a proper ex should act like a dead person?

Lu Runxu stood to one side under the pale light, his impatience clearly visible on his handsome face, and a rare indifference in his fox-like eyes.

He glanced at the person beside him, his strong arm gently wrapping around Xing Bei's shoulder. Feeling the warm touch on her shoulder, Xing Bei felt much calmer: "Zhou Xuzhe, I'm very happy with him now, please don't bother me."

After saying that, she didn't want to get entangled with Zhou Xuzhe any further. She pulled Lu Runxu away without any mercy. Lu Runxu looked down at the hand she was holding and the corners of his lips curved up.

Zhou Xuzhe clenched his fists, chasing after her unwillingly: "Beibei, do I really have no chance?"

Xing Bei suddenly stopped, and Zhou Xuzhe thought there was still a chance. Even Lu Runxu thought she would soften her heart.

The person turned to the side and pointed behind Zhou Xuzhe: "Zhou Xuzhe, you should think about how to coax your sister. She's been eavesdropping for a long time."

Zhou Xuzhe turned around and saw Chu Yunyao walking out from around the corner, looking at him pitifully. Zhou Xuzhe subconsciously explained, "Ayao, listen to me."

Xing Bei looked at them and sneered.

Sure enough, as long as Chu Yunyao was around, she would always be second.

"Brother Xu Ze, you lied to me again." Chu Yunyao said this and ran away crying.

Zhou Xuzhe had just taken a step forward when he pulled back and looked at Xing Bei, but she only left him with a cold and indifferent back view.

As Lu Runxu turned the corner, he glanced back at Zhou Xuzhe, a smug look in his fox-like eyes. Seeing his arrogant demeanor, Zhou Xuzhe punched the wall in anger.

After getting on the bus, Xing Bei took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and leaned back in her seat.

Now that I've calmed down completely, I can't help but keep thinking about what Zhou Xuzhe just said.

As Lu Runxu drove, he would steal glances at her every now and then. When he saw Xing Bei's furrowed brows, his heart felt like it was being pricked by needles, a dense, tingling pain attacking his entire body.

Although Xing Bei usually seems indifferent to everything and doesn't seem sad about the breakup, he knows that Xing Bei hasn't completely let go of Zhou Xuze.

Tonight, as he stood to the side, he heard Xing Bei ask, "Do you like Chu Yunyao or me?" He was terrified that Zhou Xuzhe would answer that he liked her.

If that's really the case, Xing Bei might soften her heart, and the two of them would have a chance to get back together.

Lu Runxu got angry just thinking about the cheesy things Zhou Xuzhe said, and his knuckles turned white as he pressed them against the steering wheel.

They had seven wonderful years together, and he was just lucky to have kept her by his side through despicable means. He couldn't guarantee that Xing Bei would remain steadfastly on his side.

Perhaps Zhou Xuzhe is right. If he had recognized his own feelings earlier, if he hadn't met Xing Bei at the Cloud Cafe, he would never have had the chance.

But it was clearly him who met Xing Bei first.

Back at Zhuqing Bay, Xing Bei casually tossed her bag onto the sofa and silently went upstairs. Lu Runxu stood downstairs for a while, then walked toward the kitchen.

Xing Bei sat in the bathtub in a daze. Before she knew it, there were already five or six cigarette butts in the ashtray. Frustrated, she stubbed out her cigarette.

Having been with Zhou Xuzhe for seven years, it was impossible for her not to have wavered at all. But seeing him hesitate between Chu Yunyao and her completely severed her last bit of feelings for Zhou Xuzhe.

She never expected that now that she completely dislikes Zhou Xuzhe, he would be so eager to get back together with her. It really is a cycle of karma.

He didn't see or cherish her all these years by his side, only realizing his regret after losing her.

She took a deep breath, casually tossed the cigarette aside, and walked out of the bathroom. As she passed the door, she heard a knock. She stood at the door without moving until the person outside stopped knocking, then slowly opened the door.

Seeing that no one was around, she was about to close the door when she noticed a bowl of egg noodles and a glass of milk on the floor.

She stood by the door, stunned for a moment, then a message popped up on her phone:

—I noticed you didn't eat much tonight, so I cooked you some egg noodles. Remember to eat them while they're hot.

Don't overthink what happened tonight, get some rest.

Upon seeing the message, Xing Bei unconsciously tightened his grip on the doorknob. Aside from Lu Runxu's words of concern, he didn't inquire about anything else.

She picked up the plate, looked down at the generous bowl of egg noodles in her hand, her lips pressed into a straight line, and a hint of a smile flashed in her indifferent peach blossom eyes. In the dim light, it was difficult to see the expression on the girl's face.

Lu Runxu, who was standing at the corner of the stairs, breathed a sigh of relief after the door closed.