Chapter 68 To be honest, I think... we both need some time to calm down...

Zhou Xubai subconsciously denied it: "I don't mind your past, I just want to thank him properly."

Lin Yuwei shook her head, her tone weary and disappointed: "Really? I can feel your concern, and, Xu Bai, you don't seem as happy as before."

Zhou Xubai reached out and took her hands in his, forcing her to look him in the eye. His tone was unusually sincere: "Weiwei, I am happy. Every day when I wake up, even in the middle of the night, the thought that you are my fiancée makes me feel incredibly lucky and content. How could I not be happy!"

“But I’m not happy!” Lin Yuwei gently withdrew her hand, sighed, and her voice sounded somewhat ethereal in the night breeze: “At least tonight, I’m very unhappy. I don’t like this kind of undercurrent, this kind of open and covert struggle. It makes me feel very awkward and embarrassed. Xu Bai, if you really care so much about his existence, we can not take on the Huanyu project and try to reduce contact with him. Instead of… instead of like today.” She paused, looked up at him directly, and said clearly, “The whole process made me feel… very uncomfortable.”

Lin Yuwei's straightforward honesty was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing all the explanations and reassurances that Zhou Xubai had prepared. He stood there, speechless for a moment. All the carefully maintained composure and subtle probing crumbled instantly under her clear but weary gaze.

Zhou Xubai took a deep breath, his shoulders slumped slightly, and when he spoke again, his voice was low and hoarse, carrying a weariness and vulnerability after shedding all pretense: "Yes... I admit, I mind a lot, Yuwei, I'm really scared." He uttered these words with difficulty, his gaze not on Lin Yuwei, but blankly staring at the flashing neon lights in the distance.

Zhou Xubai paused, as if gathering his courage, and finally turned to look at her, his eyes filled with a fear and unease he had never shown to her before: "I'm afraid of losing you."

These words made Lin Yuwei's heart clench! She saw the undisguised sincerity in Zhou Xubai's eyes, the most genuine vulnerability of a man in love. Her heart softened for a moment, but then a deeper sense of helplessness and sorrow welled up inside her.

She met his gaze, her voice soft yet like a precise scalpel, dissecting the core issue they had been avoiding: "Xu Bai, I can sense your fear." She paused, her tone filled with heartache and undisguised confusion: "Have you noticed that since our engagement, we... seem to have become a little cautious with each other, no longer as open and honest as before?"

Her words were like a mirror, suddenly revealing a corner of Zhou Xubai's heart that he had never wanted to face. He was stunned, his lips moved but no sound came out. Engagement, which should have been a sweet testament to a closer relationship, had become a source of his anxiety since when? He became sensitive and suspicious, constantly wanting to confirm and hold on, and had lost the ease and certainty he had when they were friends and lovers.

Looking at his bewildered and pained expression, Lin Yuwei felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. The heaviest question that had been swirling in her mind for so long was finally asked softly at this moment, with a trembling voice tinged with uncertainty: "Xu Bai, I'm starting to doubt... whether our decision to get engaged was really... the right one."

This question, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly created ripples. It was no longer just about Gu Qingyan, nor just about tonight's awkward dinner; it went straight to the heart of their relationship, questioning the most important decision they had made together.

Zhou Xubai's face turned deathly pale in the night. He hadn't expected that his unease and excessive defensiveness would ultimately push Lin Yuwei to this point, making her begin to question the foundation of their future. Panic engulfed him like a cold tide. What he feared even more than Gu Qingyan was that Lin Yuwei would actually come to an answer from this question that he couldn't bear.

Almost instinctively and urgently, he stepped forward, ignoring the occasional passersby not far away, and pulled Lin Yuwei into a tight embrace, so strong that it even hurt her.

"No! Weiwei, don't say that!" Zhou Xubai's voice suddenly rose, filled with obvious panic, even somewhat incoherent: "It's not wrong! Absolutely not! How could you think that?" He loosened his grip on her slightly, staring intently into her eyes, which were filled with the hurt of being questioned and a fear of losing her, completely different from the gentle and refined Zhou Xubai he usually was.

Seeing the lingering doubt and deep sorrow in Lin Yuwei's eyes, Zhou Xubai panicked even more, his tone becoming almost pleading: "It's my fault! It's all my fault! I was too sensitive, too anxious... I made you uncomfortable, I made you sad... I apologize, Weiwei, please forgive me this time, okay?"

He gripped her shoulders tightly: "I promise! I'll never do that again! I won't be suspicious anymore, and I won't do anything to embarrass you like today! I'll adjust myself, and we'll be like before, no, even better than before!"

Zhou Xubai's promises came urgently and in rapid succession, like a storm, trying to extinguish the flames of doubt that had just ignited in Lin Yuwei's heart. He dared not delve into why she had asked that question, nor did he dare to think about whether he was truly as "happy" as he claimed. He only wanted to get everything back to the "normal" track that he could control as soon as possible and erase this dangerous interlude.

"Weiwei, forget what you just said, just pretend I didn't hear you, okay?" He pleaded almost desperately, his eyes filled with panic. "We're getting married soon, we'll be fine, we really will be..."

However, the more vehemently he denied it and the more eagerly he assured her, the more he revealed the immense unease deep within his heart that he could not conceal. This almost out-of-control attempt to salvage the situation made Lin Yuwei see even more clearly that the problems between them could not be easily erased with a mere "guarantee." His panic precisely confirmed that her suspicions were not unfounded.

Seeing his almost out-of-control state, Lin Yuwei felt no comfort, but rather a deeper sense of powerlessness and heaviness. She gently but firmly broke free from his embrace, took a step back, and created some distance between them.

“Xu Bai,” her voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable resolve, “I think… we both need some time to calm down and think things through. I’m going back by myself now, don’t bother seeing me off.” After she finished speaking, she gave him a slightly warning and distant look, not giving him a chance to stop her, and turned to walk straight out of the hotel.

Zhou Xubai stood frozen in place, his outstretched hand hanging in mid-air before finally falling limply to the ground. He could only watch helplessly as Lin Yuwei's figure disappeared around the corner. The night wind blew by, carrying a chill, but he only felt a cold, bewildered emptiness in his heart.

Lin Yuwei walked aimlessly along the sidewalk. The cool evening breeze tried to sort out her messy thoughts, but it only made the frustration in her heart more entangled.

She needed some space, a space away from Zhou Xubai's suffocating tension and unease.

After walking for a while, she came to a small park in the middle of the street, dimly lit and with swaying shadows of trees. She went in, found a stone bench in the corner and sat down, trying to clear her mind and not think about anything.

The night was quiet, with only the faint sound of cars coming from the distant road.

After an unknown amount of time, a staggering figure broke into the tranquility. A burly man reeking of alcohol staggered past, his cloudy eyes catching sight of Lin Yuwei sitting alone. He paused, then sat down on the stone bench opposite her.

There was a distance between the two stone benches. Lin Yuwei didn't pay attention at first, assuming that they were just another person cooling off or resting. However, the big man's gaze would occasionally and intentionally sweep over her, while he would look around warily. This scrutinizing and malicious look made Lin Yuwei instantly alert, and a chill ran down her spine.

She immediately stood up, without hesitation, and walked quickly toward the brightly lit road outside the park, her heart pounding slightly in her chest.

However, footsteps sounded behind her, starting as a swaying follow, and then suddenly turned into a rapid run!

Lin Yuwei was startled. Wearing high heels, she couldn't run fast at all. The footsteps behind her were getting closer and closer, accompanied by heavy breathing and a nauseating smell of alcohol.

"Stop!" A rough, drunken shout came almost from behind.

At this critical moment, an even louder and colder shout came from the side: "What do you think you're doing!"

A tall figure darted out of the shadows with the speed of a cheetah, unhesitatingly placing himself between Lin Yuwei and the drunkard, shielding her tightly behind him. The newcomer was upright and imposing, instantly forming an insurmountable barrier.

Lin Yuwei staggered forward a few steps, still shaken, and turned around abruptly. In the halo of the streetlight in the distance, she saw that incredibly clear and cold profile—it was Gu Qingyan!

The drunkard was intimidated by Gu Qingyan's imposing presence, and seeing that the other man was taller and stronger than him, he cursed under his breath, glared at her resentfully, and ultimately didn't dare to linger. He staggered away.

With the danger over, Lin Yuwei's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and she felt a wave of relief wash over her, her legs going weak. She took a deep breath, looked at Gu Qingyan, and asked in a trembling voice, "You... how did you get here?"

Gu Qingyan turned around to face her, his cold expression softening slightly, his tone calm as usual: "After I finished a call with a client, I happened to see you coming out of the hotel alone and walking in this direction. It was late at night, and this area is rather secluded and not very safe, so I followed you to check it out." He spoke casually, as if it were just a perfectly natural thing to do.

A brief silence fell between them. A night breeze blew...

She stirred the stray hairs on Lin Yuwei's forehead. She recalled everything that had happened at the dinner party that evening, the awkwardness and undercurrents caused by Zhou Xubai, and a feeling of apology welled up in her heart.

"Mr. Gu," she said softly, with sincere apology, "Tonight... during dinner, there were some things that happened that embarrassed you. I promise it won't happen again..."

“I’m not embarrassed.” Gu Qingyan interrupted her, his voice not loud, but unusually clear and firm. He looked at her, his gaze appearing particularly deep and tender in the night: “Yuwei,” he called her name, his tone natural and solemn: “I don’t care about those scenes, what’s important is you,” he paused, then said clearly, word by word: “As long as you don’t feel embarrassed or bothered, I’m fine with anything.”

These words, like a warm current, silently seeped into Lin Yuwei's troubled heart. There were no flowery words, no deliberate comfort, just the simplest and most direct expression, yet at this moment it seemed so profound and powerful. From beginning to end, all he cared about was her feelings.

Lin Yuwei looked at him, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say. The night was getting deeper, and the streetlights cast long shadows of the two of them, overlapping each other.

Gu Qingyan offered to take her home. Lin Yuwei wanted to decline, but remembering the terrifying scene just now, she swallowed back the words she was about to say and simply nodded gently: "Thank you for your trouble."

The two walked back to the hotel parking lot side by side. The night breeze carried the fragrance of unknown flowers from the roadside. Lin Yuwei lagged slightly behind, gazing at Gu Qingyan's tall and straight back, a complex emotion rising in her heart.

After getting into the car, Gu Qingyan had just fastened his seatbelt when his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and immediately silenced it. However, the phone lit up again a moment later, and this repeated itself.

"Is there something urgent you need to take care of?" Lin Yuwei couldn't help but ask softly, "I can take a taxi back myself."

Gu Qingyan held the steering wheel with one hand and deftly silenced his phone: "There's a technical milestone in the overseas project that needs confirmation. We'll have an online meeting when we get back to the company later." He glanced at her, his gaze deep: "I'll take you home first. If I let you get out halfway, I'll be distracted."

His words were spoken frankly, yet they made Lin Yuwei's ears burn slightly. She didn't insist anymore, softly hummed in agreement, and turned to look out the window. The neon lights flickered on her face, just like her restless emotions at that moment.

The car quickly stopped in front of the apartment building. Lin Yuwei quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, her eyes shining brightly in the night: "Go back to work quickly, don't neglect your responsibilities." She paused, her voice softening slightly: "No matter how busy you are, remember to rest."

Gu Qingyan's lips curved into a clear smile, and a faint smile appeared in her usually deep eyes, which seemed especially warm in the night.

"Okay," he replied gently, watching her walk into the apartment building until her figure disappeared safely into the elevator before slowly rolling up the car window.

The phone screen lit up again. He glanced at the pile of unread messages, his face regaining its composure. He turned the steering wheel, and the car smoothly drove into the depths of the night, leaving only two taillights gradually merging into the city lights.