I love you

On the other end of the phone, Cui Junyu first let out a long sigh, then slowly and deliberately said, "Mr. Song, I have actually rehearsed what I am about to say many times in my mind, but President Lu did not allow me to say it before. For the past month or so, President Lu has been in a bad mood. Although he does not mention it, I know it very well."

Inside the closed car, the voice coming from the phone was even clearer, and every word Cui Junyu spoke struck Song Zicheng's heart with particular precision.

“I’ve been Mr. Lu’s secretary since I graduated from university, and it’s been seven years now. In these seven years, you are the first person that Mr. Lu has paid so much attention to. Yes, Mr. Lu did use some unscrupulous means to blackmail you before, which is an indelible fact and has indeed caused you harm. It is understandable that you do not forgive him. However, we cannot condemn everything because of this incident. There is too much to say, so I will keep it brief and just pick out the most important thing.”

"Do you really think that once you get Mr. Lu's documents, Lu Zhize will keep his promise and help you?"

Song Zicheng keenly sensed something was amiss and asked, "What do you mean?"

Cui Junyu gave a bitter smile: "Do you know why President Lu went to France three years ago? Of course you don't. Three years ago, Lu Zhize used Li Bin and Huber as bargaining chips to force President Lu to transfer all of Clarté Joaillerie's shares to him. In fact, on the day you drugged President Lu and stole the documents, President Lu was almost done talking with Li Bin. He was just one step away, only one step away. Otherwise, things wouldn't have turned out that way. During the period after he went to France, President Lu was under a lot of pressure and in a bad mood. He couldn't sleep all night. Later, he saw a psychologist and received treatment for a long time. Every time he finished socializing, as long as he drank, he would call your name. In these three years, you haven't sent President Lu a single message. But President Lu knows everything about your every move, whether the weather in Anhui is sunny or cloudy, how many classes you attend in a day. Occasionally when he returns to China, no matter how busy he is, no matter how long he works without sleeping, he will still secretly take a look at you. You know nothing about any of this."

Cui Junyu's voice trembled as he spoke, as if he were standing up for Lu Zhiyan: "President Lu truly loves you, and he returned to the country for you. It's been three years, and I hope you will stop running away and give yourself and President Lu an explanation."

After hearing this, Song Zicheng weakly said "okay," and slumped into the driver's seat with a "thud." He had no strength left in his hands, and his phone slid down his arm to his leg. Tears involuntarily streamed down his face, bursting forth uncontrollably without warning. The quiet car was filled with Song Zicheng's heart-wrenching sobs.

He placed his right hand on his beating heart. It hurt so much, it hurt so much, his heart ached so much.

It turns out that everything he had been doing and thinking was wrong all along. The price of performing surgery on Song Zi'an was not just the document he stole, but all of Lu Zhiyan's shares and the three years Lu Zhiyan spent struggling alone in France.

Perhaps fate is just that wonderful. From his unexpected encounter with Lu Zhiyan to making a deal with him, he initially only felt resentment and dissatisfaction towards Lu Zhiyan. He hated that Lu Zhiyan had forcibly entered his world and that Lu Zhiyan had pressured him. However, the various events that happened later gradually changed his mind. He could also genuinely feel Lu Zhiyan's kindness towards him, and there were some beautiful memories between them.

Under the moonlight, he sang passionately, while Lu Zhiyan's ardent gaze was fixed on him. Even now, he still remembers the flutter and heat in his heart that night. On New Year's Eve, he rarely revealed his feelings that he had never shared with anyone before, and Lu Zhiyan's perfectly timed "Happy New Year" warmed his heart. On the first day of the new year, Lu Zhiyan traveled from the capital to Anhui just to see him briefly and present Song Zicheng with a New Year's gift that would make him happy for a long time. The night in Paris, the rain in Paris, the beautiful scenery in the Alps, and the sudden avalanche all witnessed the surging love between the two that was unspoken yet deeply understood.

He wasn't unaware of Lu Zhiyan's kindness towards him; on the contrary, he knew it perfectly well. After returning from Paris, Song Zicheng was indeed prepared to start over with Lu Zhiyan, but things didn't go as planned. He ran away for three years, pretending to be completely unaware, deceiving not only Lu Zhiyan but also himself.

I've been deceiving myself for three years; it's time to wake up.

He should give himself a chance, and he should also make sure that Lu Zhiyan's efforts are rewarded.

When Song Zicheng drove to the high-speed rail station, Jiang Yuebai had just arrived. Seeing that the high-speed train had half an hour to depart, Song Zicheng waited for Jiang Yuebai at the exit.

After graduating from university, Jiang Yuebai chose to pursue further studies. Now she is a second-year graduate student at Beijing University. Song Zicheng waved to Jiang Yuebai as she slowly walked towards him.

"Yuebai, I'm taking the high-speed train to Beijing later, so I can't pick you up. The taxi I called for you will be here in five minutes."

Jiang Yuebai, carrying her suitcase, looked somewhat shocked: "Going to the capital at this hour?"

"Yes, I'm going to find Lu Zhiyan."

Upon hearing the name Lu Zhiyan, Jiang Yuebai felt no longer as lost or sad as before. Three years ago, after Song Zicheng and Lu Zhiyan separated, he was listless and depressed all the time. That night, Jiang Yuebai dragged him out for drinks, hoping to relax, but little did she know that drinking would only make things worse. Under the influence of alcohol, Song Zicheng poured out all the things he had been holding back for a long time.

Jiang Yuebai sat to the side, head bowed and silent, listening intently to Song Zicheng's heartfelt words. Seeing Song Zicheng's pain and sorrow, in that instant, her long-held obsession came to an end, replaced by heartache for Song Zicheng and regret for the entangled and complicated relationship between the two.

"Finally figured it out?" Jiang Yuebai said with a smile. "I was so worried for you. You have no idea how many times Lu Zhiyan has asked me about you in the past three years. Now that you've made up your mind, go for it bravely. I believe in you!" She even gave a thumbs-up after saying that. Her words made Song Zicheng, who had already made up his mind, even more confident.

Song Zicheng had taken the high-speed train from Anhui to Beijing countless times, but never before had he felt so anxious, excited, and apprehensive. In the past 23 years, this was the first time he had wanted to see someone so much. He longed to see Lu Zhiyan immediately and hold this person who held such an important place in his heart tightly.

For more than five hours, from dawn to dusk, from the sun gradually setting to the moon gradually rising, Song Zicheng crossed from south to north, breaking through the high barrier that had been built up for three years with the strength in his heart. Today is destined to be an extraordinary day.

Song Zicheng didn't want to waste a single second. He got out of the taxi and ran straight to Lu Zhiyan's door. The moment the doorbell rang, Song Zicheng's heart was pounding. The moment the door opened, tears welled up in his eyes.

Lu Zhiyan was visibly stunned when he opened the door and saw Song Zicheng. Song Zicheng didn't give him time to react and immediately stood on tiptoe to kiss his slightly parted lips. The sensation of their lips touching made Song Zicheng feel a little dazed, and his heart was beating very fast.

Lu Zhiyan, caught off guard by Song Zicheng's unexpected kiss, was clearly bewildered. His tightly furrowed brows relaxed instantly the moment their lips met, and his eyes widened in surprise, astonishment, and excitement almost overflowing from their depths. He reached out and wrapped one arm around Song Zicheng's waist while cradling Song Zicheng's head with the other, slowly deepening the passionate and long-awaited kiss that had come after three years.

They kissed for a long time, so long that when they parted, they were both breathless, their cheeks flushed, and even their lips were slightly swollen. Lu Zhiyan caught his breath and asked, "Why did you come?"

With tears welling up in his eyes, Song Zicheng looked up at Lu Zhiyan. He tried to calm himself down, and all the words he had been rehearsing and agonizing over for their first meeting were now forgotten. At this moment, he uttered what he considered to be the most romantic words in the world: "I love you."

Upon hearing those three words, Lu Zhiyan froze on the spot. He seemed unable to believe what he had heard, his face showing an expression of disbelief and urgency, and his voice carrying a hint of uncertainty: "What did you say?"

Song Zicheng cupped Lu Zhiyan's face in his hands, staring intently into Lu Zhiyan's eyes, and said each word with utmost firmness and seriousness: "I said, I love you, let's make up."

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Zicheng didn't cry, but Lu Zhiyan couldn't hold back any longer. Tears streamed down his face as if a floodgate had been opened, and he cried very sadly. Song Zicheng hugged him tightly and gently stroked his back.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to say that?" Lu Zhiyan said, her voice choked with sobs, filled with grievance that touched the hearts of those who heard it.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting so long. I won't do it again."

By the end of November, Beijing was already in the late autumn and early winter season. The summer heat and the noisy cicadas of summer were gone, and the nights were even quieter. Only the low whistling of the north wind could be heard, and a chill could be felt when the wind blew.

The two people embracing each other did not feel the slightest bit cold, even though they were only wearing thin long-sleeved shirts. Their body heat filled and enveloped them, giving them a heat that was not of this season.

Neither of them wanted to waste this precious moment. A night of passion is worth a thousand pieces of gold, and the emotions and desires that had been suppressed in their hearts for three years were about to erupt. As if they had drunk a strong glass of wine, they kissed from the door to the living room, and from the living room to the bedroom. Although the room was dimly lit, and although they had not been in contact with each other for three years, the impressions of their previous interactions were too deep. Lu Zhiyan was always able to easily grasp every sensitive spot on Song Zicheng's body.

The countless kisses fell from my forehead to my eyes, from my eyes to the bridge of my nose, to my cheeks, to my lips, to my chin...

Every inch of Song Zian's skin bore Lu Zhiyan's imprint. They embraced each other tightly, as if that wasn't enough. When they were truly united, they both let out a satisfied gasp. Song Zicheng, who was usually restrained in bed, also generously let go tonight. He accepted Lu Zhiyan completely and without any concealment with his body.

The night was exhilarating and wild. The two most intimate bodies were tightly intertwined, and their hearts, beating for each other, were unknowingly and tacitly in sync. The whispered words became the most important and weighty vows of eternal love.

After knowing each other for four years, the two finally confessed their feelings for each other on this day of this month of this year. It is not an easy thing to open up and express love. It takes a lot of courage, and it took Song Zicheng three whole years to have this courage.

From initial reluctance, confrontation, and insincerity to later genuine feelings, deep concern, and constant longing.

For the stubborn Song Zicheng, his 18 to 21 years old should have been the prime of his life, a time of youthful vigor and pride, but he closed himself off deeply due to the pressures of life and self-blame.

One day, out of the blue, a man named Lu Zhiyan entered his life. He thought Lu Zhiyan would bring him endless pain, but instead, he brought him hope and light. Like a parched land receiving rain, Lu Zhiyan slowly opened his heart in the ordinary days and brought him warmth and care, giving him a chance to choose the life he wanted again.

This time, he was determined to hold onto Lu Zhiyan tightly. He was willing to spend the rest of his life repaying what he owed Lu Zhiyan.