Chapter 15

The senior student said, "Is it really not possible? Do you want neither me nor these things anymore?"

You stand at the door, waiting for the workers to finish moving in.

The senior looked at you dejectedly. His clothes were wrinkled, he reeked of cigarettes, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Your voice was indifferent and calm: "I will not give up my share of the shares, real estate, and working capital. I will also take over the neighboring city market that we developed earlier. If you stay in this city, the medical conditions and living environment will be better for you."

The senior lowered his head, his whole body tense. You saw his clenched fists, as if he didn't want you to see them, and he turned away to wipe his tears.

But he couldn't hold back in the end; his throat was hoarse, and his eyes revealed deep guilt and pleading.

"Southward flight".

He grabbed your sleeve: "This is the last time. I don't care about anything else, as long as you can forgive me. I'll do anything, anything at all."

You listened quietly for a while, then said, "Let's talk."

The senior's eyes lit up, and he was speechless with disbelief. He stammered, "Okay...okay...let's talk..."

You lead the way, and you walk with him on the path outside the villa. The trees on both sides are shady, and there is a beautiful lake in the distance, shimmering in the sunlight. The senior has not said a word. You stand on the hillside, where many cosmos flowers are blooming on the grass, and below is Guanshan Lake.

You light a cigarette, and your senior wants one too. You take the cigarette pack away, and he looks at you intently, his eyes glistening with tiny tears.

"You should stop smoking. Taking that drug will affect your immune system. You need to pay attention to your diet and get more rest."

The senior student's voice was hoarse: "Okay."

How long have you been taking PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) medication?

"Not long after I started taking it last week, he suddenly asked me to get a checkup. I was very flustered at the time and didn't dare to tell you. I went to get the checkup secretly, and I got the results yesterday."

"How about it."

The senior student didn't say anything.

You paused for a moment, took a drag of your cigarette, and a gentle breeze blew across the lake as the pale blue smoke drifted away: "From now on, take good care of yourself."

After you finished speaking, you fell silent and stopped looking at him.

The senior student glanced at you furtively, then mustered his courage to defend himself: "Nanfei, I know you don't believe me, but I really didn't ask anyone. I just drank too much, and that thing just happened somehow. It only happened that one time."

You said, "That day you told me that worldly morality cannot bind people who are not accepted by the world, right?"

The senior's face stiffened, and he looked at you pleadingly: "You know perfectly well that I was just saying that out of anger."

You flicked the ash from your cigarette: "I was thinking before, even though I know you're afraid of being alone, like to have fun, and aren't very good at these things, I'll still leave you in this city so you can't find me, see me, or touch me at night."

“In the past, when you made a mistake, I wouldn’t comfort you; I would only tell you what you did wrong and that you should remember to correct it next time.”

“You clearly dislike my male assistant, but I didn’t fire him because I said that he is an excellent and promising young man, and he doesn’t need to endure unreasonable difficulties just because of our argument.”

“You’ve always wanted your parents’ understanding and blessings, but I’m telling you that you don’t need to go through so much pain to do something you can’t do.”

“You want a sense of belonging, but I’m telling you, don’t see yourself as an outsider, and you don’t need to look for any circles.”

"I wonder if I've made you unhappy all this time."

Tears streamed down the senior's face as he tried to hold you back.

"But……"

"I later realized that the problems between us were not necessarily the fault of both of us. I had been in a misconception all along: why does the failure of a relationship mean that both of us are at fault?"

You looked at him and smiled: "There are scumbags in this world."

Author's Note: