Chapter 68 Counterexample: He is the only counterexample.
After the concert, Liang Yizhi carried her violin, humming a little tune as she packed her things.
Wu You, who had followed from the side, nudged her.
"Yizhi, why are you in such a good mood today?"
Upon hearing this, Liang Yizhi felt somewhat lost. She recalled the past few days and felt a sense of déjà vu.
She replied with a smile, "Yes, it's almost Chinese New Year."
With the year-end approaching, the orchestra has only a few performances left and is about to enjoy its last holiday of the year. The repertoire for these performances consists mainly of emotionally charged and stirring patriotic songs, which is sure to boost morale.
"So happy for the New Year? There are still more than ten days left." Wu You carefully observed her expression. "I feel like I haven't seen you this happy in a long time. Is there some good news?"
Liang Yizhi hesitated for a moment, but finally confessed to her friend: "I've got a boyfriend, does that count as good news?"
"My God!! This is the best possible outcome!!!" Wu You screamed.
Liang Yizhi clasped her hands together and begged for mercy: "Please keep your voice down!"
"Is it Gu Yinyan?"
She nodded.
Wu You: "I told you, for a while now, after every performance or rehearsal, you looked like you were hiding from someone and trying to escape. But these past two days you've completely changed."
Is it really that exaggerated?
She used to try to avoid Gu Yinyan because she wasn't sure of her own feelings at the time, but every time Gu Yinyan appeared, it was as if he was telling her to face reality.
Now that everything has settled down, reality has transformed into an ambassador of happiness beckoning to her. How could she not feel excited?
Liang Yizhi secretly planned that after today, she wanted to take Gu Yinyan to a Japanese restaurant that she had tried last time and found to be quite delicious. She definitely wanted to take him to try it.
She packed her things and walked out of the lounge chatting and laughing with Wu You.
Gu Yinyan appeared in the corridor as promised.
Liang Yizhi smiled and quickened her pace, about to run forward. Only then did she notice a figure beside Gu Yinyan—it was He Xintu!
She felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
Liang Yizhi grabbed Wu You's arm and nimbly turned around: "Wu You, you go first. I just remembered I forgot something, I need to go back—"
"Liang Yizhi".
It was that familiar voice calling her to stop from behind.
Wu You glanced at Liang Yizhi, then at Gu Yinyan and the other man beside him, not quite understanding what was going on.
Liang Yizhi said goodbye to Wu You first, then walked helplessly to Gu Yinyan and greeted He Xintu: "Boss He, what are you doing here?"
He Xintu glanced at the people around him: "I also came to see the performance and accidentally bumped into President Gu."
Liang Yizhi secretly glanced at Gu Yinyan, trying to discern his expression.
He Xintu said to Gu Yinyan, "Mr. Gu, I have a few words I'd like to say to Yizhi. Would it be convenient for me to borrow her for a moment?"
Liang Yizhi found He Xintu's questioning method strange. She figured that since she hadn't been there, the two of them had probably already talked and knew about their current relationship.
Gu Yinyan frowned: "She is not my possession. If you want to talk to her, shouldn't you ask her yourself if you can?"
She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt there was a sour taste in Gu Yinyan's tone.
Liang Yizhi quietly reached out and tugged at Gu Yinyan's sleeve, wanting to exchange a glance with him and ask for his opinion.
But Gu Yinyan didn't look at her.
He Xintu turned to Liang Yizhi: "Shall we talk in private?"
Liang Yizhi said, "Mr. He, I'm sorry, but I'm carrying a violin on my back right now. Why don't you wait a moment while I put the violin in the car?"
"Of course, no problem."
Liang Yizhi and Gu Yinyan left first, heading to the parking area. On the way, Gu Yinyan remained silent, his face expressionless.
Liang Yizhi was a little intimidated by his current appearance.
She neither agreed nor refused outright; she simply wanted to appease the man in front of her first.
Gu Yinyan walked ahead, put the zither in the back seat for her, and then got into the car.
Liang Yizhi followed and sat down.
She closed the door and turned around, intending to explain to Gu Yinyan, when a breath suddenly pressed against her lips.
"Hmm—"
He gripped her waist, the space was cramped, she couldn't move, and could only endure it.
Their lips pressed together, rubbing and licking repeatedly, the tip of his tongue passing over her full lower lip and then hooking with hers.
Liang Yizhi knew that he was unhappy about this, so she slightly opened her lips, as if pleading for peace and letting him do as he pleased.
The chill that had just been brought in from outside was gradually eroded, and even before the air conditioning was turned on in the car, her body temperature had already become scalding hot.
After a long while, Gu Yinyan released her, pressed his forehead against hers, and gently exhaled.
Below her gaze were her lips, which he had just kissed, their color a healthy, rosy red.
Gu Yinyan stared at the spot for a while before saying, "You brought this in, so you deal with it."
Liang Yizhi, panting, explained, "I'll just go for a bit... to explain things to him."
He raised his hand, ran his thumb across her lower lip, and gently wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth, saying coolly, "I've disliked him for a long time."
He was extremely displeased from the moment he saw He Xintu. Tonight's ceremony and space, which were supposed to be solely his, had been completely ruined by a complete stranger.
She also had to jump up and down in front of him from time to time.
“It’s all your fault,” he said.
He was seething with anger, but he couldn't unleash it on her. Gu Yinyan said he blamed her, but in his heart he could only blame himself for acting too late and missing out on so much.
Liang Yizhi let go of Gu Yinyan's hand, looked up at him, and said, "Wait for me in the car. I'll only be gone for ten minutes, it'll be over quickly."
"Go ahead." Gu Yinyan patted her head and gently warned, "Don't come back to see me until you've completely broken things off."
Liang Yizhi made a gesture of acceptance.
She went back outside the theater. It was too cold outside, so she took He Xintu to the café near the entrance.
The lighting was warm and bright. He Xintu smiled at the people in front of him: "Long time no see. I didn't expect to see you two together again. Timing is indeed very important, isn't it?"
Liang Yizhi apologized to the other party: "I'm sorry, I've let you down."
After breaking the ice with Gu Yinyan, her heart was completely occupied by him, and she forgot to think about others and other things.
"Don't talk like you've cheated on me." He Xintu was amused by her serious tone. "We didn't do anything, and feelings are unpredictable."
He Xintu didn't mind, he just wanted to verify: "At least at that time, you were following your heart, weren't you?"
Liang Yizhi recalled her past experiences.
She did have feelings for He Xintu, and everything she did with him was indeed based on her feelings. However, those feelings hadn't yet reached a certain level; rather than acting on impulse, it would be more accurate to describe it as following one's heart.
Leung Yik-chi said, "In short, I'm very sorry, and I hope I haven't made you too sad."
He Xintu said he didn't care: "Can we still be friends in the future? Having more friends won't hurt us in the future."
This answer is usually not one that can be refused, but Liang Yizhi repeated it: "I'm sorry."
She explained, "You might not know me well and think I'm too serious. But I believe that if a relationship doesn't work out, we can't be friends anymore. That wouldn't be respectful to you."
She's not the type to conflate all relationships, giving the other person the false hope that they can still be friends even if they don't end up together. Once a boundary is crossed, it's hard to go back to the beginning.
Just like when she decided to be with Gu Yinyan, she had already decided to give up this friend and accept the fact that she might lose him in the future.
That's how it is with people; no one can be perfect, but we should strive to have a clear conscience.
Seeing that her stance was so clear, He Xintu nodded in understanding.
“But I still want to ask,” he said, “if that’s the case, why are you willing to be with him?”
Liang Yizhi thought for a moment and did not deny it:
"He is the only exception."
Only Gu Yinyan could persist like this, silently staying by her side and treating her well for ten years without fail. And only he could make her overturn her bottom line for him, becoming the only transgression in her life's creed.
*
The lights were off at home.
Liang Yizhi was pushed against the wall by Gu Yinyan.
He pressed himself close to her body; the winter clothes were thick and heavy, but she could still feel his body temperature beneath them.
Liang Yizhi's legs went weak for a moment, and she lost her balance, so she steadied herself against him. The hard, lumpy object under her palm was a stark reminder of its presence.
Because He Xintu suddenly appeared out of nowhere, they didn't get to eat the Japanese food they were supposed to. Gu Yinyan had only offered to take her home, but she asked if she wanted to come up for a cup of hot tea.
After he came in, the way he looked at her changed, and by the time he realized it, it was already like this.
The darkness amplified all the sensory details, making the wet, sticky sensation even more intense. She couldn't help but bite his lip, letting out a muffled groan.
Liang Yizhi felt that this couldn't go on, so she reached out to fumble in the dark to turn on the chandelier switch.
She fumbled for a while without finding it, when Gu Yinyan grabbed her arm and put her hand back, interlocking their fingers. Their lips parted slightly, and he gently yet threateningly reminded her, "Concentrate."
Liang Yizhi, utterly helpless, pleaded indistinctly, "Can we... take it slow? This pace... um... is too fast..."
"Where is the speed?" He released her lips and instead pinched her waist.
Liang Yizhi was tickled and laughed out loud: "Stop, stop, stop—you can't tickle during an argument, that's cheating."
Gu Yinyan deliberately teased her a few more times, and only after she had completely calmed down did he quietly ask, "Liang Yizhi, did you really like him?"
"who?"
"Don't play dumb."
Liang Yizhi didn't want to answer the question, not because she wanted to avoid it, but because she felt it might cause unnecessary trouble. But since he had asked, she couldn't simply ignore it.
She admitted, "It's just a crush."
Gu Yinyan then asked, "Have you ever had feelings for me?"
She was stumped by his question.
She had only been thinking for a few seconds, still lost in thought, when he suddenly pulled her close, his arms wrapped tightly around her sides.
"Never mind, I'm being annoying, aren't I?" His voice was muffled as he buried his face in her neck and shoulder. He took a deep breath of the fragrance emanating from her, as if to confirm that her presence in his arms was real.
"Having it now is enough."
Liang Yizhi was both amused and exasperated by his reaction.
She had spent so much time with him, and their experiences together were enough to fill a book, that she really needed some time to reflect.
But there must be an answer.
She can't recall the exact moment now, but she must have had some vague thoughts. It's just that his devotion was so taken for granted that she didn't even realize it herself.
Liang Yizhi pulled him away, cupped his face in her hands, and gazed at him with bright, sparkling eyes:
"Don't overthink it. I like you now, I like you a lot. I only like you, and I will love you more and more in the future."
She wanted to make up for all the insecurity she had lost over the years, giving him double the amount.
The kiss landed again, even more passionate than before, making her wonder if she had said something wrong. Gu Yinyan, as if losing his mind, pressed her against the wall and kissed her relentlessly.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, no longer shy, and responded.
Until a sharp doorbell rang, piercing the darkness—
“It’s probably a delivery,” Liang Yizhi said to Gu Yinyan, who was extremely dissatisfied.
She went to the doorbell and answered it, only to find He Man standing outside.
Hearing the doorbell ring, He Man immediately said, "Yizhi, I saw your lights were off downstairs. Oh, you're home."
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