Chapter 73
More than a week has passed.
But Zhou Zifang still can't forget the person he just saw off at the airport a week ago that morning, who was suddenly drenched by the heavy rain and stood at their doorstep, like a stray dog that no one claimed.
His first narcissistic reaction was, "No way, you're so reluctant to leave me? You won't even take a plane?"
Lu Jiyu seemed to have walked a long way. Not only was he dripping with water, but his face was also pale and bloodless. When he spoke, his voice was extremely low and dry.
Zhou Zifang didn't hear clearly at first, and he subconsciously moved closer.
"What did you say?"
"I need you to help me." Lu Jiyu's black eyelashes were covered with water droplets, which fell one by one and merged with the carpet under his feet.
"How can I help you?" Zhou Zifang asked in confusion.
Lu Jiyu paused, and a hint of confusion appeared in his dark eyes, but the next second it quickly condensed into a cold determination, like an icy lake in the gloomy world, which made people feel cold at the sight of it.
"I want to break up with Jiang Wan and I need your help."
Zhou Zifang thought he had misheard, and tentatively raised his hand to touch his forehead: "What's wrong, brother? Did the X-ray scan your brain cells at the airport security checkpoint?"
Lu Jiyu slightly turned her head to avoid his hand and continued, "I've thought about it, and only you can help me with this matter."
Seeing that he didn't sound mentally ill, Zhou Zifang couldn't help but speculate: "What happened? Did Jiang Wan cheat on you? Is she really having an affair with Chen Wulin?"
Lu Jiyu looked at him with half-closed eyelids, as if he had no intention of denying or explaining.
"No, if Jiang Wan really cheated on you, you should appear in front of her now with this wet and pitiful look on your face, begging her to change her mind."
Zhou Zifang couldn't say he understood Lu Jiyu 100%.
But he knew too well about Lu Jiyu's love for Jiang Wan. Lu Jiyu hid it very well in front of others, even in front of himself, but Zhou Zifang could feel that he didn't just like Jiang Wan, that feeling was almost infatuation.
He was completely bewildered by her.
Lu Jiyu would always unconsciously mention things related to Jiang Wan in front of Zhou Zifang, and even his own living habits were subtly influenced by her.
Before Lu Jiyu met Jiang Wan, he didn't like drinking milk, especially cold milk.
But since they met Jiang Wan, Zhou Zifang discovered that there would always be cold milk in Lu Jiyu's refrigerator. When the two of them went to the convenience store to buy things, Lu Jiyu would sometimes subconsciously pick up a bottle of milk to pay.
He said he seemed to feel good after drinking too much.
Zhou Zifang didn't say anything, only feeling he might be hopeless. But at the same time, he was relieved, relieved Lu Jiyu had finally found his footing. He felt Lu Jiyu had always lived a life of contradictions. He was incredibly dedicated and hardworking in his studies, while others pursued their dreams of a successful future. But Lu Jiyu's career plans were simply to fulfill his father's last wish. He was like someone who strived for perfection in everything, yet stared coldly and indifferently at the pile of so-called "fruits of victory," as if anything was acceptable.
However, Jiang Wan's appearance made him seriously discuss with Zhou Zifang the city where he would work in the future for the first time, and he even began to pay attention to real estate information in various places.
Zhou Zifang suddenly realized that what Lu Jiyu had been longing for for so many years was actually so simple.
So he didn't know what this person was doing at the moment.
"What happened?"
Lu Jiyu followed Zhou Zifang into the house: "Nothing, you don't need to ask."
That's what I meant by not wanting to tell him.
Since she wanted to hide it from him, yet she still wanted to ask him for help. Zhou Zifang couldn't help but sneer: "Why? You suddenly came to your senses and agreed to the marriage plan your aunt set for you?"
Lu Jiyu was soaked to the skin. He didn't sit on the sofa, but dragged a chair to the dining room. He had thrown his bag at the entrance when he entered. He sat there with his head down. It seemed as if all his previous arrogance had been drained away in the blink of an eye. A smile that was not quite a smile appeared on his pale face: "I know you really want to scold me now. It's okay, scold me as much as you can. After you've scolded me enough, consider helping me with this matter."
Zhou Zifang folded his arms around his shoulders, leaning against the sideboard in front of the dining table, his face serious: "I won't help you unless you explain clearly."
"That's fine." Lu Jiyu stood up and suddenly became very willing to negotiate: "Then can I stay with you for two days?"
Zhou Zifang really couldn't refuse this request. He had always lived in this house alone and no one else would come.
The first night Lu Jiyu stayed at Zhou Zifang's house, he developed a high fever.
When Zhou Zifang found out, Lu Jiyu was already delirious with fever. He was terrified and wanted to call an ambulance, but Lu Jiyu stopped him: "Just take some medicine."
He lay there in a daze, persisting.
Zhou Zifang was at his wit's end. Luckily, Lu Jiyu took some antipyretics and his fever subsided in the second half of the night, and he became much more awake. Zhou Zifang sat at the end of the bed, watching Lu Jiyu leaning against the bed and eating the porridge he had packed. A stupid thought suddenly popped up in his mind: "Why the hell did you suddenly make such a scene? Don't tell me you have some terrible disease."
Before he could finish his words, Zhou Zifang was overwhelmed with grief and his eyes almost turned red.
Lu Jiyu choked on his porridge when he heard him say that. He coughed and laughed: "Do you think I'm going to die?"
Seeing his dead look, Zhou Zifang knew that he was fine and snorted coldly: "Not the best."
There was only one bedside lamp on in the room. Lu Jiyu put down the porridge in his hand and sat in silence in the dim light for a while. He had not intended to tell Zhou Zifang about this matter. After all, it involved Jiang Wan's family. If it was just him, it would not matter.
But if he insists on not saying it, given Zhou Zifang's personality, he will definitely hold on to it and not let go.
So Lu Jiyu simply recounted his past experiences.
After listening to this, Zhou Zifang remained silent for a long time. It was unclear whether he was stunned or tired.
"Lu Jiyu, is this true?" Zhou Zifang felt that this reason was so ridiculous that it hadn't changed.
Lu Jiyu smiled bleakly: "What else? Can you make it up if I ask you to?"
Zhou Zifang was so anxious that he was spinning around in circles: "What are we doing? Does it have to be like this? Do we have to hide this from Jiang Wan? I don't think she's that fragile. Maybe if we lay things out and discuss it together, there might be a chance of a turnaround."
Lu Jiyu leaned his head against the wall, most of his strength gone. "Do you think I haven't thought about this?"
Lu Jiyu certainly thought so, even though he felt it was despicable.
But he immediately thought of Jiang Huainan's words, the great pain Jiang Wan had endured because of his uncle's death, and the fact that the father-daughter relationship between her and Jiang Huainan, which had been repaired with great difficulty, would fall apart because of this incident.
He had previously thought that he was afraid that she would not choose him.
But now he understood that he was afraid of asking her to make a choice and letting her endure such pain again.
So just as Jiang Huainan said, while it is just the beginning and there is still time, the sooner it is, the sooner it will be free.
"Let her be with me and cut off ties with her father. Can you do such a thing?"
Can he do it? Zhou Zifang couldn't say for sure, but Lu Jiyu knew that he definitely couldn't do it.
Zhou Zifang was desperate. He sat down on the sofa in front of Lu Jiyu and asked, "What do you want me to do?"
Lu Jiyu thought of many ways to break up, but he knew that Jiang Wan was a very smart and rational girl. If he didn't convince her, she would one day realize the truth behind the matter.
So Lu Jiyu planned to have Jin Jing take a set of photos and then send them to Jiang Wan through Zhou Zifang.
There had always been some vague rumors between him and Jin Jing, and now that they were confirmed, it was a help to him.
Zhou Zifang listened to Lu Jiyu's plan in silence: "Do you think Jiang Wan will believe it?"
Lu Jiyu looked down at his own dark shadow, feeling a wave of pain in his heart that made him feel uncomfortable. "What should I do? I have no other choice."
Jiang Wan forwarded the photo to Lu Jiyu the same day he received it, and asked calmly, "What's going on? Are you breaking up?"
It was three days later that Jiang Wan received a reply from the other party, which was just a simple sentence.
——It’s up to you.
Jiang Wan and Jiang Huainan were looking at new cars at a 4S dealership. Jiang Huainan was planning to sell his old car and buy a new one. He wanted to buy a Mercedes-Benz, but the price was a bit beyond his reach. After a long time of bargaining with the dealer, there was no progress.
Jiang Wan walked out of the store with his cell phone, read Lu Jiyu's message twice, and then directly dialed the other party's number.
Lu Jiyu answered the phone quickly, but after he picked up the phone, there was a long silence.
It was cloudy today, but the temperature outside was still not to be underestimated. Jiang Wan stood in the shade of the tree for a while and soon began to sweat. She lost her patience: "Don't you have anything to say to me?"
"I'm sorry." The other person's voice was extremely hoarse.
"What are you sorry for?" Jiang Wan's voice was cold.
"Everything."
"Then come out and see me. I don't want everything to end so unclearly. Let's resolve everything face to face."
The other end was silent for a long time: "Okay - forget it." He agreed halfway but still refused.
Jiang Wan immediately hung up the phone, and Jiang Huainan came out to her with a worried look on his face: "Jiang Wan, what's wrong?"
Jiang Wan herself may not realize that her expression at this moment is not good enough.
"Nothing. Lu Jiyu wants to break up with me." Jiang Wan said it calmly, and Jiang Huainan was suddenly overwhelmed with mixed feelings: suspicion, shock, and a strong sense of guilt: "Break up? Why are you talking about breaking up for no reason?" He muttered to himself: "But young boys, especially good-looking boys like him, are really hard to judge. But there are always better fish in the sea, don't you think?"
Jiang Huainan's incomprehensible tirade made Jiang Wan frown slightly. "There are always beautiful women out there. Why do you have to buy this brand of car, Dad?"
Because of Li Wan, isn't it?
But Jiang Wan didn't ask any further.
Lu Jiyu stayed at Zhou Zifang's house for five days. During that time, Lu Lin called him several times, but he didn't answer any of them. He slept during the day and woke up at night, reading and watching movies. This kind of reversed day and night life had been unheard of for a long time. Zhou Zifang also rarely spoke to him, except for a few casual chats during meals.
It was already five in the afternoon when Lu Jiyu woke up today. He lay in bed and stared at the ceiling in a daze for a while. Thinking that it was almost the beginning of autumn, summer was coming to an end without them noticing, but they had not yet spent a good summer together.
He grabbed the phone on the bedside table and took a look. He didn't find the one he wanted among the pile of advertisements and messages, and he knew that there wouldn't be the one he wanted to see.
Lu Jiyu didn’t know how he felt. Perhaps he felt more numb than sad.
He closed his eyes, got up, went to the kitchen, poured himself a glass of water, and turned on the TV in the living room, continuing the movie he'd been watching halfway through yesterday. On the coffee table in the living room was the remaining half of yesterday's takeout. He sorted it briefly and tossed it all into the kitchen trash can.
After throwing away the garbage, he stood by the kitchen refrigerator for a long time.
It was midsummer outside the window, and the sun was shining brightly, but he was nowhere to be found.
The kitchen door of Zhou Zifang's house was diagonally opposite the main entrance. Lu Jiyu had just finished collecting his thoughts when he heard someone entering a password at the door.
Zhou Zifang always uses his fingerprint to unlock his door every time he goes home.
The person who came was not Zhou Zifang.
Lu Jiyu was sitting there, and before he could figure out who would come at this time, the door was pushed open and someone he absolutely did not expect walked in.
This was the first time Jiang Wan saw Lu Jiyu so shocked. In front of her, he even subconsciously took a step back, an impulse that wanted to escape.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Why am I here?" Jiang Wan naturally took over his words: "Zhou Zifang told me you were at his house, and I asked him for the password."
Seeing Lu Jiyu's strange expression, Jiang Wan immediately added another sentence.
"It may be a bit presumptuous, but you didn't want to see me, so I pushed him."
After she finished speaking, she still stood at the entrance, but raised her head and looked at him very naturally: "If you don't intend to kick me out now, can you help me get a pair of slippers for me to wear?"
The shock on Lu Jiyu's face quickly subsided. He walked over without saying a word, put the ice cola he had just taken out of the refrigerator on the shoe cabinet, then bent down, opened the cabinet door, found a pair of brand new white slippers and placed them in front of Jiang Wan.
Jiang Wan was standing behind him, where he couldn't see her, staring at his heaving shoulder blades in a daze.
He has lost weight.
Watching Jiang Wan put on her shoes, Lu Jiyu pointed in the direction of the living room and said in a calm tone as if nothing had happened, "Would you like to sit for a while? I'll get you something to drink."
Jiang Wan didn't answer his question. He just picked up the bottle of Coke as he passed by him and said in a firm and casual tone, "I'll drink this."
A foreign movie is playing on the TV in the living room.
A messy blanket was spread on the four-seater sofa in the middle. Jiang Wan walked over, gathered the blanket aside, and sat down.
Sitting on the single sofa next to them, Jiang Wan didn't speak, and Lu Jiyu was also silent. Only the light and shadow of the movie screen intertwined on their faces.
This was the first time they met again after half a month, but the relationship between them had changed a lot.
"In the movie, the heroine defeated the disease with the hero's company. When the heroine wanted to find him again, she found out that he was also a cancer patient and had passed away."
Lu Jiyu moved his fingers on the sofa: "Have you seen it?"
"Well, it's a movie that Chen Wulin introduced to me."
Lu Jiyu stopped talking.
In the movie, the heroine escapes from the hospital and goes on a date with the hero in the park. The hero takes her on a bike to enjoy the sunshine in Hyde Park in the bright afternoon.
Jiang Wan unscrewed the Coke on the coffee table and took a sip, then finally got back to the point: "Chen Meiyun said your behavior was a cliff-like breakup. No communication, no meeting. You're the worst of the worst."
"Is there nothing you want to say to me?"
"Or is it that your silence for more than half a month is already your answer?"
The air conditioner in the living room was turned on a little low and the light was very dim. Lu Jiyu sat in the shadow, facing the TV sideways, leaving only the back of his head visible to Jiang Wan.
He had lost weight, and the lines of his profile were more three-dimensional and distinct, but the light in his eyes was not as bright as before.
"sorry."
"You may have heard that the girl in the photo was introduced to me by my aunt. I was very opposed to this kind of relationship before, but recently I have a reason to be with her, so, I'm sorry, you can make it up to me in any way you want."
His voice was quite calm, as if he had accepted everything. If Jiang Wan had walked over and slapped him twice at this moment, he would probably have asked, "Is that enough?"
"Do we need a reason to be together?" Jiang Wan put down the Coke in her hand and looked at him sideways: "Can you tell me?"
Lu Jiyu shook his head, then suddenly smiled, a broken playboy's energy: "Sorry, I can't."
Jiang Wan didn't force it, but just picked up the remote control on the coffee table and paused the movie.
Without the sound of the TV, an unbearable silence gradually spread between the two of them.
"Okay, I respect your idea." Jiang Wan spoke first.
"But there's one thing I need to tell you. There's no need for us to remain friends after we break up. Although we'll be alumni in the future, as you said, the school is so big, and we probably won't have many opportunities to see each other. I only have one request: if we ever meet on the street in the future, please treat each other as strangers."
"besides."
Jiang Wan spoke in a soft voice, but his words were like needles piercing the listeners one by one.
"I'm a person who likes things to be neat and tidy." Jiang Wan immediately took out her mobile phone to prove this "clean and tidy". She deleted all the other party's WeChat and phone numbers in front of Lu Jiyu, and at the same time clicked on the album, selected all the photos of the two of them, and cleared them with one click.
She is so decisive.
Lu Jiyu sat there watching her operate step by step. The air seemed to have added some solidified substance in an instant, and he felt that his breathing became a little difficult.
The sheer weight of a breakup overwhelmed him at that moment. He was truly losing her. He had been avoiding her, feeling that as long as they didn't lay everything out in person, their relationship wouldn't be over.
But Jiang Wan didn't give him this opportunity.
"Jiang Wan——" Lu Jiyu couldn't help but called her.
Jiang Wan glanced at him distractedly, but just said, "You'd better delete them all."
Lu Jiyu took a deep breath before sitting up straight, and as if he had used up all his strength to say one word: "Okay."
"By the way." Before getting up to leave after finishing everything, Jiang Wan stopped and looked at him again: "Please also return the painting I gave you last time to me as soon as possible."
With a crisp lock sound, the person left completely. Lu Jiyu stared at the closed door. Except for the bottle of Coke on the coffee table that he had only taken two sips of, it seemed as if nothing had happened.
Lu Jiyu fell on the sofa and clicked to play the paused movie again.
The phone that he had just casually thrown on the sofa started vibrating non-stop at some point, but he suddenly felt very tired and didn't want to care about anything or look at anything.
At the end of the movie, the heroine holds the hero's dog and cries in front of his tombstone. Behind her, the sky is cracked with clouds, and golden rays of sunlight shine through, clearly indicating that even if she loses him, she will still have a bright future.
The ending theme song played, and until the end of the video and the TV screen went black, Lu Jiyu quietly fought against the darkness in the room. After a long time, he slowly touched his face.
All I felt was a wet spot.
This indescribable, yet helpless, heart-wrenching sadness was eating away at him inch by inch.
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