Chapter 75
◎“Shall we start over?”◎
Cheng Jiamo always remembered Li Zhuyue's kindness. Regardless of whether Li Zhuyue had ulterior motives in posting her photos on social media, she wouldn't hate Li Zhuyue. After all, Li Zhuyue had never truly done anything to hurt her; on the contrary, Li Zhuyue had helped her during her most difficult time.
During the two years she spent in high school in Lucheng, without Li Zhuyue, she wouldn't have had a place to stay. It was Li Zhuyue who provided her with a place to live and gave her three meals a day.
As for her, aside from offering empty words of gratitude, she never provided Li Zhuyue with any substantial help.
This time, Li Zhuyue was blacklisted by He Qingzhao because of her, so she couldn't not help Li Zhuyue, otherwise, would she still be human?
For Li Zhuyue's sake, Cheng Jiaming finally compromised. She had no choice but to compromise; she dared not gamble with He Qingzhao's conscience.
"Okay, I promise you, but on the condition that you find Li Zhuyue first, and then restore her scenes."
He Qingzhao breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Cheng Jiamo, kissing her repeatedly: "I'll have someone bring her back right away."
Cheng Jiamo turned her head away from his lips and said, "Also, you can't stop me from going to another city for an internship a year from now."
A year later, she will be a senior in college. Senior year is free of classes, so she will need to go out for an internship. At that time, she will be able to leave Beijing. As long as she stays away from He Qingzhao, he will naturally lose interest in her over time.
He Qingzhao saw through Cheng Jiamo's thoughts at a glance. He knew very well that Cheng Jiamo wanted to leave him by making this condition. His heart clenched, and he tightened his arms around Cheng Jiamo's waist, almost obsessively pulling her into his embrace.
Cheng Jiamo pushed him away in resistance, making no attempt to hide her disgust for him.
He Qingzhao was stung by her gaze and hugged her even tighter, breathing heavily. He really wanted to take her right there and now, make her cry, make her beg for mercy. But in the end, he restrained himself and kissed her lips, suppressing his desire.
“Okay.” He Qingzhao agreed to her request. He didn’t want to upset her and was afraid that she would change her mind in a fit of anger, so he could only agree for now.
His thought was to first calm her down, and then find another way to keep her by his side a year later. If there was really no better way by then, he would get her pregnant and keep her with the child.
Cheng Jiamo was unaware of He Qingzhao's despicable intentions. If she had known, she would never have agreed. The only reason she agreed was to help Li Zhuyue; otherwise, she would never have agreed.
After the two reached an agreement, Cheng Jiamo softened her tone and said gently, "Please let me out, my friend is still waiting outside..."
Before she could finish speaking, her phone rang. It was Zhu Yan calling.
He Qingzhao took her phone directly, answered the call for her, and said in a cold voice, "Cheng Jiamo's flight has been canceled."
After saying that, He Qingzhao hung up the phone, cupped her fair face in one hand, and asked with a smile, "Baby, you're not angry with me, are you?"
-
When Cheng Jiamo walked into Nanyuan again, looking at the exquisitely crafted antique-style landscaping and the familiar plants and trees, she completely lost the excitement she had felt when she first entered Nanyuan. Now, her eyes were lifeless, as if she had stepped into a magnificent and exquisite cage.
Although she agreed to He Qingzhao's request, she would never treat him as her boyfriend again, nor would she have any feelings for him anymore.
He Qingzhao felt terrible. It was as if someone had ripped out the softest part of his heart, leaving him feeling empty and dull-hearted.
If time could turn back, he would never have entered into a fake marriage with Zhao Qingman, nor would he have taken those damned wedding photos. Unfortunately, there are no "ifs," time cannot be reversed, and he cannot erase the mistakes he has already made.
"Momo." He Qingzhao hugged Cheng Jiamo tightly, resting his chin on the top of her head and gently nuzzling her, suppressing his emotions as he said, "Let's forget about those unpleasant things and start over, okay?"
Cheng Jiamo: "I'm back by your side now, what more do you want?"
He Qingzhao felt a pang in his heart, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was low and hoarse: "But your heart hasn't come back yet."
Cheng Jiamo laughed in anger: "He Qingzhao, you are too greedy, not only greedy, but also shameless."
He Qingzhao felt a burning pain on his face, even more painful than if Cheng Jiamo had actually slapped him. Not only did his face hurt, but his heart ached too. He lowered his eyes, swallowed hard, and suppressed the bitterness in his throat.
Cheng Jiamo pushed him away and walked into the villa's hall on her own.
At night, He Qingzhao hugged and kissed her. Cheng Jiamo did not resist, but she did not respond either. She lay there with a blank look in her eyes, letting him caress and kiss her.
When they were dating, every night she would blush and look shy, like a flower in the spring, blooming beautifully in his arms.
Now, she is like a soulless silk flower; she is still beautiful, but she has no vitality. No matter how he manipulates her, she will never bloom for him again.
He Qingzhao lifted his head from her neck, looked into her lifeless eyes, felt a tightness in his chest, and finally collapsed to the ground in despair.
The next morning, Cheng Jiamo received a call from Li Zhuyue.
When she saw the name "Li Zhuyue" on the screen, she sat up abruptly and immediately answered the call, her voice choked with emotion: "Yueyue, I'm sorry, it's all my fault, I've dragged you into this."
Li Zhuyue smiled and comforted her, "No, please don't blame yourself. It's not your fault, it's my own fault."
Cheng Jiamo stopped dwelling on who was right and who was wrong, and asked, "Where are you now? Are you back?"
Li Zhuyue: "I'm in Haicheng, I'll go back to Beijing this afternoon."
Cheng Jiamo: "Let me know when you come back."
After hanging up the phone, Cheng Jiamo went downstairs and saw He Qingzhao sitting on the sofa making a phone call.
She stood on the stairs and didn't go down any further. Only after he finished hitting her did she go down and thank him, saying, "Thank you."
He Qingzhao reached out and hooked his arm around her waist, pulling her onto his lap. He gently stroked her face and asked, "Where do you want to go for summer vacation?"
Cheng Jiamo did not avoid his touch and replied obediently, "Whatever."
He Qingzhao's fingertips, which were stroking her face, paused slightly. Suddenly, he felt a lump in his throat, as if something was stuck there, making his throat feel dry and painful.
He couldn't help but recall the scene when he met Cheng Jiamo at Hongyu Club a year ago. In the dim light, the little girl looked at him with bright eyes, her clear, watery eyes filled with shock, joy, and excitement after a long separation.
He Qingzhao, who is always good at seeing through people's hearts, saw at a glance the girl's feelings for him, a kind of suppressed, pure liking without any worldly desires.
In that instant, he was captivated by her gaze, his very bones melting.
The switch of desire hidden deep within his body seemed to be turned on, and he felt an impulse towards her, a strange and exciting impulse, so he took the initiative to approach her and help her out of the predicament.
Later, he teased her half-jokingly and half-flirtingly, but the girl was not angry at all. Instead, she always looked at him shyly, her eyes both charming and alluring, making no attempt to hide her feelings for him.
After she got together with him, her eyes would sparkle every time she looked at him. Countless nights, he would find himself irresistibly drawn into her tender gaze.
But now, her gaze towards him is calm and still, devoid of that tenderness.
He Qingzhao stroked her face, looked into her clear eyes, moved his thumb up to massage the corner of her eye, and asked with a smile, "How about going to Europe?"
Cheng Jiamo: "Okay."
Three days later, He Qingzhao took Cheng Jiamo to Iceland. The entire country is located in the aurora zone, with long nights, making it the best place to observe the aurora borealis. Moreover, because of the low average temperature, it is perfect for escaping the summer heat.
Cheng Jiamo wasn't very interested in going abroad. Perhaps because she had lived abroad before, she always felt that China was the best. She didn't like any other country, not even developed Western countries; she only liked China, the land of China with its rich cultural heritage.
During the two-month summer vacation, Cheng Jiamo spent more than a month playing outside with He Qingzhao, and only returned a week before the start of the new semester.
He Qingzhao took her to Blue Lake Hot Springs, where they soaked in the hot springs while admiring the aurora borealis. He also took her on an aurora boat trip, sailing on the sea to admire the magnificent aurora spectacle.
Afterwards, He Qingzhao took her skiing in Queenstown in the Alps, wore matching outfits with her, carried her on his back while hiking in the snow, and took her to the Rocky Mountain National Forest and Wildlife Park.
On their way back, they flew to the port area first. He Qingzhao took her to the auction and bought her a gemstone necklace worth more than 80 million yuan, as well as a pair of couple watches with diamond-encrusted dials.
After He Qingzhao put the watch on her wrist, he took a picture of their hands clasped together and posted it on his WeChat Moments to show off their love. The caption read: "Holding hands, growing old together."
He Qingzhao did all of the "twenty things couples must do" that Cheng Jiamo had written about before, and he also wrote her love letters every day.
Despite Cheng Jiaming never even glancing at those love letters, He Qingzhao still wrote one every day, handwritten, at night and placed it by her pillow first thing in the morning. He wrote fifty letters, but Cheng Jiaming never opened or read a single one.
Cheng Jiamo wouldn't read it, so He Qingzhao continued writing until she did.
Cheng Jiamo felt nothing when He Qingzhao did these things; to her, He Qingzhao was just going through the motions of a work assignment.
After the start of the semester, Cheng Jiamo asked to live on campus, and He Qingzhao did not object. He readily agreed without even frowning.
Entering her junior year, Cheng Jiamo became extremely busy. She continued to take the Mandarin proficiency test that she hadn't passed, and also applied for teacher qualification exams and other certificates. In addition to preparing for various exams, she was also writing short dramas.
She hadn't originally planned to write short plays, firstly because she didn't have that much time, and secondly because she had never written one before. It was a senior from her department who taught her how to write short plays.
That senior student co-founded a short drama club in her sophomore year. Initially, they just made short, funny videos that were only a few minutes long. But then, they suddenly became popular. The other members of the club suggested taking advantage of this popularity to make some fast-paced short dramas, since short dramas were all the rage at the time, and if they became popular, they would have even more viewers and earn more money. So they gradually shifted their focus to making short dramas, and a year later, they were making short dramas as their main product.
After the start of this semester, some people either went out for internships or graduated and left Beijing. The short drama club was short of people, so the senior student let her join the short drama club and taught her how to write scripts step by step.
Cheng Jiamo didn't expect that she would have such a talent in this area. She figured it out in just a few days and was able to write a complete short drama story on her own.
After her first story was broadcast, it received a good response, and her senior was very happy and gave her a generous payment.
Cheng Jiamo was overjoyed when she received the money. She had originally just been trying it out, but now she had completely fallen in love with writing short dramas.
When she gets busy, she sometimes doesn't even want to see He Qingzhao on Saturdays and Sundays.
On Friday, after finishing her classes in the morning, Cheng Jiamo went out with her senior to film a short drama, which lasted all afternoon.
After work, the senior student, as the president and boss of the club, booked an elegant restaurant to treat the entire crew to dinner.
Cheng Jiamo forgot that He Qingzhao was coming to pick her up. She happily ate with everyone. Halfway through the meal, she took her phone to go to the restroom and only then did she see three missed calls and a message from He Qingzhao.
She called He Qingzhao back. As soon as the call connected, before she could even speak, He Qingzhao asked coldly, "Why didn't you answer the phone?"
Cheng Jiamo was taken aback by his cold and sharp voice, then replied calmly, "I was filming a short drama outside and forgot."
He Qingzhao leaned back against the car and took a deep drag on his cigarette, asking in a hoarse voice, "Where?"
Cheng Jiamo: "I won't go to your place today, I'll go tomorrow..."
"Cheng Jiamo!" He Qingzhao finally exploded, his low, cold voice squeezed out from between his teeth, "When are you going to stop making a scene?"
"Making a scene?" Cheng Jiamo was also provoked and sneered, "What did I do to make a scene?"
He Qingzhao chuckled softly, "You're being rather boring."
Cheng Jiamo said in a flat tone: "If it's not interesting, then let's break up."
He Qingzhao twitched his lips, placed his index finger on his middle finger, and pinched the two fingers together fiercely, forcefully extinguishing the Yellow Crane Tower between his fingers.
He tossed his cigarette butt into the trash bag in the car and said slowly, "So eager to break up with me? Which man have you fallen for now?"
[Author's Note]
Sorry, this chapter hasn't covered Lao He's blindness in the car accident yet. In the next chapter, I'll stay up all night and definitely write about Lao He's blindness in the car accident!
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