Chapter 63 No one can escape the shackles of fate

Chu Xu seemed to be thinking about what tone he should use to narrate what happened between him and Shen Zhichu.

Lin Du waited quietly. He knew that it was not easy to get someone to tell him something that had been pent up in his heart for a long time.

Chu Xu kept looking out the window, his voice was very soft, and almost no emotion could be heard: "Our two families are old friends. For some shameful interests, our two families were finally tied together in the most unwelcome way - marriage."

Lin Du was stunned. He heard contempt and helplessness in Chu Xu's words.

"I have an older sister, and she naturally became the victim of this profit. Shen Zhichu is the only son of the Shen family, and he has no right to choose."

"Everyone thought they were a perfect match, but no one knew that my sister had experienced a heartbreak and had suffered from severe depression since then."

"No one knows that Shen Zhichu and I had already been in love before this."

Lin Du's hand holding the cup paused. Chu Xu's voice was soft, but his expression was extremely solemn.

Lin Du thought, he must be very sad. After all, one is his sister and the other is the person he loves.

Wanting to persuade Chu Xu but unable to interrupt him, Lin Du pinched his fingers and made himself a quiet listener.

"Shen Zhichu said he wanted to elope with me, but I refused." Chu Xu shook his head bitterly, "Elope? Who would still do such a boring trick as elopement in this day and age?"

"Although I said it with disdain, I was moved in my heart. But I knew I couldn't do it, and neither could he."

"We all bear too many responsibilities, and no one can escape the shackles of fate."

Chu Xu sighed and leaned back in his chair: "I know my sister doesn't love Shen Zhichu, but she also knows that Shen Zhichu is her best destination, so she is trying hard to accept this relationship."

"It was the same with Shen Zhichu. I rejected him and he said it didn't matter who he was with. Instead of spending his life with someone else, he would rather choose my sister, so that at least he could still have a connection with me."

Chu Xu shook his head in self-mockery, his mouth twitching slightly, "No matter how funny the words are, I still find them funny. Since then, I have been avoiding Shen Zhichu and deleted all contact with him." The smile on his mouth slowly faded, and sadness swept over him, "Originally, everything had been settled, but God just doesn't want to let people get what they want, and just wants to torture people."

"My sister's depression suddenly worsened. In order to prevent the Shen family from finding out, she has been locked up in the old house for treatment."

"I visited her many times, and I could not see any hope in her eyes."

"She told me that life was tiring and she wanted to escape..."

Chu Xu raised his head slightly, not wanting the moisture in his eyes to turn into tears, and even less wanting to let it slide down.

Taking a deep breath, her breath was trembling: "I chatted with her for a long time, she smiled and said thank you, and said she would live well."

"That winter was probably the coldest in Beichuan, as far as I can remember. The two families planned to get together before the wedding."

"I was not the protagonist of that family gathering. I was wandering aimlessly in the back garden of the hotel alone, but there I met Shen Zhichu, whom I hadn't seen for a long time."

"The look in his eyes when he looked at me was filled with sorrow and anger, and even more sadness. I knew he hated me, hated me for not avoiding him, hated me for being so cowardly and always wanting to hide myself, and hated me for being so cruel to him."

"We just stared at each other quietly, neither of us saying anything." Chu Xu's eyes were wet, and he couldn't hold back his tears. "I knew we shouldn't have met, so I turned around and chose to leave, but he hugged me like crazy."

"That was the first time I saw him lose his temper. He pushed me into a corner and asked me why I was so cruel and why I treated him so badly."

"I was extremely scared at the time. If someone found out, the consequences would be disastrous. I tried to control myself and pretended not to care, saying that we were just adults playing around, so why take it so seriously?"

"His eyes suddenly showed murderous intent, and he stared at me with bloodshot eyes." At this point, Chu Xu frowned unconsciously, "I tried to hold back my tears, but I saw that his eyes had already blurred."

"He choked up and asked me if I planned not to contact him anymore. I nodded and lied."

"I saw despair and pain in his eyes, and my heart was also broken and shattered, as if it had been cut by countless sharp blades and was bleeding profusely."

"I struggled to leave because I could no longer hold on and was afraid that if I didn't leave I would be exposed. But he suddenly kissed me and I burst into tears. I knew my disguise had failed."

"My thoughts were confused at that moment. I wanted to abandon everything and just responded fiercely to each other's kiss."

Chu Xu closed his eyes, tears rolling down the corners of his eyes, hanging on his jawline, stubbornly refusing to fall.

He was silent for a long time, exhaled deeply, and then continued: "We kissed very passionately, almost to the point of forgetting ourselves, and we didn't notice at all that my sister was standing not far away watching us."

"If the wine glass hadn't slipped from her hand, I might never have known what panic felt like in my life."

"I pushed Shen Zhichu away and looked at my sister with guilt and remorse. She smiled at me with the corners of her mouth raised. Even now, when I recall her smile, my heart still trembles uncontrollably."

"Shen Zhichu protected me behind him, and my sister left before she could explain. Before she left, she gave me a meaningful look, and that look became my lingering nightmare."

Chu Xu's hands were propped up on the chair, trembling slightly: "I have already made the worst-case scenario plan after returning, and so has Shen Zhichu."

"But when we got back, everything was calm. My sister was chatting and laughing with the elders with a smile on her face. There was no sign of any problem at all."

"In a trance, I couldn't help but wonder if everything that just happened was just a dream?"

"But I was wrong." Chu Xu held on to the chair with his fingers, his joints clearly visible. "After dinner, everyone sat together and chatted. My sister called me and said she had something to tell me, so I went to the yard and wait."

"I went there, and she asked me to look up. I saw her standing upstairs, smiling at me. She said thank you to me, thank you for giving her an excuse to leave. She also told me to be brave, and she hoped I could be happy."

"My mind went blank at that moment. I felt like I was trapped by a snake. My limbs were so weak that I was about to collapse."

"I wanted to shout, but it felt like a piece of iron was stuffed into my throat, and I couldn't make a sound. Tears fell uncontrollably, and my sister's figure gradually blurred until she fell in front of me."