Chapter 152
When Chu Jiujiu said this, her eyes did not move away from the TV. Wen Xiuwei glanced at the TV next to her. It was broadcasting the news, and it was the political news that Chu Jiujiu disliked the most and could not understand the most.
Whenever these programs are broadcast on TV, she will either change the channel or do something else. She will only watch them again after the program is over.
Wen Xiuwei was stunned for a few seconds, and slowly her expression calmed down.
Sitting next to Chu Jiujiu, she didn't ask, but directly ordered: "Tell me what's going on."
It has been two months, and no one knows what she and Han Shengyi quarreled about. She seldom comes home, always using the excuse that she is busy at school. Everyone believes her and does not suspect anything. If she does not come back, Han Shengyi naturally will not come back either. Everyone has long been accustomed to them going in and out together, so for so long, no one has noticed anything wrong.
It was not until last Tuesday when winter vacation started that Grandma Han realized that Chu Jiujiu had been visiting her home and that the two children had fallen out.
Well, it can’t be said that they had a falling out, it was Chu Jiujiu who unilaterally stopped paying attention to Han Shengyi.
Grandma Han was so anxious that she almost went upstairs. She wanted to persuade him, but Han Shengyi stopped her. Two months later, Han Shengyi was no longer as haggard as he was at the beginning, but his condition still had not recovered. Seeing her grandson more silent than before, Grandma Han felt distressed and sad.
When it comes to the younger generation's affairs, if there is no personal emotion involved, she might be able to say a few words to help, but if that aspect is involved, then her position will no longer be the same as before.
She is Han Shengyi's grandmother and a member of the Han family. She has no right to persuade Chu Jiujiu. Only people from Chu Jiujiu's own family can put themselves in her shoes and help her solve her troubles.
That being said, if Grandma Han couldn't bring herself to say it, then Chu Liqiang, a tough soldier, would be even less able to say it. Although he had been doing ideological work for half his life, it was all directed at men, and he had never dealt with the problems of teenage girls.
Moreover, Chu Liqiang was relatively isolated from the news, and he had no idea that Han Shengyi and Chu Jiujiu had developed anything in that area. He thought the two were just having a simple quarrel, so he offered some symbolic advice. However, after realizing that Chu Jiujiu's attitude was particularly tough, he didn't say anything else.
Grandma Han has a different stance, and Chu Liqiang can't be relied upon. Fortunately, Wen Xiuwei came back early, otherwise Chu Jiujiu would have to hold it in for a few more months.
She didn't have so many psychological burdens when talking to Wen Xiuwei about things that she couldn't say to others. No matter how embarrassing or awkward it was, Chu Jiujiu told her everything under Wen Xiuwei's gaze.
After listening, Wen Xiuwei fell silent.
Chu Jiujiu leaned against the sofa with her legs curled up. She waited for a while and asked Wen Xiuwei, "Do you also want to persuade me to stop caring about it?"
Wen Xiuwei shook her head. "This matter...you can make your own decision. I won't advise you."
After hearing this, Chu Jiujiu showed neither a happy nor unhappy expression. She pursed her lips and shifted her gaze back to the TV.
Wen Xiuwei looked at her and sighed in her heart.
She hadn't met Han Shengyi yet, so she didn't know what he was like now. But just by looking at Chu Jiujiu, she knew that neither of them had had an easy time in the past two months. Chu Jiujiu acted as if she didn't care, as if life was the same as usual. But if it was really the same as usual, Chu Jiujiu would have jumped up and come to hug her happily when she first came in.
I thought I had returned to a warm home, but when I got back I found that my home was even colder than Qinghai in winter.
No wonder Grandpa Han didn’t get up. Who can be in a good mood when two family members are making such a fuss?
Wen Xiuwei straightened her body and thought for a moment.
It's not about trying to persuade them, but the problem is... we can't just let the two of them go on like this. No matter what, this matter must be resolved. Either reconcile, or go back to the time before this happened, or just let the friendship between gentlemen be as light as water and gradually reduce the interactions between each other. In short, we can't just sever the relationship like we are now. Not to mention Han Shengyi, even the rest of them can't stand it.
Moreover, Wen Xiuwei always felt that Chu Jiujiu's current behavior was too extreme and seemed to be done out of anger.
If she was really disappointed with Han Shengyi, she would not break up so cleanly. Being angry means she still cares about him. If she completely doesn't care about him anymore, she won't mind staying in the same room with Han Shengyi.
Outsiders see things more clearly than insiders. Wen Xiuwei had a rough idea in her mind. She glanced at Chu Jiujiu, whose eyes were almost fixed on the TV, and then stood up silently.
She went upstairs to tidy up her room, then called her mother and told her that she would be staying at the Chu family for a while. As for when she would go back, she couldn't say yet.
Since Chu Jiujiu didn't go to the Han family, Wen Xiuwei would naturally run back and forth between the two. She went to the Han family to borrow a head of garlic. As soon as she entered, Grandma Han pulled her aside and asked if Chu Jiujiu was still angry.
Wen Xiuwei nodded helplessly. Grandma Han was not surprised at all. She sighed and went to the kitchen to look for garlic. Wen Xiuwei stood there. Before she followed, she felt something and raised her head. Wen Xiuwei looked up the stairs. Han Shengyi came out at some point. He stood in the middle of the stairs and smiled at her normally.
It would have been fine if he didn't smile, but when he smiled, Wen Xiuwei's heart ached immediately. She and Han Shengyi had been together for many years. Chu Shao was her lover, and Chu Jiujiu... to be honest, was more like her daughter. Han Shengyi was the one she truly regarded as her younger brother, and a particularly outstanding and promising younger brother at that.
Chu Jiujiu never told her what Han Shengyi had done in the past two months to apologize to her, and Wen Xiuwei didn't need her to tell her. Just by looking at Han Shengyi's expression, she knew that Chu Jiujiu had tortured him badly. His physical condition might not be seriously injured, but he was probably half dead inside.
Wen Xiuwei wanted to sigh again.
This child is too independent and too devoted. For someone like him, it may not be a good thing to truly like someone.
Wen Xiuwei's greatest characteristic is her gentleness. She is simple-minded and most of her emotions are reflected on her face. Han Shengyi clearly saw the heartache that flashed in her eyes. She lowered her eyes, and when she raised them again, he also walked down.
Garlic was hung outside the window in winter. Grandma Han took a while to find a head of garlic. She pulled it off with force and took it out. "Xiuwei, here's some garlic for you..."
Looking at the empty living room, Grandma Han stood there in a daze.
Where are the people?
——
Standing on a nearby path, Wen Xiuwei looked at Han Shengyi and pleaded with herself: "Sister Xiuwei, please help me."
This was the only time in Han Shengyi's life that he had ever asked for help. No matter how difficult it was, he had always overcome and solved it on his own. Even when he wanted to avenge his father, he had never asked anyone for help. But now, he actually came to Wen Xiuwei in such a humble manner.
Because he really had no other choice.
It was very cold outside. Wen Xiuwei put her hands in her pockets and hunched her neck. She suddenly remembered something and looked at Han Shengyi's neck. Sure enough, it was empty this year. Chu Jiujiu did not knit a scarf for him.
She covered the lower half of her face with her scarf, and her voice became muffled when it came out. "Shengyi, do you know where you went wrong?"
Han Shengyi nodded.
"Then do you know why Jiujiu is so angry?"
This time Han Shengyi didn't answer particularly quickly. Instead, after a second, he nodded again.
He thought he knew, but Wen Xiuwei felt that he didn't know. If he knew, Chu Jiujiu would have forgiven him long ago.
Wen Xiuwei felt a little tricky.
How to say it, it's both first love, it's the first time to like someone, so it's inevitable that some mistakes will be made. Everyone is crossing the river by feeling the stones. Wen Xiuwei privately hopes that the two of them can reconcile as soon as possible, but if she really persuades Chu Jiujiu not to be angry anymore and to forgive her, then Chu Jiujiu will probably never have anything to do with her again.
…Forget it, she still wants to live a good life.
——
Wen Xiuwei went to borrow a head of garlic, but she was gone for an hour and when she came back, she still didn't have the garlic.
Without garlic, the noodles with gravy would be inedible, so Wen Xiuwei simply made a vegetarian noodles with tomato, egg and black fungus. It has a salty and fragrant taste, and is as delicious as the meat noodles.
After eating, Chu Jiujiu went back to her room. When Wen Xiuwei saw her going upstairs, she took two quick steps and followed her.
There were only the two of them at home. After Wen Xiuwei went in, she didn't close the door. Chu Jiujiu was about to take a nap. Seeing her walk all the way to her bed, she couldn't help but ask in surprise: "What's wrong?"
Wen Xiuwei sat beside her bed, raised her eyebrows and looked at her, "What's wrong?"
Chu Jiujiu was about to lie down, but when she heard this, she pursed her lips, straightened her upper body, leaned back, and distanced herself from Wen Xiuwei.
"I just went to the Han family, and Grandma Han sighed every once in a while. I don't understand why you are angry with him and you are also asking for collective punishment. It was Grandma Han and Grandpa Han who provoked you."
Chu Jiujiu was indeed in the wrong on this point. She shrank back and replied in a low voice, "I said that in anger on impulse, and then... I felt that if I couldn't do it, people would look down on me. I just came back last week, and they haven't known about this for long. They can't accept it now, but it will be fine in the future."
Wen Xiuwei was so angry that she almost laughed. "You are such a heartless little thing. You should remember how old Grandma Han and Grandpa Han are, right? They are so old, and you still make them worry about you. How can that be right? Besides, if you don't go today, you won't go tomorrow, and what about the Chinese New Year? The Chinese New Year is next month, and you still won't go? You are really going to break their hearts to death."
Chu Jiujiu moved her lips, but after a long time, she didn't say anything to change her mind.
Wen Xiuwei saw all her little movements and shook her head helplessly, "You are too stubborn."
Chu Jiujiu defended herself: "I'm just being principled."
Wen Xiuwei pouted at her, "You're so stubborn! All of you Chu family members are like this."
Chu Jiujiu said unconvincedly: "I am not only a member of the Chu family, I am also a member of the Wen family."
Chu Jiujiu lowered her head. She was so confused that she didn't realize she had said something she shouldn't have. Wen Xiuwei heard it and subconsciously glanced outside the door. However, after thinking about it carefully, she realized that these words could be understood from several angles, so she felt relieved.
"Okay, okay, okay, no matter who you are from," she moved a little closer, leaning forward to shorten the distance between them. Wen Xiuwei asked her seriously, "Do you really intend to never have anything to do with Shengyi again?"
Chu Jiujiu grabbed the quilt on her knees, then she hummed heavily.
Wen Xiuwei looked at her in confusion: "Why? Because he misled you. He was indeed wrong in this matter. But, I think he still likes you. Even if you put aside this, you two have been good friends since childhood and have been inseparable for so many years. If you don't talk to him, will you feel good?"
Chu Jiujiu stiffened her neck and replied, "It feels good."
Wen Xiuwei: “…”
"Why do you look like that? I haven't seen a smile on your face since I came back." She sighed and lowered her voice. "If you feel uncomfortable, just say it. If you keep it in your heart, I'm afraid you'll make yourself sick."
Chu Jiujiu raised her head and looked at Wen Xiuwei.
This is Wen Xiuwei, whom Chu Jiujiu never dared to tell anyone about. She is her biological grandmother. She is her grandmother by blood and her sister in status, but her real relationship with her is actually her mother.
If she didn't dare to tell others, she would tell Wen Xiuwei. She would insist on wearing protective clothing in front of others, and only Wen Xiuwei could gently take it off for her.
As soon as Chu Jiujiu's eyes met Wen Xiuwei's, a layer of mist appeared in her eyes.
Wen Xiuwei did not try to coax her immediately. She knew that at this time, Chu Jiujiu needed to vent and let her say all the words that she could not say because of protecting her self-esteem.
She sniffed, her voice a little muffled, "I don't want to say anything even if I feel bad. I can't let others look down on me."
“No one will look down on you.”
"Han Shengyi will!"
Wen Xiuwei was stunned for a moment.
Chu Jiujiu's voice was a little loud just now, and she noticed it herself. Hugging her legs, Chu Jiujiu shrank even more and whispered, "You all say he likes me, but actually he doesn't. Maybe... maybe even he himself doesn't know. He doesn't really like me. He's just used to me being around him. I listen to him and am willing to stay by his side all the time, so he thinks I'm his and that it's natural for us to be together."
"If you really like someone, you won't do this to her. I know some people are stupid and will lie to the people they like, but Han Shengyi, he's not lying, he's not stupid, he's just doing it on purpose, misleading me into his trap. He took advantage of my care for him, disregarding my dignity, making me anxious and worried. The more I act like this, the more I can't leave him. Ultimately, he just doesn't care about my feelings."
"As long as the result is good, the process is not important. For him, the time when I was sad was also a necessary part of the plan. In his eyes, I was just like a job, with a routine to follow and steps to complete."
The more Chu Jiujiu spoke, the more she wanted to cry. This was also the reason why she didn't want to tell others. It was embarrassing, really embarrassing.
Even though Han Shengyi treated her like this, she would cry whenever she mentioned it. Even she herself wondered how she could be so useless.
Chu Jiujiu buried her head in her knees. The discomfort in her heart was secondary. The most painful thing for her was the embarrassing feeling. She was like a jumping clown. What she thought was entanglement and hesitation were actually the strings in Han Shengyi's hands.
As Chu Jiujiu spoke, her voice became more and more choked. It was obvious that she wanted to suppress it and speak in a normal voice, but this kind of thing could not be suppressed. Instead, the more she suppressed it, the more severe it would become.
Wen Xiuwei felt very uncomfortable when she heard this.
Self-esteem.
Chu Jiujiu is the daughter of a high-ranking official and is also quite outstanding. Her starting point is already very high. If nothing unexpected happens, she will never encounter anything that will hurt her self-esteem in her life. Once an accident happens, that accident will not be caused by external factors, but will only arise from deep within her heart.
To put it bluntly, the more she cares about someone, the easier it is for that person to hurt her self-esteem.
Chu Jiujiu was resentful and angry, but she herself did not realize it. She had just said so much, and the main point revolved around one thing: Han Shengyi did not really like her, he was just arranging her according to habit.
Wen Xiuwei pursed her lips, then rubbed a little deeper, reaching out her hand and touching Chu Jiujiu's back: "This is the first time you like someone, and you've encountered something like this. Our Jiujiu...it's not easy."
She said this with emotion. When Chu Jiujiu heard it, her back suddenly stiffened, but soon she relaxed again.
Yes, Wen Xiuwei was right, she admitted it, so there was nothing to resist.
She is now certain that Han Shengyi doesn't like her. In this situation, she finds that she can't control her previous emotions at all. Instead, the more she tries to control them, the more violent they become. You can imagine how sad she is now.
So, I can’t say it, absolutely can’t say it. I can’t see it, absolutely can’t see it.
She could never be with someone who didn't respect her, and she couldn't allow herself to be driven by emotions and give up things that were extremely important to her.
She doesn't want to be a poor thing!!!
Although she was so determined in her heart, in reality, Chu Jiujiu could no longer hold back her emotions and cried as she threw herself into Wen Xiuwei's arms.
I feel so wronged.
Why does she feel hurt even when she falls in love with Han Shengyi? Isn’t Brother Shengyi the best to her?
None of the happy scenes she had imagined appeared. Reality was like a slap in the face, telling her not to take things for granted. But if even Han Shengyi was like this, then who else could she trust?
Even though she roughly knew what Chu Jiujiu was thinking, Wen Xiuwei didn't expect that she had thought so much. It was really as the saying goes, love makes people suspicious, love makes people grow. Because she wanted it too much and cared too much, she couldn't stand the slightest flaw in it, and that flaw kept magnifying in her heart, and in the end, it developed into a crack that was almost a split.
She was unwilling to listen to other people's advice, nor was she willing to confide in others. Han Shengyi was helpless with her. He always thought he was very smart and that he understood Chu Jiujiu very well. Now, he should understand where he was wrong.
It's not that he is self-righteous or takes it for granted, but that he doesn't trust Chu Jiujiu enough.
He was already important enough to Chu Jiujiu. She would reject anyone else without hesitation, but she would never do that to him. Even without any schemes or tricks, if she was given a little time, she would naturally fall in love with him. He looked down on himself, and he looked down on Chu Jiujiu as well.
Wen Xiuwei thought that if he could realize how important he was in Chu Jiujiu's heart, he would never force her into taking the bait in this way even if he was beaten to death.
After all, what really made Chu Jiujiu angry was not that he had set a trap for her, but that he was the one who did that.
After saying everything she wanted to say, Chu Jiujiu stopped crying soon. After venting her feelings, her depressed mood became much lighter, and she could even smile at Wen Xiuwei.
After wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, Chu Jiujiu was afraid that she would worry about herself, so she comforted her: "I'm fine, it's just a breakup. It will be hard for a while, but in a few months, I won't have any other feelings anymore."
Looking at her peach eyes, Wen Xiuwei found it hard to believe her words, "Really?"
Chu Jiujiu nodded, "Of course it's true, I have a very strong heart."
It's better not to say this. Wen Xiuwei was not comforted at all, and even felt more distressed.
Even though she knew someone was listening outside the door, Wen Xiuwei still said to Chu Jiujiu, "There's a saying that goes, time heals everything. It's okay, forget him. The next one will definitely be better than him."
Wen Xiuwei spoke seriously. She didn't care how Han Shengyi felt. She was the Chu family's future daughter-in-law, a relative of Chu Jiujiu, not Han Shengyi's. She had asked Han Shengyi to listen outside because she wanted him to know what Chu Jiujiu was thinking. As for whether they could reconcile, that depended on Han Shengyi himself. If she had hoped that the two of them could get together before, now she felt that she could calmly accept either outcome.
It has nothing to do with right or wrong, or position, she just doesn't want Chu Jiujiu to be sad anymore.
After sitting for a while, Wen Xiuwei stood up and said, "You go to sleep. I'll go to Han's house and talk to Grandma Han."
Chu Jiujiu nodded, then lay down quietly.
Seeing her close her eyes obediently, Wen Xiuwei turned around and went out. She thought she would see Han Shengyi when she came out, but there was no one there. She let out a long sigh and thought to herself, that's good, so that she doesn't have to scold him again in a moment of impulse.
Not knowing where he went, Wen Xiuwei had to leave alone and came to Han's house. Grandma Han seemed to have forgotten about the garlic incident. The two sat on the bench, looking at each other in silence, and could only sigh in unison.
Grandma understands grandma best.
…
Wen Xiuwei was gone for about two minutes, and then Han Shengyi came out of Chu Shao's room opposite.
He sat in Chu Shao's room for a while. He stopped listening when Wen Xiuwei comforted Chu Jiujiu. When Wen Xiuwei left, she left Chu Jiujiu's door ajar. Han Shengyi stood outside the door and could only see a small bulge on the bed.
He raised his hand to push the door, but after lifting it for a long time, he didn't really push it down. He kept this posture for a long time, so long that he even began to think about giving up. Coincidentally, Chu Jiujiu turned over inside, and the sound of fabric rubbing stimulated Han Shengyi's senses. He suddenly became determined and pushed open the door in front of him, which was useless.
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