Chapter 87 Confession
I thought that after that day, Fang Qing would be tactful enough to completely disappear from my sight.
However, one afternoon a few days later, when I packed up my things and prepared to leave the laboratory, a voice as calm as a rock came from behind me.
"Chen Rui, let's talk."
I paused and turned around.
Fang Qing stood a few steps away, her face expressionless but her eyes held a firmness that refrained from rejection.
It seems that some things really need to be said thoroughly.
"Okay." I nodded and followed her to a quiet and deserted corridor outside the laboratory building.
The evening breeze blew with a cool breeze.
Fang Qing leaned against the cold wall with her hands in her pockets. Her eyes first swept across my neck - where the mark left by Lin Yan last night had not completely faded, and was faintly visible at the edge of the collar of my low-necked sweater.
She curled the corners of her mouth, revealing a curve that was hard to tell whether it was teasing or self-mockery.
"The one in your family... is really cruel to you."
Her voice was very soft, with a hint of bitterness that made no clear meaning. "This neck... is simply unbearable to look at."
I subconsciously wanted to pull my collar higher, but then put my hand down.
There's nothing to hide.
"It's okay," I said calmly, with a hint of calmness that I didn't even notice, "I just like him like this."
As soon as the words came out, I was surprised to find that the familiar ruffian and indulgence revealed in these words was exactly the same as Lin Yan's.
I was really led astray by him.
Fang Qing seemed to be stung by these words and let out a short cold snort.
"Chen Rui," she suddenly raised her eyes, her gaze fixed on my face, with scrutiny and a hint of imperceptible... pity?
"Have you ever dated a girl?"
"No," I answered crisply without hesitation, "I won't talk about it in the future. I will talk to Lin Yan for the rest of my life."
These words sounded like a verdict and also like an oath.
"Heh," Fang Qing said, as if she had heard some ridiculous joke. The pity in her eyes turned into undisguised disgust. "Chen Rui, sometimes I really think... you're quite stupid."
She took a step forward, her voice lowered with a hint of temptation, "What's going on between us...if you don't tell me and I don't tell you, who else would know? Hmm?"
A chill suddenly ran up from the soles of my feet.
I stared at her, my eyes turning cold. "...I can't possibly risk losing Lin Yan just for your little 'unknown excitement'. What do you mean by 'flirting' or 'spiritual infidelity'? Don't even think about it."
I paused, my tone becoming even firmer. "Besides, Fang Qing, there's absolutely nothing going on between us! From day one, I've clearly told you that I'm in a relationship! It's you who's been playing dumb and deceiving yourself!"
"Alright!" Fang Qing seemed completely enraged. The calm mask on her face shattered, revealing her true face of gnashing teeth. "You're right! There's nothing wrong between the two of us! But you won't give us any chance! Not even the slightest chance!"
She seemed to have remembered something, her tone filled with resentment and unwillingness. "Why aren't other people like you? Those who have been in a relationship for a few years and the relationship has faded... who wouldn't be half-hearted? What's wrong with enjoying a little novelty? Why do you have to be so... stubborn?"
My heart felt blocked.
She is right.
In modern society, too many people, under the guise of "friends", feel at ease enjoying the ambiguous relationship with blurred boundaries, using the "desire to share" and "novelty" to numb themselves and deceive others.
Only when the truth is revealed do they burst into tears and regret their actions, but they have already broken the heart of their true love.
"Others are others, and I am me."
My voice was unusually calm, yet filled with immense force. "I can't possibly give you even the slightest chance. Because I truly love him, so much so that I can't tolerate any hidden dangers that might hurt him. Even without him,"
I stared into her unwilling eyes and said word by word, "What makes you so sure that I would be 'happy' to do anything with you? In your eyes, am I Chen Rui just so... hungry and indiscriminate?"
"Good! Good! You're really good!" Fang Qing laughed out of anger, and the laughter seemed a bit harsh in the empty corridor.
She seemed to have dropped some disguise, and confessed with a desperate look, "To be honest, Chen Rui, I've done a lot of this. Those men, just like you said just now, were half-hearted, reluctant to accept. They enjoyed the novelty and excitement I gave them, but couldn't bear to leave the stability of their families. In the end, they were caught by their girlfriends, crying their eyes out, and then they regretted it? But it was too late! After that place was completely over, they shamelessly came to me to 'reconcile', saying, 'You are still better'..."
She shrugged, her face showing naked contempt and indifference. "What a shame. I was just flirting with them to kill time. I never made any promises to them."
"You are free to do what you want."
I looked at the girl in front of me with complicated eyes and self-destructive tendencies. There was no accusation in my tone, only statement. "But I still want to advise you, if you do things that harm others and yourself too much, be careful not to get yourself into trouble."
The sneer on Fang Qing's face slowly faded away, replaced by a deep sense of fatigue and... emptiness.
She pulled the corners of her mouth, her smile a little pale: "Actually... sometimes I feel quite boring. But you know what?"
She looked up at me, her eyes empty. "Those people, can't they see that I'm just acting? It's just... they're willing to sink into despair. One is willing to fight, the other is willing to be beaten."
She let out a long breath, as if she had finally let go of something: "I didn't expect that this time... I really hit the wall."
She looked at me again, this time with a smile that was less hostile and more relieved. "Don't worry, Chen Rui, I won't bother you anymore. I wish you happiness... This time I mean it."
Her tone sounded much more sincere than before.
"I hope so." I nodded and accepted this belated "blessing".
"Hahaha..." Fang Qing suddenly laughed again, with a bit of neurotic tone.
She supported her hands on her knees, bent down, and looked at me closely with an extremely complicated look. There was inquiry, regret, and a hint of... hurt in her eyes?
"Actually, there's something else I've always wanted to say to you." Her voice was soft, like the brush of a feather. "You look...really a lot like him."
Who does he look like? I was startled, a trace of doubt passing through my mind.
Before I could ask, Fang Qing straightened up. The regret and hurt on her face quickly faded, leaving only a light, melancholy whisper that dissipated in the evening breeze:
"Why... he doesn't look like you..."
She didn't look at me again, turned around, waved, and her back quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.
That sentence was like a stone thrown into the lake of my heart, causing ripples.
Was that "him"... her ex-boyfriend? The one she couldn't forget, but who had disappointed her so deeply that she was looking for a similar replacement to fill the void?
When I got home in the evening, I repeated to Lin Yan the conversation I had with Fang Qing in the afternoon, word for word, including her ambiguous exclamation.
"Now," I concluded, somewhat relieved, "she shouldn't be trying anything more."
After listening to this, Lin Yan frowned slightly, and there was still a hint of worry in his tone: "That's hard to say. This kind of person... is too active in thinking. Who knows what trick she has come up with? Or... is it a new temptation?"
"I think...her last words didn't sound fake."
I leaned in his arms, feeling his steady heartbeat. "She must have gone through something before. Like she said, that 'him'... must have hurt her deeply, making her both yearn for and doubt love, which is why she's like this."
Lin Yan nodded silently, his arms tightening around him. "Yeah. Just like she said, a lot of people... just can't figure things out in relationships. They know they've crossed the line with someone, gone beyond the boundaries of normal friendship, yet they still play dumb and continue. Hoping they won't be discovered, or... it doesn't matter if they are discovered?"
"Yeah," I sighed, feeling a little heavy in my heart. "This kind of 'half-heartedness' is essentially greed and cowardice. They want stability, but also crave excitement, and in the end, they often end up losing everything and hurting themselves and others. Fang Qing is very good at exploiting this human weakness, using novelty and the desire to share as bait. But..."
I looked up at Lin Yan with relief in my eyes, "She has greatly underestimated the depth of our relationship this time."
Lin Yan bent down and kissed the top of my head.
I added, "But... I don't know who it is, but when provoked, he gets so angry, his possessiveness flaring up like a firecracker? It was the same with Qin Zheng last time..."
"Ouch," Lin Yan immediately admitted his mistake, rubbing his chin against my head and acting coquettishly, "Honey, I was wrong! I've deeply realized my mistake! That time, I was too impulsive and didn't trust you enough!"
I patted him on the back, speaking with a touch of the maturity of someone who's experienced it: "Now that I think about it, it's all thanks to Fang Qing's incident. If she hadn't made such a fuss, we might not have had the chance to discuss this issue in such depth and lay it all out clearly."
Lin Yan raised his head and looked at me seriously: "My wife is right! This problem has existed in me for a long time. It is my inner demon. I promise you that I will change it next time! I absolutely trust you!"
He raised three fingers in a gesture of oath.
"Hmm," I hummed in satisfaction, deliberately putting on a stern face, "Then I'll see how you perform next time."
Lin Yan looked at the way I "disciplined" him, and instead of being annoyed, he smiled softly, his eyes sparkling with curiosity and... joy?
"Wife, I didn't expect that you now... like to 'discipline' me more and more? I've never seen you like this before."
I raised my eyebrows and glared at him: "Why? Can't I control it?"
"Of course I do!" He immediately leaned over and gave me a resounding kiss on the lips, smiling brightly. "Actually... I'm quite happy! What does this mean? It means our relationship is healthy and equal! You're no longer just passively accepting things, but you dare to express your opinions and needs to me! This is a good thing!"
His tone was full of affirmation and appreciation.
"Hmph," I said, feeling a little embarrassed by his compliment, but I still tried to maintain my composure. "You just found out? I actually went to Xiaohongshu specifically for this and watched a lot of analysis videos by relationship bloggers! My favorites used to be filled with game guides!"
"Hehe," Lin Yan smiled like a child who had stolen candy and hugged me tighter, "This shows that I am becoming more and more important in your heart! More important than games!"
"Of course!" I hugged him back, my voice softening. "After all... I'm willing to think about these issues and work hard to change because I'm determined to walk with you for the rest of our lives. We'll definitely face more challenges in the future, and it's impossible for me to avoid interacting with people, but I promise you, I'll definitely know my limits!"
"I know, baby,"
Lin Yan's voice was deep and powerful, filled with complete trust. "You said you would work hard for our common future. Effort is multifaceted, and managing our relationship well is the most important part."
He kissed my forehead again, as if stamping a promise.
"Besides," he suddenly leaned close to my ear, his voice a little hoarse and magnetic, his hot breath brushing against my sensitive earlobe, "I just like...my wife 'disciplining' me like this."
As he said this, he rubbed his contentment against my neck like a large dog.
With this dependent and docile look, who would have thought that this was the Boss Lin who was always full of aura and yet relaxed in the laboratory or at the negotiation table?
"Hmph, I'll just take care of that," I felt itchy from his rubbing, but my heart was sweet, and I had to pretend to be strong, "Other things, like making money to support the family and planning for the future, are still up to you to take care of."
"Okay, okay," Lin Yan chuckled, his chest trembling. "I know my wife doesn't like to worry about those mundane things. Just take care of me."
The two people hugged each other and leaned on the soft sofa.
Outside the window are the lights of thousands of homes in the city, and inside the house is warmth and tranquility that belongs only to the two of them.
There are no earth-shaking vows, only quiet changes made for each other and a common confidence in the future.
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