Chapter Sixteen
As night falls, a crescent moon casts a cool glow through the clouds. Chanjing is neither too hot nor too cold this season, and a gentle breeze carries a hint of warmth.
Spring Festival Gala Tavern.
"Xu Ze, I've noticed you've been traveling a lot back to China lately?" Han Jun asked curiously, sitting next to Zhou Xu Ze.
Zhou Xuzhe recalled the scene he had witnessed that afternoon, picked up his wine glass, and chuckled softly: "I want to get back together with Xing Bei."
Han Jun was stunned for a moment, somewhat taken aback: "Wait, you mean Xing Bei broke up with you?"
Seeing Zhou Xuzhe's troubled expression and his constant sipping of wine, Han Jun knew that this was most likely true.
"Why?" Han Jun toned down his frivolous manner. "She likes you, how could she bear to break up with you?"
These words stung Zhou Xuzhe deeply, and a mocking smile crept across his lips: "Even you think it's impossible, but she still broke up with me, without giving me any chance to win her back."
Han Jun suddenly frowned, looking at Zhou Xuzhe with a suspicious gaze: "I know Xing Bei's personality quite well. She wouldn't break up with you for no reason. Could it be that you did something to wrong Xing Bei?"
Zhou Xuzhe kicked Han Jun: "Do I look like that kind of person?"
Han Jun winced and clutched his leg in pain: "That's true, you spend all day in the lab doing experiments, how could you have time to chase girls? And she didn't tell you why she broke up with you."
Zhou Xuzhe shook his head: "By the time I received the breakup message, she had already blocked me."
Han Jun rested his chin on his hand, pondering, "When did she break up with you?"
“Last November,” he said.
"Huh?" Han Jun suddenly raised his voice, looking at him incredulously, "You broke up last year, and you only think of getting back together this year? Zhou Xuzhe, have you lost your mind?"
Before Zhou Xuzhe could refute, Han Jun suddenly realized that November was a special month, and he grabbed Zhou Xuzhe's sleeve: "What were you doing on October 13th?"
Zhou Xuzhe looked at him and thought for a moment: "That day, Ayao had an upset stomach, and I stayed with her at the hospital."
Han Jun: "......"
Why stay together if you're not going to break up? You brought this on yourself, who can you blame?
He knew Zhou Xuzhe's situation perfectly well, and he had always reminded him not to get too close to his sister who was not related to him by blood, but Zhou Xuzhe had never taken it to heart.
That night, he went to pick up his friend from the hospital and happened to see Zhou Xuzhe getting medicine at the pharmacy. He assumed that Zhou Xuzhe knew that Xing Bei was sick.
So, if Zhou Xuzhe wasn't with Xing Bei at the time, then wouldn't he be an indirect factor that led to their breakup?
But as an outsider, he felt that Xing Bei should have broken up with Zhou Xuzhe a long time ago. Zhou Xuzhe was such an idiot and didn't deserve such a good girl.
Looking at the man across from him who was so drunk he could barely tell which way was which, he snatched the wine glass from Zhou Xuzhe's hand: "Zhou Xuzhe, let me ask you, do you like Xing Bei or not?"
Zhou Xuzhe sat there in silence for a few seconds, and Han Jun was instantly amused by him, barely suppressing the urge to hit him.
He got up and sat down next to Zhou Xuzhe, poking his chest hard: "Zhou Xuzhe, as your good brother, let me give you some advice: if you don't like her, don't mess with her. A girl's youth only lasts a few years. Xing Bei has already given you seven years, so don't be ungrateful."
During high school, he and Xing Bei had a good relationship. Xing Bei even asked him to help her come up with ideas for pursuing someone. Later, when he heard that they were together, he was genuinely happy for Xing Bei.
Who knew Zhou Xuzhe was such a good-for-nothing? Now he even has the nerve to come back and talk about getting back together.
Han Jun patted his shoulder helplessly: "Now that you've broken up, don't bother them. That's basic respect."
Zhou Xuzhe, who had been hanging his head, suddenly raised his head and placed his hands on Han Jun's shoulders: "Do you think Xing Bei is still throwing a tantrum at me? We've been together for so long, how could we just break up like that?"
Han Jun opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. He had said so much, but Zhou Xuzhe hadn't listened to a word. It was like punching cotton.
"Zhou Xuzhe, I have to say you're really sick in the head." Han Jun grabbed Zhou Xuzhe's collar angrily. "Xing Bei has been wronged by being with you all these years. You don't deserve Xing Bei's affection at all."
He sneered, feeling truly sorry for Xing Bei: "Have you ever really understood Xing Bei? Do you know what Xing Bei likes? If you can answer that today, I'll change my surname to yours."
Zhou Xuzhe met Han Jun's angry eyes and fell silent again. Recalling the scene of seeing her with that man recently, Xing Bei's smile was noticeably more frequent than before.
Even her clothes are quite different from before. It seems that she has changed a lot over the years to cater to his preferences. Thinking of Xing Bei smiling so beautifully at other men, Zhou Xuzhe lowered his head and chuckled softly.
Thinking back on it carefully, it seems that he has never spent a proper time with Xing Bei over the years, nor has he truly tried to understand her life or asked her what she likes.
She had always been accommodating to him, willing to compromise for him, but he had been draining her love and had never truly reciprocated.
He's the one who lost Xing Bei.
Han Jun watched as tears welled up in his eyes, and his tone softened: "Zhou Xuzhe, if you treat her like this, even the deepest love will be worn away one day."
“But…” Zhou Xuzhe lowered his head and muttered softly, “I’m starting to like her a little.”
Han Jun was speechless once again. He twitched his lips, and at this moment he really wanted to punch Zhou Xuzhe in the face.
He doesn't actually like her; he just belatedly realized how good Xing Bei is and can't bear to let her go. Xing Bei is such a wonderful girl, yet she had to run into such a scumbag. It's truly speechless.
“Zhou Xuzhe, then listen to my advice and stop bothering her.” Han Jun said earnestly again, “If you let her go, you'll also let yourself go. You may not find it annoying, but she will.”
Zhou Xuzhe kept his head down and remained silent. After a long while, he looked up and asked again, "Is there really no possibility?"
Han sighed and shook his head, saying, "It's impossible now. She doesn't want you anymore."
He understood Xing Bei's personality; once she made a decision, there was absolutely no turning back. She was also decisive in matters of the heart, never giving the other person a second chance.
Zhou Xuzhe leaned weakly against the sofa, tears welling up in his eyes, but as he closed them, they slid down his cheeks, the hot droplets burning his heart.
He really made a huge mistake this time. If he had realized his feelings for her earlier, would things have been different?
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs," and it's all too late.
Han Jun could only watch helplessly from the sidelines, hoping that Zhou Xuzhe would come to his senses by tonight. However, he still needed to keep a close eye on Zhou Xuzhe for the next few days to prevent him from bothering him again.
--
Zhuqing Bay.
Lu Runxu emerged from the bathroom amidst the steaming heat, a few drops of water still clinging to his smooth hair. He looked up at the backlit French windows.
A rose-pink nightgown dress clung to her graceful figure, her jet-black hair cascading over her shoulder blades, and a wisp of white smoke curled in the air.
He noticed that Xing Bei had been smoking too frequently lately. He had seen her smoking several times during video calls while she was away on business. Although he couldn't control her, he felt that this frequency was not good.
"girlfriend."
Lu Runxu walked over and pulled him into his arms. "I've noticed you've been smoking quite often lately."
Xing Bei subconsciously moved the cigarette butt away. When she heard Lu Runxu's question, she smiled and shook her head: "No, it's just that I've been too busy lately. I've been a lazy bum for too long, so I'm not used to being promoted to such a high position."
Lu Runxu stared intently into her eyes. Her delicate eyelashes were damp with mist, and her fox-like eyes were slightly upturned, seemingly captivating. Xing Bei felt a ticklish sensation in her heart. She swallowed hard and subtly looked away.
Noticing her subtle movements, Lu Runxu silently curled his lips into a smile, and gently lifted her chin with his slender fingertips: "Girlfriend, you don't have some secret you're hiding from me, do you?"
Xing Bei paused for a moment, then looked up somewhat humbly. When she met Lu Runxu's teasing gaze, she immediately gave in: "No way, what secrets could I possibly have?"
"Really?" Lu Runxu's hand was caressing her cheek, and Xing Bei felt a burning sensation where he touched her.
If things continued like this, Xing Bei felt that she would definitely be led astray by him. While thinking of a solution, she inadvertently glanced at the content on the tablet.
The movie was showing a scene where the alluring female lead was flirting with a serious bookworm. The vixen leaned close to the scholar with seductive eyes and, taking advantage of his inattention, breathed a puff of seductive breath into his face.
Xing Bei calmly withdrew her gaze, a malicious smile playing on her lips. She had heard someone say that Lu Runxu couldn't stand the smell of smoke, and wondered what would happen if she blew smoke at him.
“Ah Xu”.
Xing Bei reached out and wrapped her arm around Lu Runxu's neck, gently hooking him close to her face, and asked with a mischievous smile, "Do you want to try the taste of cigarettes?"
Lu Runxu frowned at her, but before he could answer, Xing Bei quickly took a drag of her cigarette and passed it to his lips before he could react.
A wisp of smoke filled his mouth as Lu Runxu pushed her away and began to cough uncontrollably. Xing Bei smiled mischievously at the sight, leaned over and patted Lu Runxu's back to help him catch his breath.
Only after the smell of smoke in his mouth had completely dissipated did Lu Runxu look up at her. His beautiful fox-like eyes were red, and tears were glistening in his eyes, like dewdrops hanging on a delicate flower, about to fall but not yet. His expression was extremely aggrieved.
At this moment, Xing Bei truly understood what it meant to be pitiful to behold, and it's no wonder that ancient kings couldn't bear to see their beauties shed tears.
If it were her, she wouldn't be able to bear it either.
However, judging from this, Lu Runxu must look very handsome when he cries. She is actually looking forward to seeing Lu Runxu cry. Just thinking about it makes her very excited.
Meeting the man's reproachful gaze, Xing Bei smiled, hugged his slender waist, and said coquettishly, "Ah Xu, I was wrong."
Lu Runxu glared at her and turned his head to one side unhappily. Seeing this, Xing Bei forcibly turned his head back.
Even after all this time, his eyes were still red, and he looked so easy to bully that Xing Bei couldn't resist giving him a kiss on the lips.
"Ah Xu, I won't do it again next time, please forgive me." Xing Bei pulled his hand and shook it from side to side.
Seeing that Lu Runxu was still ignoring her, she winked at him again: "Ah-Xu~"
Lu Runxu couldn't stand her using this tactic, so he sighed and gave in, saying, "Don't let it happen again."
Xing Bei stood on tiptoe, cupped Lu Runxu's face, and kissed him: "Yes, sir, Lu."
Lu Runxu's eyes were red as he looked down, his fingertips landing on her red lips, gently caressing them before pressing them directly onto her tongue, his emotions undisguised.
Xing Bei knew immediately that he wasn't thinking anything good, so she raised her hand and pushed his hand away.
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