Chapter Thirty
The next morning, sunlight broke through the clouds and scattered everywhere.
Xing Bei planned to travel to other places and look for inspiration, but she didn't expect to run into Chen Qingyan here.
She walked over and greeted him, "What a coincidence, Qingyan-ge."
When Chen Qingyan saw her, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "Beibei, what are you doing here?"
Xing Bei pointed to the place they had just arrived at: "I heard this place is perfect for a solo vacation, so I came here to relax."
"It's you?" The person standing behind Chen Yunzhou looked at her excitedly. "Sister-in-law, I'm Cheng Zongye."
Sister-in-law, this person doesn't think she's Chen Qingyan's girlfriend, does he?
Before she could explain, Cheng Zong added, "I'm Ah Xu's friend. Last time you had a stomachache in the middle of the night, I came with Dr. Lin to help."
Xing Bei was taken aback, not expecting the world to be so small, running into acquaintances everywhere she went: "Last time I troubled you to come over in the middle of the night, my name is Xing Bei, you can just call me by my name."
She had intended to invite them over for a chat, but Chen Qingyan had something to do and postponed it until the afternoon. After explaining the location, she continued walking up the mountain.
"Stop looking, she's already gone." Cheng Zong nudged him with his crutch. "Don't tell me she's the neighbor girl you've been longing for abroad."
Chen Qingyan looked away without answering, and Cheng Zong instantly understood that silence was the answer.
Between Chen Qingyan and Lu Runxu, he has a deeper relationship with Lu Runxu because of family reasons, but he prefers to spend time with Chen Qingyan.
Now, however, there's a problem: they both like Xing Bei, but Lu Runxu has already beaten them to it. How should he tell Chen Qingyan?
Chen Qingyan noticed the hesitant look on the person beside him out of the corner of his eye and looked at him in confusion: "What do you want to say now?"
Cheng Zong opened his mouth, but finally sighed: "Qingyan, if you like Xing Bei, I think you should give up."
Chen Qingyan looked at him with interest: "Why?"
Cheng Zong shook his head pitifully: "Because you're already too late."
He assumed Cheng Zongye was referring to Zhou Xuzhe, and slightly curled the corners of his lips: "Is that so? I don't think so."
well!
How should he tell Chen Qingyan that Xing Bei is already married? Judging from the current situation, he's afraid that telling him all at once will upset him.
He used to think Chen Yunzhou was just a bit stubborn when it came to academics, but he didn't expect him to be a bit stubborn when it came to relationships as well.
After Xing Bei returned from the mountain, she learned how to make osmanthus honey with her grandmother. By the time Chen Qingyan and the others finished their business and returned, it was already evening.
She brought out the osmanthus tea that her grandmother had brewed and poured a cup for each of them: "Try it, it's osmanthus honey that Grandma made herself, it's very delicious."
Cheng Zong took it and couldn't wait to take a bite. A refreshing fragrance flowed from his mouth to his heart, full of osmanthus fragrance: "So sweet and fragrant."
He put down his cup and asked with some curiosity, "Didn't Brother Xu come with you?"
Xing Bei paused slightly as she poured the tea, then smiled at him and said, "He's busy with work, so I came to have some fun by myself this time."
Cheng Zongye, with his sharp eyes, naturally noticed her brief pause and wisely refrained from bringing up the topic again.
Chen Qingyan, standing to the side, glanced at the expensive yet understated diamond ring on her long, slender, fair fingers, and his dark eyes darkened.
He felt that he hadn't seen Xing Bei wearing a diamond ring during their last meal, and it hadn't been that long since they last met. Could it be that he had missed something important again?
Midway through, Xing Bei was called away by his grandmother to help, leaving only him and Cheng Zongye in the courtyard. He gently picked up the osmanthus tea, his well-defined knuckles resting on the rim of the cup, his skin even whiter than the ceramic cup.
Remembering that Cheng Zongye had just mentioned Brother Xu, he figured that the person Cheng Zongye was talking about must be Xing Bei's current boyfriend.
"You have that guy named Xu Ge on WeChat, right?" Chen Qingyan suddenly asked. "Let me see him."
Cheng Zong glanced at him and saw his serious expression. He didn't know what he was thinking, but he obediently took out Lu Runxu's WeChat and handed it to him.
He took Cheng Zongye's phone and glanced at it. In fact, Lu Runxu's WeChat Moments was very clean; every post he made was related to Xing Bei.
The only message that can be extracted from those photos is—
Xing Bei and this man are very happy together.
Chen Qingyan scrolled to the bottom of the post and found out that they had gotten married on November 23 last year, and it will soon be a year since then.
No wonder Cheng Zong also told him that he was already too late.
Cheng Zong also secretly observed his emotions, but noticed that Chen Yunzhou's hand holding the phone was trembling slightly, and he looked at him with some concern.
Upon discovering that Chen Qingyan had just seen their wedding photo, he sighed and put his phone away.
Cheng Zongye's feelings were also a bit complicated: "Everyone said you were a step too late, but you wouldn't believe it. Now you feel better, right?"
Chen Qingyan: "Why?"
The sudden question startled Cheng Zong, who looked at it with amusement and asked, "What? Why?"
Chen Qingyan closed his eyes briefly: "Why did she marry Lu Runxu?"
Cheng Zongye: "..."
Has this person lost their mind from anger?
What else could this be? People who get married must like each other, otherwise it could be a business partnership.
It's clear this person isn't giving up.
Cheng Zong thought for a moment and tried to put it more tactfully: "Who can say for sure? Maybe they just like each other and things just naturally fall into place and they get married."
Chen Qingyan glanced at him indifferently, and Cheng Zong immediately became obedient, turning his head to the other side with a look of utter despair.
Why did he have to encounter such a melodramatic plot? Both sides are brothers, it just doesn't make sense no matter how you look at it.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Chen Qingyan looked at him speechlessly: "You don't need to make such a death-defying expression, as if I'm going to drag you through mountains of knives and seas of fire."
Cheng Zong also took a sip of tea: "Although I don't know how they got together, I heard from another friend that Brother Xu has had a crush on Xing Bei for a long time. Since they got married, it must be because they love each other."
Chen Qingyan snorted coldly: "Why are you so sure they are in love with each other?"
See? He said this stubborn mule still wouldn't give up.
Cheng Zong also took out his phone and handed it to him: "Take a look for yourself. A few days ago, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, they went back to the Lu family's old house together. Look at this heartwarming scene. It's obvious that this wasn't their first time meeting the parents."
Fearing he still wouldn't believe him, he gave another example: "You just saw the diamond ring on Xing Bei's hand. That diamond ring is called Starry Sky. It was designed by the very famous jewelry designer, Mrs. Amber. You know from abroad that Mrs. Amber has stopped designing."
Cheng Zong also stopped to take a sip of water: "Think about it carefully. It must be very difficult to get someone who has stopped writing to start drawing again. If you search online now, you can find inspiration for this diamond ring."
Chen Qingyan is also a famous fashion designer abroad, so he naturally knows Mrs. Amber's status in the jewelry industry.
Amber is a very famous French woman in the jewelry industry. However, she stopped writing two years ago after her husband passed away. Many people offered high prices to have her write a piece, but she was turned away.
Cheng Zong also heard it from Lin Zhuochi. Lu Runxu was also turned away seven times. When Madam Amber saw how persistent he was, she sat down with him and had a good talk.
Later, Amber actually agreed to Lu Runxu's invitation, though she didn't know what he said.
Mrs. Amber values love very much, and he guessed that Lu Runxu was definitely playing the emotional card by telling Mrs. Amber his story.
His mother loved jewelry and naturally paid close attention to it; she was shocked when she saw the news.
Seeing the real thing now, I still can't help but be shocked. The starry sky diamond ring looks beautiful on Xing Bei's hand. It can be said to be tailor-made, like the stars in the sky falling on her fingertips.
According to Mrs. Amber herself, the meaning of this starry sky is:
The romantic Milky Way, you are what my eyes can see, and what my heart longs for.
The violet diamond in the middle represents Lu Runxu's unrequited love.
Now no one knows where Mrs. Amber is, so the Starry Sky in Xing Bei's hand has truly become Mrs. Amber's sealed masterpiece.
Chen Qingyan sat to one side, his face terribly pale. He could clearly feel an uncontrollable pain churning in his chest.
Just like when he was forced to transfer schools, it felt as if someone had ripped his heart out and then smashed it.
Cheng Zong also looked up, but all the words of comfort he wanted to say stuck in his throat. He hesitated and looked away.
After an unknown amount of time, the silent person beside him suddenly laughed, seemingly still somewhat unwilling: "But Xing Bei clearly didn't know him at all before, Lu Runxu must have used some method to deceive her."
Cheng Zong felt a chill run down his spine when he heard his laughter, and was also speechless: "Brother, this is a society ruled by law. Marriage fraud is illegal."
“Even if you didn’t know each other before, they took the initiative to fight for it.” Cheng Zong leaned back in his chair, tapping his glass with his fingers. “You and Xing Bei grew up together, but if you don’t take the initiative, it’s still useless.”
These words were somewhat hurtful to Chen Yunzhou, but seeing his persistent attitude, he was genuinely afraid that Chen Qingyan would do something out of line.
Lu Runxu has practiced Sanda (Chinese kickboxing), so if they were to really fight, Chen Qingyan might not be Lu Runxu's match.
He patted Chen Qingyan's arm and comforted him, "Listen to me, start letting go now. If it really doesn't work, go back abroad. In time, you'll naturally forget about it."
Chen Qingyan looked at him with red eyes, his fingertips clenched tightly. At that moment, his heart felt like it was being squeezed, the pain making it hard to breathe.
He looked away, and whispered, almost murmured, "Forget? How could I possibly forget?"
Actually, he had been keeping an eye on Xing Bei while he was abroad, and he knew that she had a boyfriend, but that man didn't like her.
He thought he would wait a little longer, but little did he know that what he would do was witness her marrying someone else.
His friends used to say that cowards pay a heavy price in relationships. He didn't believe it before, but now he's paying the heaviest price of his life.
Cheng Zong didn't hear what he said at the end, and just shook his head helplessly as he looked at him.
When Xing Bei finished her work and came out, only Chen Qingyan was sitting in the courtyard, his well-defined hands slowly circling the rim of his cup.
As the night deepened, the cool, clear moonlight fell on his shoulders, highlighting his loneliness and sorrow.
She walked over, pulled out a chair, sat down, and leisurely poured herself a cup of osmanthus tea.
"What could be so difficult that makes our all-powerful Brother Yunzhou look so worried?" Xing Bei teased, holding up her teacup.
Chen Qingyan shifted his gaze from the table to the thin moon in the sky, a helpless smile curving his lips: "It's nothing, but you, you didn't even tell me you were getting married."
Xing Bei leaned back lazily in her chair and smiled faintly: "I haven't had a chance to say it yet."
He paused, then, still unwilling to give up, asked the question: "Do you really like him?"
Xing Bei was taken aback by the question, but then suddenly burst into laughter. Chen Qingyan looked over, puzzled.
She slowly raised her head, her gaze passing through layers of leaves to the crescent moon hanging high in the sky.
Chen Qingyan gazed silently at the woman before him, momentarily lost in thought. A few strands of hair fluttering in the wind seemed to possess some kind of magic, easily disturbing the calm surface of Chen Qingyan's heart, creating ripples that were subtle yet difficult to quell.
"He's such a good person, who wouldn't fall for Lu Runxu?"
Xing Bei's tone was so gentle, as if she were afraid of disturbing the tranquil autumn night, or like the gentle autumn breeze, carrying a hint of coolness and a touch of sadness.
But she was born with an exceptionally bright and beautiful pair of eyes, as dazzling as the stars in the night sky. The corners of her eyes were slightly upturned, exuding an indescribable liveliness and charm, as if they could captivate the soul.
When those eyes gaze upon someone, even if she utters the most ordinary words, it can involuntarily create the illusion that she is not praising them, but rather uttering a touching love confession.
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