Chapter 13 Chapter 13
"When I first met her, I only knew she was a carefree optimist with extraordinary talent and incredible luck. But it wasn't until we broke up that I realized she was actually a little princess from a wealthy family."
None of them seemed to have expected Lu Ye's ex to be so dramatic, and there was a moment of silence. Zhan Nianqing asked tentatively: "Is this why you broke up with her?"
Lu Ye shook his head, a wry smile of nostalgia unconsciously hanging on his face, but he still soberly refused to let go, "That's the next question."
He drew a card. "Count 10, Hefu. Are you looking forward to reuniting with your ex?"
Guan Haifu, who was being questioned, sighed softly and spread her hands. "I wouldn't expect it, but one of my exes was a fellow doctoral student, so we did see each other quite often after we broke up. The whole school was embarrassed because of us for a long time."
Just as everyone was speechless, she added cheerfully, "But luckily, I'm graduating soon, so I probably won't see you again. We've seen each other enough in the past few years, so I really won't be looking forward to seeing you again in the future."
Guan Haifu continued to flip the cards, "Mr. Zhan, can you tell me the most valuable lesson you learned from your predecessor?"
Zhan Nianqing was not perfunctory at all. He sat up straight, frowned slightly and thought for a long time. Even when others urged him again and again, he did not seem to be in a hurry or slow.
"It's really hard to sum it up right now, but the one that sticks out most in my mind is 'Don't force things if you don't share the same ideals.'" When I quit my job in the government to start my own business, my girlfriend at the time was very opposed. I did a lot of convincing, even trying to force her understanding and support under the guise of love. Those days were torturous for both of us. I always felt she didn't understand me, and she thought I wasn't responsible for our future. Ultimately, we ended the relationship in agony."
Zhan Nianqing said, propping up his forehead with regret and slowly closing his eyes, looking up at the ceiling and muttering, "Since we pursue different things, I should have let go earlier. She has always pursued a stable life."
Don't force it. Lu Ye subconsciously looked towards the figure in the dark, and happened to see An Jiyue, who was listening attentively, blinked imperceptibly, and her drooping eyelashes trembled.
She had tried so hard to get him to stay, but he had coldly brushed her off due to his youthful pride. Had she figured this out now? So, it was like a stress reaction, she was trying to cut ties with him.
——"If it's not you, it will be someone else. The matter is settled. Why are you so stubborn?"
——"It's just a piece of cake. Do you really think you don't deserve all this?"
——"I'm just going to force it. Don't even think about getting away with it like this."
——"What about us?"
He didn't answer the last question that year.
"The last one requires an answer from all of us." Zhan Nianqing had recovered a little and read the card in a gentle voice, "Point 13, do you regret breaking up with your ex? If you still have the chance, what would you like to say to him/her?"
The scene fell into silence with the last question. Zhan Nianqing shook his head first and said softly, "I don't regret it. I just want to wish her happiness."
Rongrong and Haifu also waved their hands, while Zhu Ling smiled and said, "I only regret not starting, never regretting the end."
Sitting on the carpet, Shu Jun stretched out his arms and legs and replied good-naturedly, "I don't regret it either, but I really want to hear her tell me clearly what I did wrong."
Rongrong slid down from the sofa and sat next to him, sniffing in mock disdain. "You really think your predecessor is your teacher? Just figure it out on your own."
Lu Ye, who was sitting by the floor lamp, remained silent for a long time, his dark eyes seeming to be brewing some emotion. After a while, he stood up and walked to the table, unbuttoning his shirt and rolling up his sleeves.
Lu Ye smiled at everyone calmly, then bent down to pick up the last glass. He brought the cup to his lips, the gulping sound particularly evocative in the silence. His Adam's apple bobbed, and a blush crept behind his ears from the uneven breathing. After finishing the glass, Lu Ye raised his hand to wipe the few drops of wine from his thin lips.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his scattered eyes sweeping across the crowd, finally pausing at a certain spot for a moment, a glint of light. An Jiyue froze in her spot, unsure if this was an apology to the other guests or a distant address to herself.
The executive director's voice rang out through the headset: "Director An, Director An, do you think this part is almost over?"
An Jiyue put aside her thoughts and immediately replied, "No problem."
The host began his off-camera summary, informing the guests that they would be staying in the villa tonight. "Every ex is a companion who has walked with us for a while, leaving an indelible mark on our lives. In other words, without our exes, we wouldn't be who we are today. The "Last Day Lovers" production team chose the sensitive topic of 'ex' as the topic for our first gathering, hoping that this will be an opportunity for everyone to truly say goodbye to the past and start a new journey."
"Tonight's group recording ends here. There is paper and pen in each guest's room. If you like, you are welcome to record your feelings, or write a letter to your ex. Let's leave everything for tonight, we will see new scenery tomorrow. Good night everyone."
The set began to rustle up, the final touches seemingly stirring up some bittersweet emotions. The guests exchanged only goodnights on their way back to their rooms, a remarkably quiet scene. Lu Ye returned to his room without a word. Stationery and a ballpoint pen were already on his desk, next to his laptop. He still had a review to write today. He'd clearly mapped out the plan before the evening taping, but now it was a mess, swallowed up by the whirlpool of five years ago.
His fingers brushed across the computer, stroking the ballpoint pen for a long time. He'd taken that last drink too strong, dousing it directly into the embers of his heart. Unexpected flames shot up, burning his throat. Lu Ye tugged at his collar. He usually left the last button unbuttoned, but even then, he felt a little suffocated. He turned, opened the window, and leaned down, his hands resting on the window frame.
The wind was warm tonight, so warm that he felt a little numb all over.
Aside from his sight, all his senses became sharper. The gentle, relentless whisper of the wind in his ears repeatedly asked him if he regretted it. It didn't seem to carry the chirping of spring's birds and the fragrance of flowers, but the pungent smell of pool disinfectant. Lu Ye straightened up, the hem of his shirt swaying in the breeze. He raised a hand to rub his eyes, and as he focused, he saw the filming crew leaving the villa's main entrance, carrying their equipment.
A tall, straight figure walked in the middle, listening to an assistant's briefing on tomorrow's arrangements. Her heels clicked rhythmically, yet she occasionally slowed her pace to engage in measured conversation with her colleagues, offering polite words of thanks. The girl who had once been paranoid and ultimately walked away in defeat over the overseas call now seemed to be calmly saying to him, "It's all over," with every step she took without looking back.
But the moment the question was asked, he knew that his answer would be different from others.
——
An Jiyue forced herself to ignore the clues, both explicit and implicit, that had surfaced over the past few hours, but it proved difficult. The crowd on set was her shield, shielding her from Lu Ye's lingering gaze. She could almost completely detach herself from Lu Ye's gaze, listening to his words with a smile like everyone else, and dryly echoing the writers' assessment of "very touching." When the crowd dispersed, leaving her alone, these fragments of "other people's stories" seemed to finally lock onto their host, unerringly shattering her into her true form.
Once a carefree optimist, nurtured by her parents, she rebelled against her parents' wishes by changing her first choice to communications. Less than a year later, she succumbed to her parents' demands and pursued a double degree in finance. She was once admired in class for her "extraordinary talent," but it was simply genetics and the influence of her childhood. To prevent her beloved shop from failing, she learned how to raise financing in middle school with her mother's help. She hid her family background from her boyfriend for four years, thinking it wouldn't be too late to reveal it once he achieved success. However, after being caught early, they broke up over the phone. The pride he clung to far outweighed the self-esteem she had so carelessly discarded.
Before she knew it, she had reached the parking lot. An Jiyue looked up at the night sky and saw a bright moon slowly emerging through dense clouds. Fortunately, her moment of solitude didn't last long. Yue Hui's call had already arrived. She smiled with relief and quickly answered the call.
"I'm done with work, shall we go get some late-night snack?"
"No, I'm still busy. Please pick someone up from the airport for me and have him accompany you for a midnight snack." Yue Hui, claiming that he was busy, refused perfunctorily in a lazy tone.
An Jiyue arrived at the airport, bewildered, just as the arrivals hall was announcing the arrival of a recently landed flight. She stood on tiptoe, trying to spot a familiar face among the passengers pushing luggage carts, but saw nothing. She simply sat down on an empty chair. She pulled her phone from her purse and saw several red missed call notifications on the screen. Then she remembered she had muted the phone during the recording. An Jiyue cursed herself for being so careless. Perhaps the person had already arrived, but she couldn't contact the person who was supposed to pick them up.
A new call came in at this time. An Jiyue had no time to regret. She quickly pressed the answer button and put the call close to her ear.
"Jiyue! Jiyue!"
The voice wasn't coming from the microphone. An Jiyue looked around in confusion until she finally spotted a lively man not far away. He was waving vigorously and calling her name, with a large sports bag in his other hand. Her heart suddenly lifted, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Nan! Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?"
She dropped her phone back into her pocket and hurried in the direction of the person. The call status flickered in the darkness, the barely audible breathing on the other end drowned out by the joy of reuniting at the airport.
After a few drinks and a long night breeze, Lu Ye finally hung up the phone. Veins popped on his forearms as he held onto the window frame. The swelling and pain spread from his eye sockets to his temples and then to his pubic area. Yet, he remained at the window for a long time, as if taking pleasure in punishing himself.
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