Chapter 62 Old Love Letters: This is the consequence of greed.
Zhou Yu returned too late; by the time he arrived at the dormitory building, it was already curfew time.
The dorm supervisor was just about to go upstairs to check the rooms. She had just picked up the key and was about to close the main gate when she bumped into her at the door and asked, "You're only coming back now? If you were even a minute later, I would have locked you out."
Zhou Yu kept his head down and responded in a muffled voice, "Mm."
The aunt let her in, not noticing her expression but seeing her looking sullen, and casually asked, "Did you have a fight with your boyfriend?"
Zhou Yu nodded as usual and slowly went upstairs.
She took out her key to open the dormitory door. Fan Xin had already climbed into bed and was about to sleep when An Kejia came out of the bathroom. Seeing Zhou Yu's red eyes, she didn't even have time to wonder why she had suddenly returned before rushing over to ask, "What happened to you?"
Fan Xin put down her phone upon hearing this. She couldn't see Zhou Yu's face clearly and asked in confusion, "Huh? We thought you would stay overnight at Chen Jingchi's place. Why are you back so late?"
She had already composed herself on the way here, but she didn't expect that just hearing his name would trigger her emotions again. Zhou Yu had to work very hard to hold back the soreness in her eyes.
An Kejia noticed her bare neck and asked, "Where's your necklace?"
Zhou Yu showed them the necklace she always wore; the pendant on it was a pair with the ring Chen Jingchi wore, and she had never taken it off.
The question had barely left her mouth when An Kejia realized what was happening. The next second, seeing Zhou Yu's tears unexpectedly streaming down her face, she panicked and quickly hugged her, saying, "Ah! I'm so sorry, I misspoke! Don't cry!"
"What's going on?" Fan Xin quickly threw off the covers and climbed out of bed. Seeing her silently shedding tears, and remembering what An Kejia had just said, she was immediately shocked.
Zhou Yu raised her hand to wipe away her tears, her voice hoarse: "It's nothing."
She didn't look like she was alright at all, so Fan Xin quickly grabbed a tissue and handed it to her.
"We've broken up." Although she was crying, her voice was unusually calm, and her face showed no extra expression. "Let's not talk about him for now."
"Okay, I won't say it." An Kejia looked at her with some heartache. "Your eyes will be swollen when you wake up if you sleep like this."
I have to see Zhou Jinglong tomorrow, and he can't see Zhou Yu. She said, "I'll apply a cold compress."
She took a towel from the towel rack, wet it with cool water, and applied it to her eyes. An Kejia and Fan Xin exchanged a glance, still unable to process this shocking news.
In their eyes, the relationship between the two had always been stable. There were rumors online that they had broken up because they were no longer working together. Only they, as roommates, knew the truth. Zhou Yu and Chen Jingchi had always kept in touch. She would occasionally go out and stay with him for a night. Before the winter break, she even got a visa to go to the United States to see his concert.
Thinking about this, the two of them simultaneously had a question.
Could it be because I couldn't attend this concert?
Afraid of touching her wounds, they didn't dare to speak casually. An Kejia knew that she must have cried for a long time before coming to the dormitory, so she made her a cup of warm water and handed it to her to replenish her fluids.
Zhou Yu took the drink and got ready for bed before turning off the lights.
Perhaps she was exhausted from crying, because she fell asleep almost immediately. Since the start of the semester, she had been busy running around to various law firms and hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time.
She woke up before seven the next day, feeling a bit dizzy and lightheaded. She leaned on the bed for a while to recover, and the memories of the previous night started playing non-stop like a power outage restarting. She sat quietly for a long time, letting those images flood her mind, becoming more and more vivid.
Zhou Yu didn't wake them up and tiptoed into the bathroom. Although she had applied cold water to her eyes last night, they were still a little swollen.
After washing up, she applied the dressing again and barely recovered. She grabbed her phone and went out to send a message to Zhou Jinglong.
The two met at a breakfast shop downstairs from the hotel. Zhou Jinglong, seeing that she seemed fine, asked, "How did your chat with Xiao Chen go?"
The white porcelain spoon tapped against the rim of the bowl, making a crisp sound. She paused for a second, without looking up, and said, "It's alright."
Zhou Jinglong nodded and said, "There should be nothing else going on here. I want to go back and keep your mother company."
In the plan I discussed with Jiang Yueying yesterday, although she said it was a secret investigation, Zhou Jinglong didn't dare to take the risk. Everything depended on the mother and daughter getting out, and at the earliest, Zhou Yu had to finish the second semester of her junior year.
"Go back, I'll buy you a ticket." Zhou Yu opened the app and casually asked, "How's the teahouse doing?"
"I'm looking for someone to sublet it," Zhou Jinglong said. "Luckily, I only paid six months' rent, so the loss isn't too great."
Zhou Yu said softly, "Don't worry about the money."
All the royalty contracts Chen Jingchi signed with her were based on a percentage split, so as long as people still listen to and sing her songs, she could continue to earn income.
“You’ll need money to go abroad, we can’t rely on you forever.” Zhou Jinglong smiled as he thought of something. “When the time comes, I’ll take your mother to see the world. She’s never been abroad before.”
Zhou Yu felt a tightness in her chest. She responded with a sound of agreement, just as her phone, which was lying next to her, popped up a call request. Zhou Jinglong saw four letters, knew who it was, and said, "You can answer it."
She wasn't sure if she could maintain her composure after hearing his voice. Zhou Yu picked up his phone, silenced it, and put it in his pocket: "No rush, I'll take you to the high-speed rail station first."
Zhou Jinglong assumed she was going to see her boyfriend after seeing him off, so he didn't suspect anything and asked, "Xiao Chen doesn't have any objections to you going abroad?"
Zhou only told him what he could say: "No."
Although he had never met Chen Jingchi in person, Liu Xianya had told him a lot about their online interactions and seemed quite fond of her daughter's boyfriend. Thinking about the challenges ahead, he couldn't help but worry: "A long-distance relationship will be tough, won't it?"
Zhou Yu finally looked up and, seeing him hesitate, reassured him: "There are some problems between him and me. Even if we break up in the future, the main reason won't be you. Don't blame yourself."
Zhou Jinglong was not convinced and asked, "What's the problem?"
"It's hard to say." Zhou Yu put down his spoon, not wanting to eat anymore. "Don't ask anymore."
He sensed something was off from Zhou Yu's words, but seeing that Zhou Yu's expression was natural and showed no signs of anything amiss, he didn't want to say anything that might spoil the mood.
After breakfast, Zhou Yu hailed a taxi to take him to the high-speed rail station.
She hadn't taken her phone out of her pocket the whole time, and Zhou Jinglong had paid the taxi fare. It wasn't until she saw her father into the waiting hall that she finally saw the unread messages on the screen.
It showed that he sent it 20 minutes ago.
Chen: [I'm very sorry]
Chen: [Let's talk about this again sometime.]
The things she said last night had almost drained Zhou Yu of his strength. She didn't know if she would be able to harden her heart again when she saw him next time.
He seeped into Zhou Yu's life like water seeping into a crack in a rock, silently and completely integrating himself into her life. She knew his voice, his breath, and his body temperature by heart.
Breaking up with him is like breaking a bone or snapping a tendon.
But she couldn't show it at all.
Zhou Yu had no choice; once it started, she could only act until the very end.
Her fingertip hovered over the input box. She thought for a long time, but in the end, she exited without replying.
*
At 8 a.m., Du Heng received a message from the director of the company's copyright department, saying that the copyright price for the two songs they had been trying to get had finally been agreed upon and they could be added to the setlist for next week's London concert.
Both of these are highly popular and considered classic English songs. Chen Jingchi originally wanted to perform them at his first concert in Seattle, but the copyright negotiations never went through. Upon hearing this good news, Du Heng's sleepiness vanished, and he quickly contacted the arranger and musicians to come over.
I have to teach on weekdays, so I can only take advantage of Sunday to urge them to finish the arrangement. The band also needs to find time to rehearse.
Du Heng took a breakfast and drove to Chen Jingchi's apartment.
Du Heng had only entered three digits of the password when the door was suddenly pulled open from the inside, startling him. He quickly clutched his heart and exclaimed, "Holy crap, you scared me to death?! You're up so early?"
Upon seeing the newcomer, Chen Jingchi stood silently to the side, his brows slightly furrowed.
"What's with that expression? You're not very welcoming." Du Heng put the takeout box on the table, assuming it was just his morning grumpiness. "Is Zhou Yu up yet? Call her over for breakfast."
After opening all the boxes, he still didn't get a single response. Du Heng turned around to look at him and saw him standing there in a daze, as if he had been possessed.
He glanced towards the bedroom; the door was open. If Zhou Yu were sleeping inside, he wouldn't have left the door open.
Du Heng sensed something and asked, "Did you two have a fight?"
But as soon as he asked, he felt something was off. No one knew their relationship better than him; they'd never even argued, let alone blushed. They'd eaten hotpot together last night, and everything seemed normal before they left. He couldn't understand what they could have argued about.
But Chen Jingchi's condition seems to confirm his statement.
“She’s not answering my calls.” His voice was hoarse, as if it had been sanded. “Try calling her.”
Du Heng glanced at his phone: "It's only a little past eight. They should be sleeping. I'll try calling again later."
He thought it was just a fight between the young couple and comforted them, saying, "Zhou Yu isn't the type to throw tantrums. Don't be too anxious, calm down."
He told him the good news he had received that morning and asked him to finish breakfast so they could go to the company together.
Chen Jingchi didn't react. Seeing him sit down, Du Heng breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it shouldn't be a big problem.
When everyone was discussing the arrangement in the morning, Chen Jingchi was unusually quiet. He didn't offer any opinions and just followed the teacher's instructions, and the final version was quickly finalized.
Even the boys noticed something was wrong. Before lunch, Chen Jingchi was called to record harmonies. While he was away, Xu Yue secretly asked Du Heng what was wrong. The latter didn't seem to care much: "I had a fight with Zhou Yu. It's nothing, I'll be fine in a bit."
Zhuo Wencheng asked in surprise, "They actually had a conflict? Why?"
In everyone's impression, Chen Jingchi doted on Zhou Yu, giving her whatever she wanted and requiring her to report everything he did; he was a man of his word. When the two were together, their eyes were always glued to each other, creating a very ambiguous atmosphere. Zhuo Wencheng never imagined that there could be any conflict between them.
"How would I know?" Du Heng said, puzzled. "Didn't I leave with you guys last night?"
Upon hearing Du Heng mention that the two of them hadn't stayed together the previous night, Zhan Li realized something was amiss: "This isn't a minor conflict, is it?"
Xu Yue looked over: "How did you know?"
"Would Chi-ge let her go back to the dorm alone around 10 pm?" Zhan Li nudged Du Heng. "Brother, be careful, it's probably very noisy."
He and Tan Bei had argued before, and even when they were angry, he would still worry about her safety. Not to mention that Chen Jingchi always protected Zhou Yu very well, so there was no reason for her to leave the apartment in the middle of the night.
Du Heng, with his rich dating experience and accustomed to big scenes, didn't care much: "How can they sleep together when they're both angry? Aren't they afraid of fighting? You guys haven't seen how many sets of clothes they have on their bedside tables."
Zhuo Wencheng asked curiously, "How many sets what?"
“A set is not a quantifier,” Xu Yue glanced at him. “It’s a noun.”
Zhuo Wencheng: ?
Du Heng added, "They're not kids. They're not like you two who're glued together every day. Their way of getting along is different."
Hearing this, Zhan Li became unhappy: "Neither of us are children, only Xiao Zhuo and Xiao Xu are children."
Zhuo Wencheng: "So what if you have a girlfriend?"
*
After the harmony recording was completed, the monitoring teacher got up to go eat, leaving Chen Jingchi alone in the monitoring room.
The messages he sent were still displayed in her chat box with Zhou Yu, but she hadn't replied.
After Zhou Yu left, it felt as if a large piece of his heart had been ripped out, and nothing could fill it. He was filled with extreme regret, wondering why he had uttered that ambiguous sentence back then.
Later he figured it out.
Her final words shattered all his confidence. He finally realized how arrogant he had been in the relationship, always believing he had her firmly in control and never imagining she would leave. It turned out that she had always been willing to accommodate him and had never uttered a single complaint.
He just wanted to see her again as soon as possible, hoping there might still be a chance to salvage the relationship.
The work piled up in front of him kept him busy, and everyone was working overtime for him; he couldn't leave so many people behind and go back.
He dialed her number again, but as before, she didn't answer.
They are leaving for the UK next Wednesday, so they don't have much time. As soon as the new version of the arrangement came out, the band immediately started rehearsing.
Around 10 p.m., both songs had achieved a result that satisfied everyone. On the way back to school, seeing that Chen Jingchi was still silent, Zhuo Wencheng asked Zhan Li, "How did you coax Tan Bei? Teach our Chi-ge!"
“She doesn’t need me to comfort her; she calms herself down on her own,” Zhan Li laughed. “She usually wakes up after a good night’s sleep.”
This time, Zhuo Wencheng was smarter: "Sleep alone or sleep with someone?"
"Get out!" Zhan Li cursed. "Disgusting!"
Chen Jingchi did not respond to anyone's words.
"He's annoyed," Du Heng said for him. "Stop showing off your love."
The three got out of the car at the school gate, and the driver then took Chen Jingchi back to his apartment.
The car fell silent. Du Heng asked, "Did the call go through?"
Chen Jingchi gazed at the inky black night outside the window, and after a long while, he asked him in a low voice, "Do you think she likes me?"
Hearing this, Du Heng finally realized the seriousness of the situation. Couples usually argue about minor things like differing opinions, but once it escalates to fundamental issues like whether or not they love each other, the foundation of the relationship is unstable.
"Is that even a question?" Du Heng asked. "Why would I want to date you if I don't like it?"
He didn't react.
Du Heng took it seriously, his tone becoming more stern as he asked, "What exactly did you two argue about last night?"
“She heard what I said.”
"What did you say?"
Chen Jingchi repeated what he had said that night to him.
Du Heng remembered it too, and his heart sank. Back then, he and Zhou Yu had just hugged each other in front of everyone outside the venue. At the dinner table, everyone was joking and urging him to take advantage of her soft heart that night and hurry up and pursue her.
He also remembered that Zhuo Wencheng had even said something cheeky: "We shouldn't let the good stuff go to outsiders."
Back then, everyone could see that Chen Jingchi had feelings for Zhou Yu. It was normal for the boys to joke around and say all sorts of nonsense, but how could Zhou Yu stand it if those words fell into her ears?
Once the seed of doubt is planted in a person's heart, everything they do changes its meaning, as if it hides some ulterior motive, and has nothing to do with love anymore.
Du Heng looked at him and asked, "Why did she only tell you yesterday?"
“She said she’s going to study abroad,” Chen Jingchi replied. “She’ll leave in the second half of the year.”
Even with Du Heng's extensive experience, he couldn't offer a single word of comfort this time. He already knew the outcome and asked, "She broke up with you?"
Chen Jingchi remained silent for almost ten seconds before saying, "Not yet."
It was bound to happen sooner or later.
These four words flashed through Du Heng's mind. He leaned back heavily in his chair and sighed, "What a tragedy."
After a long time, Chen Jingchi asked him, "Do you think I still have a chance?"
Du Heng turned to look at him. In that moment, he was no longer the dazzling star on stage, but just a young man afraid of losing his lover. He shed his glamorous exterior and hard shell, revealing an uneasy, pleading look in his eyes.
He was seeking an answer, even if it was false, that might make him feel better.
But Du Heng couldn't bear to lie to him.
A long, deathly silence filled the carriage.
*
Zhou Yu had a class during the first period on Monday morning. When she woke up, she saw a message from Chen Jingchi at 1 a.m., which contained only four words.
Chen: [I miss you so much]
She was relieved that she hadn't seen it before bed, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to sleep last night.
After dropping Zhou Jinglong off at the high-speed rail station yesterday, she slept soundly in her dormitory for the entire day. With hope for her father's case, the worries that had been weighing on her heart dissipated, and she slept very deeply. The ringing of her phone did not wake her.
She still pretended not to see it.
Upon arriving at the classroom, a girl in the front row turned around and asked her, "Zhou Yu, are you going to the London concert this time?"
She meant no harm, but Fan Xin was very unhappy: "It's none of your business. Go if you want, or don't go if you don't want to."
"Can't I even ask a question?" the girl muttered as she turned back.
Zhou Yu turned his head to look at Fan Xin and told her that everything was fine.
Perhaps influenced by her, An Kejia had originally planned to go out to dinner with the male guest personally selected by mentor Fan on Sunday, but she didn't make it. When Zhou asked her about it, she said that she didn't really want to be in a relationship lately.
Zhou Yu knew that she was afraid that he would be upset after just breaking up with his girlfriend.
As the last class of the morning ended, Zhou Yu was about to get up when he heard a commotion coming from the back door. Fan Xin was the first to turn around, gasped, and quickly gave An Kejia a meaningful look.
Before Ke An and Ke Jia could receive the signal, the person had already walked to their seats.
Zhou Yu sat at the very back. She turned her head and saw Chen Jingchi's face, and her heart skipped a beat.
This time he wasn't wearing a hat, and his hair looked unkempt and messy. His gaze fell on Zhou Yu, but he spoke to Fan Xin: "I'm looking for her. Tell her to come out."
Fan Xin couldn't withstand the pressure at all. She pulled on An Kejia's sleeve and slowly moved to the side to make room for her.
Zhou Yu lowered her gaze and walked to his side. She said to the two of them, "Wait for me a moment."
An Kejia and Fan Xin nodded in unison.
There were still many onlookers in the classroom who hadn't left. Zhou Yu didn't want to talk in a crowded place, so he followed him out of the classroom and all the way to the end of the corridor. All the students in the classrooms there had left, so no one could hear them talking.
He suddenly stopped and faced her. Zhou Yu also stopped and stood about two meters away from him.
When have they ever been so distant and unfamiliar?
“Zhou Yu.” He looked down at her, his eyes unfathomable. “Whether you think I approached you with ill intentions or used you, whatever price you want me to pay, I can bear it.”
He was willing to take responsibility for his youthful recklessness.
"Only a little."
"Can we not separate yet?"
This was his last chance.
Looking at Chen Jingchi, who was pleading with her with his head bowed, Zhou Yu felt that familiar suffocating feeling wash over her once again. This time, the conversation hadn't been rehearsed beforehand, and she couldn't find the most suitable answer, so she could only refuse on instinct.
"Chen Jingchi, what else can we do together?" she whispered. "Every time it's just making love."
Her blunt words stung his heart.
She asked again, "Do we still need to do it?"
He had heard those words countless times. It was in the afterglow of their climax, when they were embracing each other, drenched in sweat, and she used her soft, heart-trembling voice to entice him to continue, to indulge in pleasure with him.
This time, however, he sensed the disappointment and dejection in her voice.
Chen Jingchi suddenly realized that perhaps even this was just her way of pleasing him and making him happy.
He almost dared not look her in the eye.
He made concessions once again.
"Then can we... be friends again?"
Zhou Yu had never experienced such profound sorrow before; her internal organs ached terribly, even more so than when she told him last night that she didn't love him.
She didn't want to see him like this.
In her heart, Chen Jingchi should always stand tall, with integrity and pride, youthful spirit, and boundless glory.
Instead of this submissive, humble, and self-effacing demeanor.
She was practically grinding her teeth to powder when she asked, "Don't you remember what you said when you were pursuing me?"
He never forgot.
—Is it greedy to be boyfriend and girlfriend instead of friends?
She pronounced his fate word by word.
"We are no longer friends."
This is the consequence of greed.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you so much for the landmines and nutrient solutions, everyone!! [Orange Heart][Yellow Heart]
Yvonne :) threw two landmines
Reader "Yvonne :)" irrigated with nutrient solution +5
Reader "Yvonne :)" irrigated with nutrient solution +5
Reader "Yvonne :)" irrigated with nutrient solution +20
Reader "chow" added 8 units of nutrient solution to the water.
Reader "Yun Tun Han Han" watered the plants with 10 nutrient solution.
Reader "Lily" watered with nutrient solution +5
Reader "JunJun" added 5 units of nutrient solution to the irrigation water.
Readers "stranded", irrigate with nutrient solution +3
Reader "Qiqiqiqi" added 1 unit of nutrient solution to the water.
Reader "keyee" added 1 unit of nutrient solution to the water.
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