Chapter 65 Old Love Letters: The Pillar of Shame for Love.
Two days later, during the live broadcast of the graduation party, some sharp-eyed viewers noticed that the ring Chen Jingchi had worn on the middle finger of his right hand for two years had suddenly disappeared.
At first, some netizens thought he had taken off the ring temporarily for the sake of his look, but those who knew him well knew that the ring was of great significance to him. Since the announcement of his relationship, he had never taken it off, whether for performances, advertising shoots, or magazine cover shoots.
As time went by, many comments appeared online suggesting that the couple's relationship had soured.
It's just a ring, you're all making a big fuss over nothing.
Didn't they just collaborate on a song?
[Fun fact: Zhou Yu always shares songs with lyrics she wrote herself, but she didn't share this one, "Wanting to Say But Hesitating." Can you guess why?]
They haven't interacted in a long time; it seems Chen Jingchi can't keep up the act anymore.
[I knew it! The new song sounded so bittersweet. What a ridiculous dream...]
The online discussions were all speculations until 11 p.m., when a low-level account posted a screenshot of the exchange student list from the official website of the School of Humanities at Jiangbei Media University in Chen Jingchi's super topic.
@User9378247: I feel sorry for you fans who were kept in the dark. They broke up a long time ago, and even the students of Jiangchuan know, but no one dares to post it.
[picture]
This Weibo post immediately attracted a lot of attention, and several related terms became trending topics in the early hours of the morning.
#Chen Jingchi and Zhou Yu suspected of breaking up#
#Chen Jingchi, I won't break up with her#
#Zhou seemed hesitant to speak#
#Can you still work together after breaking up?#
The discussion was filled with mixed reactions: some expressed regret, some celebrated, and some couldn't believe it.
In the second entry, many netizens who were just watching the drama reposted a Weibo post that Chen Jingchi had made a long time ago.
@Chen Jingchi:
This is the first and last time I'll say this: I will never break up with her; she's the only one I want in this life.
How deeply affectionate they once spoke of is now a source of great irony.
I told you not to be so naive. Life is so long, how could you dare to make such a vow?
[Dude, why don't you delete this post? Doesn't it make you look bad?]
What do you guys know? I plan to stay single for the rest of my life.
Those who mock him are heartless; at least he loved passionately, while you don't even deserve love. [vomit]
These trending topics were suppressed around 2 or 3 a.m., but the online discussion continued for a long time.
On the plane back to Jiangbei the next day, Du Heng kept a close eye on Chen Jingchi's actions, afraid that he would click on Weibo and see those offensive comments.
As the plane landed, Du Heng asked him whether he was going back to the company or his apartment. Chen Jingchi took off his blindfold, paused for a moment, and said, "Apartment."
He hadn't been back for months. The apartment was regularly cleaned and spotless, with everything remaining exactly as it was when he last left.
The plants on the balcony are only watered once a year when the cleaning staff comes. Without proper care, they have returned to their droopy state, and some have even begun to wither and die.
The study contained several reference books that Zhou Yu had brought a long time ago, and her unfinished reading notes were on the table. A black pen lying to the side had been left uncapped, as if she would come back and continue writing at any moment.
On the bedside table in the bedroom was a gift he brought back for her when he returned from Seattle. He had taken Du Heng's advice and bought a perfume gift set, intending to give it to her that night. Little did he know that that day would be the beginning of their breakdown, and in the end, he never gave it to her.
The bathroom was filled with all sorts of her things: a toothbrush, skincare products, a black headband she wore when washing her face, a comb she used to massage his scalp, and lip balm she bought because she thought his lips were too dry in winter and kissing him was uncomfortable.
All of these things can evoke beautiful memories of the past.
That's why he doesn't dare to come back.
He was staring at his reflection in the mirror, lost in thought, when someone knocked on the door, interrupting his reverie.
Chen Jingchi went to open the door, and Zhuo Wencheng, carrying a bag of wine, was the first to come in: "Brother Chi, don't be sad, let's drink together and forget our troubles."
Zhan Li followed him in. Xu Yue hadn't returned to Xianhai since the end of the semester, so he came over too.
In the past, when the brothers drank together, Tan Bei and Zhou Yu would always try to persuade them not to get too drunk. But now that Du Heng is not here, and neither are they, they have lost control of their drinking.
After drinking too much, Zhan Li couldn't hold back any longer and said, "It couldn't be because of going abroad that we broke up; there must be another reason."
Zhuo Wencheng had always found it strange: "Even if she were an exchange student, she would have gone in September, so why did she leave in June?"
Xu Yue knew he didn't want to talk about these things, so he told them not to pry and to talk about something else.
Chen Jingchi remained silent until the alcohol took effect, at which point he finally confessed, "I shouldn't have said that."
Zhan Li looked up at him: "Which sentence?"
Pain filled Chen Jingchi's eyes, and his voice was low and hoarse: "If you pursue her..."
Zhuo Wencheng and Zhan Li exchanged bewildered glances, neither understanding the meaning of those words. Only Xu Yue was somewhat more clear-headed; he almost immediately connected the words Chen Jingchi had uttered in front of them the only time he had ever pursued them.
He asked in surprise, "She found out?"
Chen Jingchi's reaction was an implicit acceptance of the answer.
Zhuo Wencheng looked completely bewildered: "What do you know?"
Xu Yue reminded them that it happened two years ago on the night they lost the Golden Melody Awards. Zhuo Wencheng's previously muddled mind suddenly cleared up, and he vaguely remembered what he had said at the dinner table back then.
Only then did Zhan Li discover the reason for their breakup.
"Damn it, I have such a big mouth." Zhuo Wencheng fumbled for his phone. "I'll explain to her."
Chen Jingchi pressed his phone button: "Don't bother her."
Zhuo Wencheng froze, realizing that so much time had passed that an apology would lack any sincerity.
They were all too young at the time, speaking without thinking and never considering the serious consequences of their words.
Zhan Li had mixed feelings. He had been one of the ones who egged them on at the time, and now he felt bad too. He said, "She knew and still..."
Chen Jingchi just gave a wry smile.
No one spoke again; they just silently drank with him. They drank themselves into oblivion in the middle of the night, and the three of them collapsed onto the sofa, fast asleep.
At 2:30 a.m., all the netizens who were still online and hadn't slept saw the Weibo post by Chen Jingchi.
@Chen Jingchi: I think of you when I wake up, and I dream of you when I fall asleep. Is there any hope for me?
This clearly targeted Weibo post quickly became a hot topic, with comments and reposts all mentioning @周欲.
There were no fans controlling the comments section; it was all just netizens watching the drama unfold.
[Is this what you call your WeChat Moments?]
What happened? Was your account hacked?
Did you drink fake alcohol? How did you get so drunk? [Shocked]
[Such a sudden sense of life returning to normal; this must be a real breakup.]
[My brother mistyped; he actually meant to say he also has an aunt.]
[You two should just make up, stop torturing me! [crying]]
There's still hope! Hurry up and release a new song, stop being so love-struck!
The topic trended on Weibo all day. The next day, after waking up and sobering up, Chen Jingchi still hadn't deleted the post. Du Heng was at a loss. When a PR employee asked him if he should suppress the post, he shook his head: "Never mind."
Heartbreak is hard enough, but not being allowed to express your true feelings is a bit too cruel.
Chen Jingchi's words directly confirmed the rumors of their breakup. In the following events, whenever the media reporters encountered him, they would swarm around him to gossip about the breakup, but he always remained silent and did not respond to a single word.
But his dejected expression already gave the answer.
In mid-July, the official account of the Jiangbei Summer Music Festival announced a major guest: Chen Jingchi, who will be performing at the festival again after two years. This will be his only offline performance during the summer vacation, and tickets have been resold at exorbitant prices.
The venue was packed with fans on the day of the performance. After the previous singer finished performing, Chen Jingchi walked onto the stage as the last guest performer, which was met with enthusiastic cheers.
Those standing in the front row could clearly see that he was still wearing the in-ear monitor that Zhou Yu had given him and holding the microphone that she had given him.
Everything seems unchanged.
The performance lasted 40 minutes and consisted of eight songs. The first seven were all very popular representative works, and the entire audience sang along. However, when Xu Yue started playing the guitar intro for the last song, everyone in the audience looked completely bewildered.
The program originally scheduled the last song to be "Dusk in Nov," but the song title that appeared on the big screen was "Pillar of Shame."
"This is a cover song that I changed at the last minute; it's the song I wanted to sing myself." Chen Jingchi looked at the countless audience members below the stage and said to them, "Please forgive me for being willful this time."
Unlike before, Chen Jingchi's voice sounded slightly tired when he spoke.
"You personally nailed me to the pillar of shame"
Your tears won't stop flowing.
I've broken your heart and you still dare to dream...
You never leave.
People always appreciate what they have only after they've lost it.
"Endure the darkness and await the next day."
"This time it's my turn to wait too long."
"I was nailed to the pillar of shame of love by your own hands"
Your tears were the last time I couldn't stop them.
The audience saw that Chen Jingchi suddenly lost his voice halfway through the song, and then did something that surprised everyone.
He moved the microphone away from his mouth, lowered his head, and then turned his back to the camera.
The first half of the song is a guitar solo. Xu Yue, who was sitting in the back, saw his shadow backlit and the rhythm was off, half a beat slower. He didn't dare to stop and could only continue playing the accompaniment alone.
The lyrics on the big screen didn't wait for him; they changed line by line.
"Can you really turn the page on this in your heart?"
There is no such thing as owing each other nothing in a relationship.
Close your eyes and yesterday will reappear.
I admit that I demeaned myself.
He had his back to everyone and didn't turn around for a long time.
After their breakup, he forced himself to present his best self in front of the audience during numerous performances. But this time, he lost his composure in front of so many people.
He had never performed this song in public before, and he never expected to get so into the role.
He heard thousands of people behind him begin to sing the second half of the song in his place.
No one knows what Chen Jingchi was thinking during the remaining two minutes and fifteen seconds when he stood motionless on the stage.
He finally faced forward and bowed deeply to the audience as the chorus drew to a close.
He apologized to them in a hoarse voice.
Half an hour later, a video of Chen Jingchi choking up and turning around on the music festival stage went viral on various platforms. The hashtag #PleaseGetBackTogether# became the number one trending topic.
This time, even Chen Jingchi's fans stood on the same side, hoping they could reconcile.
However, when netizens clicked on Zhou Yu's account homepage, they found that her IP address was still showing up in Jiangbei.
This indicates that she has not logged into Weibo since going abroad.
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Author's Note: *The lyrics are quoted from Liu Sijian's "Pillar of Shame" (This song is especially good!)
*Transitional chapter; the next chapter will be about their reunion.
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