Extra Nan Luo: 22. The End of Love
Yu Jinnan knew clearly that she shouldn't have accepted Luo Hao's proposal, but she couldn't bear to sever her ties as quickly as before. So the two of them entered a kind of standby mode, not completely off, but not always operating smoothly. The screens were black, yet the backstage connections were constantly flowing. Whenever conditions allowed, they would visit each other's cities, their passion always palpable, and they would spend a few days together in a sweet, fleeting sweetness, like a rare candy in the mundane world, hidden in the innermost pocket. A sip, taken quietly when no one was around, would linger in the heart, nourishing the rest of their lives. Luo Hao's own love story was peculiar, but observing Yu Chuanbei and Ling Ling's journey, he preferred a long, relaxed relationship to their own, rather than their heart-wrenching entanglement. Witnessing Yu Chuanbei and Ling Ling's sweet romance, their tragic breakup, and then the arrival of Zhong Mingtong, Luo Hao couldn't help but sigh. Jin Nan's absence occupied the most of his time, and when he had some free time, he'd often go drink with Yu Chuanbei. Initially, Yu Chuanbei maintained his usual composure and reserve, but gradually, he began to notice that something wasn't quite right with him. "Hey, why did you quit EVER? Why act so impulsively over a temporary personnel change? After all, you've been there for so many years." In the dimly lit bar, Luo Hao reserved a private room, ready to offer some serious counsel. Yu Chuanbei tilted his head back and took a long sip of his drink, his gaze lazily falling on the a cappella singer on the stage outside the glass fence. He said disdainfully, "Suddenly, everything feels meaningless. All that hard work in the past is now a thing of the past. For the future, I'll just take it one step at a time." Seeing him so depressed, Luo Hao couldn't help but ask, "What are your plans next? A lot of headhunters are keeping an eye on you." Yu Chuanbei smiled indifferently and said, "I haven't wanted to return to that circle in recent years. Of course, I'm afraid I won't be able to go back in a few years. But it doesn't matter. I want to go scuba diving, but I never had the opportunity before. From now on, I'll just go wherever my drift ends up, and that's fine too." "What are you talking about!" Luo Hao was a little anxious, and he even picked up his brother-in-law's manners to scold him: "It's so irresponsible for you to think like that! Although you have three older sisters, you are your parents' only biological son. Back then, when you were young and full of energy in college, you might have enjoyed some extreme sports, but now that you are old, you should have matured. Why are you still thinking about suicidal things? Your parents are old, how can you bear to let them live in fear for you all day long?" Yu Chuanbei's dim eyes drooped, falling on the gray carpet...
Yu Jinnan knew clearly that she shouldn't have accepted Luo Hao's proposal, but she couldn't bear to sever her ties with him as quickly as before. So the two of them entered a kind of standby mode, not completely shut off, but not always operating smoothly either. The screen was black, but the background was constantly connected.
As long as the conditions permit, the two people will definitely go to each other's city to meet. The passion will remain the same every time, and then they will spend a few days together. The short-lived sweetness is like the rare candy in the ordinary life, hidden in the innermost pocket. You can lick it quietly when no one is around, and the sweetness will last for a long time in your heart, nourishing the rest of your life.
Luo Hao's own love model is peculiar, but when observing the love journey of Yu Chuanbei and Ling Ling, he would rather his own relationship last a long and leisurely time than have such a heart-wrenching entanglement with them.
Witnessing Yu Chuanbei and Ling Ling's sweet love and tragic breakup, and then Ling Ling's new partner Zhong Mingtong, Luo Hao couldn't help but sigh. Jin Nan's absence occupied the most of his time, and when he had some free time, he would often go to Yu Chuanbei for a drink to relieve his boredom.
At first, Yu Chuanbei could still maintain his usual rationality and composure, but gradually, he found that something was wrong with that guy.
"Hey, why did you resign from Ever? Why do you have to act on impulse because of a temporary personnel change? After all, you have worked there for so many years." In the dim bar, Luo Hao specially ordered a private room, ready to persuade him.
Yu Chuanbei tilted his head back and took a long sip of his drink. His gaze languidly fell on the a cappella singer on the stage outside the glass fence. He said disdainfully, "Suddenly, everything feels meaningless. All that hard work in the past is now a thing of the past. For the future, I'll just take it one step at a time."
Seeing him so depressed, Luo Hao couldn't help but ask, "What are your plans next? Many headhunters are keeping an eye on you."
Yu Chuanbei smiled calmly and said, "I haven't wanted to return to that circle in recent years. Of course, I'm afraid I won't be able to go back in a few years. But it doesn't matter. I want to go scuba diving, but I never had the opportunity before. From now on, I'll just go wherever my drift ends up, and that's fine too."
"What are you talking about!" Luo Hao was a little anxious, and he even picked up his brother-in-law's manners to scold him: "It's so irresponsible for you to think like that! Although you have three older sisters, you are your parents' only biological son. When you were young and energetic in college, you might have played some extreme sports, but now you are at your age and should be mature. Why are you always thinking about suicidal things? Your parents are old, how can you bear to let them live a life of fear for you all day long?"
Yu Chuanbei's dim eyes dropped to the neon lights flickering on the gray carpet. He spoke with a strained voice, "I'm unfilial, but..." He paused for a long time before continuing, "Ever since Lingling and I lost our child, I often dream of her. She lay alone on the operating table. Sometimes the forceps would pull out a bloody dead fetus, sometimes an angelic baby. Sometimes Lingling would curse me like crazy, and sometimes she would act naughty in front of me like she used to."
At this point, Yu Chuanbei choked up. He did not let his grief overflow, but raised his face again and looked at the bizarre dance floor with an expressionless face.
Hearing him say this, Luo Hao didn't know how to comfort him, so he could only say: "If you can't cope with it yourself, you should go see a psychiatrist. Going on like this is not a solution."
Yu Chuanbei forced a sad, cold smile. "I've been there before. The doctor told me to do something that would truly relax me, so I decided to go deep diving again. So don't try to persuade me. I'm just following the doctor's orders."
Luo Hao rolled his eyes at him and said that his joke was not funny at all.
Yu Chuanbei took another big sip of wine. As the bottle was almost empty, he asked the question he had been thinking about for a long time: "How is she? Is she doing well recently?"
Luo Hao looked at his dejected appearance and said unhappily, "If you're worried, just go ask! I can be your news tree when you're in love, but it's been so long since we broke up. I'd rather be a dead tree somewhere else and meet spring."
Yu Chuanbei sighed and said nothing more. He just put down the empty bottle and reached out to get new wine.
"That's enough. Don't you want to play extreme sports? How can you play if you drink yourself to death?" Luo Hao wanted to stop him, but he pushed his hand away and ignored him.
Seeing that he wasn't enjoying his drink, Luo Hao had no choice but to give in and continue passing on information: "Ling Ling broke up with that Doctor Zhong a few months ago. She's having a hard time at the company either. President Fang parachuted in an old overseas returnee, who's directly oppressing Ling Ling. He's cunning and treacherous, and he's been treating her badly."
Yu Chuanbei digested the news, breaking down her experiences in her mind. However, she would not allow him to interfere with any of it. "Actually, I saw her last week. At the 'Qiyu' restaurant."
Luo Hao was very surprised to hear him say this: "Then she didn't tell you that she had broken up?"
"No." Yu Chuanbei said dejectedly, "The problem between her and me was never actually Zhong Mingtong. It's just that I realized it too late. But Ling Ling obviously knew it, so I can understand her intention of not telling me about it. We probably won't be together in this lifetime."
"Not really. Didn't you always tell me when we were in college that young people shouldn't talk about life-long events all the time? No one can predict the distant future." Luo Hao said in a mature tone.
"She won't forgive me." He said in a low voice.
"Maybe she doesn't want to forgive you, but she just hasn't given herself enough reasons."
Luo Hao's words made Yu Chuanbei's heart tremble for a moment, but then he felt disappointed and felt that he was not worthy of such a slim hope.
"How about I go and help you persuade her again?" Luo Hao asked tentatively.
Yu Chuanbei hurriedly shook his head and said, "Don't do that. It'll put her in a dilemma. It's already very difficult for her to be alone." He didn't want Luo Hao to accompany him in the muddy emotions anymore. He tried to appear more cheerful and asked him, "Don't talk about me all the time. How about you and my second sister? I've been talking to her on the phone recently, and she often mentions you."
"Really?" Luo Hao leaned forward, his eyes shining. "What did she say about me?"
Yu Chuanbei dodged backwards in disdain and said, "I can't remember clearly, because she didn't specifically mention you or anything about you. She just mentioned a certain time when we made an appointment, and when we talked about mailing something to her, she said you had already bought it for her."
"Look, look, true feelings are revealed in everyday family matters! What does this mean? It means that I have completely integrated into Jinnan's life, the kind that is inseparable." Luo Hao raised his eyebrows at him proudly.
Yu Chuanbei found him so amusing that he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Luo Hao, you said you've been around so many women over the years, so how can you still maintain such a lasting passion for Jinnan?"
"Alas, there's nothing I can do." He stretched himself, then leaned back on the sofa, his arms and legs spread wide. His gaze at the ceiling was filled with the youthful longing of a young man. "Love is such a strange thing, it comes and goes as it pleases, but it can also linger and linger forever. Isn't that the charm of love? I've also tried to find someone similar, to make do with my life, to complete a life that everyone is satisfied with. But, like you said, it's boring."
Yu Chuanbei shook his head and smiled, clinking glasses with him, then said, "I think you and my second sister are quite suitable. She's not as carefree as she appears to be, and is actually quite stubborn. It's a good thing that she met a man as persistent as you. But for her to make the final decision, she still needs more support."
"For example?" Luo Hao sat up straight and asked.
"Let me think about it for you." Yu Chuanbei said generously.
Luo Hao excitedly grasped his shoulders and said gratefully, "Yu Chuanbei, thank you! Don't worry, if you're not in China, I'll definitely take good care of Ling Ling for you. I'll take care of your wife, children, and the rest of the family. If she ever looks for Doctor Zhong, Doctor Shang, or Doctor Xia again, I'll find out and send you the news."
"Get out!" Yu Chuanbei pushed Luo Hao away rudely, almost making him fall onto the carpet.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
In the coffee shop of "Dialogue Beyond Time and Space - Artist Lingxu's Art Exhibition", Ling Ling had just left, and the coffee she had been holding in her palm had completely cooled down. Looking at the resolute expression on her pale face, he said to her seriously: "Sister Jinnan, tell me all the ways and channels you have used to contact him before. I will try them one by one. I must find him." Yu Jinnan suddenly felt that the power of love can be both overwhelming and majestic.
She watched Ling Ling leave in a hurry. The empty streets of Berlin in early winter were desolate and silent. She leaned against the window and looked at the empty distance for a long time.
Ling Ling went to pursue Yu Chuanbei. If God favored them and allowed them to meet, Jin Nan believed that would be the most beautiful ending in the world. After all these years and all these things, looking back, it was still that person. How lucky!
She felt a sudden sense of emptiness in her heart. If she looked back, which man would it be? She had such a man in her heart. No one could say he wasn't shrewd, but whenever he was in her presence, he always seemed foolish and reckless. Ten years of love, precipitated by the years, was still as sincere and passionate as ever. She didn't know if she would be lucky enough to continue this ten-year love in this life.
A man appeared at the end of the quaint streetscape, and Yu Jinnan's scattered eyes gradually focused. The tall figure shrank a little, as if he had never been able to find the right clothes to wear after changing time zones to see her.
Jinnan walked out of the exhibition hall and hurried to meet him, feeling a mixture of confusion and surprise: "Why are you here?" Her pupils dilated and contracted, and she looked cute in his eyes.
Luo Hao held her cold hand with his right hand, and waved a ticket at her with his left hand, saying, "Yu Chuanbei sent me a ticket to Ling Ling's father's painting exhibition. He only said that I could see you, so I came."
Jin Nan punched his chest again in an angry tone, complaining, tears streaming down her face. "You! How come you always exceed my expectations?"
"Do you like it?" Luo Hao lowered his eyebrows and smiled, then pecked her lightly on the lips.
Jin Nan stared at him intently with tearful eyes until he felt somewhat uncomfortable. Then she said solemnly, "Luo Hao, I want to return home."
Luo Hao asked in surprise: "Return to China? What are you going to do?"
Seeing his stupid look, Jinnan didn't want to bother with him anymore and angrily turned away.
Luo Hao suddenly came to his senses, stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and said, "Will you marry me when you return to China?"
Jin Nan raised her tearful eyes proudly, without commenting, and only asked him with a smile: "What do you think?"
Luo Hao grabbed her hand, letting them both stand firmly. He looked straight at her and asked, "What's the reward if I guess correctly?"
Jin Nan stood on tiptoe and kissed him hard on the lips. Luo Hao was startled, his heart pounding and he flew up to the blue sky.
A lingering kiss fell on her lips, and the sucking and rubbing were all telling.
The seven-year itch and ten-year enlightenment, for Luo Hao and Yu Jinnan in this time zone, are just the beginning of a new life. How wonderful it would be to spend the rest of their lives with warm words morning and night, and quietly watching the passing years after thousands of sails have passed!
Author's Note
Liu Qiu
author
08-20
Officially finished. Thank you to everyone who has read this far. This 500,000-word journey took over ten years to write. May we all find good people, good things, and good days when we look up.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
