"He Yang, I'm getting tired of chasing after you, but you haven't turned back for me, not even for a moment. Marriage is just a reason to keep chasing after you. You didn't refuse, but I'm afraid. I'm afraid that this marriage contract won't be able to bind you, and that it will all be for nothing in the end."
A woman's marriage is a gamble; if she wins, everyone is happy; if she loses, only regret remains. In our relationship, unequal contributions only deplete each other. In the end, all that's left is mutual harm, wasted youth, and no desired outcome. Why bother?
I want to let go. I'll set you free, and you'll let me go without looking back. Let time settle this relationship. Although there will be reluctance and sadness, it will all eventually fade away.
Our relationship started ambiguously, so let it end clearly. I will compile your salary card information and all the expenses we incurred together, and leave them to you.
These words were spoken to He Yang, and also to Xiang Wan herself. A relationship destined to have no future is better left unresolved, letting it drift away with the wind.
Xiang Wan had considered trying to win him back, or even salvage his heart. But she had done so much for him, and he had taken it all for granted, accepting her sacrifices without ever questioning the reasons behind them. She was human too; she needed to be cared for and loved. These three years of quiet, selfless devotion were enough; Xiang Wan had been true to her feelings.
He Yang can't even see his own heart clearly. He has someone he likes but doesn't dare to pursue her, yet he doesn't know how to reject those who like him. Even if An Shui'er weren't in the story, there would be Li Shui'er, Wang Shui'er, Zhou Shui'er—plenty of people would like someone like him. Why would he be missing Xiang Wan?
Withdraw before leaving any regrets, cut the Gordian knot decisively, and once the pain is over, you'll come to your senses.
He Yang stared silently into the distance, remaining silent for a long time.
A gentle breeze ruffled his hair, his profile so clear in the sunlight, seemingly within reach yet forever out of reach. Xiang Wan stared at him, tracing his profile with her eyes, over and over, her heart aching unbearably. This man she loved with all her might was about to be pushed away by her own hands, severed from her forever, their paths diverging completely. Who could understand the pain in her heart?
Before tears blurred her vision, Xiang Wan tightly closed her eyes, forcing herself not to look, constantly convincing herself that what she was doing was right, that as long as she was ruthless, she could just harden her heart!
“If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as a yes. Yangzi, let me call you that one last time. I’ll be moving out in the next couple of days. Remember to bring in the clothes that are hanging out to dry, and eat on time. Even if you’re alone, don’t let your life become a mess.”
Xiang Wan was afraid she couldn't stay here any longer; she feared she would soften and turn back. She knew that if He Yang said just one more word to persuade her to stay, all the courage and strength she had feigned would crumble.
As evening approached, tears blurred her vision, but her ears were unusually sensitive; she could still hear He Yang's breathing, so close yet so far away.
Even as his feet touched the marble floor of the square, He Yang didn't utter a single word, not even a call of her name! Xiang Wan laughed self-deprecatingly. Knowing He Yang wouldn't do that, what was there to hope for? In matters of the heart, he was far too cowardly, only capable of blindly yielding, even failing to agree to her suggestion of breaking up. At this moment, Xiang Wan realized how foolish she had been in her own story. If she hadn't acted out of resentment, she probably would never have chosen to wake up from her despair.
What a painful realization! At this moment, Xiang Wan didn't want to think about anything. She just wanted to find something to do, to be so tired that she couldn't speak. That way, she wouldn't think about anything, and perhaps her heart wouldn't hurt so much.
The square was still sparsely populated, with only a few elderly people and a few young parents with children. Xiang Wan took out the kite and began assembling it on the spot. Several children from the neighborhood saw this and came over to watch.
Xiang Wan carefully arranged the kite, attached the string, and held it in her hand. It was a butterfly kite, about half her height, which rose very quickly when she ran.
The wind wasn't strong, so the kite couldn't fly very high. Xiang Wan, holding the string, ran around the square again and again. The kite rose and fell, fell and rose again, until a strong gust of wind blew, and the butterfly soared into the sky. The children watched the kite, clapping their hands with joy.
With no reason to run anymore, Xiang Wan tied the kite string to the railing in the square, watching the butterfly sway left and right in the wind, its long tail fluttering. The sky was clear, and white clouds were slowly drifting away into the distance with the wind. The children's faces had clean and bright smiles; just looking at the kite brought them the simplest kind of joy.
Xiang Wan's heart calmed down. The world was so vast, and she had never truly seen it. Before graduation, her focus was on her studies and future employment; after graduation, her focus was on He Yang. Only now did she truly set her sights on the scenery before her. She had missed so much, but thankfully, she had stopped in time. It was time to live the life she wanted!
By the time Xiang Wan came to her senses, it was already afternoon. People who had come to the mountaintop plaza came and went in waves. One child, however, remained. Xiang Wan walked over and said with a smile, "Little friend, this kite is for you."
"Thank you, Auntie!"
The child happily went to call his parents to come and see the kite, and Xiang Wan's smile crumbled: When did she become an "auntie"? Forgive her for not being able to accept it yet; in her heart, she still felt like a baby!
"Dear, please think about your real age! In ancient times, you could be a grandmother."
Xiang Wan's expression instantly turned serious, and she said in a deep voice, "Xiao Qi, was this scene entertaining?"
System: ...The host changes his mind too quickly. This system suddenly doesn't know how to respond or how to deal with this.
"Um, host, are you really going to just leave it at that?"
The system's timid question made Xiang Wan's heart itch; it would be a shame not to tease it a little.
"Sigh, if you have to treat your own life like a mission, what's there to cherish? Let him go, let's have some fun in this world, live it up, and if we die together in the end, it won't be a wasted life."
"W-wh-what? Host, don't scare me! Don't be so pessimistic! Even if He Yang is gone, there's still Li Yang and Zheng Yang. There are plenty of good men out there. Trying to kill yourself is the most shameful thing! If you're really not willing to accept it, you can always try to win him back. Don't take your life so lightly!"
"Ugh, you keep changing your mind, one minute you're saying you'll chase after me, the next you're saying you'll let go. I'm getting confused myself. Forget it, I might as well just die."
"No, please don't do anything rash. There are still so many worlds you haven't been to yet. Don't you want to find someone a thousand or ten thousand times better than He Yang and make him furious?"
"Oh? So, Xiao Qi, you really did it on purpose?"
Xiang Wan's eyes turned cold, and the system immediately fell silent: "I accidentally told the truth. Will I still be able to trick, uh, no, tease the host in the future?" It felt like she had dug her own hole and buried herself in it. Tears welled up in her eyes!
Xiang Wan was deeply troubled. She shouldn't have known about the future before returning to her own world, yet the system had given her a plot, and given her personality, the ending was almost identical to the plot. Clearly, the system was hiding something from her, and if she didn't take this opportunity to find out the cause and effect, the system would absolutely not let her off the hook!
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