Chapter 27 She couldn't let go; she hadn't truly moved on...
Tao Jiang's expression changed drastically; she never expected him to know about her relationship with Qin You.
“You’ve misunderstood,” she said, quickly regaining her composure despite Xie Xingzhi’s mocking gaze. “I’m friends with Yu Kui and Qin You, not the kind of relationship you’re thinking of.”
"Really?" Xie Xingzhi's lips curled slightly. "So naive?"
“Of course,” Tao Jiang forced a smile, “I have a very good relationship with Yu Kui.”
"Okay, I'll ask Yu Kui tomorrow and see if she knows about you and that childhood friend."
"You!" Realizing that Xie Xingzhi was playing her for a fool, Tao Jiang gritted her teeth inwardly. "Why are you asking about Yu Kui? My relationship with her is none of your business."
"Why do you think I should ask her?" Xie Xingzhi said with a half-smile. "Since you've gone to such lengths, of course I'll give you some face. Otherwise, all this charade would be for nothing."
Tao Jiang clenched her fists, never expecting him to be so stubborn.
“I’ve seen plenty of people like you,” Xie Xingzhi said, taking two steps toward her and lowering his voice. “You’d better stay away from Yu Kui, or don’t blame me for tearing off your mask. Who will be embarrassed then is anyone’s guess.”
After saying that, he lifted his foot and walked forward, not giving Tao Jiang a chance to speak again.
Tao Jiang was so angry that she trembled all over, but she didn't dare to confront him directly.
She sensed a kindred spirit in Xie Xingzhi; he was completely different from Qin You and was someone she couldn't control at all.
Tao Jiang watched his retreating figure with resentment. Why was Yu Kui always so lucky? Even without Qin You, there were still more outstanding men around her.
That's so enviable!
It was as if no matter what she did, she could not defeat Yu Kui; she could always get back up quickly and become better than before.
Tao Jiang lowered her eyelashes, wondering why she couldn't be a little luckier.
That day, Yu Kui finished explaining the problem to Xie Xingzhi at eight o'clock in the evening. She took a car home and ran into Qin You downstairs.
He stood under the streetlight, snowflakes falling all around him, and he seemed to have become a sculpture, feeling no cold at all.
Yu Kui subconsciously slowed her steps, wanting to pass by him quietly.
"I'm waiting for you," Qin You said in a hoarse voice.
Yu Kui stopped in her tracks, both surprised and puzzled. They hadn't spoken much since their falling out; what was he up to now?
Yu Kui stood still. Qin You slowly walked to her side and looked at her increasingly delicate features. He realized that a year had passed since they broke up. Yu Kui had also gradually lost the baby fat on her face and become more and more beautiful.
In his memory, their argument seemed to have happened just last month. He clearly remembered what they said and how heartbroken Yu Kui was at that time.
"Why did you stop me?" It was very cold outside, and Yu Kui didn't want to talk in the snow, as it would remind her of many bad memories.
Qin You stopped two steps away from her, and could clearly see Yu Kui's beautiful face. Unlike Tao Jiang, her features were soft, reminiscent of fresh jasmine blooming in summer, pure white and fragrant.
Qin You's impression of her also underwent a subtle change, a change he had never truly grasped.
He frowned and asked, "Why are you so late today?"
A hint of surprise flashed across Yu Kui's eyes. How could he speak to her in such a familiar voice, as if they had never had any conflict?
"I'm studying in the classroom," Yu Kui said, suppressing the flutter in her heart. "Why are you asking this?"
"Really?" Qin You asked instead of answering, "Are you going to study on your own, or hang out with those second-rate, bad students?"
Yu Kui froze. "What do you mean?"
“You’re in your final year of high school, you know how important time is,” Qin You said in a deep voice. “That guy is harassing you every day, isn’t he just trying to make you fall into depravity with him? How can you associate with him?”
The subtle expectation in Yu Kui's heart vanished instantly, and her eyes turned cold. "You waited here for me just to say this?"
"Otherwise what?" Qin You said expressionlessly, "Although I really don't want to get involved in your affairs, at least I have no ill intentions towards you. That person is one of the worst students in the science class. His intentions towards you are impure. You'd better not have anything to do with him anymore."
Yu Kui didn't speak. She looked at Qin You, whose eyes were sharp, and felt that her "expectation" just now was ridiculous.
How could he possibly take the initiative to reconcile with her? He's just using their past friendship as an excuse to belittle her current friends.
How ironic.
“We broke up a long time ago,” she said, not looking him in the eye, but feeling as if a dark rain had fallen in her heart. “You have no right to ask me about my friendships.”
“He’s not suitable to be your friend,” Qin You said earnestly. “He will only hold you back from your studies.”
“This has nothing to do with you,” Yu Kui disliked his helpless and hypocritical demeanor, as if she had committed some heinous crime. “My affairs have long been none of your business.”
"Stubborn to the end!" Qin You's chest heaved violently a few times. "I'm only reminding you because of the past. You'll be led astray by him sooner or later if you continue like this."
"What's it to you?" Yu Kui met his eyes and asked coldly, "What gives you the right to say that?"
"I……"
"If you have nothing to do, you can spend more time studying. You, who are ranked over 100th in the grade, have no right to ask me about being number one in the grade. We are no longer friends."
"Yu Kui!" Qin You's eyes turned red with anger. "I came to remind you out of kindness!"
"No need!" Yu Kui didn't want to listen to him repeat those nonsense in her ear. "You don't know him, you don't know how determined he is to study, so why do you deny someone's efforts?"
Qin You stood there, stunned. He never imagined that one day Yu Kui would argue with him over someone unrelated.
From childhood to adulthood, Mingming always listened to him the most, and she always supported him no matter what he said.
But now—
“If you’re deliberately trying to tell me this, then there’s no need to continue,” Yu Kui said, seemingly oblivious to the disappointment in his eyes. “I’m not a child anymore. I know what kind of friends I want to make, and I don’t need you to tell me what to do.”
"But he's clearly holding you back."
"Did you see my grades drop?" Yu Kui asked him back. "I not only helped him, but also helped many other classmates. These were all choices I made when I had the capacity. I know what I'm doing, and it's not as blind as you imagine."
"My relationship with him isn't as sordid as you imagine."
Instead of wasting time thinking nonsense, you should focus your energy on yourself and take a look at yourself now.
After saying this, Yu Kui lifted her foot and continued walking forward. She felt that stopping to listen to Qin You was a complete waste of time; she should have left after hearing his first words.
"Yu Kui..." Qin You called out to her instinctively, "Are you and him really just friends?"
He didn't know why he asked that question, but whenever he thought of Xie Xingzhi, his heart felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and he couldn't get rid of it no matter what.
Yu Kui paused for a moment, but did not explain anything, and stepped into the building.
Qin You stood there, snowflakes falling on him. He felt no joy in speaking his mind, only a deep sense of melancholy.
He didn't know why he was acting so strangely. It was as if a crack had appeared in his heart since the day Yu Kui left, and as time went by, it not only failed to heal but became more and more painful.
Did he do something wrong?
Qin You kept reflecting on his initial decision. If he hadn't said those resolute words, he and Yu Kui would probably still be as close as before, and these troubles wouldn't have appeared in his life out of nowhere.
Did he really do something wrong?
Qin You couldn't explain it clearly. He started to imagine if he could do it all over again, would he still be so ruthless? But he couldn't give a perfect answer.
Perhaps this is something that must be given up in the process of growing up; he shouldn't continue to waste his time on Yu Kui.
Back home, Yu Kui had no interest in studying. She remembered how Qin You would get upset when she played with other children when she was little. He would forcefully pull her away and stubbornly say, "If you play with them, I won't be your friend anymore."
Yu Kui asked him, bewildered, why?
Without hesitation, Qin You replied, "Because I only have one best friend. If you treat them as well as you treat me, I won't like you anymore."
At that time, Yu Kui did not understand children's possessiveness, but she was closest to Qin You, so she subconsciously reduced her contact with other children and regarded Qin You as her best friend.
In her opinion, Qin You cared about her so much, and she couldn't let him be sad.
Perhaps it was because of the deep impression she had from her childhood, or perhaps she had already secretly fallen for him long ago.
She always subconsciously accommodated his preferences and regarded him as the only one in her heart.
Even though she later had many opportunities to make friends with many people, she always restrained herself and refused, because she knew Qin You would be unhappy and she didn't want to disappoint him.
Even though this friendship came with its own set of constraints, she accepted it willingly.
But now, they've drifted apart.
Even though she no longer needed to care about what he was thinking, Yu Kui's mood was still affected.
Although she didn't say it, she always hoped that Qin You would one day turn around and apologize to her, saying that his decision was wrong and that they could start over and be best friends again.
Even if it's not the romantic relationship she once fantasized about, even if he will never develop feelings for her beyond friendship, it doesn't matter.
They still go to school together, travel together, go to the universities they both dream of, and occasionally have meals together to talk about their recent troubles, just like before...
They still have so much to do, so why did things suddenly turn so bad?
Yu Kui felt she could never get over it. Even if she accepted the fact, she would always have questions in her heart.
They used to be so close, how could Qin You easily give up being friends with her?
Why is all this happening?
Perhaps, only when that answer appears will she be able to truly let go.
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