Chapter Twenty-One: Betrayal
Lin Yu didn't have much of an impression of Qu Lei; he first met him when Yao Fangfang entered university. At that time, Yao Fangfang's father had remarried and his attitude towards her had become increasingly indifferent, so Qu Lei took on the role of her father and came to send Yao Fangfang to register.
Lin Yu remembered that day, Qu Lei drove a two-door sports car and parked it downstairs in the apartment building. It was very eye-catching, so eye-catching that even though Lin Yu didn't recognize the brand, he could tell from the car's appearance that it was very expensive.
He specially set aside a day to busy himself with Yao Fangfang's enrollment procedures at the school. Anyone who saw him would think that she had found a perfect boyfriend. Even a frown could make him drop his work and rush over to serve her.
But this way of getting along was ultimately unbalanced. The scales of their relationship seemed to have tipped when Qu Lei punched Zhang Yunzhou, and that was the first time Yao Fangfang saw clearly that her seemingly attentive boyfriend harbored such terrible violence within him.
Qu Lei was like a firecracker, easily ignited, with a strong and domineering personality, but his temper flared up and subsided quickly. After throwing that punch, he saw Lin Yu and Chen Guang not far away.
He had some impression of Lin Yu, having often heard Yao Fangfang mention him, and immediately understood the ins and outs of the matter, calming himself down instantly.
But Yao Fangfang had been tolerating Qu Lei's temper for a long time. In the past, the quarrels between the couple were just minor squabbles, but today's punch was the straw that broke the camel's back.
So no matter how humbly he pleaded for reconciliation from behind, and even when Zhang Yunzhou stepped forward and generously said he would no longer pursue the matter, Yao Fangfang remained silent with a stern face.
Qu Lei had never been humiliated in front of so many people before, and the smile on his face gradually froze. "Fine, very well," he nodded softly, straightened his back, which was always slightly leaning forward when facing Yao Fangfang, and resolutely turned and left.
For the first time ever, Qu Lei didn't contact Yao Fangfang for a week, and the two fell into the longest period of cold war since they started dating. It was like a silent tug-of-war, and neither of them knew which one would give up first.
The day after the incident, Yao Fangfang called Zhang Yunzhou to inquire about his injuries, apologize for the punch she caused, and promised to cover all his medical expenses.
Zhang Yunzhou refused outright, maintaining basic decorum even after learning that Yao Fangfang had a boyfriend. "It's not a serious injury, you don't need to worry about it. If you need help, you can contact me anytime."
Zhang Yunzhou's magnanimity served as a mirror, highlighting Qu Lei's frivolity and despicable nature, prompting Yao Fangfang to re-evaluate this person for the first time.
Perhaps some people's gentleness and consideration are just superficial. True cultivation should be like Zhang Yunzhou, who, even after suffering such an undeserved disaster, can still preserve the last bit of dignity for both the perpetrator and himself.
With the school officially entering summer break, Yao Fangfang packed a few personal belongings and returned to her father's and stepmother's old house.
When his daughter returned, the father showed a hint of surprise, while the stepmother gave her a meaningful look, and then pretended to be enthusiastic as she made room for her in her bedroom, which had long been turned into a storage room, just big enough for a person to stand in.
Yao Fangfang remained silent throughout, arms crossed, coldly watching her stepmother's feigned busyness. After her stepmother finished tidying up the bedroom, she silently closed the door and lay back on the single bed she had slept on as a child.
The bed was covered in dust. She listened to the suppressed arguing between her father and stepmother outside the door, closed her eyes, and let exhaustion drag her into sleep.
......
Probably no one could have imagined that Qu Lei would one day betray Yao Fangfang, not even she herself had anticipated it. Before this, she always believed that all the problems between the two had nothing to do with others.
There was still no phone call or text message from Qu Lei. Two weeks was enough time for all the anger to subside, and after calming down, Yao Fangfang used this time for some rare self-reflection.
She thought that perhaps she also had to bear half the responsibility for this farce, since it was she who got too close to other boys first, which led Qu Lei to do such an outrageous thing.
He has always been impulsive and easily angered, and Yao Fangfang was well aware of this, but he was indeed wholeheartedly devoted to her.
Over the years they've been together, Yao Fangfang wasn't an emotionless machine; she was just used to Qu Lei's submissive and accommodating nature, repeatedly admitting her mistakes and apologizing for their arguments, until this time.
Perhaps she never truly cared about Qu Lei's feelings. Thinking of this, Yao Fangfang decided to talk to him face to face and also advise him to communicate with others in a more civilized way in the future.
So, on the tenth day of their cold war, Yao Fangfang, using the excuse that Qu Lei's birthday was coming up, suddenly raided her boyfriend's villa.
As soon as she pushed open the door, she smelled a mixture of whiskey and unfamiliar perfume inside. The discomfort of her period caused her stomach to cramp.
The sound of clinking glasses and a girl's overly shrill laughter came from the living room. Yao Fangfang followed the sound and turned the corner in the entryway, where the scene before her instantly struck her.
Qu Lei lay half-reclined on the leather sofa, black stockings hanging loosely around his neck. A strange girl in a short skirt straddled his lap, tugging at his shirt collar with her bright red fingernails. The girl leaned down and their lips intertwined, the sounds particularly clear and nauseating in the quiet living room.
Yao Fangfang stood frozen in place, unable to move. Qu Lei heard the noise, turned his head and lifted his eyelids, only to meet her pale face.
His eyes, gleaming with intoxication, were frighteningly bright as he deliberately slipped his hand inside the girl's clothes. "Satisfied?" His hoarse voice reeked of alcohol.
Yao Fangfang felt as if all sensation had been drained from her. Cold liquid slid down her cheeks, forming a precarious droplet on her chin, but she remained oblivious. Her throat felt like it was blocked with a burning lump of coal, yet her whole body trembled with cold. "Why...?"
Qu Lei pushed the girl away from his arms, a glimmer of clarity flashing in his alcohol-blurred eyes.
He has been living in a drunken stupor for the past few days, attending drinking parties day after day, which makes him sleep more than he is sober, to the point that he often can't distinguish between dreams and reality.
He was embracing and kissing a strange girl he'd brought back from some bar, and for a moment, when he saw Yao Fangfang, he thought he was hallucinating again. It wasn't until he saw the helpless tear tracks on her face through his bloodshot eyes that he realized what was happening.
A bolt of lightning flashed past the window, turning the living room into an overexposed photograph. The glistening water droplets transformed into transparent bullets, which, with a deafening clap of thunder, instantly struck Qu Lei's paralyzed brain.
He sprang up from the sofa, pressing his hand to his throbbing temples. The real pain confirmed once again that he was not in a ridiculous dream.
The girl on top of him lost her balance and almost fell to the ground. She playfully tried to grab his arm, but Qu Lei shoved her away. "Get lost."
Large raindrops pounded against the window. He scrambled to his feet and fell to the ground, frantically apologizing and admitting his mistakes while grabbing Yao Fangfang's cold hand and repeatedly slapping it against his face.
"Fangfang, I'm sorry, I...I drank too much."
"I really don't remember anything, Fangfang."
"Please say something to me, I beg you."
Yao Fangfang looked up at Qu Lei kneeling at her feet. His absurd appearance made him seem like a complete stranger to her. She couldn't help but sneer, "So this is what you want. Then I have no choice but to grant your wish."
"Don't say such hurtful things, we're both angry." Qu Lei interrupted Yao Fangfang, hurriedly stretching out his arms to hug her stiff legs, trapping her in his embrace so she couldn't move.
"But I really didn't do anything, I was just drunk and confused."
"Fangfang, please believe me, give me a chance, please."
"You don't need my opportunity, Qu Lei. Leave me, plenty of people would be willing to give you this opportunity."
Let's break up.
Yao Fangfang remained unmoved. The once warm embrace now disgusted her. She just wanted to leave and preserve her last shred of dignity.
For a moment, Qu Lei knelt motionless in front of her, his back stiff, his face buried in Yao Fangfang's soft belly, his cheap tears spreading into a wet, warm patch on her clothes.
After a long pause, he finally made up his mind, lowered his arms that were hooked around Yao Fangfang, and looked up at her. The dim light from the living room shone from the side, illuminating his dark eyes and chapped lips.
“We’ve been together for three years and four months. Every time we argue, I’m the one who has to beg for reconciliation like a dog. You’re always aloof and treat even accepting my apology like charity.”
His Adam's apple bobbed violently a few times, and he suddenly grabbed Yao Fangfang's hand and pressed it to his chest. "Tell me, I've always been devoted to you!" His heart was pounding rapidly and erratically beneath his hand.
"But what about you? Do you love me, Qu Lei, as a person, or do you love my Porsche emblem?"
"Does he genuinely want to spend the rest of his life with me, or is he just looking for a well-off lackey to ensure a comfortable life for the rest of his days?"
Qu Lei's hysterical accusations were like a bucket of ice water, chilling Yao Fangfang to the bone. Looking at his distorted face, she suddenly felt utterly absurd. The past three years seemed like a meaningless farce; he had never even tried to understand her.
“If this is how you understand love, then I truly cannot reciprocate in the same way.” Her voice was soft, and dried tear tracks left crisscrossing marks on her cheeks.
"But Qu Lei, at this moment you should at least act like a man and honestly face your betrayal, instead of trying to use tears to shift the blame to others."
"You must learn to accept the punishment for your mistakes, and accept that this is the end for you and me."
Yao Fangfang finished speaking in a few words, turned around and pushed open the villa door, leaving Qu Lei, who was slumped on the ground, and the embarrassed third party behind her.
It was already pitch black outside, and the road home was blurred by the torrential rain. She trudged through the puddles as she made her way back.
The poplar trees lining the road swayed violently in the wind and rain, and fallen leaves mixed with rainwater pattered against her thin body. Her clothes, soaked with water, clung to her body, hanging heavily on her shoulders.
The villa area is far from the subway station, and it is difficult to hail a taxi due to the weather. Occasionally, cars will pass by in the distance, but none of them will stop for her.
The icy rainwater trickled down her hair and into her collar. She suddenly remembered that three years ago, Qu Lei had also waited in the rain in front of their school's teaching building, holding an umbrella that couldn't cover both of them, but tilting most of the umbrella towards her.
Back then, his eyes were full of love when he looked at her. Unlike now, which are filled with murky regret.
A bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, and Yao Fangfang looked up in anguish amidst the thunder. Rain washed over her delicate face, indistinguishable from tears; she could finally weep aloud, the downpour her perfect accomplice.
Yao Fangfang dragged her soaking wet body home, locked herself in the bathroom, took a thorough hot shower, and silently went back to her bedroom to sleep under the surprised gazes of her father and stepmother.
Due to her menstrual period and being caught in the rain, Yao Fangfang suddenly developed a fever in the middle of the night, with her temperature soaring to 40 degrees Celsius. Lying in bed, she was delirious with fever, but could only wrap her shivering body tightly with a thin summer blanket, her forehead soaked with sweat.
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