Chapter 33
Lu Yu didn't even need to do anything extra; he just needed to let them see his ordinary life with Gu Wan. That was enough.
Even though Gu Wan didn't care about these things, what did it matter? As long as they cared, it was sufficient.
Lu Yu was certain that boys of that age couldn't overcome that hurdle.
At this moment, Lu Yu looked down on the two of them from above like a superior being, his gaze contemptuous, his behavior and demeanor utterly without mercy or pity.
He could disregard them, but he couldn't truly be careless.
For the rest of the meal, Xiao Chi and Gao Mingqian could barely swallow their food. Though Lu Yu didn't say much, his occasional comments made the two acutely aware of the gap between them.
At thirty years old, Lu Yu had already achieved fame and success. But what was Xiao Chi, not yet twenty, doing with his life? Sports, travel, studying - before this, Xiao Chi had never thought there was anything wrong with these pursuits. He had even considered himself quite accomplished among his peers.
But that was limited to his peers. The man before him surpassed him in every aspect - knowledge, ability, wealth, status... Every second made Xiao Chi acutely aware that he and Gu Wan were not from the same world.
Xiao Chi was uncontrollably pained by this brutal reality.
He was in agony, but powerless to change anything.
Beside him, Gao Mingqian was more worldly-wise, but due to his limited life experience, he was similarly affected.
They didn't yet understand that matters of the heart weren't like hunting, and Gu Wan wasn't prey to be claimed by the strongest hunter. There was no rule that the powerful automatically deserved everything. Some people admired strength, but unfortunately, not everyone did. The weak were never a prize for the victor.
Even Lu Yu had only recently come to understand this.
Looking at the two who resembled caged beasts, Lu Yu took another small sip from his cup.
...
"I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well. I might need to go back to the hotel first," Xiao Chi finally surrendered under Lu Yu's casual gaze.
Gao Mingqian's face had also turned slightly pale.
It wasn't humiliation - Lu Yu hadn't even deliberately tried to shame them. Reality was simply too brutal, far beyond what they could bear at their age.
This place, which they could never reach no matter how hard they tried in their entire lives, made them feel suffocated.
Gao Mingqian barely maintained his composure, politely bidding farewell to Gu Wan and Lu Yu.
Gu Wan vaguely sensed something, but because her guess seemed too absurd, she couldn't be certain for the moment.
Regardless, everything still seemed normal on the surface. As one of the hosts, Gu Wan felt obliged to see them off out of courtesy.
However, just as she stood up and hadn't even reached the door, she heard a dull thud.
Gu Wan turned back to see Lu Yu, who had been fine just moments ago, now with his eyes tightly shut, having collapsed onto the table.
Startled, Gu Wan retracted her steps and rushed back, her first reaction to check on Lu Yu's condition.
As she reached out, she immediately felt a burning heat.
Only then did Gu Wan remember that Lu Yu was still ill.
Meanwhile, outside the restaurant.
As they stepped out of the restaurant doors, Xiao Chi and Gao Mingqian gradually felt the chill of the night wind.
After waiting for a long time without hearing any sound from behind, the last hidden hope in their hearts completely vanished.
Xiao Chi and Gao Mingqian took a taxi back to the hotel.
Seeing the two return, Xia Xue and the others, unaware of what had transpired that day, asked curiously, "Huh? Why are you back so late today?"
Xia Xue's gaze grew suspicious: "Don't tell me little sister Wan gave you two special treatment again?" After a week, the girls had noticed that these two were shamelessly clingy, always trying to get Gu Wan to go out with them alone.
"By the way, where's little sister Wan? I don't see her."
Xia Xue kept chattering, but Xiao Chi clearly couldn't hear her anymore.
As the two approached, Xia Xue and the others who were playing cards finally noticed their strange expressions and immediately fell silent.
Xiao Chi's mind was in turmoil, and he really wasn't in the mood to explain to them. So he forced a slight smile and said, "Ask him if you want to know," then went upstairs.
Before Xia Xue and the others could inquire further, Gao Mingqian spoke expressionlessly: "This afternoon, her husband came."
Shock!!
"What?! Little sister Wan is already married?!!!"
Caught off guard, Xia Xue dropped the cards she was holding, but at this moment she was too stunned to care about her good hand.
However, Xia Xue didn't press further. Although she was curious, she wasn't the type to poke at others' wounds.
Xiao Chi had never hidden his special feelings for Gu Wan. Almost all the classmates who had interacted with him could see that his behavior towards Gu Wan was completely different from how he treated others at school. Xia Xue and her friends naturally understood his feelings.
As for Gao Mingqian, though this guy hadn't shown it openly and wasn't the type to do so, there was still a subtle feeling about him.
So the news that Gu Wan was already married was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for everyone.
Even Xia Xue and the others couldn't accept it for a moment, let alone Xiao Chi.
Gao Mingqian only said this one sentence, then nodded to everyone and left.
Xia Xue and the others watched Gao Mingqian leave.
After a long while, someone finally spoke with difficulty: "...If I remember correctly, Xiao Chi was planning to confess in the next couple of days, right?"
It was said that he had even bought a confession gift.
Xiao Chi wasn't a person with complicated thoughts. On the contrary, he was quite simple, so it was hard for him to hide his intentions from so many people.
At these words, everyone fell silent.
Even at their inexperienced age, they felt a sense of heaviness at this moment.
As for Xiao Chi, when Gao Mingqian returned to the room, he found that Xiao Chi had already started packing his luggage.
It wasn't because he felt he couldn't save face, but because he realized that even knowing Gu Wan was married, he still couldn't control his gaze from falling on her, nor could he suppress the desire to be near her.
But this wasn't right.
Xiao Chi wasn't usually an impulsive person, but when it came to Gu Wan, he often did things that were out of character.
So Xiao Chi could only choose to distance himself.
Hearing the rustling of clothes, Gao Mingqian sat on the sofa, staring into space, murmuring almost inaudibly, "See? I told you, people from different worlds, don't have too much hope, or it won't end well." It wasn't clear if he was talking about Xiao Chi or himself.
Xiao Chi didn't respond, perhaps he couldn't even hear what others were saying at this point.
In the end, Gao Mingqian booked the same high-speed train as Xiao Chi.
As they were leaving, Xiao Chi, pulling his suitcase, looked at the carefully wrapped small box by the entrance. After a moment, he finally made a move.
With a light tossing motion, the small box landed steadily in the room's trash can.
Some things, if not said early on, need never be said at all.
It was a beautiful, perfect three-pointer.
With a soft click, the hotel room door closed, signaling the abrupt end of what seemed like a heaven-sent dream.
Their summer had ended prematurely.
Looking at the farewell message on her phone that sounded as if nothing had happened, Gu Wan thought for a moment, but ultimately didn't reply.
Later, Xia Xue and the others met their "little sister Wan's" husband with extremely complicated feelings, only to discover... damn, their two classmates hadn't lost unfairly.
It was a kind of mature male charm that young men lacked, especially since he seemed to be ill, hard yet somewhat fragile, with a slight sickly air that was absolutely killer.
The group, originally quite uncomfortable with the situation, accepted reality over the course of one meal.
Compared to Xiao Chi and Gao Mingqian, Lu Yu had a completely different attitude towards Xia Xue and the others.
Although Lu Yu's eyes changed for a moment upon seeing Xia Xue's personality and learning her surname, as mentioned before, it was only for an instant.
Love extends to all things associated; because of affection, even someone with a slight resemblance would unconsciously be favored a bit more.
So Xia Xue only felt a slight chill down her back, but before she could sense anything amiss, Lu Yu had already withdrawn his gaze.
Among everyone, An Jinyue, who had once harbored a secret crush on Xiao Chi, was probably the quietest.
Logically, she should have felt resentment, but she also knew that the two of them were from completely different worlds, which made her feel even more sorrowful.
So in the end, An Jinyue simply handed over to Gu Wan the box she had painstakingly retrieved from the trash can.
After that, An Jinyue didn't say a single extra word and just turned and left.
But Gu Wan still guessed who the box originally belonged to. In fact, when she didn't see Xiao Chi with Gao Mingqian today, she pretty much understood that her previous speculation wasn't merely a guess.
Gu Wan held the box, suddenly feeling a moment of disorientation.
However, Gu Wan likewise didn't look at what was inside the box. She also chose to throw the box into the trash can.
Only, Gu Wan hesitated for a moment in between.
Hearing the sound of a heavy object falling after about ten seconds, An Jinyue, who was at the door, inexplicably let out a long sigh.
An Jinyue's emotions were in turmoil, so chaotic that she didn't know why she was doing this. She only knew to choose a secluded spot, but didn't pay attention to her surroundings at all.
When Gu Wan turned her head again, she saw Lu Yu standing in the shadows of the fire escape, not knowing how long he had been watching.
Gu Wan was startled, then smiled.
As she walked closer, Lu Yu suddenly asked, "Do you like him... or them?"
Gu Wan shook her head without hesitation.
Lu Yu pressed his lips together, his whole person suddenly relaxing.
However, after that, he heard her say, "But actually, when I was with Xiao Chi, I did have happy moments."
She just like that, spoke her true feelings.
Gu Wan was truly a very honest person.
As if she hadn't noticed the momentary stiffness of the man beside her, Gu Wan said, "So I'm very sorry."
Lu Yu pulled at the corners of his mouth, not knowing what expression he should show for a moment. After a long while, he finally said, "...Are you asking for my forgiveness?"
At first, Gu Wan wanted to say that if it was in her capacity as a wife, yes, she indeed shouldn't have done this.
But after careful consideration, Gu Wan found that she didn't actually feel much shame.
She didn't know if it was because of her outing, or if her moral standards in this area were just not very high to begin with.
It seemed that a person without many attachments or vulnerabilities was indeed hard to be constrained by conventional morality. She had always only cared about whether she was willing or not, not about whether something could be done or not. Even morality could no longer bind her.
So her apology was truly just an apology. As for whether Lu Yu forgave her or not, Gu Wan found that she didn't seem to care much.
If he was willing to accept it, then accept it. She could still be a perfect wife. If he wasn't willing to accept it, then so be it. He could do whatever he wanted.
Perhaps because she had been silent for too long, Lu Yu also obtained an answer from her silence. So Gu Wan quickly discovered that the man beside her began to tremble.
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