“Besides, Zhilu is already an adult, not a child. He…”

At that, Gu Jingye paused mid-sentence. Someone nursing a broken heart, even if not a child, could act impulsively and lose all reason — let alone with Zhilu being sick on top of that. Ningning chasing after him was actually a good thing.

He Qingxia pursed her lips. “Then I’ll call Ningning and let her know.”

Gu Jingye exhaled and raked a hand through his hair.

Heartbreak…

Heartbreak…

The tenderness in his eyes couldn’t be concealed as he glanced over at He Qingxia, who was making the call. She hung up and shot him a suspicious look.

“Ahem.” Gu Jingye cleared his throat. “What did Ningning say?”

He Qingxia pressed her lips together. “Wen Zhilu insisted on going home. Ningning took him to the airport — the ticket’s already booked.”

Gu Jingye pressed his lips together. “Does Ningning know that Xuan-ge is angry?”

“I told her. Ningning just said to go to the Xuan Residence and get the car keys from someone named Ye Jian, take out Wen Zhilu’s luggage, and bring it to her at the airport.”

Gu Jingye nodded. “Then let’s go.”

“Gu Xiao-Ye.” He Qingxia hesitated. “Just now you told me to look at it from a different angle — what do you think Ningning should have done? Dragging Xuan Yanyu along to chase after Wen Zhilu seems even more impossible, right?”

Gu Jingye shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Ignoring Wen Zhilu, after twenty years of friendship, would leave her conscience burdened. But going after him would inevitably make her boyfriend angry.

He Qingxia: “……”

——

The airport terminal.

Yan Yuning bought a purple rice bread and a bottle of mineral water from the airport convenience store and held them out to Wen Zhilu.

Wen Zhilu didn’t take them. He sat quietly on a long bench, head bowed, silently swallowing the lump rising in his throat.

Yan Yuning sat down beside him, tore open the bread wrapper, and pressed it into Wen Zhilu’s hand. “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have agreed to eat with you again and again, only to keep canceling.”

“Yan Yuning.” The young man’s voice was hoarse, his chest quietly aching. “When did you two get together? Does it have to be him?”

Seeing Wen Zhilu’s crestfallen expression, Yan Yuning felt a faint pang. “You… you…”

“What do you mean, ‘you, you.'” Wen Zhilu took a tearful bite of the bread. “You have a boyfriend now — who’s going to hang out with me every day? You won’t have meals with me anymore. I can’t ask you what to eat for every meal anymore.”

Yan Yuning laughed despite herself, her tone softening. “Of course you can. Me being in a relationship doesn’t change anything between us. You’re still my good friend, my little brother — same as Xiaxia and the others. The four of us — you, me, Xiaxia, Jingye — we can still go out to eat together.”

Wen Zhilu said slowly, his voice rough, “At the restaurant today, didn’t you leave halfway because he called you? The moment he called, you left. How can things possibly stay the same as before?”

“Can’t you break up with him?” The young man’s lashes trembled faintly.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Yan Yuning said, “Of course not. From now on, nothing like today will ever happen again — next time I’ll bring him along.”

The light in Wen Zhilu’s eyes went out. He laughed self-deprecatingly. “How long have you two even known each other?”

Why does love have no concept of who came first…

How did that cold shower fail to clear his head? This hurts so much…

“Drink some water.” Yan Yuning uncapped the bottle and placed it within Wen Zhilu’s reach.

The young man sniffled. His mouth felt as bitter as bitter melon. “Why aren’t you answering? Don’t you know Xuan Yanyu has an ex-girlfriend?”

Yan Yuning raised an eyebrow. “You mean Shiyao?”

“Yeah.” He took the mineral water and drank a large mouthful.

“That’s a misunderstanding among fans. Xuan Yanyu and Shiyao have nothing to do with each other.”

Wen Zhilu clenched his jaw slightly. “How can they have nothing to do with each other? He puts out a statement and you just believe it?”

Yan Yuning smiled. “Lulu, I just trust him. I believe everything he says — because I love him, and I want to be with him. So whatever he says, I believe him.”

The hand holding the mineral water bottle trembled, suddenly drained of all strength.

She said she trusts him.

She said she believes everything he says. She believes him…

She said she loves him and wants to be with him.

“Lulu, you’ll meet a girl who loves you someday. You’re wonderful — you deserve that.” Yan Yuning smiled brightly. “When that happens, we’ll all have dinner together.”

Wen Zhilu closed his eyes, and the last flicker of hope in them was extinguished entirely.

She was saying this to him like this. He didn’t dare ask whether she had guessed something, or whether she simply meant it plainly.

“Ningning.” He Qingxia came running over with Gu Jingye, dragging a suitcase behind her.

Yan Yuning stood up and took the red roses and the suitcase from He Qingxia’s arms, then smiled and held the bouquet out to Wen Zhilu. “Lulu, you’ll definitely find happiness too. Once you’re home, don’t forget to message me.”

The young man opened his eyes and held the flowers tightly to his chest. The PA system came to life as a female announcer called the boarding announcement. Wen Zhilu forced a smile, turned around, and walked away from Yan Yuning’s sight, one step at a time.

With his back turned, the young man stared down at the red roses in his arms, and his tears finally broke free, spilling from his eyes one drop at a time.

Long after, he still could never understand why twenty years of knowing each other couldn’t outweigh her little over half a month with Xuan Yanyu.

Once Wen Zhilu’s figure was out of sight, Yan Yuning grabbed He Qingxia and rushed toward the airport exit. “Get me back to the Xuan Residence quickly.”

“……” He Qingxia stumbled as Yan Yuning yanked her along. “Slow down, you’re going to fall.”

“It’s urgent!!”

“……” He Qingxia rolled her eyes. “You drop your friends the moment a man’s involved.”

Yan Yuning: “……”

——

The Xuan Residence.

Yan Yuning hurried into the main hall, and the first thing she saw was Xuan Zhaoran gripping A’Ci’s tie, saying something with clear displeasure on her face.

Yan Yuning cleared her throat.

“Miss Yan.” A’Ci’s expression flickered with embarrassment. He straightened up and stepped away from Xuan Zhaoran.

Yan Yuning curiously looked at the two of them a moment longer. If A’Ci was at the Xuan Residence, that meant Uncle was also home.

“Ningning.” Xuan Zhaoran greeted her with a cheerful smile — not nearly as flustered as A’Ci.

Yan Yuning nodded and glanced up toward the upper floor. “Has your brother come home?”

“My brother? No idea.” Xuan Zhaoran picked up the fruit bowl from the coffee table, speared a piece of yellow peach with a fruit pick, and took a small bite. Noticing that Yan Yuning was still standing there, she lifted the fruit bowl with a narrow-eyed smile. “Ningning, do you want to come eat with me?”

Yan Yuning waved her off. “No thanks. I’ll go upstairs and check if Xuan Yanyu is back.”

“Hmm?” Xuan Zhaoran chewed slowly at the cut strawberry in her cheek. “Call him and ask where he is.”

Yan Yuning bit her lip. “I’d rather just go up and check.”

Call him? What if he didn’t answer?!

“Okay.” Xuan Zhaoran nodded. “Then go ahead.”

Yan Yuning took two steps forward, then turned back. She walked to the sofa and sat down beside Xuan Zhaoran, her eyes bright with curiosity. “Ranran, what were you and A’Ci just doing?”

Xuan Zhaoran blinked. “Nothing much. I just asked him a question.”

Yan Yuning swiped a strawberry from her bowl, contemplating how to bring it up, when Xuan Zhaoran leaned in close and said lazily, “Didn’t you want to find my brother? If you’re going, go now.”