Chapter 71

  That night, He Shouci was drunk and confused, unaware of what was happening around him. In the end, he had to be carried on Gu Wei's back. Who says getting drunk is bad? Many times, alcohol is a good thing.

  Yuan Zhi also had some wine and wasn't in a good state to drive, so he was preparing to take a taxi home with He Sheng. Just as they were about to leave the entrance, the hotel door opened again and another group of people came out, including the gentle girl from earlier. When Gu Wei saw her, his expression changed instantly, and he subconsciously turned his head to look at Yuan Zhi.

  Yuan Zhi gazed calmly in that direction, without any emotional changes. Lin Ke also naturally saw the few people on this side, his surprised gaze swept over them before falling on He Sheng beside him, with visible curiosity and astonishment inside.

  The taxi arrived, Gu Wei was a bit uneasy about carrying people, Yuan Zhi waved at him, "Go ahead, it's okay!"

  Gu Wei hesitated for a moment, looked at He Shouci who was still in a daze, and finally got on the car.

  A girl next to Lin Ke poked her elbow and said a few words in the direction of He Sheng and others. He Sheng blinked slowly, turned to Yuan Zhi, looked in that direction and said faintly: "Wait for me for a moment, I'll be right back."

  Then he walked towards the group of people, and He Song heard him say: "Lin Ke, come here for a moment."

  His name was Lin Ke.

  They walked to the edge of a nearby flower bed under everyone's gaze.

  Lin Ke was very surprised to run into Yuan Zhi here, but thinking about it carefully, it's actually normal. After all, she had already seen He Shou Si drunk before, and it had been a while since she last saw Yuan Zhi. In fact, she missed him quite a bit.

  "Is Director Yuan also eating here today?" She smiled and tucked the hair behind her ear, hiding the tension on her face.

  "Hmm." He glanced at the door, and He Song stood obediently with his head down, not even looking over here. "Are you having dinner with your classmates from the department?"

  "Yes, there is a classmate's birthday."

  His hands were thrust into his pockets, the gentle breeze rustling his soft black hair, and he wore a rare casual outfit that exuded a subtle air of languor and elegance.

  "There's something I need to tell you."

  Lin Ke looked at him inquiringly.

  "He continued: 'In the future, regarding study plans or career directions, you can contact Zhang Xin, and I will arrange for him to take care of it.'"

  Lin Ke was taken aback, "I...don't understand what you mean."

  Being together for two years, it's impossible not to know what the other person is thinking. Before, she just pretended not to know, but now there's no need to pretend anymore. Whether He Shuang comes back or not, at least she's still here, and that's enough.

  He thought for a moment and said in the least hurtful tone: "I'll be busier from now on, so I won't be able to keep in touch with you anymore. Thanks for your company over the past two years, I'm grateful."

  But Yuan Zhi would not understand that sometimes such tolerance and kindness are just words of separation, no matter how tactfully he puts it, they are enough to hurt a woman who loves her.

  Lin Ke suddenly understood his meaning, and the separation came too suddenly, she was completely unprepared.

  She hastily averted her gaze and steadied her voice: "How can there be such a sudden decision?"

  "It wasn't sudden, this was bound to happen sooner or later." He glanced at Lin Ke, whose radiant profile had turned pale.

  This statement is not unreasonable, they have been together for two years, but Yuan Zhi has always shown respect in his attitude towards her, never overstepping the boundaries. How could a normal couple be like this? Moreover, he has never explicitly said that they are boyfriend and girlfriend, their relationship has never been confirmed, nor has it ever been looked upon favorably by others. In the eyes of outsiders, Lin Ke is just a woman being kept by Yuan Zhi.

  But... she really liked this man, she tried hard to adapt to his pace, tried to blend into his social circle, she was trying step by step to get closer to Yuan Zhi, hoping that one day she could truly stand by his side, she hadn't thought of giving up yet, but suddenly she was kicked out of the game.

  Lin Ke made an effort to open her eyes wide, enduring the constant dizziness inside, her lips slightly trembling, and her dry throat unable to make a sound.

  Yuan Zhi silently looked at her, after a while, he patted her shoulder encouragingly and smiled shallowly: "Lin Ke, you are excellent, the future is still long, go well, I am not your good man, but after all, I have bothered you, I really apologize, you work hard!"

  As he finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the hotel entrance. After a few steps, Lin Ke's voice came from behind him, trembling with tears, "Is that very important person of yours back?"

  A few meters ahead, He Sheng was bored and poked the large cylinder with his fingers from time to time, occasionally raising his head to look up at it, seemingly studying something.

  Yuan Zhi's eyes softened and he nodded, "Mm!"

  Lin Ke finally covered her mouth with her hand and burst into tears, while Yuan Zhi had slowly but firmly walked towards the girl who was only passably pretty.

  Lin Ke wondered what he saw in that person. What the other party could do, she could also do, and even had the confidence to do it best.

  But unfortunately, she can never replace the years He Sheng accompanied Yuan Zhi, and can never truly understand the turmoil and unease they went through together.

  Yuan Zhi walked to He Sheng's side, waited for her to turn around and look over, raised his hand to gently stroke the fine and soft bangs on her forehead, smiled and said: "Let's go, back home!"

  Yuan Zhi is the person in charge of half of the Yuan family business. Given his usual workload, it's impossible for him to have time to waste every day. After Zhang Xin called him countless times at a high frequency, he finally got through to Yuan Zhi's phone. Without even considering that the person on the other end was his boss, he scolded him harshly from head to toe, clearly already on the verge of collapse. During this time, there were also occasional sounds of him instructing others to do tasks.

  After several minutes, he caught his breath and calmed down, mentioning the project of that magnificent flower garden that Yuan Zhi had been determined to get before.

  Yuan Zhi looked at He Sheng who was combing the hair of two rabbits in the courtyard and said faintly, "Withdraw!"

  "What?" Zhang Xin shrieked, "Are you crazy? How much time and effort have been put into this project, and now you're saying it's being withdrawn?"

  "Ah, it's no longer necessary!" He said, putting down the phone, which still had the other person's excited and loud voice faintly audible.

  Yuan Zhi sat in a recliner, his hands clasped behind his head and his eyes comfortably closed. After a while, he heard the faint sound of footsteps, opened his eyes, and saw He Sheng sitting beside him with a plate of sliced watermelon.

  She held a thin slice and asked him with a silly expression, "Want some?"

  He Sheng couldn't carry heavy objects, and there were only a few slices of watermelon on the plate. Yuan Zhi glanced at him and said, "Take it, all of it, you go cut some more yourself."

  He Sheng stunned, holding the plate with his hand gently scratching the edge, even the action of chewing watermelon slowed down, as if somewhat uncertain whether the other party was telling the truth or not.

  "What? Not going?" Yuan Zhi raised an eyebrow, then immediately reached out and scooped all the watermelon from the plate into his hands. His eyes fixed on He Sheng as he quickly stuffed the watermelon into his mouth, muttering: "Going or not?"

  He Shuang threw the watermelon rind into a nearby trash can, pulled out a tissue and habitually wiped away the juice that had dripped onto his mouth, only to look slightly dazed after wiping it clean, with an expression of some embarrassment, as if he had just realized that such behavior was no longer suitable.

  She twisted her fingers and got up, then obediently went back to the kitchen again.

  Yuan Zhi stared at the figure disappearing out the door, mechanically swallowing what was in his mouth, and his radiant eyes dimmed slightly.

  A month's time is actually very fast, thirty days, more than four weeks, so fast that sometimes it's just a blink of an eye, and then it's gone.

  As time drew near, Yuan Zhi's face turned gloomy again. He Shuang had always thought he would lose his temper, but strangely, not once did he do so.

  The day he got his ID card, Yuan Zhi was silent as if he had lost his voice. He Shuang tried to talk to him in a gentle tone, but the other party only responded with monosyllabic words. The once lively face finally lost its luster and never regained its radiance again.

  He Sheng was about to leave, and she should have been packing up and making preparations, but she seemed to have no intention of doing so. Yuan Zhi even suspected that she had changed her mind and wanted to stay.

  She could see her making timely phone calls to Liao Shi to report on her daily life, and yet she found this idea rather ridiculous.

  He might as well have asked directly.

  He Sheng was stunned for a moment, then looked around the room, "I don't want to take anything from here." She smiled wryly, "It's really...heart-wrenching!"

  The thing you want most is always the one you can never get.

  Yuan Zhi then stopped speaking, and the two of them sat silently until dawn.