Chapter 83: Gu Shiyan Also Loves Luo Xing

Her fingertips were held tightly in his palm, the thin sheen of sweat making it sticky, an irritating sensation. Gu Shiyan stood up and moved closer to her; only a few centimeters separated them. Luo Xing could even hear his breathing, and feel the pounding of her own heart.

“You…” Luo Xing lowered her head, her eyes half-cast, not daring to look up at him. She had heard Gu Shiyan’s words clearly earlier and understood his meaning. Was he confessing to her now?

“Old habits die hard, true nature is hard to change.” The door to the hospital room swung open.

Shen Que entered, his brows sharp and cold, his demeanor brimming with anger. Luo Xing had never seen him this angry before. Shen Que’s gaze fixed on Gu Shiyan as he came in, and Li Zhao followed behind.

Shen Que carried a bag of packed food in one hand and took Luo Xing’s hand with the other. “Let’s go.”

With Li Zhao here, there was no reason for Luo Xing to stay any longer. She kept her head down in silence and left with Shen Que. Yet Gu Shiyan’s words lingered in her mind, echoing endlessly. Even when she saw Shen Que’s anger, her thoughts weren’t, as before, immediately focused on how to comfort him. Her mind was filled only with Gu Shiyan’s words.

He said he would change; anything she disliked, he would change for her.

When she heard Gu Shiyan speak those words, her heart had skipped a beat, seized with nervous tension.

Fortunately, her rationality prevailed, and Luo Xing quickly set aside those ill-timed thoughts.

Shen Que led her outside.

They walked together, eventually entering the subway station. Shen Que still held her wrist. Only after they were seated did Luo Xing look at him.

“Shen Que, are you angry?”

Shen Que kept his eyes lowered, silent.

Luo Xing glanced at the food box in his hand, noting the red marks pressed into his knuckles. She sighed softly.

“I didn’t agree to reconcile with him. I was just stunned for a moment. Don’t be angry, please?”

She took the boxed meal from his hand. “Trust me, I won’t go back to something I’ve already left behind.”

Only then did Shen Que lift his head. “Then why were you stunned? Why did you blush? Your heart was moved, wasn’t it?”

His words weighed so heavily on Luo Xing that she could hardly breathe. Had she blushed? Was her heart truly stirred?

“I... I didn’t.” She bit her lip, but guilt gnawed at her—guilt so strong she could no longer deceive herself.

She spoke little on the way home. After parting from Shen Que, she returned alone.

One fact was certain: Gu Shiyan and Ke Yu had fought because of her.

And Xu Yan had said that after Ke Yu started pestering her, Gu Shiyan became the last one to leave the lab building every night. Luo Xing couldn’t help but wonder—was it really true?

Cradling her documents, she passed a supermarket near her apartment complex. She went in, bought a cold drink, but didn’t drink it; instead, she pressed it to her face, trying to cool herself down, to regain composure.

Standing at the supermarket entrance, she watched the two security guards chatting in the sun, eating popsicles.

She looked up and saw a surveillance camera above the door.

Her old apartment complex seemed to have cameras too. Back then, her brother had checked the footage when he wanted the police to educate Ke Yu.

Clutching her things, Luo Xing headed not inside, but to her old residence. She spoke with a staff member, asking to review the surveillance footage.

Luckily, the footage from the past month could be accessed.

Luo Xing specifically searched for the night in question.

First, her own shadow appeared, dressed as she had been that night: a white shirt dress, carrying a bag.

She watched herself for a few seconds, then shifted her gaze to the background.

At first, no one was behind her.

Only after she left the camera’s view did she see Gu Shiyan, dressed all in black, appear.

He carried a backpack over one shoulder, unmistakable to Luo Xing—it was the same outfit he wore when he fought Ke Yu.

She watched silently.

Gu Shiyan walked slowly, almost as if he were deliberately lingering, his eyes fixed ahead.

Just as he was about to leave the camera’s range, he stopped beside an advertisement board.

A simple turn would lead him straight to Luo Xing’s apartment.

She watched as he stood there; the camera caught only a sliver of his back.

After a while, he sprang forward, for reasons unknown, then stopped and stepped back.

Only after Ke Yu walked past him did Gu Shiyan follow, pretending to play with his phone as he trailed him.

Everything became clear.

Gu Shiyan was the last to leave the lab building because of her. On those nights she went home alone, he had always been behind her.

He played basketball with Ke Yu, fought Ke Yu, all to avenge her.

Suddenly, Luo Xing felt panicked, unsure what to do.

Only when the staff prompted her did she snap out of it and leave.

Back home, she went straight to her bedroom.

The gift box Gu Shiyan had returned to her was still unopened.

She knew what was inside.

She had not wanted to revisit her past foolishness, but now, she needed something to hold onto.

She wanted to find evidence that Gu Shiyan did not love her, wanted to see proof of his indifference.

That was the only way she could suppress her own feelings.

Her fingers hooked around the ribbon, and she opened the box he had sent back.

When she gave this gift, she and Gu Shiyan were not yet together. He hadn’t even received it in person; Li Zhao had accepted it for him.

Inside was a card filled with blessings for Gu Shiyan.

Luo Xing looked at the handwriting: every stroke neat, with longer lines slightly trembling, all revealing her feelings.

But when she turned the card over, she saw Gu Shiyan’s handwriting.

“Luo Xing, thank you.”

She stared at his writing, as if trying to verify—it turned out he had opened the gift box after all.

She set the envelope aside and looked at the rest.

It was a handmade clay sculpture: a whale carrying a meteor.

She held the cool clay in her palm and checked the bottom.

She remembered carving their initials there.

Her gaze landed, and she froze.

Her initials were LXXHGSY—Luo Xing likes Gu Shiyan.

But now, beneath this row of letters, there was another line in small script.

Gu Shiyan likes Luo Xing too.

It felt as though her heart was wrapped in thorns, rolling over and over, prickling painfully.

She quickly averted her eyes, looking instead at the window, the clock, the sofa—anything but that line.

She set the clay sculpture aside.

Inside the box was another item, one that never belonged to Luo Xing.

It was the umbrella she had redeemed at the arcade.

Carefully placed within.

At the very bottom lay a white sheet of paper, densely covered in writing.

Luo Xing picked it up.

It was written by Gu Shiyan himself.

—About her

“After being scolded by Gu Liang, I walked outside with no path ahead, rain pelting me, feeling annoyed.

A girl appeared, standing before me, tiptoeing to hold an umbrella over my head, anxiously asking what was wrong, the popsicle in her hand dripping water, but she cared only about me.

She said she liked me, that she wanted to pursue me.

They said she had a fleeting passion, would give up soon—I believed them.

Playing billiards, they kept glancing at the door; I looked too—it was her.

Standing in front of the drink vending machine, her face reflected in the glass, cautiously peeking around; I deliberately lingered, she came over and asked if I had no money, bought me a drink.

Going to the internet café for an appointment, passing by a bookstore, I saw her surrounded by friends, entering together. I realized I’d lingered too long.

I smashed someone with a helmet; my arm ached, but I didn’t care.

She appeared, hugging me tightly, trembling with fright, first time someone asked if I was hurt. I thought, I’ll date her, even if it’s just for three minutes.

On the anniversary of my mother’s death—her birthday, too—I held flowers and cake, waited long for Gu Liang, only to learn he and Su Wan were getting married. He’d forgotten Mother long ago...

On the way home, I looked up and saw her standing under a tree, her bright face tinged with worry, but her eyes shining.

Wearing sunglasses, I didn’t want her to see my mess and despair. I told her to go home; she refused.

She didn’t contact me for a long time. I wondered if her three minutes were up.

I thought I didn’t care, but I must have unlocked and locked my phone a thousand times, wanting to ask her, but not daring.

Saw her in the dessert shop, standing next to a wonderful guy, her smile dazzling as the sun.

Gu Liang married another woman; thorns of roses scratched my face—so painful. She wasn’t there; no one asked if I was hurting, no one cared about my birthday.

She wished me happy birthday, wanted to kiss me? The cigarette in my hand burned me awake, and I cried.

Saw her at the bar, held by another man, wearing a black dress with mismatched white shoes—so beautiful, so adorable. I watched from the side, wanted to hug her, kiss her. The thought startled me—ha, a bit foolish.

I knew our three minutes were over.

I thought I’d forget her.

We met again; she went into the wrong room, slept in my bed. I realized I was unwilling; I couldn’t let her go.

She wanted to bet with me, for someone else. I won, but felt no joy.

Couldn’t help kissing her; she was so sweet, wanted more, kept kissing, got hit… it hurt.

She stopped liking me; said chasing me was a foolish act of youth. It hurt, couldn’t breathe, I was suffocating.

…She wanted to learn about others from me; we bet again, let her win. Her smile was so happy, I was happy too.

She used all her points to redeem an umbrella for me. Seeing the stars and whale on its surface, I remembered the gift she gave me—I accepted it.

When the debt collectors came, I told her not to get out of the car; she came anyway, got hurt, bled. I was worthless.

Li Zhao saw the umbrella she gave me; he said it was a symbol of breaking up. I drove him away, closed the door, stared at the umbrella, decided to return it to her.”