Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I vomited until the world spun in the restroom.

When I finally emerged, I immediately spotted a tall, blurred figure standing in the shadows.

People were coming and going from the private room next door, and the strobe lights flickered across his face, revealing a surging fury.

It was Shen Yezhou.

My body reacted before my brain could; I turned on my heel and tried to bolt.

I was fast, but Shen Yezhou was faster. My foot had barely touched the ground when he grabbed me by the back of the shoulder.

“Running the moment you see me? Guilty conscience?”

He put his full strength into his grip, clutching my shoulder so hard it throbbed with pain.

I tried to break free from his hold, but it was futile.

“What would I be guilty about?” I laughed, my voice raspy. “I just don’t see any point in catching up with you.”

“Ning Yu, you’ve been fluttering around right under my nose for half the night. Isn’t it a bit late to be saying that now?”

His voice was chillingly cold.

“What do you mean ‘fluttering under your nose’? Just because we broke up doesn’t mean I’m forbidden from attending a class reunion, does it?”

I straightened my back and turned around, slapping his hand away.

“If that’s the case, why did you hide in the restroom to throw up?”

He reached out and pinched my chin. “Are you carrying someone’s brat, or were you just disgusted?”

Recalling the image of him kissing someone else earlier, my stomach churned again.

To keep from giving myself away, I had to force the feeling down.

“You didn’t eat much, but you certainly made a show of vomiting,” he remarked slowly when I didn’t respond.

His words made my eyes sting with bitterness.

“Shen Yezhou, we’ve been over for a long time. What exactly do you want!”

I gave him a hard shove, only for him to pin my wrists against the wall.

“I should be asking you that.” He leaned in close to me. “Since you disappeared, why did you have to show up again?”

He didn’t bother to hide the disdain and loathing in his eyes.

As the blood in my veins turned to ice, I suddenly broke into a smile.

“What kind of answer do you want to hear? That I can’t forget you and want to rekindle our old flame? Or that I regret everything and want to beg for your forgiveness?”

He said nothing.

Perhaps he really was waiting for a reason.

“Of course, she’s-”

“Here with me.”

Before I could finish, a teasing male voice interrupted.

A few paces away, Gu Xiao stood with his hands lazily shoved in his pockets. I had no idea how long he had been watching from the corner.

“You shouldn’t mess with a friend’s girl, Shen Er. You’re overstepping.”

He added the remark with perfect composure.

“What… do you mean?” Shen Yezhou’s voice suddenly trembled slightly.

“I mean Ning Yu is my girlfriend now.”

“Technically, I’m a year older than you. What, are you the only one allowed to have a fiancée? I can’t have a partner?”

Gu Xiao nonchalantly rolled up his shirt sleeves.

He looked very much like he was ready to get physical if Shen Yezhou didn’t let go.

“Are you two really… together?” Shen Yezhou’s gaze fell back on me.

Despite the dim lighting, his gaze felt heavy and tangible.

“Do you need a French kiss to prove it?” I looked down and sneered.

“Suit yourself…”

Shen Yezhou let go of me and turned to leave.

Gu Xiao let out a whistle, a sly, triumphant smile spreading across his lips.

My facade crumbled instantly. I leaned against the wall in exhaustion, closing my eyes numbly.

“I told you not to come, but you wouldn’t listen. Is this what they call ‘reaping what you sow’?”

Gu Xiao’s annoyed huff reached my ears.

I opened my eyes and looked at him. “Some things can’t be done by proxy.”

When he found out I wanted to see a former classmate who was now a doctor, he had offered to ask on my behalf, but I refused.

Because I wanted to hear the truth with my own ears.

“But when it comes to feelings, you can lie to yourself, but you can’t lie to others.”

Gu Xiao walked up to me, propping one hand against the wall behind me as he looked down at me.

“Xiao Yu, I’ve looked out for you for seven years, yet you never gave me a second glance.”

“Just now, he humiliated you in public. I wanted to punch him, but you wouldn’t even let me.”

“Is he really that great? It’s been three years since the breakup-is he still worth your obsession?”

Though his words were biting, his tone betrayed an irrepressible heartache.

I reached out and wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my head in his chest.

His body visibly stiffened.

“Ah Xiao, some forms of protection have nothing to do with love, and there aren’t many paths in life that allow for a U-turn.”

“Back then, he begged to see me and I refused. My appearance today was bound to be an eyesore to him.”

“He’s upset and wants to throw a few insults my way? I’ll take it. After all, I came here because I need something.”

I explained to him patiently.

“Did you get the answers you wanted?” Gu Xiao sighed.

I nodded.

“Then let’s go back.” He rubbed the top of my head. “I’ll go get the car. Wait for me at the entrance.”

“Okay.” I pulled my hands back gloomily.

Just out of my peripheral vision, a figure quietly slipped away…