An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 282 What is love?

As he straightened up and slightly distanced himself, he unexpectedly met a pair of wide, dark eyes, and Huo Qingshan's heart skipped a beat.

Those eyes were strikingly bright, their gaze aggressive and accusatory.

Huo Qingshan's Adam's apple bobbed twice, and he was momentarily speechless, unable to utter a single complete sentence.

They remained silent for a while. Meng Youyou lowered her eyes and looked away, concealing her sharp gaze and the disappointment welling up in her eyes. She muttered in a low voice, "Never mind, I didn't expect you to give me any explanation anyway."

"That's just how it is!" She abruptly rolled over onto her side, turning her back to him, leaving Huo Qingshan with only her back view. "It's all my own fault all this time. I knew I couldn't have you, yet I always fantasized. I knew you didn't like me, yet I always went after you. I just never learn, I just love to be rejected, and I deserve it!"

Her tone was indignant, filled with resentment, grievance, and deep self-loathing.

"Go away, I want to go to bed."

The words were spoken, but no footsteps were heard for a long time.

What are you doing standing there? You're really in the way.

After a long while, a slightly hoarse voice came from behind: "Yo yo, I know you blame me... resent me."

As he spoke, he seemed to lower his head, because the shadow of his head cast on the thin blanket gradually slumped down.

"But don't blame yourself, don't feel worthless or that your actions are cheap. If you do, it will make me feel..." very sad.

Upon hearing this, Meng Youyou suddenly covered her ears with her hands, refusing to hear any more words coming out of his mouth.

"Shut up!" She grabbed the wooden comb from beside her pillow and threw it behind her without even looking. "I said I was going to sleep, why aren't you leaving? Can't you understand human language?"

People only bluff when they are extremely anxious and uneasy, in order to cover up their inner cowardice.

Isn't it contemptible? Isn't it cheap?
She only had a high fever that day, not that she became mentally impaired. She remembered everything, she remembered telling him "I love you so much" several times, remembered saying "I can never love anyone else again," and remembered stretching out her arms and hugging his waist tightly.

However, in the end he remained unmoved.

Courage and humility are often separated by a fine line. She encouraged Meng Youyou to be brave and to pursue what she truly wanted without regard for anything else. However, after her expectations were dashed, she couldn't help but curse herself for not being open-minded and carefree enough—didn't she agree beforehand that she wouldn't seek gains or losses this time?
After that, there was a long silence, and Meng Youyou never lowered her hands, which she had used to cover her ears.

During this time, the man bent down and picked up the wooden comb from the ground. He stared at it blankly for a while. There was a brand-new crack about half a finger long in the center of the back of the comb, which cut the originally smooth and continuous wood grain into two parts. Several of the comb teeth were broken off, and the broken surface was uneven, revealing the light brown wood core, which was also covered with small, rough splinters.

He raised his hand and gently brushed it away, and a few splinters of wood fell down.

When Huo Qingshan spoke again, his shoulders slumped completely, as if all his energy had been drained, and his voice was weak: "Oh dear, it seems I took the wrong path from the very beginning, and now no matter what I choose, it's wrong."

Meng Youyou couldn't see his expression, but just by listening to his voice, why did she feel... that he was so helpless at that moment?

Weak, pitiful, like...like a lost child.

Unable to find his way home, he wandered aimlessly until he reached a dead end. With no hope in sight, he could no longer hide the deep-seated bewilderment, helplessness, and profound isolation in his heart, but even his cries for help seemed so powerless.

This inexplicable feeling made her heart tighten for no reason. Quietly, she released her hands that were pressing against her ears.

The next second, however, I found it funny. Shouldn't she be the one who felt helpless?

Like a child begging for candy, she tried everything – pleading, whining, and throwing a tantrum – but in the end, she still couldn't get the candy she wanted.

The man's voice continued: "I dare not take another step forward. I'm a little unsure of what's right and what's wrong. What's truly for your own good? I'm afraid I'll make one mistake after another." His voice grew softer and softer, carrying an indescribable sense of desolation.

Meng Youyou couldn't stand it anymore. She rolled over and sat up in bed, shouting at everyone, "There are countless principles in this world, but there aren't that many right and wrong answers. I only know whether I like it or not. If I like it, I like it; if I don't like it, I don't like it."

As she spoke, the girl's nose twitched: "Well, I just like you!" "I know in my heart that I will still mind that you broke up with me for someone else. I may not be able to get over it for the next ten or even twenty years. When I think about it, I still feel extremely uncomfortable. Every time, I get so angry that I want to bite you a few times to vent my anger."

She bit her lower lip, forcing out choked syllables: "But I still... like you."

Can a person really control their own heart?

Can something that can be controlled still be called love?

Everyone has obsessions, and they can't let go of them no matter what. Every time they want to bite someone, they can't find anyone to bite them. Isn't that even more of a loss?

If disagreements between two people can affect their love, then when they no longer care about each other, will the "love" also disappear?

Because I care, I hold a grudge.

The reason I still hold a grudge is because that person still lives in my heart and can't be moved away.

Because I like them, I'm unwilling to compromise my principles and I don't want to forgive.

Because of enough affection, even if one doesn't want to forgive, one still can't stop their pounding heart from moving closer and closer to the other person.

Meng Youyou took a deep breath to calm her pounding breathing: "So, I'm asking you one last time in this life, Huo Qingshan, do you still like me?"

Under the gaze of the man opposite him, he slowly raised his head. His dejected and gloomy appearance was fully exposed in the dim light, leaving him nowhere to hide. He looked like an ancient pine tree that had been broken by a blizzard, all its spirit gone, lifeless, and utterly desolate.

The scene before her eyes momentarily stunned Meng Youyou. For a fleeting instant, she vaguely saw something heavy pressing down on him, something he was powerless to resist.

But she couldn't understand what it was. Even when she looked closely, she couldn't see it any more clearly.

He looked into her eyes, reddened with emotion, and said, word by word, "Oh dear, if I only have one more day to live in this world, and you will never see me again starting tomorrow, then...would you still want to be with me today?"

He paused for a moment, then added, "Answer my question first, and then I'll answer yours."

What kind of problem is this?
Meng Youyou seemed to understand but not quite. She frowned and thought about it again and again, but in the end, she only half understood. She looked up and asked in return, "What about you? If the question were reversed, and you were me, would you be willing?"

As if he hadn't expected her to throw the question back at him, Huo Qingshan paused, his expression blank, seemingly deep in thought, and didn't immediately respond.

Meng Youyou, however, seemed impatient and answered first: "If one of us only has one more day to live, and on that last day I cannot express my feelings, but have to bury them deep in my heart, never to see the light of day, and let them rot away with my body, I would feel that, Meng Youyou, you have lived your life in vain."

She bombarded him with questions, one after another: "Isn't a day time? Shouldn't it just be wasted? There's only one day left, shouldn't we cherish it even more?"

Just then, Huo Qingshan, who was standing by the bed, suddenly smiled.

This sudden, strange reaction caught Meng Youyou off guard, making her forget what she was about to say. She asked, puzzled, "What are you laughing at?"

Huo Qingshan simply shook his head slightly. "It's nothing." Then he took a step closer, his gaze fixed on her intently, and clearly uttered two words: "I like you."

Meng Youyou was a little confused by his erratic behavior. She paused for a full two seconds before realizing that he was answering her question.

“I really like it.” He then repeated.

and then?
The man then said, "I've been here a bit too long; I should go back now."

Meng Youyou: "..."

Meng Youyou didn't know how to react. Her mood plummeted to rock bottom, but then suddenly bounced back. Just as she touched the clouds, she abruptly stopped, and ended up hanging there in the air.

Since he said he was going back, he must have his reasons. Meng Youyou wasn't someone who didn't consider the situation. She muttered, "Oh, then go back." Her mood wasn't exactly high, but it wasn't low either.