Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 438 Love at its End
The plan hasn't changed much.

Because too many relatives and neighbors came to visit, Cao Sheng's family had to cancel their original plan to visit his maternal uncle's house around 3 p.m.

And his family of three's dinner was also taken care of.

Several relatives in the village were vying to invite them over for a meal.

Once the food was served, they were repeatedly urged to drink.

The meal lasted from around 4 p.m. until after 6 p.m.

When Cao Sheng got home to rest, it was already past 9 p.m.

Because they had already eaten dinner, and their relatives kept them company for several hours, while his parents, who hadn't been back for a year, seemed eager to chat as well, as they rarely had anyone to talk to like this in Huizhou.

Back home, Cao Sheng took a shower, changed his clothes, and went upstairs to his room.

The bedding on the bed had already been made.

The desk has also been wiped clean.

He turned on the air conditioner and the computer. While waiting for the computer to start up, he finally had time to take out his phone. There were more than 50 missed calls.

Hundreds of unread text messages.

He was a little surprised when he saw these.

It was already past 10 o'clock, and he picked a few calls to call back.

One is his former counselor, Lu Xiangwei. Lu Xiangwei called him around 11 a.m. today, but he didn't answer. He's calling back now.

"Hello? Teacher Lu! Happy New Year! I'm so sorry, I was driving when you called me this morning and didn't answer. Later, I had guests at my house and didn't have time to check my phone..."

Before Cao Sheng could finish his apology, Lu Xiangwei said, "Hehe, it's alright, it's alright! I guessed you were very busy today, I understand! I really understand."

Cao Sheng smiled and said, "Thank you, teacher!"

Lu Xiangwei: "Cao Sheng! Happy New Year! Um, I called you this morning mainly to remind you that a lot of people are discussing your scandal online, and many media outlets have reported on it. You... you should know by now, right? Do you have any plans on how to handle it?"

Cao Sheng: "???"

Scandal?

Cao Sheng was very surprised.

I wonder which scandal Lu Xiangwei is referring to? Is it recent? Or from before?

However, although he had doubts, he didn't want to discuss such a matter with his former counselor, so he said, "Oh, thank you for your concern, teacher. I will handle it, so please don't worry!"

Lu Xiangwei: "Oh, okay then, I won't worry about it, haha."

The two chatted for a few more minutes before ending the call.

At this moment, Cao Sheng's laptop had successfully booted up. After thinking for a moment, Cao Sheng put down his phone and searched online.

The only keyword I searched for was "a touch of gray in the Central Plains".

As a result, a lot of news related to him was displayed.

It contains his personal information, including his works.

There were also some rumors.

He glanced at the search results and, sure enough, saw that several news articles were published today, and the headlines of these articles were all about his scandals.

For example: "On New Year's Eve, a man in a gray cloud in the Central Plains strolled hand-in-hand with a beautiful woman on the street."

For example: "Has Zhongyuan Yidianhui fallen for someone else? The woman he was holding hands with on New Year's Eve is suspected to be someone else..."

and many more.

He clicked on a few of the news articles and found that the content of each article was almost the same.

There are also pictures to prove it.

They captured a scene last night where he was holding hands with Jiang Xiaoshuang while strolling down the street.

In the photo, his and Jiang Xiaoshuang's faces are quite blurry, but those who know him well should be able to recognize him.

After quickly skimming through the news articles, Cao Sheng frowned and pondered.

Old sayings flashed through his mind.

—The truth will eventually come out.

—If you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet.

There are no secrets that stay hidden forever.

……

Another thought flashed through his mind: How many times have I been involved in scandals since my rebirth?

He originally thought that Huizhou, a small place, was not like Beijing, Hong Kong, or Shanghai, where there were so many paparazzi, and that his private life would not be photographed often.

He is usually very careful.

Last year, he spent most of his time on campus and rarely went out.

Last night... when Jiang Xiaoshuang suddenly took his hand, he also paid attention to his surroundings. There were only a few pedestrians around him at the time, so how did he end up being photographed like this?
After a moment of contemplation, he sighed softly.

I've come to a realization, or rather, a decision: I cannot get married before I've truly settled down.

When he was first reborn, he hoped to get married as soon as possible.

Because he knew this was what his parents would be happy to see, and it was also a wish he had before his rebirth.

but……

Now?

Although he had rejected many women, his love life had unknowingly become chaotic.

Reason told him that if he rashly got married under these circumstances, and if similar scandals were to surface again, he would likely be ruined.

Although, unlike celebrities, readers generally don't care about the private lives of online novelists.

However, he is no longer just a pure online writer; he is now a public figure.

He's not married yet, so it's not a big deal if he occasionally has these kinds of rumors. At most, people will just say he's young and a womanizer.

But if he gets married and is then embroiled in similar scandals, he'll be drowned in public criticism.

Moreover, his idea of ​​marrying Huang Qingya had long since wavered.

There were no other women he really wanted to marry.

Thinking of this, he gave a self-deprecating laugh.

I'm starting to wonder: Is late marriage my destiny?

In fact, he knew deep down that he didn't want to get married too early.

After all, he will only be 22 years old after the New Year.

A moment later, he picked up his phone again and called back some people, such as Bao Jianfeng, Chang Qingshu, Cui Xinyu, and others.

His last phone call was to Huang Qingya.

Phone records show that Huang Qingya called him seven times today, but did not send him any messages.

Cao Sheng guessed that she had also seen the rumors online.

So when he dialed her number, he was mentally prepared to be questioned by her.

"Hello? Sorry! I drove my parents back to my hometown this morning, and I just saw your call log."

When the call connected, Cao Sheng apologized and explained why he was only returning her call now.

On the phone, Huang Qingya was silent for a moment before speaking softly: "Cao Sheng! Let's break up! I don't think we're right for each other."

Although he was mentally prepared, Cao Sheng's heart still sank slightly when he actually heard her say that.

Then he remembered his earlier decision: not to get married in the short term.

She is already 31.

We can't hold her back any longer.

Thinking this, he hummed in agreement.

Huang Qingya: "..."

A moment of silence fell between the two of them.

After a moment, Huang Qingya spoke again: "So that's it? From now on, we'll go our separate ways? I know you won't lack women, and I... won't be unable to find a partner. It's better for both of us, don't you think?"

Cao Sheng hummed in agreement again.

He knew he had wronged her in this relationship.

So, when it came time to break up, he had nothing to say. "Then... goodbye?"

Huang Qingya spoke again.

Cao Sheng: "Goodbye."

……

The call is over.

Their relationship has also come to an end.

Putting down his phone, Cao Sheng leaned back in his computer chair, squinting at the computer screen, which still displayed the scandal of him holding hands with a beautiful woman on New Year's Eve.

He recalled the dozen or so relationships he had experienced before his rebirth.

From his first love to his last girlfriend, there were several whose names he could no longer recall.

People who know he's had so many girlfriends are basically filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

In fact, before his rebirth, he was unhappy every time he thought about his rich romantic experiences.

Because of these dozen or so relationships... in every single one, he was the one who got dumped.

One reason for this is his personality.

Some people thought he was dull and wouldn't be able to make it in society, and that he wouldn't have a future, so they broke up with him.

Some women broke up with him because they didn't want a long-distance relationship, such as his first love and several women he dated later who suddenly changed jobs and moved to other cities.

But more often than not, it was because one of his books flopped, or two or three books in a row flopped, causing his income to drop drastically. People felt that his income was too unstable and were not optimistic about his future, so they broke up with him.

Over time, he actually stopped believing in love.

Or rather, he no longer believes that love can withstand the cruelty of reality.

That's why he never dared to give his heart to anyone he was with later, nor did he dare to give much materially.

He carried this mindset with him after his rebirth.

For example, the first night he drank with Huang Qingya, he was so attracted to her that he wanted to push her down and taste her peach-like figure.

Instead of thinking about confessing his feelings to her and asking her to date him.

It wasn't until later, when I gradually discovered that she had a good personality and was good in other aspects, that I tried to date her.

But now that I think about it, he was never truly devoted to her, and he never thought that he would marry no one but her in this lifetime.

And today's breakup...

He actually had a premonition all along.

He often thought: They didn't take it seriously at the beginning, they slept together before talking about feelings, how could there be a happy ending with such a start?

Now?

In front of the computer, Cao Sheng gave a self-deprecating smile.

A sad thought flashed through my mind: I probably won't be able to truly fall in love with anyone in this lifetime.

This state of mind is exactly the same as his state of mind before his rebirth.

As people reach middle age, having seen and experienced more, they can no longer truly fall in love with a woman, no matter how beautiful or perfect she is.

because……

As people reach middle age, they can't help but ponder the meaning of their existence. They learn to love themselves and gradually become more self-centered.

How could someone in such a state possibly fall in love with another person?

If there were any, he believed they would only be his parents or children.

Because parents are the source of his life, while children are the continuation of his life.

Therefore, he was willing to give up himself for them.

And women who are not related by blood?

In an era where the divorce rate has exceeded 50% and the average age of marriage has surpassed 30, who dares to say that the woman who says she loves you today will definitely grow old with you?
Cao Sheng's heart gradually calmed down.

By now, he's long been used to breakups.

However, this time, he was the one who wronged the other party.

He took this as a warning: from now on, he would not make any promises to any woman or acknowledge anyone as his girlfriend until he was certain that he could walk down the aisle.

He reminded himself to rekindle his initial passion after his rebirth and to focus his time and energy on writing.

……

He logged into the author backend and posted today's two chapters.

……

Before going to sleep, he leaned against the headboard and read the few text messages Jiang Xiaoshuang had sent him that day.

Actually, she called him several times today, but he didn't call back.

The contents of the several text messages she sent were:

"Do you believe me? Although this scandal was reported by our station, we didn't arrange for anyone to take the photos, and I didn't create the news. Do you believe me?"

"Why aren't you answering my calls? Many media outlets online have already republished our station's report. What are we going to do about it?"

"Did she cause you any trouble? Did I affect your relationship?"

"It's getting dark, and you still haven't answered my calls or messages? What do you mean? Are you trying to cut ties with me?"

"It's 10 o'clock, and you're still not talking to me? I swear! I really didn't create this news, yes! I admit that I was the one who took your hand last night, but I swear, I really didn't arrange for anyone to take pictures of us, really!"

……

After reading these messages, Cao Sheng hesitated for a moment, but still did not reply to her messages or return her calls.

He wouldn't have known if she hadn't mentioned in the text message that the news was reported by their station.

Now that we know, no matter how much she guarantees or swears, we can't rule out her suspicion.

Because, as she said, she was the one who took his hand last night.

And the news happened to be reported by the television station where she worked.

Such a coincidence, how could he believe she was completely innocent?
Therefore, he wanted to handle the matter quietly.

He also gave the cold shoulder to his relationship with her.

Is Jiang Xiaoshuang a suitable marriage partner? He needs to continue observing her.

He put down his phone, lay down in bed, closed his eyes, and started to sleep.

He needs some time to adjust his state.

……

The next morning.

He got up as usual, washed up, ate breakfast, and then drove his parents to his uncle's house to pay a New Year's visit.

On the surface, he seemed no different from any other day.

When he arrived at his uncle's house, he was all smiles and laughter, and no one could tell that he had just broken up with his girlfriend the night before.

This is the level of emotional control a man his age possesses.

For three consecutive days, he accompanied his parents to visit various relatives to wish them a Happy New Year, or received relatives who came to visit him at home.

Before we knew it, it was the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

The day arrived when he and Qian Zhenyu had agreed to meet.

On the evening of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Qian Zhenyu sent him a message to confirm.

On the morning of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, around 9 a.m., he drove to the county town and went to the restaurant where he had met Qian Zhenyu last time.

When he arrived, it was just past 9:30, about half an hour before their agreed meeting time. But as soon as he entered the hotel lobby, he saw Qian Zhenyu standing in front of the cashier, talking to the cashier.

Today, Qian Zhenyu was wearing a light gray long down jacket and had her hair tied in a high ponytail.

Standing tall and graceful, full of vigor.

Cao Sheng was surprised that she had arrived early. It seemed that she didn't have the habit of being late for dates, which is common for women.
"Beauty!"

Cao Sheng called out with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Qian Zhenyu turned her head and looked at him. She smiled sweetly, completely lacking the aloof goddess demeanor she usually projected.

(End of this chapter)