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Chapter 281 Confronting Zhu Lin and Revealing Everything (Please Subscribe)
Xu Ye paced back and forth in the empty courtyard, the cigarette in his hand burning down to almost nothing, ash falling in a flurry.

His mind kept replaying Fang Zhen's words; each word felt like a dull knife, sawing back and forth in his heart.

Zhu Lin's image lingered in his mind—her flustered and shy appearance, her expectant eyes.

And the barely suppressed reluctance when leaving was like fine threads tightly binding his heart.

"I can't delay any longer; I must confront Sister Lin as soon as possible." Xu Ye stubbed out his cigarette and made up his mind.

He knew that being honest was a sign of respect for Zhu Lin and a responsibility towards their relationship.

But the thought of Zhu Lin's potential shock, sadness, or even anger upon hearing the truth is unbearable.

A sharp pain shot through his heart, as if an invisible hand was slowly tightening its grip on his heart.

Night quietly fell, and the moonlight, like water, spilled into the courtyard, casting a cool, silvery veil over the entire courtyard.

Xu Ye sat on the stone bench in the center of the courtyard, looking at the room where Zhu Lin had once lived, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He pulled a small notebook out of his pocket; it was the notebook he used to jot down his thoughts on a whim.

At this moment, he planned to write down his past with Jiang Ruoan and others in detail and hand it over to Zhu Lin.

He felt that some things were difficult to say face-to-face, and expressing them in writing might be a clearer way to convey his feelings.

Xu Ye held the pen, the tip scratching across the paper with a soft, rustling sound.

He recalled the scene of his first encounter with Jiang Ruoan. At that time, she was lively and cheerful, with a sparkle in her eyes, and she immediately entered his world.

Every moment of the days they spent together is still vivid in my mind.

There are also other women who had romantic entanglements with him, and their personalities and the details of their interactions with him are all presented in Xu Ye's writing.

As he wrote, tears blurred his vision, and the paper in front of him became a hazy blur.

He couldn't tell whether the tears were from nostalgia for the past or fear of the unknown that lay ahead.

After an unknown amount of time, Xu Ye finally finished writing.

Looking at the pages filled with dense writing, he seemed to see his own fragmented and complex emotional past.

He carefully folded the paper, put it in an envelope, and prepared to give it to Zhu Lin at a suitable opportunity.

The next morning, Xu Ye arrived at the film studio early.

He knew Zhu Lin would also be coming today to reshoot her scenes, so this was a perfect opportunity.

Outside the dressing room at the film studio, he waited anxiously for Zhu Lin to appear.

Time passed second by second, and each second felt incredibly long.

Finally, Zhu Lin appeared at the end of the corridor, dressed in a theatrical costume.

Her makeup was exquisite, but her eyes revealed a hint of fatigue and weariness.

When Zhu Lin saw Xu Ye, she paused slightly, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

There was surprise, shyness, and a hint of worry.

She walked slowly toward Xu Ye, each step taken with utmost care.

It was as if an invisible chasm separated the two of them.

"Sister Lin," Xu Ye said first, his voice slightly hoarse.

"I have something for you." He said, handing over the envelope in his hand.

Zhu Lin took the envelope with a puzzled look. When she saw the words "To be opened by Sister Lin" on it, an ominous premonition welled up in her heart.

Her hands trembled slightly as she instinctively wanted to open it, but she was also afraid to face what was inside.

"Yezi, what is this?" Zhu Lin looked up, her gaze meeting Xu Ye's, trying to find the answer in his eyes.

"Sister Lin, you'll understand after you read it. I know this is sudden, but there are some things I have to tell you." Xu Ye's voice was low and firm, his eyes full of sincerity and helplessness.

Zhu Lin took a deep breath, slowly opened the envelope, and took out the papers inside.

Her gaze swept over the words, and the expression on her face gradually changed.

From initial confusion to shock, then disbelief, and finally, tears welled up uncontrollably.

"How could this happen... Yezi, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Zhu Lin's voice was trembling with sobs, her body shaking slightly, and the paper in her hand was crumpled in her fist.

"Sister Lin, I know I was wrong. I've been wanting to tell you, but I was afraid you would leave me."

“But now, I can’t hide it from you anymore.” Xu Ye took a step forward, wanting to reach out and hug Zhu Lin, but stopped in mid-air.

He wasn't sure if Zhu Lin would still be willing to accept his touch at that moment.

Zhu Lin raised her tear-streaked face and looked at Xu Ye, her eyes filled with pain and struggle: "Xu Ye, what do you want me to do? I've already... I've already fallen too deep."

"Sister Lin, I know I made an unforgivable mistake, but my feelings for you are real."

"I want to face this with you, and whatever decision you make, I will accept it."

Xu Ye's voice carried a hint of pleading; his heart felt as if it were being pierced by countless needles, the pain making it hard to breathe.

Zhu Lin lowered her head, tears streaming down her face.

She was torn. On one hand, she deeply loved Xu Ye, and the beautiful times she had spent with him were hard for her to let go of.

On the other hand, Xu Ye's past is like a thorn stuck in her heart, making it impossible for her to let go.

After a long while, Zhu Lin raised her head, the tears in her eyes had dried, replaced by a firmness: "Xu Ye, I need time, I need to think it over carefully."

"But you should know that I will not give up easily, and I hope you will not give up on me either."

Xu Ye was overjoyed and nodded vigorously: "Sister Lin, I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes."

Just then, the director's voice came from the set, urging Zhu Lin to reshoot the scene.

Zhu Lin gave Xu Ye a deep look, then turned and walked towards the film set.

Her steps were somewhat heavy, but they carried a resolute strength.

After leaving the film studio, Xu Ye went straight to find someone.

Following the address, Xu Ye found a company.

Then, you meet the other person.

Gu Chen is handsome and looks to be only in his early twenties.

Gu Chen was also somewhat surprised when he saw Xu Ye.

"Excuse me, are you..."

"My name is Xu Ye. I'm a friend of your cousin Liu Cheng. This is a letter he asked me to bring to you." With that, Xu Ye took out a letter and handed it to the other person.

Gu Chen opened the letter and read it in front of Xu Ye.

After reading it, he confirmed Xu Ye's identity.

"Tell me, what do you need my help with? Anything I can help with, I will."

“Your elders have done a great favor for our Liu family.”

Xu Ye took a deep breath and then said, "I need to investigate someone named Huang Haoming. His father is Huang Huailu."

"In addition, I would like to transfer from the boiler manufacturing plant to an electronics factory, any electronics factory is fine."

The other party nodded, and then said, "I can handle both things. The transfer will take about a month, is that alright?"

"Great, that's fantastic!" Xu Ye exclaimed happily.

Then, Gu Chen wrote down an address for Xu Ye: "This is my home address. Come find me next Monday night."

"By then, I should be able to investigate and find out the truth."

Xu Ye quickly replied, "Thank you so much. I'll come see you on Monday."

As he spoke, Xu Ye prepared to leave. "Wait a minute, do you know how to fix a TV?" Gu Chen asked casually.

Upon hearing this, Xu Ye nodded immediately.

He's learned quite a bit about electronics, so I feel like fixing a TV shouldn't be a problem for him.

"I did fix it, you can go and take a look first." Xu Ye didn't rule out the possibility of a definitive answer.

A hint of surprise flashed in Gu Chen's eyes, and he quickly said, "That's great! My TV suddenly broke down, and I called several repairmen, but none of them could fix it."

"I was just having a hard time figuring this out, I never expected you to have this skill. If you could help me fix it, it would be a huge help!"

Xu Ye smiled and agreed, "Brother Gu, you're too kind. You've already promised to help me with such a big favor, so it's only right that I help you fix the TV."

"When is a convenient time for you? I'll go with you now."

Gu Chen glanced at his watch and said, "Now is fine. I happen to be free this afternoon. Let's talk as we walk."

The two left the workplace together, got on Gu Chen's bicycle, and headed towards his home.

Along the way, Gu Chen described the problem with the TV to Xu Ye: "I was watching TV, and suddenly the picture disappeared, and there was only sound. I called a technician, and he fiddled with it for a long time. He said the picture tube was broken, but even after replacing it with a new one, it still didn't work. I don't know what's wrong."

As Xu Ye listened, he silently analyzed the potential problems in his mind. Before long, they arrived at Gu Chen's house.

This is a quiet little courtyard, with a few green plants growing in it, making it look particularly elegant.

Upon entering the room, Xu Ye went straight to the television, squatted down, and began to observe it carefully.

He first checked the external wiring of the television and found nothing loose or damaged.

Next, I carefully opened the back cover of the TV, and a faint smell of burnt electronic components wafted out.

He frowned and carefully examined the various components on the circuit board, discovering that several capacitors seemed somewhat abnormal.

Xu Ye borrowed a multimeter from Gu Chen and began measuring the capacitance.

After testing, it was determined that two of the capacitors were damaged.

He explained the situation to Gu Chen: "Brother Gu, the problem should be with these two capacitors. Their damage has caused the circuit to malfunction, affecting the normal display of the picture tube."

"I need to buy two capacitors of the same specifications to replace them, that should solve the problem."

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen quickly replied, "Okay, I know where I can buy it. I'll go with you."

The two hurriedly went out again and bought the capacitors they needed at a nearby electronics store.

Back home, Xu Ye skillfully soldered the new capacitor onto the circuit board, reassembled the back cover of the TV, and turned on the power.

With a "snap," the TV screen lit up, displaying a familiar image. Gu Chen excitedly slapped his thigh: "Wow! Brother Xu, you're amazing! You fixed it so quickly!"

Xu Ye wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a smile, "Luckily, the problem wasn't too complicated."

Gu Chen warmly pulled Xu Ye to sit down, poured him a cup of tea, and handed it to him: "Brother Xu, your skills are truly amazing! If any of my appliances break down in the future, I'll have to rely on you."

Xu Ye quickly waved his hand: "Brother Gu, you're too kind."

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

With that, Xu Ye prepared to leave.

"Why don't you have a bicycle? Is it because you couldn't get a ticket?" Gu Chen asked directly.

Since Xu Ye works at a boiler manufacturing plant, he should have money in his pocket.

These days, only a minority of people go to work without a bicycle.

“Yes, it’s not easy to get a spot in our factory, otherwise I would have bought it,” Xu Ye explained.

"How about an older one? My sister thinks the old bicycle is hard to ride. If you think it's suitable, I can sell it to you," Gu Chen suggested.

"Great, that's fantastic!" Xu Ye exclaimed happily.

He really needed a bicycle, since he was about to leave the boiler manufacturing plant and naturally couldn't hitch a ride with Lin Hang anymore.

“Then when my sister comes back, we’ll need to go through the transfer process,” Gu Chen said with a smile.

Xu Ye nodded and then started chatting with the other person.

The two hit it off immediately and were so excited to become sworn brothers on the spot.

"Brother, why are you back so early?"

"Who is this……"

"Huh, Xu Ye?"

"Are you Xu Ye?"

Xu Ye looked at the other person, but couldn't quite remember.

"Me? Gu Yue. We were classmates in middle school, haven't you forgotten?"

“You even saved me before, pulling me back to shore from the lake.”

"Yes, I was really fat back then. Everyone called me Fatty, and many of my classmates didn't recognize me," Gu Yue said excitedly.

"Hey, I knew this name sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. Xu Ye, what a coincidence!" Gu Chen said, excitedly patting Xu Ye on the shoulder.

"I really didn't recognize him, and it's quite a coincidence." Xu Ye scratched his head.

Honestly, he really didn't recognize him.

I do remember a chubby classmate named Gu Yue, and Xu Ye saved her.

Back then, Gu Yue even said she would repay him with her body, which terrified Xu Ye.

"Brother, how did you and Xu Ye meet?" Gu Yue asked curiously.

Gu Chen smiled and briefly recounted how Xu Ye had asked him to help investigate Huang Haoming and the job transfer.

He also specifically praised Xu Ye for his skill in fixing the television earlier.

After hearing this, Gu Yue's eyes were filled with admiration.

He said, "Xu Ye, I didn't expect you to be so capable now, even able to fix TVs. Just like back in middle school, you always come in handy at crucial moments."

Xu Ye smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

"It was all just guesswork, but I just happened to understand a little bit. By the way, Gu Yue, where are you working now? You've changed so much, I almost didn't recognize you." Gu Yue is now slim and stylish, completely different from the chubby girl I remember.

Gu Yue's face beamed with pride.

“I work in a textile factory, and I’ve been exercising regularly for the past few years, and I’ve finally lost weight. Speaking of which, I have to thank you for saving me back then. Since then, I’ve been determined to change myself.”

Looking back, Xu Ye couldn't help but sigh, "Time flies, and everyone has changed so much."

At that moment, Gu Chen suddenly remembered the matter of selling the bicycle.

He said to Gu Yue, "Xiao Yue, haven't you always complained that that old bicycle is hard to ride? Xu Ye is worried about not having a bicycle, so why don't we sell it to him?"

Gu Yue's eyes lit up and she nodded quickly.

"Sure, I don't ride it much these days anyway, it's just a waste to leave it there. Xu Ye, that bike is a bit old, but it's pretty sturdy. If you don't mind, we can discuss the price."

Xu Ye quickly thanked him.

"Thank you so much! With the bicycle, commuting to work will be much more convenient from now on."

The conversation then returned to Xu Ye's request for Gu Chen to investigate Huang Haoming.

Upon hearing that Huang Haoming had used underhanded tactics against Xu Ye, Gu Yue couldn't help but say angrily, "Huang Haoming has gone too far. Xu Ye, don't worry, my brother has extensive connections and will definitely be able to find out all the details about him, so he won't dare to bully you again."

Gu Chen patted his chest and assured him.

"Of course. Xu Ye, come over next Monday night, and I will definitely give you a detailed investigation report."

As the conversation deepened, Xu Ye's relationship with Gu Chen and Gu Yue grew closer.

(End of this chapter)