Three years after our breakup, you came back to China, and I'm just giving up. Why are you cryi

Lu Hao put out his cigarette and turned to speak, but the scene in the living room stunned him.

In the living room, Su Yu was in an extremely awkward position, supporting herself on the sofa with one hand while struggling to reach her ankle with the other.

She was bent over, with tiny beads of sweat on her forehead, and her face was deathly pale.

She was slowly and painstakingly pulling down those expensive black stockings, biting her lower lip with each movement to suppress the groans of pain in her throat.

This scene made Lu Hao swallow all the words he wanted to say.

He ran over quickly, trying to grab her hand, and said, "Let me do it."

"No need, you can go."

Su Yu pulled her hand back, stubbornly continuing her actions. Her delicate brows furrowed tightly from the pain. "I can do it myself. I'm not that little girl who needed you to protect her in everything anymore."

These words were even more biting than the cold wind that had just blown from the balcony.

Lu Hao's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. He looked into Su Yu's stubborn eyes and felt a pang of pain in his heart.

"Listen to me!" he said, his face darkening and his tone firm.

After saying that, he reached out again and this time grasped her slender ankle.

Su Yu paused slightly, her hands stopping their movements.

She raised her head, her bright almond-shaped eyes looking at him quietly, her gaze filled with grievance, stubbornness, and something he couldn't understand.

In the end, she obediently let go and leaned back on the sofa.

Ignoring her almost melting gaze, Lu Hao took a deep breath and focused all his attention on the movements of his hands.

He grabbed the edge of the stockings and slowly pulled them down along the curve of her shapely calves.

Inch by inch, his fair, jade-like skin was freed from the black restraints, but he had no time to appreciate it.

Seeing Lu Hao's cautious demeanor, Su Yu, leaning back on the sofa, smiled slightly.

Ha, you've got it figured out!

Finally, after completely removing the stockings, Lu Hao casually tossed them aside, turned around, picked up the medicinal wine on the coffee table, poured some into his palm, rubbed his hands together to warm them, and then covered them on Su Yu's already somewhat red and swollen ankles.

He skillfully pushed, pressed, rubbed, and pinched, applying pressure from light to heavy to ensure the medicine could penetrate.

Su Yu closed her eyes, her tense body gradually relaxed, a faint hum escaped her throat, her even breathing became a little rapid, and a blush appeared on her pale cheeks.

After a while, Lu Hao stopped and carefully placed her legs back in place.

He stood up and looked at Su Yu, who was lying on the sofa with her eyes closed and her long eyelashes trembling slightly. He opened his mouth several times, but found that he could not say anything.

"All done?" Su Yu suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze clear and bright, meeting his eyes directly.

"Well, then I..."

"Get me a bottle of red wine from the second shelf of the wine cabinet," she interrupted him, her tone as indifferent as if she were ordering a subordinate.

Lu Hao frowned: "I won't drink."

"I didn't ask you to drink it." Su Yu glanced at him. "I'll drink it myself, otherwise I won't be able to sleep tonight."

Lu Hao was seething with anger, but he still turned around and walked towards the luxurious wine cabinet.

Following Su Yu's instructions, he took out a bottle of red wine that had already been opened, with about half a bottle left inside.

He carried the wine bottle and a wine glass back to the sofa, placed the glass on the coffee table, pulled out the cork, and poured wine into the glass.

"I remember you didn't used to like drinking much," Lu Hao said, handing her the glass.

"I liked to drink this when I was abroad." Su Yu took the glass and gently swirled it.

She brought the glass to her lips, her soft red lips lightly touching the cool rim, then tilted her head back and drank the wine in one gulp.

"After three years abroad, you've become an alcoholic, even trying to drink red wine like a foreigner." Lu Hao scoffed, his tone laced with sourness.

Su Yu put down her empty glass and looked directly at Lu Hao. "I don't want to drink either, but I can't sleep because I'm thinking about you, so I can only numb myself with alcohol."

Lu Hao's pupils dilated, and after a long silence, he finally spoke: "Then... then why didn't you send me a message?"

"If I sent you that message, you'd probably have blocked me by now. I've gone back to China, where would I find you?"

Lu Hao turned around, his back to her, unsure how to answer the question.

That's right, he was furious at the time. If Su Yu had dared to send him a single word, he would have blocked her without hesitation.

Just like she did when she came back.

Behind him, Su Yu's voice rang out again, but this time, it lacked the previous teasing tone and sounded as soft as a sigh.

"Lu Hao, keep up the good work."

Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear, "It's not for me, it's for yourself. You've had enough fun these past three years, it's time to think about the future... No matter what your future holds, I believe, and hope... I will be a part of your future."

"Su...Su Yu." Lu Hao turned around, looking at Su Yu, whose face was rosy and whose eyes were exceptionally bright and gentle. "I...we..."

"Lu Hao!"

Su Yu spoke, her voice not loud, but she interrupted him.

She braced herself against the sofa armrest, enduring the pain in her ankle, and slowly stood up, looking him straight in the eye. "Many things can't be accomplished just by talking; they need to be proven with actions. Let me see your efforts, okay? I don't believe the Lu Hao I know will continue to degenerate like this."

All of Lu Hao's words were stuck in his throat.

For a fleeting moment, he really, really wanted to pull her into his arms and say, "Let's start over."

But she saw through his thoughts and ruthlessly nipped his idea in the bud.

This puzzled Lu Hao. Su Yu had clearly come back to get back together with him, so why was she interrupting him now?

After thinking about it, Lu Hao suddenly understood.

Su Yu prefers the spirited version of herself from the past, not the seemingly carefree but actually decadent version of herself she has lived for the past three years.

What she wanted was not an empty promise, but a man who could stand shoulder to shoulder with her.

effort?

How can I work hard if I've lost my job?

……

After leaving Su Yu's house, Lu Hao made several turns and arrived at the familiar old town area.

Several large yellow dogs walked over from a distance and, seeing Lu Hao, wagged their tails and surrounded him.

Lu Hao squatted down and patted each dog's head in turn, his eyes brightening.

Losing your job may seem like being "wandering," but in reality, you can unleash your potential without any constraints.

Since there's no one behind me and no way out, why not take a gamble?

Once my salary comes in, that 80,000 yuan will be my start-up capital.

Some people dared to launch a lightning attack on the Xiongnu with only 800 men.

Some people have forged the legend of Chu and Han with eight hundred men.

Eight hundred tigers galloped across the river.

Someone is digging at eight hundred Xuanwu.

Eight hundred men were sent to Fengtian to quell the rebellion.

He has 80,000, what's there to be afraid of?

Lu Hao stood up, looked at the big yellow dog surrounding him, and smiled slightly.

He turned around and looked at the balcony of the 22nd floor of the building next door, where a blurry figure stood, seemingly watching him from afar.

The future? He didn't know.

But he knew he was about to take the first step in his life.

No matter how rugged the road ahead, he will eventually climb out of the mire and greet the rising sun.