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

The night was as dark as ink, and the door to the rented room was opened.

Zhou Mengmeng returned with her suitcase.

In the living room, the flickering light from the television illuminated Ning Shu, who was curled up on the sofa.

She was holding a plush bear that was half her height and was watching a boring soap opera intently.

Hearing the noise, she didn't even turn her head.

Zhou Mengmeng put her suitcase in the corner, walked to the sofa, and plopped down on it.

"Did that bastard leave?" she asked casually.

"Okay." Ning Shu looked up from the TV and down at her, nodding. "He went back to his happy little home to keep his sister Xi Yue company."

Seeing Ning Shu's nonchalant demeanor, Zhou Mengmeng's anger flared up.

She stuck out her index finger and poked Ning Shu's forehead in an annoyed manner.

"Ning Shu, Ning Shu, what have you been protecting? Everyone's gone!"

Ning Shu tilted her head back after being poked, but she wasn't annoyed. She just rubbed her forehead and shrugged her shoulders slightly. "But I think Sister Xi Yue is more suitable for Lu Hao."

"You make it sound like you're not suitable?" Zhou Mengmeng said, exasperated.

"I can't control him anyway," Ning Shu said nonchalantly.

"Uh..." Zhou Mengmeng paused for a moment, then thought about it carefully and realized it made sense.

If it were Ning Shu, she wouldn't say a word to dissuade Lu Hao from going out drinking in the middle of the night. She would just cook a bowl of hangover soup at home and wait for Lu Hao to come back drunk so she could clean up the mess.

Her kindness is subtle and gentle, and completely non-threatening.

"But you can't just push him into someone else's arms!" Zhou Mengmeng sighed, her voice full of frustration. "That Xiao Xiyue, besides being a bit fierce, a bit rich, and a bit pretty..."

As she spoke, her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible; she had lost her confidence.

It seems... they really did crush them in every way.

"See, you said it yourself." Ning Shu blinked her bright eyes and a smile appeared on her lips.

"Forget it, forget it!" Zhou Mengmeng waved her hand irritably, completely giving up on arguing with her. "I'm not going to talk about it anymore, I'm too tired. I'm going to get some sleep. If that guy comes back, remember to let me know in advance so I can go into hiding."

"You don't have to do this," Ning Shu said earnestly, looking at her. "Just treat him like a normal friend, right? As long as you don't ruin their relationship, there's nothing wrong with meeting up."

"Xiao Ningzi," Zhou Mengmeng turned her head and looked at her with a complicated expression, "you are still too naive."

"As long as Lu Hao is happy, isn't that enough? You don't want to see him sad because of us, do you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Mengmeng suddenly laughed, then shook her head helplessly and let out a long sigh.

"My kindness is without any ulterior motive, do you understand?"

Ning Shu looked at her and shook her head blankly.

Zhou Mengmeng's eyes dimmed. She stood up, leaving Ning Shu with her back turned.

"Therefore, it is my right to disappear from his world."

After Zhou Mengmeng finished speaking, she pulled her suitcase and walked into the room without looking back.

The living room returned to silence, with only the sound of the male and female protagonists talking on the television.

Ning Shu hugged the plush bear in her arms, her brows furrowed slightly.

She still didn't understand.

If you like someone but are destined not to be together, does that mean you have to never see each other again, not even be friends?

Isn't it good enough for her to stay quietly by his side, watching him fall in love, watch him get married, and watch him live happily...?

……

1902.

In the living room, only one spotlight was on, and the light barely outlined the shape of the sofa.

Lu Hao lay slumped on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling, his eyes unblinking.

Zhou Mengmeng's resolute departure today, and her complete blocking of him, made him feel as if he had lost something.

But isn't this the life he's been pursuing all along?

Stable, uneventful.

I work during the day, and when I get home in the evening, someone is waiting for me. On weekends, we go out shopping and watch movies together.

Then they would get married, have children, and live a peaceful life that they could see the future of.

But when this kind of life was finally within his grasp, he felt an unprecedented emptiness.

It wasn't obvious before, but the emptiness was amplified when Zhou Mengmeng left with her suitcase today.

"No, this shouldn't be the case."

Lu Hao sat up straight on the sofa, ran his hands through his hair, and scratched it irritably.

He muttered to himself, as if trying to convince himself: "It must be because I've gotten used to that kind of life of partying every night for the past three years that I feel this way."

"How does it feel?"

A cold female voice rang in his ears, startling Lu Hao so much that he jumped up from the sofa.

He turned his head and saw Xiao Xiyue standing in the shadow of the spotlight; his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"You...you're back?"

"I was afraid you had something on your mind." Xiao Xiyue walked to the sofa and sat down. She turned her head to look at Lu Hao, her eyes calm, and patted the seat next to her. "Have you done something wrong?"

"What wrong thing could I have done?" Lu Hao composed himself, sat down half a meter away from her, deliberately avoiding her gaze. "You walk in without making a sound? You suddenly appeared, I thought I saw a ghost."

"I called you twice, but you were lost in thought. How can you blame me?" Xiao Xiyue came over and reached out to rub Lu Hao's head. "Alright, alright, be good."

Lu Hao was both amused and exasperated by her action. He slapped her hand away, rolled his eyes at her, and said, "Are you trying to coax a child?"

"You are my little friend," Xiao Xiyue said matter-of-factly.

"I'm very big, okay?" Lu Hao puffed out his chest defiantly.

Xiao Xiyue's gaze followed his downwards, sweeping over him for a moment before she nodded seriously and solemnly corrected herself, "Yes, yes, my big friend."

Seeing her mischievous expression, Lu Hao's frustration and emptiness suddenly dissipated.

He laughed, reached out and pulled her into his arms, letting her lean on his shoulder.

"Don't drive back overnight next time. It's not safe to drive at night."

I'm worried about you.

Xiao Xiyue snuggled closer to him, finding a comfortable position, her voice muffled.

Those four simple words were like a warm current, filling all the emptiness in Lu Hao's heart.

He fell silent.

Yes, Ning Shu is right, I was just too indecisive.

The person in front of you will drive hundreds of kilometers back late at night out of concern for him, will be perceptive of all his subtle emotions, and will clumsily comfort him in his own way.

What I have is enough.

Those inexplicable and unclear past events should be sealed away.

Damn it, Lu Hao.

He lowered his head, resting his chin on the top of Xiao Xiyue's head, and could smell the familiar fragrance in her hair.

"Are you hungry? I'll cook you something to eat."

"Okay, I want egg noodles, with two eggs."

"Would you like another sausage?"

"Lu Hao, you're so dirty-minded."