"......" Liang Jinghe's hand gripping the seatbelt froze, and she slowly turned her head, staring at the man.
After a long time, Liang Jinghe finally spoke: "So is it over now?"
Although it was somewhat painful, she wasn't surprised.
Lu Lingchuan was a very outstanding person, and when Liang Jinghe learned that he was already 25 years old yet still single, she had thought that there must be someone in his heart.
"No," he said. "I've never gotten over it."
"......" Liang Jinghe's face turned pale, and her grip on the seatbelt tightened as she struggled to find her voice.
"So... what did you mean by telling me this?"
"She said..." Lu Lingchuan murmured.
"What?" Liang Jinghe didn't hear him clearly.
Lu Lingchuan turned his head and stared at Liang Jinghe's face, slowly opening his mouth.
"You're a good person, and you know I don't like you."
"......" Liang Jinghe lowered her gaze, not saying a word.
She liked Lu Lingchuan, but that didn't mean she was a fool.
Whether someone liked you or not could be seen from the details.
Lu Lingchuan had accepted her confession, but he had never been happy about it.
Liang Jinghe had thought about this before she decided to confess.
Since she had decided to take the initiative and confess, she had already prepared to put in more effort.
"I don't want to let her down, nor do I want to deceive you or myself," Lu Lingchuan said.
"If you loved her so much, why didn't you get together?" Liang Jinghe asked the crucial question.
"......" Lu Lingchuan's expression froze, and he stared at his own hands for a long time before opening his mouth, his voice hoarse: "Before, it was me who didn't dare to have her, now it's her who doesn't want me."
The hand gripping the steering wheel tightened a bit, and the decision in his heart also grew more resolute.
"We've known each other for six years, been entangled for six years, and even if we have to part ways, I hope there can be a period at the end of our story."
Lu Lingchuan looked up at Liang Jinghe again: "So I'm very sorry, but I have to deal with my past. If......"
He paused, a hint of gloom flashing in his eyes, and his voice dropped: "If we're really destined to be apart... then if you still need me later, I can try to be with you on the premise that I don't have her in my heart anymore."
He knew Liang Jinghe was a decent girl, but this was all he could promise.
"......" Liang Jinghe gave a self-deprecating laugh. Lu Lingchuan was too honest, so honest that she didn't know what to say.
They say that if a man truly wants to deceive his partner, he would never let her find out.
She should be thankful that Lu Lingchuan didn't hide anything from her while being with her and still being entangled with the woman in his heart, leaving her unable to distinguish whether she was the third party or the other girl.
"Lu Lingchuan, it would have been better if you hadn't told me all this," Liang Jinghe muttered, meeting Lu Lingchuan's eyes, her own reddening. "If I had found out myself, I could have thrown a glass of water in your face, cursed you as a scumbag, and then turned around and never thought about you again without hesitation."
But instead, he was just so honest.
Why be so honest...
"......"
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
"You're right," Liang Jinghe finally broke the silence, nodding. "You two have been entangled for six years, and no matter good or bad, there should indeed be a result, for your sake, for hers, and for mine."
Liang Jinghe laughed with red eyes, she had originally intended to cry, after all, this counted as a breakup.
But she couldn't cry, she could only laugh.
She turned to look at Lu Lingchuan, "I want to know what kind of person that girl is, for you to have loved her for six years."
From 19 to 25, Lu Lingchuan had given those most youthful and beautiful six years to that girl.
She really wanted to know what kind of girl she was.
What kind of girl...
Hearing this question, Lu Lingchuan himself became dazed, his mind involuntarily picturing Shen Nian's face, Shen Nian in various forms.
Her blushing shyly.
Her smiling and curling her lips.
And her stubborn look when arguing with him, her cold demeanor when they were at odds...
There were so many.
"She's a gentle person," Lu Lingchuan eventually chose to describe her with these two words.
"......" Liang Jinghe was stunned for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"No wonder."
She must be an exceptionally gentle person for Lu Lingchuan to be unable to forget her for so many years.
She clutched her bag, hesitating repeatedly before finally speaking.
"Lu Lingchuan," she called out his name one word at a time.
Lu Lingchuan looked at her.
Liang Jinghe took a deep breath, met his eyes, and said seriously:
"If you two end up together, can you send me a wedding invitation?"
After a pause, she said, "I hope it's written by you two personally."
She continued, "And if... you two don't end up together, can you seriously consider me?"
"At that time, please be with me on the premise that you don't have her in your heart anymore."
She asked him, "Can you do that?"
Lu Lingchuan stared at her, and just when Liang Jinghe thought he would refuse, Lu Lingchuan nodded: "Okay."
Liang Jinghe immediately smiled: "You've promised, I heard you."
"Yeah."
"Since we've cleared the air," Liang Jinghe looked relieved, glancing at the time. "It's getting late, and I have a meeting this afternoon, so I should go first."
With that, she opened the car door to get out.
"Let me give you a ride," Lu Lingchuan said.
"......" Liang Jinghe only hesitated for a moment before getting out of the car.
She held onto the car door and stared at Lu Lingchuan in the driver's seat: "No need, there are plenty of taxis at the entrance, I can easily get one."
Then, she looked down at the passenger seat she had just occupied, and said: "This seat temporarily belongs to another girl, it's not appropriate for me to sit there."
Then, she deliberately showed a relaxed smile: "I'm off, be careful on the road."
With that, she closed the car door and left.
..............................
Shen Nian sat on the sofa after taking a shower.
The antidepressant pills she had to take every day were placed on the coffee table, with a cup of hot water beside them.
She had forgotten to boil water before going out tonight, and the thermos had run out of warm water, so she had to boil some first and let it cool.
Taking advantage of this time, she applied the medicated ointment.
Other medications could potentially have serious side effects if taken together with antidepressants, so Shen Nian didn't ask the doctor to prescribe oral pills, and only bought some ointments to apply.
She had persisted in applying the ointment for two days now, and the small red spots on her face had already faded, with only a few remaining on her elbows.
As Shen Nian was unscrewing the cap of the ointment, a sound came from the door—the electronic door lock unlocking.
Hearing that familiar "unlocked" sound, Shen Nian's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively eased her grip. Fortunately, she reacted in time and immediately loosened her hand, or else the ointment in the tube would have burst out.
When she looked up, Lu Lingchuan was standing at the entrance.
One standing, one sitting, they gazed at each other.
