Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“I already told you on the phone that I have to study until late into the night.” Gu Nianzhi made adjustments to her tone of voice and her words, but she still felt helpless. Huo Shaoheng had called her at five in the afternoon and said that he would pick her up for dinner and to take her to his official residence to celebrate her birthday.
Gu Nianzhi graciously declined. She never imagined that Huo Shao would come, but he was still waiting for her there. She couldn’t help but wonder if that was because he was worried about her, or because he thought that she was lying, so he had gone over there to expose her lie and call her out on it.
However, it didn’t matter what the reason was. Gu Nianzhi felt like she was unable to stand it. She was also puzzled at how courageous she had been, how she had put all her energy into it, and how she had given Huo Shaoheng all of her heart in the past. At that time, it felt like it was a dream. After she woke up, he still felt familiar, dear, but she didn’t have that, “it has to be him” kind of love that she used to have anymore.
Gu Nianzhi’s lack of affection didn’t cause Huo Shaoheng’s smile to disappear. He took a step forward and stretched his hand out to her. “Nianzhi, don’t work too hard. Tomorrow…”
Gu Nianzhi cut him off. She raised her head. Her facial expression looked more composed than ever before. “Huo Shaoheng, stop being like this. Stop wasting your time on me.”
Huo Shaoheng’s hand froze in midair. He didn’t touch Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi looked at his hand. His slender and attractive fingers seemed to have charisma. She remembered the warmth of his palm. Dry but warm… but she no longer yearned for it.
“Huo Shaoheng, I know it’s difficult for you to give up in this short period of time. But believe me when I tell you that you are just accustomed to it, to taking care of me and protecting me. I was a mission given to you by the military. You did a very nice job completing the mission. I’m serious, you can go now that you have accomplished it. I want to walk the path from here on myself. You should have your own life. You don’t have to focus on me anymore.”
It could have been because of her youth, but Gu Nianzhi’s voice was lovely and innocent. The stabbing words that came out of her mouth had a kind of straightforwardness that was childlike, naïve, and cruel. Huo Shaoheng slowly put his hand down and looked deeply at her.
Gu Nianzhi also stared back at Huo Shaoheng. It was the first time she could clearly see what he looked like. Before, the moment she saw him, she would feel her heart beat so fast, and her eyes became so dazzled by a riot of colors. With that riot of colors, she couldn’t look into his eyes. Now she noticed that the shape of his eyes was really appealing. His pupils were full and pitch-black. She couldn’t see the end of them. The corners of his eyes were smooth and firm. They didn’t slant upward. They were just long, and it made his eyelids look even more profound.
When he looked at you quietly like that, it had a different kind of charm to it. Maybe to him, it was only polite to have that kind of bearing. However, in a woman’s eyes, she would be dying to make those moving eyes her own. She wouldn’t allow him to look at other people again. The edge of her lips raised slightly as Gu Nianzhi thought of it like that. A naughty smile appeared.
Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips and pretended that he didn’t hear what Gu Nianzhi had said. He continued his sentence from before Gu Nianzhi had cut him off. “…Tomorrow is your birthday. How do you want to celebrate it?”
Gu Nianzhi shook her head. “I haven’t thought about it. But I want to celebrate it alone.”
“Do you really have to be so cruel?” Huo Shaoheng watched helplessly as Gu Nianzhi was distancing herself from him more and more. It was possible that the only way he could look at her up close in the future would be through the use of a satellite…
His pupils looked even deeper. All the emotion that was being tossed about was hidden deep inside his dark pupils as if no one knew of all his worries. Gu Nianzhi lowered her head. “Let go. I know letting go hurts a lot, because I have been there. But short term pain is better than long term pain. After the pain is over, you will realize that it was no big deal. In this world, there is no one who can’t survive without a certain someone.”
Huo Shaoheng silently looked at Gu Nianzhi from the shiny black hair on the top of her head to her white neck. The way it was so slender and enchanting like a white swan could move a person. Her slanted shoulders were what people commonly referred to as, “the shoulders of beauties.” He took in her tall figure with a thin waist and long legs. She was one day short of being 19, the age of a fresh flower.
“You really want to break up?” Huo Shaoheng squinted. His pupils had already turned dark black. “You sure?”
“Yes.” Gu Nianzhi nodded strongly. “I am 100 percent determined and certain. I want to break up.”
Huo Shaoheng let out a long sigh and stared directly at Gu Nianzhi. “Fine, I will break up with you, if you promise me one thing. Otherwise, you can forget about leaving me.”
Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She slowly raised her head and looked into Huo Shaoheng’s eyes. They were completely dark, like a dark night where you couldn’t even see your fingers if you put them in front of you. She couldn’t tell what it was that he was thinking of. “Promise you one condition?”
“Yes, as long as you promise me one thing, I will break up with you. I will keep my word.” Huo Shaoheng knocked on the vehicle’s window as he finished talking. He had a cold and stern posture. “Chen Lie, come and be a witness.”
When Chen Lie, who had stayed in the car that whole time, heard the way Huo Shaoheng’s voice and tone sounded, he felt a cold air coming from the bottom of his heart. Huo Shao was planning to do something big by digging a big hole for Nianzhi to jump into…
Did he wish to have many blessings? Or should he warn Nianzhi by putting his life on the line? Chen Lie slowly stuck his head out from the car window and looked at Gu Nianzhi with a smile that looked worse than crying. “Nianzhi, hi…”
Gu Nianzhi couldn’t bear to look at Chen Lie being like that. She only took one look at him, and then she looked away and said, “Brother Chen, you also came?” At that moment, she also felt apprehensive from the bottom of her heart. Her face turned a bit red, and she felt embarrassed.
Huo Shaoheng had come to look for her, and he also brought Chen Lie. Could it be that it was not what she thought it was—that he came to harass her? Who brings a friend along to do this kind of thing? Most men won’t do this, let alone men like Huo Shaoheng…
Could she be wrong? Was what she just said due to her thinking too much of herself? Gu Nianzhi felt so ashamed that she couldn’t form a sentence. She nodded slightly. “Hello, Brother Chen.”
Huo Shaoheng took a step back. “Nianzhi, if you agree to this one condition, we will break up. Chen Lie will be the witness. If I go back on my word…”
Gu Nianzhi quickly raised her hand to stop Huo Shaoheng. “Huo Shaoheng, I believe you. There is no need to swear.” In her heart, Huo Shaoheng had always been a strong man who was true to his word. Of course, a good man and a good boyfriend were two different things. Even though she no longer loved him, she still didn’t want him to swear in a way that caused people to feel uncomfortable.
“Okay, and you? You agree? Agree to my condition, and we will break up,” Huo Shaoheng said slowly as he leaned against the car door in a calm and composed manner.
Chen Lie’s round head stretched out from the car window, and he looked at Gu Nianzhi with worry. However, Huo Shaoheng was standing nearby. Even if a person beat him to death, he wouldn’t have the guts to warn Gu Nianzhi.
Gu Nianzhi was a bit hesitant. She wasn’t stupid. She felt a bit strange about Huo Shaoheng’s sudden request, because from the impression that she had, Huo Shaoheng had never been this type of person. Gu Nianzhi groaned and didn’t answer for a few moments.
“You don’t want to? Then that just proves that you still have feelings for me.” Huo Shaoheng took a step forward and walked to Gu Nianzhi’s side. He raised his hand to smooth out her hair that was hanging down by her forehead. His warm fingers swept across the side of her face like a light wind blowing on the water’s surface, causing ripples. “Let’s not break up. Tomorrow is your birthday. I sent you a silk scarf as a birthday present a while ago. I have been back for a couple of days, and I haven’t asked you if you got it yet.”
It would have been better if the silk scarf had not been mentioned. When he mentioned it, she remembered those helpless days in Germany and remembered the video that caused her to have an emotional breakdown. Afterward, she made up her mind and took decisive action in that complex situation.
“First, tell me what the condition is.” Gu Nianzhi clenched her teeth. Huo Shaoheng had made her angry, but she still had a bit of reason left in her. She couldn’t agree to his condition without knowing anything. Then again, if she wanted to break up, what could Huo Shaoheng do to her? It was just that the two of them would have an unpleasant breakup.
The reason Huo Shaoheng mentioned the condition was so that he could get out of an embarrassing situation himself without looking bad. Gu Nianzhi also didn’t want to make this breakup too unpleasant, and she was still grateful to Huo Shaoheng.
It was true that there was no room for any criticism for Huo Shaoheng if he was simply a guardian or an ordinary friend, but as a boyfriend… She couldn’t see anything that was negative about him.
“Right now, I haven’t thought of it yet.” Huo Shaoheng’s voice was gentle. It was like a stream running in the mountains, and it had the power to cleanse someone’s heart. “I will go back and think about it. I will tell you about it tomorrow morning, okay?”
He looked at Gu Nianzhi. His deep gaze beseeched her. Gu Nianzhi could not help but nod. “Fine. But I want to warn Mr. Huo that you shouldn’t make any demand that is illegal or immoral. Even if I agree to those demands, the court would consider it to be invalid.”
Chen Lie closed his eyes while he was in the car. He knew it. What kind of person was Huo Shaoheng? Even those veteran spies failed miserably in his grasp. It was a piece of cake for him to get what he wanted from an inexperienced person like Gu Nianzhi. He just never thought that Huo Shaoheng would actually use that kind of tactic on Gu Nianzhi.
He thought that he loved her so much that he was unable to extricate himself, but at that moment, he found out he loved her so much to the point of being unscrupulous. He didn’t know which type was more acceptable by others, but in Chen Lie’s cold eyes, it didn’t matter which kind it was because Gu Nianzhi didn’t care anymore. Huo Shaoheng was only pushing Gu Nianzhi further and further away by doing things this way. But when it came to feelings, only the person who drank the water knew best whether the water was hot or cold.
After all was said and done, Chen Lie was only an outsider. He couldn’t continue to get involved in other people’s feelings. He wasn’t very experienced in relationships himself, so he was going to stop giving people advice on them. Chen Lie thought of Ye Zitan. A hint of disappointment flashed across his eyes.
Huo Shaoheng sighed heavily. His eyes had a pained expression. “You really want to break up with me no matter what? Can’t we go back to the way things were?”
Gu Nianzhi pressed her lips together and distanced herself from him even further. “Mr. Huo, even though I don’t love you anymore, I still respect you. You are not going to destroy the last good impression I have of you, right?”
Huo Shaoheng’s smile disappeared as he nodded. He restrained his facial expression. “Okay, I will come find you tomorrow at nine o’clock to tell you about the condition.”
Gu Nianzhi took a look at him, then turned and walked away. Only after Huo Shaoheng silently watched her back disappear from the dormitory’s lobby did he turn around to get into his car. He suddenly hit the gas. The Bentley SUV made a roaring sound and sped forward like an arrow.
“Speeding! Speeding!” Chen Lie was almost thrown out of the car and was so scared that he hastily put his seatbelt on as he grabbed the handle above the door.
