Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Tell me about the girl you like; what was she like back then?”
Ji Ziming sank his weight on the padded back seat and regarded the man in the driver’s seat with his dark eyes.
He casually asked that before closing his eyes as if he were planning to sleep.
He seemed to be merely curious and had no other motive.
Fu Mingxuan noted his calmness through the rearview mirror and tightened his hands around the steering wheel.
“I already forgot.”
He sucked in a deep breath.
“Forgot? If you had truly forgotten, you wouldn’t have remembered and looked for her for years.”
The man lightly rapped his fingers on the padded seat.
“…” He fell silent at this.
At this moment, the traffic light turned red. In tandem with the slowing down and eventual stop of the car, his riled-up heart also turned calm.
Swish!
He took out an exquisite-looking silver lighter and lit up a cigarette stick for himself.
As white smoke wafted out of his mouth, he started speaking.
“She’s a beautiful girl inside and out.”
His cold expression turned gentle at once as his eyes became filled with nostalgia at the mention of the girl.
“She might not be the prettiest I’ve seen, but she’s definitely the purest and kindest. Her smile was even the nicest.”
At this point, his face was a picture of happiness.
“We were two people who should never have met, but because of that basketball match…”
He turned to look at the man. “It’s that match you rejected.”
Hearing this, Ji Ziming’s eyes opened wide.
“It’s actually funny. Of us four, you and I are alike in terms of personality, but the difference lies in that yours is innate, whereas mine is a mask I wear to hide my feelings.
“People like us find it hard to like someone or even fall in love with one, yet miracles do happen sometimes.”
Seeing that the man’s eyes were now open and looking at him silently, he turned around again.
“I’ve liked her the moment I first laid my eyes on her. I won’t ever be able to forget the pure and bright smile she gave me back then.”
Ji Ziming could not help his chest from constricting at his friend’s narration.
This was his friend and his woman’s past – a past that he was not part of. It was a past… he had not seen.
“Weren’t you guys always wondering why I seldom hung out with you all at that time? That’s because I was with that girl. It’s all so I could hear her call me brother Mingxuan and stare at her pure smile.
His hands tightened into fists as his eyes shone with displeasure.
Brother… That d*mn woman hasn’t even called me that affectionately!
“That’s the happiest time of my life. I thought that we could keep going on like that and I could continue staying by her side, growing up with her… and becoming each other’s beloved. Unexpectedly, she got into an accident, her father passed away, and her family was ridden in debts, causing her to vanish completely from my life.”
The happiness on the other’s face disappeared, and in its place was anger and regret.
Compared to him, the man felt much better.
Although he should not be thinking this as Pei Ge’s boyfriend, he still felt a little happy that mishaps happened to her family.
That was because his friend was truly outstanding. He could not be certain how it would have ended if none of those things had happened to her and they continued to spend time together.
Maybe, the two would date, get married, and…
Just as his mind was in disarray, the other continued indignantly. “Do you know? I resented you back then because of this.”
He was stunned to hear this.
“Resented me? Was this somehow related to me?”
He narrowed his eyes at him through the rearview mirror.
He noted the seriousness on his friend’s face and understood that he was not joking at all.
“Weren’t you kidnapped back then? Everyone was worried about you, so we all stayed by your side. Do you know? That’s the day I lost all contact with her, and she vanished from my world.”
His friend chuckled sorrowfully.
“If not for you, maybe we would’ve started dating long ago. I should’ve stayed by her side back then. She has just lost her father and family, so she must’ve been very confused, but I wasn’t…”
Although he felt a little guilty upon hearing that, he did not feel a shred of regret.
“The day that you were kidnapped, her father passed away and her family went bankrupt. On the day that you were saved, she went missing. From then on, I haven’t been able to find her.”
His friend turned to give him a desolate look. “Tell me; shouldn’t I resent and blame you? Because of you, I lost the girl I’ve always liked.”
“…” He did not reply and just silently looked at his friend.
Seeing that he did not have the intention to speak, Fu Mingxuan exploded at once.
“What about you, though?! You clearly already have Qiao Jingyun! Don’t you only treat that woman well?! Why do you still have to go after the girl I like?! You know it! You know how long I’ve looked for her! You know how much I like her! Why must you snatch her from me?! Aren’t we good friends?!”
