Perhaps because everyone was already familiar with each other, the atmosphere at dinner was very lively, and there was even a slight sense of confrontation.
“Since everyone is here, I don’t need to say goodbye to each and every one of them!” Dai Qiang said.
"Dai Qiang, are you going out?" Yang Ke asked.
"I've already finished all my university courses, and I want to go to Beijing to look for a job early!" Dai Qiang said. "I probably won't be able to come back until next year when I defend my thesis!"
"Wishing you all the best!" Yang Ke and Tong Tong said.
"What about Ye Xun? Is he going with you too?" Tong Tong asked, her unintentional question being exactly what Yang Ke was concerned about.
Ye Xun didn't answer, but Dai Qiang, who was sitting to the side, said, "She'll have to wait a while longer, until I find a job and settle down there, then she'll go over!"
Yang Ke nodded, his mood somewhat heavy.
"Yang Ke, what about you? What are your plans?" Dai Qiang asked.
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Chapter 30 Love Cannot Be Spoken
Updated: 2008-06-27 17:26:54 Words: 0
"I haven't thought it through yet. I need to take the exam in January, and what happens after that is still very uncertain!"
"I wish you good luck on your exam! This is the only thing I can do for you!" Dai Qiang said with a smile. "We've been troubling you all along! Like today!"
"How have I troubled him!" Ye Xun understood Dai Qiang's meaning and said indignantly, "He's the one who's always causing trouble for others!"
After dinner, Tong Tong didn't go back to school; she and Ye Xun slept in Yang Ke's bedroom. Dai Qiang originally wanted Yang Ke to sleep with him, but Yang Ke politely declined and slept alone in the living room.
This was a sleepless night for each of them.
Dai Qiang is leaving for Beijing in two days, but he still can't figure out the doubts in his heart. At dinner tonight, he noticed something unusual about Yang Ke and Ye Xun. Their words and actions are always contradictory, and they fight each other endlessly. But Dai Qiang always felt that they were closely connected. Otherwise, why would two completely different people come together and become good friends?
Sometimes, Dai Qiang would even think that Yang Ke and Ye Xun liked each other, but he didn't understand why Yang Ke told him that there was no connection between them. And why Ye Xun agreed to come back to him? But Ye Xun's return still brought Dai Qiang comfort, making him feel gratified and happy from the bottom of his heart.
Dai Qiang's departure surprised Yang Ke, because it meant Ye Xun was leaving too. The annual job fair was fast approaching, and from then on, they would all go their separate ways, perhaps never to meet again, until they forgot each other's faces and names. But Yang Ke felt a deep sense of resentment, because he hadn't yet spoken his true feelings. Perhaps he would regret his current timidity and cowardice for the rest of his life, but what could he say? Should he, out of selfishness, break up someone else's relationship and rob everyone of their happiness?
Yang Ke tossed and turned on the sofa, unable to fall asleep for a long time...
The next day, Tong Tong and Dai Qiang left. Ye Xun asked the teacher for leave because of her mobility issues. She and Yang Ke stayed in the building together, and the two of them entered a battle mode from the moment they opened their eyes in the morning.
"Everything must be done step by step!" Yang Ke said. "Do as stated in Article Twenty-One, otherwise, do as you please!"
"Are you threatening me?" Ye Xun asked. "I'm just staying here temporarily; those rules have no binding force on me whatsoever!"
“A temporary stay is still a stay!” Yang Ke said.
“Those principles lost their validity by the end of summer vacation!” Ye Xun said. “If we’re talking about principles, you’d better mind your own business!”
"What's wrong with me? My principles have never been wrong!"
"We agreed not to date in college, isn't that your personal principle?" Ye Xun said, "But how did you break it?"
Ye Xun had always been skeptical about this. Perhaps, if Yang Ke had been able to clearly express her feelings, she wouldn't be so hesitant and even in such a passive position now.
"Where did I break the rules?" Yang Ke said angrily. "If anything, you broke the rules first!"
"Since it's a violation, there's no distinction between first and last!" Ye Xun said indignantly.
"I don't care, someone who violates principles has no right to restrain me!" Yang Ke refused to back down.
"Yang Ke, you've gone too far!" Ye Xun said. "I know you don't truly love Tong Tong; you're just deceiving her!"
"You're no different!" Yang Ke's anger erupted. "Aren't you the same?"
"Yang Ke, you have no right to talk to me like that!" Ye Xun said, fighting back tears. "You forced me to make those principles back then, and I'm no longer bound by them!"
"No one is forcing you! Whether you want to obey or disobey, it's all up to you!" Yang Ke said and went into the bedroom, the door behind him making a deafening noise.
"Yang Ke, you'll regret treating me like this!" Ye Xun cried out, tears streaming down her face.
When Dai Qiang left, Yang Ke and Tong Tong both went to the station to see him off. Throughout the entire time, Ye Xun didn't say a word to Yang Ke, not even glancing at him. Yang Ke knew Ye Xun was angry with him because of what had happened a few days ago, so his stubborn nature kicked in, and his anger, which had subsided somewhat, flared up again. As a result, the two became bitter enemies, a sight that terrified Tong Tong.
Tong Tong was caught in the middle and was in a difficult position. One was her best friend, and the other was the person she liked. Tong Tong simply couldn't bear this torment.
"Let's go to the supermarket!" Tong Tong said, then forcibly pulled the two of them together.
In the supermarket, Ye Xun kept pulling Tong Tong forward, trying to shake off Yang Ke, but the three of them soon got separated. Ye Xun rested for a while in a secluded corner, finally managing to calm down. She turned around and had only walked a short distance when she bumped into Yang Ke. Ye Xun glared at Yang Ke fiercely, turned and walked away, but encountered him again a few minutes later. This happened repeatedly, and Ye Xun's anger erupted once more.
"Why do you always follow me around?" Ye Xun asked Yang Ke angrily.
"I wasn't following you!" Yang Ke said. "You're the one who's always following me! I'm trying to shake you off!"
Ye Xun was too lazy to argue with Yang Ke, so she turned around and left. But every time, she couldn't escape her misfortune—she would just make Yang Ke disappear from her sight, but soon, Yang Ke would inexplicably bump into her again.
"Get out!" Ye Xun screamed frantically, "I don't want to see you in this supermarket again!"
"Are you being reasonable? This isn't your territory, why should I listen to you?" Yang Ke was enraged.
"So you have the right to follow in other people's footsteps?" Ye Xun questioned.
Just then, Tong Tong arrived, and a war that was about to break was finally averted, but the group parted on bad terms again.
Several more days passed, and Ye Xun and Yang Ke remained in a standoff. Ye Xun herself was somewhat confused as to why she always made things so tense between her and Yang Ke. Hadn't she always hoped to reconcile with him? But reality was always so inexplicable—when they were together, they were always arguing, but once they were apart, they couldn't help but miss each other. It was as if they were bound together by an invisible rope.
While Ye Xun was still thinking about these chaotic things on the rooftop, her phone rang. It was Dai Qiang calling.
"Dai Qiang, is everything going smoothly?"
"Everything is fine!" Dai Qiang said. "How about you? How are you feeling?"
"Great, thank you!" Ye Xun asked, "Dai Qiang, is there something you need?"
"It's nothing!" Dai Qiang said. "I forgot some books I borrowed from the library at Yang Ke's. Could you return them to me?"
"Don't worry! I will!" Ye Xun said. For some reason, their conversation seemed too dull. There was a great distance between them, and this distance was also clearly present in their minds.
"Ye Xun, there's something else I want to ask you!"
"What's wrong?" Ye Xun asked nervously.
"Can you come over anytime soon?" Dai Qiang asked. "Is the course almost over?"
“That’s about it, maybe another month! I’ll call you when the course ends!” Ye Xun said. She was actually postponing her trip to Beijing because she knew that once she left the city, the last glimmer of hope between her and Yang Ke would be lost.
Both of them fell silent, and the phone rang in complete silence. The oppressive atmosphere made Ye Xun feel suffocated, so she held her breath and bravely endured it.
"Ye Xun, you like Yang Ke, right?" Dai Qiang suddenly asked.
This simple sentence, set against the backdrop of silence, was like a thunderclap. Ye Xun was startled, and her phone almost fell to the ground.
“Although I don’t know why you chose me, I know that you really like Yang Ke. There must be some misunderstanding between you two, something that has made you both misunderstand each other!” Dai Qiang’s tone was very calm, as if he had thought it all through carefully.
"Dai Qiang, I don't know what you're talking about!" Ye Xun tried her best to calm herself down.
"Ye Xun, I've actually noticed it for a long time. There's something more between you and Yang Ke. You can deceive me, but why are you deceiving yourself?"
"Dai Qiang, I think you must have misunderstood!" Ye Xun could no longer endure this torment; she didn't know when she would suddenly collapse.
"No way!" Dai Qiang said. "I trust my intuition. I know what it feels like to like someone! Ye Xun, let's break up!"
"Dai Qiang, why is that?" Ye Xun asked, puzzled. "Has something happened? Why are you suddenly telling me all this?"
"No! If it were, I wouldn't have slept well for a day and a night. I thought about it for a long time before I had the courage to tell you this, Ye Xun, let's break up!" Dai Qiang demanded again, "Leave me and go back to Yang Ke's side. He needs you more than I do, and you need him too!"
Ye Xun stared blankly at the phone for a long time, unsure whether this was good news or bad news for her. She thought of Yang Ke, but couldn't let go of Dai Qiang. After hesitating for a long time, she finally said, "Dai Qiang, let's both think this over carefully, okay?"
“Okay!” Dai Qiang agreed. “I hope you can be brave and face yourself. I will support you no matter which choice you make, because neither of us needs to deceive ourselves!”
Ye Xun put away her phone and looked down at the city below. On this clear day, the entire city was almost spread out before her eyes. Ye Xun let out a long sigh of relief, wishing she could open her arms and embrace the whole city...
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Chapter 31 I only wish to be together forever
Updated: 2008-06-29 15:06:03 Words: 0
Yang Ke opened the door and was about to go inside when he heard a noise coming from inside. He paused, then immediately realized what was happening. Yang Ke grabbed a mop and tiptoed towards the west bedroom. He listened at the bedroom door and, sure enough, someone was moving things inside. Yang Ke shouted and burst in, startling Ye Xun, who screamed from inside.
"Why is it you?" Yang Ke asked, holding up a mop.
"Are you trying to scare me to death?!" Ye Xun asked angrily.
"What are you doing here?" Yang Ke asked, "You've been sneaking around like a thief in the middle of the night!"
"How do I look like a thief?" Ye Xun retorted, unconvinced. "I walked in through the door openly and honestly!"
“But you didn’t get my permission!” Yang Ke said. “What’s the difference between breaking into someone’s room and being a thief!”
"I've already spoken to the landlord!" Ye Xun glared at Yang Ke and said, "Besides, you're not here, how can I get your permission!"
"Can't you just make a phone call?"
"Make a phone call?" Ye Xun gritted her teeth, wishing she could tear Yang Ke in front of her to pieces. "Do you think I'd enjoy arguing with you that much? I'd rather avoid you than not!"
"Then you'd better leave now!" Yang Ke said. "Don't hang around in front of me, it makes me angry!"
"I'm going to stand here no matter what!" Ye Xun said. "I've already got the landlord's permission, and I can stay here as long as I want!"
"Then do as you please!" Yang Ke turned and left.
"Yang Ke, you stop right there!" Ye Xun said.
"Why should I stop just because you tell me to?" Yang Ke retorted. "Why should I always listen to you?"
"Dai Qiang asked me to come here to pick up some books, but I've been looking for them for a long time and haven't been able to find them. I guess they must be with you!"
"What a joke! You can't find everything you need, so you come to me? Do you think I'm a thief?" Yang Ke said sarcastically.
"You've always been a thief, always looking like a thief!" Ye Xun said. "Are you going to give it to me or not?"
"No!" Yang Ke said.
"Fine, these books are with you! You've already admitted you won't give them up!"
"How about it being here with me?" Yang Ke said somewhat flusteredly. "I'll give it to Tong Tong tomorrow; you can go get it from her!"
"No, I want to take him away right now!" Ye Xun said and rushed into Yang Ke's bedroom.