The snow outside the window was gradually melting, but Han Haoxuan's heart felt like an ice cellar in the dead of winter.
Han Haoxuan planned to leave a note for Ruolin, but he wanted to write something insincere like "I wish you happiness".
As a result, when he looked for a pen and paper, he discovered Ruolin's secret—a notebook recording Ruolin's emotional diary.
It was just an ordinary notebook, the only difference being that the cover was wrapped in newspaper, clearly showing how much its owner cherished it. Perhaps due to frequent handling, the notebook looked somewhat worn.
Out of curiosity, Han Haoxuan flipped through a few pages and started reading.
Han Haoxuan finished reading the diary with trembling hands. She had harbored such meticulous thoughts about liking a boy, and had kept those feelings hidden for so long. But that boy wasn't him.
Aside from the interview published in the magazine, she never wrote a single word for him. Yet she wrote so much for another man, and every word was filled with genuine emotion.
It turns out, the ending was already predetermined.
Enraged, Han Haoxuan slammed the diary to the ground, still not satisfied. He then stomped on it, further damaging the diary. The once beautiful notebook was now completely unrecognizable.
He threw the already tattered laptop directly into the trash can outside the residential area.
Han Haoxuan left Ruolin's house without leaving a single word.
Just like when Ruolin left his house, she left nothing behind except her own heart.
Chapter Seventy-One
Chapter Seventy-One
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Time truly is the best medicine for healing wounds; even the biggest wounds will eventually heal.
As time passed, the wounds in Ruolin's heart no longer gnawed at her, and her state of mind became much more peaceful.
At 10:30 a.m. on the sixth day of the first lunar month, Wang Mengmeng and Li Guangyuan's wedding was held as scheduled at a four-star hotel.
After signing in, Ruolin slowly walked into the hall where the wedding was being held.
Even before the wedding officially began, the hall was already filled with a joyous atmosphere.
The hall was decorated with pink heart-shaped balloons hanging around it, and a bright red carpet was laid in the aisle. The stage in the center was elaborately decorated, with two Cupids holding arrows hanging on either side of the backdrop, sparkling with light. A screen next to the stage was projecting the bride and groom's sweet wedding photos on a loop...
Ruolin glanced around and spotted many familiar faces; almost all of her high school classmates had come.
"Ruolin, come over here!" Tian Jing waved to Ruolin, gesturing for her to sit at the table on her side.
Ruolin looked over and saw Mu Jingyan sitting at the same table. He was wearing a dark blue suit today, which accentuated his handsome features. Perhaps because he rarely wore suits, he appeared more mature and composed than usual.
Mu Jingyan also saw Ruolin and smiled slightly at her. His smile was always as warm as a gentle spring breeze. Once, his smile was Ruolin's poison, making her completely infatuated.
"Ruolin, you look so beautiful today. This dress is gorgeous." As soon as Ruolin sat down, Tian Jing started staring at her clothes.
Mu Jingyan was also staring at Ruolin, almost unable to look away. She seemed to be in good spirits today; she must have recovered from her heartbreak, right?
The dress Ruolin was wearing was one that Han Haoxuan had bought for her before. She didn't say anything, but just smiled.
"Where did you buy this dress?" Tian Jing suddenly noticed the clothing brand logo on Ruolin's dress and exclaimed in surprise, "This dress must be expensive! How much did it cost?"
"I'm not sure about the price; it was a gift from someone," Ruolin replied.
"Coach Mu, did you buy this outfit for Ruolin?" Tian Jing asked Mu Jingyan.
Mu Jingyan smiled awkwardly and shook his head: "No."
"The clothes were a gift from a female friend. Also, Tian Jing, Amu and I are just ordinary friends; he has no obligation to buy me clothes." Ruolin nudged Tian Jing with her elbow. She hadn't told anyone about her relationship with Han Haoxuan. She was a low-key person and didn't like to be ostentatious. Besides, if she told others, it would seem like she was showing off, and she wouldn't do something so thankless.
"Really?" Tian Jing looked at Ruolin in disbelief. "Mu Shuai is so great. Haven't you always liked him? Why don't you seize the opportunity?"
"I don't have that kind of luck," Ruolin said casually.
Mu Jingyan could only hear the two of them chattering away, but he couldn't make out what they were saying.
"Are you talking badly about me?" Mu Jingyan asked, leaning closer.
"No. We were just wondering why the wedding hasn't started yet," Ruolin quickly said.
Accompanied by the sacred Wedding March, the groom, Li Guangyuan, led the bride, Wang Mengmeng, into the hall through the entrance, followed by two flower girls.
The bride and groom went through a series of procedures, including exchanging vows, exchanging rings, kissing, and cutting the cake. What touched Ruolin the most was the vows.
To the accompaniment of soothing background music, Wang Mengmeng held Li Guangyuan's hand, gazed at him affectionately, and said earnestly, "...I have some flaws and a bit of a temper. Sometimes when I'm in a bad mood, I even get angry with you, but you never lose your temper with me and always treat me with a tolerant heart. In the years we've been together, you've always thought of me in every way, never made things difficult for me, and given me plenty of freedom so I can make my own decisions. This way of getting along makes me feel very relaxed, and I feel that you are someone I can entrust my life to. Today, in front of all our relatives and friends, we become husband and wife. Let us build a home of love together and grow together in the castle of marriage. In the future, when we have children, I believe we can proudly tell them that we are the happiest parents in the world because we are the most loving and best-matched couple."
After saying these words, Wang Mengmeng was already choked up.
Ruolin's eyes welled up with tears as she listened to these words. Every woman hopes to marry someone worthy of her lifelong commitment, someone who will give her enough understanding and space. Even without the obstruction of Han Haoxuan's family, Han Haoxuan was not her ideal marriage partner.
Marriage and love are different; two people who love each other are not necessarily suited to live together. This is why people always say, "It's easy to fall in love, but hard to stay together."
The final part of the wedding ceremony was the bride and groom toasting the guests. When Wang Mengmeng and Li Guangyuan arrived at Ruolin's table, their classmate Lin Qi asked Wang Mengmeng how she and Li Guangyuan got together, because in her memory, the two hardly spoke to each other in high school. This was probably a question many classmates had, and everyone clamored for them to answer in detail.
Wang Mengmeng was a little embarrassed to speak up, so Li Guangyuan helped her out, saying, "Actually, I liked her back in high school."
"I really didn't see that coming," Lin Qi said, then smiled and continued, "And then, did you suddenly realize your mistake and confess your love to Wang Mengmeng?"
“What’s so hard for a man to say? We didn’t say anything back then because we were afraid it would interfere with our studies. Besides, you all know how ruthless our homeroom teacher was. He’d call our parents if he caught anyone dating. He ruined all our beautiful youthful romances,” Li Guangyuan said passionately. After a pause, he added happily, “Luckily, I was smart enough to back then, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to marry such a beautiful wife today.” With that, Li Guangyuan put his arm around Wang Mengmeng beside him and smiled at her.
At this moment, Wang Mengmeng spoke up, saying, "Don't listen to his nonsense. If he really liked me so much back in high school that he was crazy about me, he would have pursued me then, instead of using our homeroom teacher as a shield."
"Hey, Mengmeng, you know what, it's not the homeroom teacher's fault. If it weren't for his strict policies, I'd probably be standing next to you right now." Ma Jian, who always liked to joke, said this in a seemingly serious manner, even making the smacking-lip gesture that he used to like.
"So you know..." Just as Tian Jing was about to reveal Ruolin's secret thoughts from high school, Ruolin hurriedly tugged at her hand and gave her a look that said not to say it. Although everyone was happy today, chatting about old times, she felt extremely uncomfortable about revealing her secret thoughts in front of so many people, as if her innocent memories were being eroded away.
Ruolin didn't want Tian Jing to tell her; she just wanted to preserve those beautiful memories from her youth for as long as possible. She feared that when the innocent past she had hidden in her youth was no longer a secret, reminiscing about it would become tasteless.
Tian Jing glanced down at Ruolin's expression, then looked up at the classmates staring at her, and said awkwardly, "N-nothing."
Everyone thought Tian Jing had some exciting news, but after hearing these words, they couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
Suddenly, a voice rang out: "I'm going to tell you something you definitely don't know." This person was Zhang Tianliang, the most active member of their class at that time.
Suddenly, everyone's eyes lit up, and they all looked at Zhang Tianliang in a row.
"Do you know Mu Jingyan, the handsome guy in our class..." Zhang Tianliang suddenly stopped speaking, glanced at Mu Jingyan, his eyes shining brightly, the hidden smile unfathomable.
Mu Jingyan suddenly raised his lowered eyes and looked at Zhang Tianliang, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"Hurry up and tell us, are you deliberately keeping us in suspense?" someone muttered.
"He likes a girl in our class," Zhang Tianliang said mysteriously.
The crowd gasped. Who would have thought that Mu Jingyan, who was always engrossed in his studies, would have someone he liked? Mu Jingyan was the most handsome boy in the class, and his grades were excellent. Many girls in the class were infatuated with him during high school, so when they heard that the girl he liked was from their own class, a female classmate couldn't wait to ask, "Who is it?"
At this moment, a large group of high school classmates sat together, causing Ruolin to involuntarily recall her high school days. Her memories drifted back, and she seemed to be the same person she used to be, the one who secretly loved Mu Jingyan. The question, "Who is it?" gripped her heart, making her incredibly nervous. She suddenly remembered Mu Jingyan's half-joking words to her: "What if I said it was you?" Could it really be her that he liked?
The astonishment in Mu Jingyan's eyes intensified, and he didn't know what to say. After a while, he calmed down, but how could he have imagined that Zhang Tianliang would know his little secret? He remembered that he had never revealed it to Zhang Tianliang.
"You didn't expect that, did you?" Zhang Tianliang said smugly, like a serious gossip reporter. "Mu Jingyan likes—" He paused, then saw the eager anticipation in everyone's eyes and said the most crucial words, "Shen Ruolin."
Upon hearing this, Mu Jingyan was stunned. He lowered his eyes slightly, not daring to look up at Ruolin. Although he had told Ruolin he liked her, she had always taken it as a joke and ignored him. Now that he had received confirmation from someone else, what would Ruolin think?
Ruolin's heart skipped a beat. She looked up at Mu Jingyan in disbelief. He had his head down, so Ruolin couldn't see the expression on his face.
"If you really have no one else, I'll marry you." Mu Jingyan's words to Ruolin suddenly popped into her mind. Was he not joking? Did he really like her since high school?
"Ruolin?" Tian Jing, who was next to Ruolin, was taken aback. She thought to herself, what a coincidence that the two of them had a crush on each other back then.
Then, everyone looked at Mu Jingyan with incredulous eyes. They all knew that Mu Jingyan had hardly spoken to Ruolin at that time. Then, some people started to make a fuss.
"That's not true." Mu Jingyan raised his head and explained hesitantly, looking rather guilty.
"I think we're better suited to be good friends, good friends who have nothing to do with love." Mu Jingyan vaguely remembered Ruolin saying this to him, so after that, he forced himself to hide his feelings for Ruolin. Unexpectedly, at this moment, Zhang Tianliang revealed his little secret.
"I'm not lying through my teeth, I have evidence," Zhang Tianliang said with a chuckle.
Mu Jingyan found this matter increasingly strange, so he remained silent and listened to Zhang Tianliang continue.
“Once, I accidentally saw a one-inch photo of Ruolin under Mu Jingyan’s pillow.” Zhang Tianliang gestured with his hands.
Mu Jingyan was now at a loss for words, as if someone had exposed his past. He looked embarrassed, then forced an unnatural smile and said to everyone, "That's all in the past."
Chapter Seventy-Two
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Mu Jingyan remembered finding that one-inch photo while sweeping the floor once; Ruolin must have accidentally dropped it. He glanced around the classroom, and luckily, few people were sweeping and no one was looking, so he quickly stuffed the photo into his pocket. From then on, he kept that photo under his pillow. Whenever he got tired of studying in his dorm, he would take it out and look at it. Seeing Ruolin's charming smile in the photo filled him with a small joy, and studying didn't seem so tiring anymore.
Those small fragments from the past began to gather together, like scattered pictures, pieced together one by one, and emerged in Mu Jingyan's mind.
Mu Jingyan remembered the first time he noticed Ruolin. It was at the beginning of the new semester, and since everyone was a stranger, the homeroom teacher asked everyone to give a self-introduction. Mu Jingyan was naturally quiet, and after his own introduction, he barely looked up at anyone until he heard a clear, melodious voice, as sweet as a nightingale's song. He then looked up and was immediately captivated by the girl before him. Her face was delicate and beautiful, her skin fair and smooth, like a friendly girl next door. He noticed that she was trembling a little as she spoke, her voice slightly quivering, as if she were nervous. He was holding his breath for her, but in the end, she still managed to give a complete self-introduction amidst her intermittent trembling.
In the days that followed, Mu Jingyan would occasionally pay attention to Ruolin. He discovered that her personality wasn't as introverted as he had imagined; he noticed that after class she often turned around to talk to the people behind her, while he would usually only glance at her out of the corner of his eye through the empty seat in front of him; he noticed that she would talk to other boys but never to him; he noticed that her grades hovered in the middle, neither high nor low. At that time, his grades were already excellent, and he really wanted to help her, to tutor her in her terrible math, but he knew he couldn't. He had lofty ideals, and he was afraid that once he got stuck in this quagmire, he wouldn't be able to extricate himself.
However, Mu Jingyan kept Ruolin's photo all this time, and even after graduation, he still regarded it as a personal item.
When Ruolin heard Mu Jingyan's words, her heart skipped a beat. He had once liked her, but she was completely unaware, and he, too, was unaware of her feelings, and still was. Was it a missed opportunity? Ruolin gave a bitter smile. But then she thought, if he truly liked her, why didn't he keep his promise to meet her on his birthday when she left him a note?
“Then let the past become the present,” Zhang Tianliang said.
"Exactly, look at Li Guangyuan. The feelings he didn't confess back then have finally come to fruition," someone chimed in.
"By the way, Mu Jingyan, you didn't apply to work in D City just for Shen Ruolin, did you?" Zhang Tianliang asked.
Mu Jingyan simply smiled and did not deny it.
Ruolin looked up at Mu Jingyan. Did he really transfer to City D for her sake?
"I knew it! You were doing just fine here, weren't you? The CFO of GTR must be making a lot of money, right? Why did you volunteer to go to D City to promote and expand the new product? Isn't that just deliberately making things difficult for yourself? So you're giving up your career for a beauty! You're quite capable, Mu Jingyan." Zhang Tianliang patted him on the shoulder.
"Actually, I want to take advantage of my youth to train myself more, familiarize myself with various aspects of the business, and lay a foundation for future development." Mu Jingyan was afraid that Ruolin would feel pressured, so he quickly said that it was for the sake of his career.
“That’s right. With your brains, starting your own company won’t be a problem in the future! Don’t forget your old classmate when you become the chairman. But, the more I look at you and Shen Ruolin, the more I think you’re a perfect match. How about I be your matchmaker and help you two get married?” Zhang Tianliang still didn’t let up on teasing Mu Jingyan and Ruolin.
"You should ask Ruolin for her opinion first; you can't just make decisions on your own," a classmate joked.
"Wait, I have something to say!" Ma Jian said with an exaggerated expression, as if he had just remembered something. "Now that everyone has mentioned it, I've remembered something."
"What's the matter?" everyone asked curiously.
"..." Ma Jian made a thoughtful expression, clicked his tongue, and remained silent.
Everyone looked at Ma Jian with puzzlement. Zhang Tianliang smiled and said, "You kid don't have any amazing information, do you? I know the most about things in our class."