"Answer it." Su Jinning turned off her phone and uttered two words calmly.
Shen Moyu found his reaction unbelievable: "Why did you answer? Did you want to hear those nasty things he said? Do you want to hear them?"
Mentioning Shen Donghai was like stepping on Shen Moyu's landmine, instantly igniting a surge of anger.
Su Jinning looked at Shen Moyu sitting at the end of the sofa, but did not go over to comfort him. Instead, she said, "He hasn't called you in a long time. He's probably really worried about you."
Shen Moyu suddenly looked up, as if he had noticed something.
Su Jinning didn't avoid his gaze, and said indifferently, "We can't keep hiding here, it's not a solution. Besides...aren't you tired?"
Su Jinning's words were like a bolt from the blue. He stared at him with wide eyes, as if for a moment he expected Su Jinning to come and hug him. For a long time, neither of them spoke.
"So what do you mean?" Shen Moyu asked him, "Are you tired? Or are you trying to get rid of me?"
"That's not what I meant..." Su Jinning was getting a little anxious, but whether that was what he really meant or not, nobody knew.
The two were speechless for a moment. Shen Moyu was waiting for him to explain, but Su Jinning remained silent.
The phone under the sofa rang repeatedly. Shen Moyu stared at his hair for a long time before finally answering it.
"Hello." Shen Moyu's voice was cold, as if it had been frozen for a long time.
Shen Donghai sighed deeply, his tone tinged with impatience: "When are you coming back?"
"I don't know, and I don't want to go back." Shen Moyu leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling.
Su Jinning closed his eyes tightly, the anxiety and fear of loss welling up in his heart again, intertwining with reason, and he was on the verge of collapse.
"I've already been quite lenient by letting you go for so many days. I advise you to come back soon. I have plenty of ways to get you home."
"I told you, you're not my father, you have no right to tell me what to do."
Shen Donghai snorted coldly: "I don't care what you think, I will never let you hang out with a man. Besides, you're going to leave sooner or later anyway, it's better for you to break up with him yourself than forcing him."
Shen Moyu wanted to retort, but when he met Su Jinning's indifferent gaze, he almost instantly lost his confidence.
"Forget it, stop hiding." In the end, Su Jinning finally said those six words that had been weighing on her heart for so long.
But then he realized that those words were like a sluice gate; when closed, they blocked his chest, but when opened, he couldn't handle the sudden flood, and the pain made him tremble.
Shen Moyu cried: "You've wavered... haven't you?"
The person he desperately wanted to be with let go first. His worst fears came true.
He looked down at his reflection on the floor until his eyes ached.
Did Stephen Chow and the others say anything to you?
Su Jinning sniffed, but her chest ached. "No."
"You're lying." Shen Moyu sobbed twice, feeling extremely wronged, but she forced herself to hold it back: "Is it so hard for me to want to be with you? Why are you starting to try to persuade me too? I've already told you not to listen to what they say, just ignore it, okay?"
"How can I take that as nonsense!" Su Jinning roared, "They're right, I am indeed a burden to you. Don't I want to be with you forever? I do, but I can't be selfish!"
He once thought that as long as two people loved each other, that was enough. Later, he realized that there were worldly concerns, prejudices, realities, and even fear.
We all lacked courage, but we'll never have the chance to find it again.
Should he let go?
Shen Moyu was stunned for a long time, as if he didn't understand when the person in front of him had changed.
Her heart was already hanging on the edge of a cliff; Su Jinning could fall into the abyss with the slightest touch.
"Okay." Shen Moyu wiped away her tears and staggered to her feet. "I'm leaving."
Su Jinning suddenly looked up, as if she had been thrown into another time stream, and her blood froze.
He said he was leaving.
Which type of journey?
Go home, or...
He didn't have the courage to think about those two words, nor the courage to let him go.
He grabbed her slender wrist and pulled her back, causing Shen Moyu to crash into his arms.
No... he can't let go.
Su Jinning cupped Shen Moyu's face in her hands, looking at his reddened eyes, and couldn't help but shed tears herself.
People only feel a sense of crisis when they lose something, and he was no exception.
"Brother Ning." Shen Moyu's eyelashes were always wet and trembling when she cried. "Are you really going to send me away?"
They pushed me away, locked me in that oppressive home, and abandoned me. From then on, when I was sad, I didn't know where to run to anymore.
"I didn't... want to send you away..." Su Jinning hugged his thin body. Even though he had gained weight these past few days, he still felt that he was too thin when he hugged him, as if he was afraid that he would fall over if the wind blew.
He understands that loving someone shouldn't be selfish, but when you truly fall in love with someone, they become your everything. Can you accept their departure with a clear conscience?
He can't do it.
Su Jinning wasn't lying to him; he genuinely didn't want her to leave, but his unease and inferiority complex were forcing him to let go every day.
It was only then that Shen Moyu realized that some things really can't be avoided, and when it's time to face them, you should do so without hesitation.
It's so tragic that people who love each other can't be open about it.
"Brother Ning, I'll come back." Shen Moyu suddenly wiped away his tears, his eyes regaining their usual composure. "I'll come find you after I've taken care of things, okay?"
Su Jinning pursed his lips and remained silent. His uncertainty wasn't about whether he could handle the situation, but rather whether Shen Moyu would ever return.
“But Brother Ning.” Shen Moyu suddenly grabbed his hand, gripping it tightly, just as tightly as when he had the nightmare last night: “If I call you, you must answer. If I ask you to come pick me up, you must come.”
Su Jinning looked up at him.
"Because... if you're not here either, I really don't know where to go."
You are my last trump card. Without you, I've lost everything.