You Ran's head was pressed tightly against his chest, as if every strand of her hair could feel his rapid heartbeat.
“Whatever decision you make… I will accept it,” he said.
You Ran felt a bitter taste in her mouth: "If I hadn't gone, would you have left me forever?"
The gentle heartbeat in my ears gradually calmed down, just like a turbulent lake or sea gradually turning into a calm, clear pool.
“We knew the answer a long time ago,” he said.
Yes, I knew it a long time ago.
“You Ran…” Xiao Xin looked at You Ran, opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say. He paused for a long time, then lowered his head and buried his lips in You Ran’s cheek, gently touching hers.
It felt like a kiss.
The sound of her lips leaving her skin lingered in You Ran's ears, stretching out over time.
"You Ran, I like you... I like you a lot, a lot." These were the last words Xiao Xin said before letting her go.
You Ran stared blankly at the open classroom door, as if she had lost her soul.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of the iron gate being unlocked was heard.
The college lecture hall has a front and a back door. The back door is located in the storage room at the back of the classroom and is an iron door.
Looking up leisurely, a figure flickered at the iron gate and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Could it be that someone was hiding in the storage room just now?
So, were you able to hear the conversation just now?
You Ran wanted to chase after him to see who it was, but after taking just one step, she had no strength left.
What does it matter who listens? At this point, she no longer has the strength to pursue the matter further.
Twenty days, four hundred and eighty hours, twenty-eight thousand eight hundred minutes, one million seven hundred and twenty-eight thousand seconds.
Every second, You Ran was making a decision—whether or not to go to the airport on her day off.
That plane ticket has been kept under my pillow; I haven't dared to touch it.
You Ran reminisced about every moment she had spent with Xiao Xin, from their initial fights to their eventual understanding and eventual romance.
They're the perfect example of a bickering couple.
However, whether the ending is a happy ending or a tragic ending is entirely up to her.
You Ran felt lost. She remembered that day in front of Qu Yun, she had said firmly that what she wanted was a man who would cherish her like the apple of his eye.
And now, this is exactly what Shin-chan is doing to her, so why is she hesitating?
His kindness to her was evident to all, it came from the bottom of his heart, and it deeply moved her.
But why did she stop?
Ultimately, it all comes down to naivety and stubbornness.
Deep down, what she was looking for was a man who would cherish her like a precious gem, and whom she would also deeply love.
However, the chances of finding this person are even smaller than the chances of successfully landing on the moon without any equipment.
Even with Shin-chan as a comfortable haven, they don't stop; they continue to brave the winds and waves, searching for that elusive, mirage-like dream.
If she did that, she would curse herself for being a worthless wretch.
Didn't she suffer enough for Qu Yun back then? Does she have to go through that again with someone else?
To love or to be loved seems to be a question that everyone faces.
It's difficult to achieve the best of both worlds in this situation. There will always be someone you love who doesn't love you back, and someone who loves you whom you don't love.
It's hard for anyone to figure out exactly what they want.
Choosing the wrong path can lead to lifelong regret.
Time, the god of time, rapidly turned the hands of the clock; twenty days passed quickly.
Reviewing, taking exams, eating, sleeping, sunrise, sunset—like a movie on fast-forward, it quickly came to an end.
The answer to You Ran's question remains elusive.
In her left pocket was her train ticket home, and in her right pocket was the plane ticket Shin-chan had given her.
Aside from the school gate, the airport is to the left and the train station is to the right.
Left or right? I sat leisurely by the flower bed at the school gate, placed my luggage at my feet, and stared blankly into space.
The plane is scheduled to take off at 11:00, and it's 9:00 now, so there's plenty of time if you want to go.
However... You Ran couldn't discern the direction she should be heading.
My brain, from thinking, turned into a pot of boiling porridge, scalding my nerves.
She rubbed her temples gently, burying her head in her arms to ease the pain.
Just then, a horn blared in her ear.
The area right outside the door is a bustling downtown area, with cars and horns blaring incessantly. You Ran didn't pay any attention to it at first, but the horns kept going on and on, as if they were directed at her.
Looking up leisurely, under the clear sky, she saw that sitting in the car in front of her was Qu Yun.
It was already late June. Under the pure golden sunlight, Qu Yun's eyelashes, which seemed to be a centimeter long, were cast on her face, and the golden shadows covered most of her face.
The first thought in You Ran's mind was—it's a ghost.
Has Qu Yun stopped driving since that incident?
It seems that anything is possible.
But... it's none of my business anymore. The sunlight is too bright and blinding. I lowered my head and buried it in my arms again.
"Are you going home?" Qu Yun asked.
She nodded leisurely, her movements very subtle, not caring whether he could see her or not.
“Since you don’t have much luggage, you can take your comics,” Qu Yun said.
When You Ran was staying at Qu Yun's house, she kept all her treasured comics there.
It's not that there's no place to put it; it's just to occupy a corner of Qu Yun's house, as if doing so would incidentally occupy a corner in his heart.
How foolish I was back then.
After the breakup, I never had the chance to get them back, so I just left them there.
"Let's do it another day," You Ran said. "I'll go get it another day. I... don't have time today."
Upon hearing this, Qu Yun's eyes changed slightly under the increasingly scorching sunlight: "I've already brought it, it's in the car, you can take it."
Yes, it's true, it's not a good idea to leave your things at your ex-boyfriend's house after breaking up.
So, You Ran walked to the back door, opened it, and prepared to move the books. But when her eyes adjusted to the darkness inside the car, she found that there wasn't even a trace of a comic book on the seat.
Before she could even ask a question, You Ran felt a strong force pull her into the car, followed by the sound of the car door slamming shut and the roar of the engine starting.
Startled by this sudden turn of events, You Ran was initially stunned, but then she snapped out of it and immediately shouted, "Stop the car!"
Qu Yun seemed not to hear, continuing to press the accelerator and driving wildly forward. After the last turn, he stopped in a quiet alley in a residential area.
"Crazy!" You Ran cursed under her breath, reached for the door, and prepared to get out of the car.
But Qu Yun pressed down on her shoulders, lowered the front seat, and climbed on top of her, pinning You Ran down firmly.
"What are you doing!" You Ran exclaimed in shock, struggling violently.
"Don't go to the airport," Qu Yun said in a low voice. "I can't let you go."
How did he know?
You Ran instantly recalled the figure in front of the lecture hall... It was him?
Qu Yun overheard his entire conversation with Xiao Xin, and that's why he tricked her into getting into the car at this moment in order to stop her from going to the airport.
However, how she chooses to proceed is her prerogative, and he has no right to interfere.
"Qu Yun, let me go. Whether I go or not is none of your business," You Ran said.
Qu Yun didn't let go, but instead pressed her even tighter, squeezing her with all his bones and muscles.
"Qu Yun, I'm saying this one last time, let me go!" You Ran warned in a low voice.
Qu Yun remained motionless, like a heavy, lifeless boulder pressing down on her.
She opened her mouth and bit his shoulder.
In the summer, Qu Yun wore only a thin shirt, casually opened his mouth and bit down, easily breaking his skin.
Blood seeped out slowly, spreading in all directions on Youran's white teeth, like the flamboyant petals of a red spider lily in the snow, sharp and poignant.
Qu Yun trembled all over.
However, it was just a tremor, and then there was no further movement.
Only breathing remained, opening and closing gently beside my ear.
She kept biting, and he kept enduring it.
They didn't move aside.
From 9 o'clock until 11 o'clock.
For two whole hours, he let her bite him.
As long as she doesn't go to the airport.
As long as she doesn't go to see Long Xiang.
As long as she doesn't leave.
This is the nineteenth lesson Qu Yun taught You Ran: When a man gets desperate, he can stop at nothing.
[Lesson 20] In the end, he can be defeated.
You Ran couldn't go to the airport, not only because Qu Yun stopped her, but also because of her own decision.
The moment Qu Yun let go of herself, the moment the clock struck eleven, the moment she realized that even if she rushed there, she wouldn't be able to board the plane, a soft sigh of relief actually escaped from a small corner of You Ran's heart.
Like a small pebble falling to the ground, the sound spread to all the gullies.