A young man with spiky, hedgehog-like hair, dyed in iridescent rings to resemble the Buddha, leaned out of the car window and yelled, "Are you looking for death?!"
Then he drove off.
He was cursing You Ran.
Because of her actions just now, You Ran shielded Qu Yun inside, transferring the danger to herself.
All of this happened subconsciously.
"Miss, are you alright?" A strange voice roused You Ran from her reverie.
You Ran turned her head and realized that the person she had saved was not Qu Yun.
His build is very similar to Qu Yun's, and his face is also handsome, on par with Qu Yun's.
He's the kind of handsome guy you'd secretly stare at if you saw him on the street, and then fantasize about him endlessly when you were sleeping at night.
The handsome man was clearly very grateful to You Ran for saving his life, thanking her repeatedly and insisting on taking her to the hospital for a check-up.
However, You Ran felt that she was very resilient and had not been injured at all, so she politely declined.
But the handsome guy seemed to be very interested in her "kind and golden heart" and kept saying he wanted to treat her to dinner.
You Ran declined again, citing her diet and refusal to eat late-night snacks. The handsome guy persisted, asking for her phone number and saying he would ask her out for dinner another day during the day.
The handsome man has a striking appearance, a tall and straight figure, speaks politely, and has a burning gaze that seems to say, "I'm willing to repay this debt of gratitude with my body."
You Ran hesitated for a moment, then gave the number and made an excuse to take a taxi away.
She knew she would never see this handsome guy again.
Because the number she provided was incorrect.
Because she had figured some things out.
At the appointed time the next day, Gu Chengyuan leisurely arrived at a French restaurant in the city center with an elegant ambiance, perfect for those seeking a sophisticated lifestyle.
Upon tasting the onion soup, You Ran decided that the sooner she died, the sooner she would be reborn. She wiped her mouth and placed the ring in front of Gu Chengyuan.
Gu Chengyuan put down his soup spoon and, after a long silence, asked, "You really... still won't forgive me?"
“No, I forgave you a long time ago,” You Ran said calmly. “It’s just that I saw some things clearly last night.”
"What is it?"
“Last night, I saved someone. I used to think when I watched TV, if a car was going to hit someone, why not just pull the person in danger out of the way? Why would you have to throw yourself in? It's practically suicide. But when it happened to me, I realized that at that moment, people don't have that much rationality. The only thing they follow is their heart. That action of throwing myself in was subconscious, to make sure that the person I care about wouldn't get hurt.”
"The person you saved, is it Qu Yun?" Gu Chengyuan asked quietly and slowly.
“No,” You Ran shook her head, “it’s just someone who looks a lot like him.”
But that's enough to explain the problem.
Qu Yun said she was still thinking about him, but You Ran didn't believe her.
Xiaoxin said she was still thinking about him, but You Ran didn't believe her.
Gu Chengyuan said she was still thinking about him, but You Ran still didn't believe him.
But what happened last night made You Ran see her own heart clearly in an instant.
So it was true.
"Will you go to see him?" Gu Chengyuan asked, looking at her with an unfathomable gaze.
“No.” You Ran continued to shake her head: “He has started a new life, and... he has given up on me.”
By the time she realized it, they had already missed their chance.
That's how things have always been.
You Ran had been thinking that the reason her three relationships—with siblings, with teachers and students, and with siblings—failed was because they were too unconventional. But upon closer inspection, she realized it was due to her own stubbornness.
Ultimately, what she wants is someone who loves her as much as she loves him.
She rejected Gu Chengyuan because she no longer loved him.
I rejected Shin-chan because I never loved him.
At first, she rejected Qu Yun because she was unsure if he loved her, but later, she became unsure if she loved him.
"Perhaps I haven't met the right person yet, but that's okay, I'll wait." She chuckled softly, "After being in a relationship for so long, I'm a little tired. It's time to shift my focus to work."
"You mean you'll never love me again?" Gu Chengyuan asked, his eyes slightly blurry in the lamplight.
“Yes.” You Ran decided to be frank: “I will no longer give you romantic feelings, but as your sister, I will be there for you whenever you need me… I’m sorry, this is the only thing I can do.”
For my own sake and for the sake of others, I will never act recklessly again.
Once you've figured out what you want, the next step is to persevere. Even if you end up with nothing, you'll at least have done right by yourself.
On that day, Gu Chengyuan was perfectly calm, like the water in a well, reflecting only the moon for eternity.
Finally, he asked, "Will you come whenever I need you?"
"Yes," You Ran promised.
Gu Chengyuan nodded slightly.
And just like that, the matter seemed to be resolved.
Leisurely, I returned to my normal days of burying myself in books and sleeping, with my days and nights reversed. My mind was extremely pure, and even at night I dreamed only of the Calabash Brothers fighting Ultraman.
It is infinitely more noble than the Calabash Brothers and Ultraman of the past.
Gu Chengyuan's relationship with their family has returned to normal, and they are no different from a family.
It turns out that people can change. You Ran decided to change herself, stand firm in her stance, strive to join the Party, and work hard to be a good soldier of Chairman Mao.
This summer was an eventful one, so it felt like it went by incredibly fast. In just over a week, school will start again.
Just then, Li Mingyu won the grand prize at a party suddenly held by the company—a trip for two to Guilin.
Watching the elderly couple happily pack their luggage, You Ran was so angry she wanted to grind her teeth—this was blatant discrimination against her, the fruit of their love.
After tearfully waving her little handkerchief to see her parents off, she leisurely curled up on the sofa, scooping up ice cream with a large soup spoon, ready to practice immortality.
It's not about becoming a fairy, it's about becoming Marshal Tianpeng.
Just as she was getting into the swing of things, Gu Chengyuan called and asked her to go out for dinner. Hearing that You Ran sounded listless, he asked her what she was looking forward to and learned about her plans. He immediately ordered You Ran to pack her things and go with him to Guilin to give Li Mingyu and Bai Ling a surprise.
With a joyful heart, she did as instructed, packed her things, locked the door, and went downstairs to wait for Gu Chengyuan.
Before long, Gu Chengyuan arrived and leisurely boarded the car with his luggage.
Along the way, while leisurely fiddling with his camera that had somehow malfunctioned, he casually asked, "Have you bought the plane tickets yet... Never mind, I never asked. I always trust you to get things done."
"You trust me that much?" Gu Chengyuan asked.
It was supposed to be a joke, but it lacked any real humor.
However, You Ran's attention was entirely focused on the digital camera: "If you can't even handle this, then there's really nothing more to say."
"Am I really that good in your heart?" Gu Chengyuan asked.
"Of course." You Ran, holding a camera, turned her back to him and busied herself taking pictures out the window.
Behind him came Gu Chengyuan's indifferent yet slightly distant voice: "Then why can't you accept me?"
Like touching a spark that suddenly flew from an electrical wire, You Ran slowly put down the camera and said softly, "Didn't we agree not to mention these things again?"
“I did promise that, but…” Gu Chengyuan’s face was tinged with a warm, golden hue, but his eyes held a cold glint: “Now it’s time to bring it up.”
You Ran sensed something was amiss, and just then, her phone rang in her bag.
She lowered her head, but dared not answer—the caller ID showed Qu Yun's number—a number that You Ran hadn't deliberately tried to remember but couldn't forget.
After ringing three times, You Ran answered the phone.
There was nothing to hide from, she thought.
And indeed, something was needed to dispel the suddenly strange atmosphere in the car.
"It's me." These were Qu Yun's first words.
“I know,” she said casually, trying to focus her attention on the scenery rushing past the window.
Next, Qu Yun asked her a very serious question: "You Ran, do you believe me?"
"What?" You Ran asked, puzzled.
Qu Yun's tone made the air tense: "Because next, I'm going to tell you some truths, some truths that you may never want to believe."
"Go ahead." The game that You Ran hated most in her life was riddles.
"First, the person who hit your parents with the car was acting on Gu Chengyuan's orders. Second, the liver transplant was actually a pre-rehearsed act; Gu Chengyuan was not deceived."
These two short sentences seemed to take a long time to reach You Ran's ears. She maintained her microphone-holding posture, without even blinking.
“You can call me a liar, you can despise my nonsense, but before that, let’s hear what the person involved has to say,” Qu Yun said.
He has already collected all the evidence.
"Whose call is this?" Gu Chengyuan suddenly asked.
“My classmate.” You Ran’s face remained normal, but her heart began to pound wildly.
Qu Yun paused for a moment, then lowered his voice and asked, "Is Gu Chengyuan next to you?"
"Hmm." You Ran responded softly, then switched the phone to her right ear, not wanting Gu Chengyuan to notice.
"You Ran, listen to me, find an excuse to leave him right now, don't confront him alone, understand?!" Qu Yun said this in a gentle voice.
He tried his best to calm her down.
"I'm on my way to the airport to get to Guilin. See you when school starts." You Ran tried her best to relax her tone.
After hanging up the phone, Gu Chengyuan waited anxiously for five minutes, seemingly unaware that anything was amiss.
You Ran's patience had run out. Seizing the opportunity, she said, "I need to use the restroom."
She planned to use the restroom as a cover.
But Gu Chengyuan seemed not to hear.
"I can't hold it in anymore." The air conditioning in the car was quite strong, but You Ran still felt that her palms were sweaty.
"Was this the move Qu Yun taught you just now?" Gu Chengyuan asked, his eyes looking ahead, but the corners of his mouth were a cold and indistinct smile.