“So… are you going to…?”
Gu Yu was genuinely nervous. He hadn’t anticipated this situation. He had guessed that Luo Ming might like him, but he never thought the girl would confess to him in a setting like this. His wildly pounding heart fueled a frantic impulse, and he could feel himself abandoning the option of rejection. This was a one-way street—if Luo Ming said it, he would agree.
But what came after? They would be miles apart. How long could such a relationship last? He didn’t think his feelings for Luo Ming were fragile or easily broken, but that sense of inferiority made it impossible for him to confidently believe they could make it to the end.
If they couldn’t, could he bear that pain when the time came?
“Alright, alright, don’t be so nervous.” Luo Ming raised her hand, her slender fingertips landing on Gu Yu’s collarbone and moving as if writing something. “I came over to say thank you. These past three years, getting to know you has made me really happy. I’m grateful for your company. Next time you have a chance, make sure to seize it.”
Luo Ming finished writing the characters on Gu Yu’s collarbone. He could faintly sense that it was her name.
His phone kept buzzing with subtle vibrations from notifications. Gu Yu didn’t look at it. He stared at Luo Ming’s genuine smile, and the words that were on the tip of his tongue just wouldn’t come out.
The girl turned and walked back to her seat, without a trace of reluctance or sadness, carrying a hint of relief instead. That only made Gu Yu regret it even more. He felt his hanging hand twitch, wanting to reach out and take Luo Ming’s hand, to try to hold her back.
The regret came so fast, catching him off guard, and even brought pain.
He still stood there, dumbfounded. The silence in the room lasted a few seconds before the lively atmosphere returned. When Luo Ming sat down again and continued chatting and laughing with the girls at the table, amidst sighs and exclamations, Gu Yu could vaguely hear discussions about them around him, accompanied by—
“Don’t you regret it?”
“Of course I do, but… I just can’t move. It’s like instinct. I just can’t.”
“Then should I tell her for you?” He Yu looked at Gu Yu calmly, her serious and stern demeanor completely out of character for her.
Gu Yu forced an ugly smile. “Boss He, you’re that generous?”
“I’m actually just as much of a fool as you are. Instead of caring whether you like me, I care even more about whether you’re in pain… How is this like raising a son?” He Yu looked at Luo Ming, a complex expression in her eyes. “I can’t believe I’m actually generous enough to play matchmaker for you and another girl. I’m an idiot too. So, do you want me to go talk to her?”
“No, forget it. Giving up at least means I don’t have to endure the pain of parting.”
“So unconfident?”
“Yeah, I’m really not good enough for Luo Ming. A long-distance relationship would be tough anyway. Boss, you know what kind of idiot I am.”
“Don’t sugarcoat it. You’re a fool, not an idiot.”
He Yu poured grape juice into the empty glass in front of Gu Yu, then raised her own. “So, cheers? Eat up, and don’t dwell on all that nonsense.”
“Cheers.” Gu Yu lifted his glass and clinked it against hers. A crisp sound echoed clearly.
The gathering, symbolizing memories and farewells, gradually wound down. A few drunk classmates were carried off by friends, leaving behind several messy tables and… just the two of them.
“You’re not drunk from grape juice, are you?”
“No, I just want to sit a little longer.”
Twilight fell. The afterglow of the sunset streamed in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, coating the white ceramic floor with a layer of golden wax. In the empty private room, only He Yu and Gu Yu remained.
“Boss, do you think I’m confident enough to deserve you?”
“Anyway, you didn’t dare confess to Luo Ming. Why not just give in to me?”
“What if I dragged you to a room upstairs right now and had my way with you?”
“The owner of this hotel is a friend of my dad’s. The security guards know me, so I could still get them to handle it.” He Yu faced the sunset outside the window and said with a playful smile.
“Then you’d be the one losing out, Boss He, right?”
“Maybe, Gu Yu. Is this your first time too?”
“I… of course n—wait, how did the topic veer off into such weird territory?”
He Yu didn’t say anything. She pushed the long strands of hair hanging beside her face behind her ears. The sunset outlined the soft, elegant lines of her profile, making her look as pure and ethereal as a saint.
She stood up and walked toward an oil painting hanging on the wall. In the painting, a beautiful blonde girl gently sniffed a pure white flower in her hand. Even an amateur could see the exquisite artistry of the work.
“Gu Yu, if I really were thinking about dragging you upstairs to have my way with you, would you run away immediately?” He Yu didn’t turn around. She looked at the painting of the girl and asked him.
“I’m not that much of a coward to be scared by a girl like you, Boss.”
“Heh, maybe I’d use you so much you wouldn’t be able to take care of yourself.”
“If you were really a juicer, I might be scared.” He paused, then answered in the same joking tone. “A hug before we leave?”
He Yu opened her arms toward Gu Yu.
“Okay.” He walked over. The girl pulled him into an embrace first. Despite being half a head shorter than him, she unexpectedly took control, pressing his head down to kiss him. Her soft lips pressed tightly against Gu Yu’s mouth. At such a close distance, the girl’s face became crystal clear before him. The glow of the sunset served as her filter, making her breathtakingly beautiful.
“Alright, alright, go now, before I tie you up and have my way with you.”
“Mm, goodbye.”
Gu Yu let go of the soft, delicate body in his arms, and the girl released him. He took a few steps, reached the door, and at the moment his figure was about to disappear, He Yu suddenly called out to him.
“Gu Yu, I’ll come find you again later.”
“Boss, you’re that persistent?”
“Anyway, until you get a girlfriend, I’m still your boss. How could I give up so easily? A little distance won’t stop me.” He Yu said loudly, her tone becoming lively and cheerful.
“Fine, fine. Whatever you say, Boss.”
Gu Yu turned and left, his figure vanishing from the girl’s sight.
At the entrance of the hotel, a black McLaren was already waiting. Yun Ganxin, wearing a black gauze dress, leaned against the car. Her long hair danced in the evening breeze.
“Took you long enough. It’s almost dark, and you never replied to my messages. I was about to go in and drag you out.”
“I just chatted a bit longer with friends. Don’t mind it, Sister Ganxin.”
“So you’re done chatting? This is your last time seeing your classmates?”
“Maybe.” Gu Yu turned back to look at the floor-to-ceiling windows of the hotel, as if he could see that private room just now, with the girl standing by the window.
“Come on, let me take you for a drive.”
“Sure, I ate too much anyway.”
Gu Yu got into the car. The McLaren’s engine roared, racing them down the road.
At the entrance of the hotel, Luo Ming, who had been watching from a distance, walked out. She looked at the car as it disappeared, a smile curling at the corners of her lips.
“Gu Yu, soon enough, the words you didn’t say today will eventually reach my ears.”