CIATB Chapter 56 Her gaze was as calm as a deep pool, sweeping over his figure without lingering for a mom
Chapter 56 Her gaze was as calm as a deep pool, sweeping over his figure without lingering for a mom
But he treated this precious, unreserved sincerity as a base thought and trampled it underfoot.
He recalled his indifference and scolding towards her, and a strong sense of guilt instantly overwhelmed him.
Like countless needles, densely packed and piercing his heart, the pain was so intense that he could barely breathe.
"Don't despise her, and don't look down on people."
Lin Weiwei's voice suddenly rose a few decibels, carrying a hint of suppressed anger, interrupting his thoughts.
"She's not the kind of woman you imagine. In Seoul, there are plenty of men, whether they have families or not, whether they're rich or powerful, who are all vying for her attention. Some of them can provide her with a comfortable life, and some can bring her career advantages, but she has never been tempted."
"She was determined to defend herself. At twenty-six, she had never gone to a hotel with any man, nor had she ever ridden in a man's car in the middle of the night."
Lin Weiwei's gaze sharpened as she looked at Lu Chenyuan, each word spoken with conviction.
"Only you, Lu Chenyuan, only you made her break the rules. You made her abandon all her pride and bottom line, made her become unlike herself, made her so crazy, willing to destroy her own values..."
Lin Weiwei stubbed out her cigarette hard in the nearby trash can.
The cigarette butt was squeezed out of shape, just like the anger she was suppressing at that moment.
She took a deep breath, her voice filled with heartache and helplessness.
"And that made her so heartbroken."
She exhaled a smoke ring, the smoke blurring her expression, but unable to conceal the coldness in her eyes.
"I'm not a pushover, nor am I a good person. You've probably heard my cousin mention that I, Lin Weiwei, am never one to suffer losses in Seoul."
"I met Su Wan because of the bullying during my freshman year of college."
Lin Weiwei's voice softened a bit, carrying a hint of distant memories.
"At the time, a boy I had my eye on fell for Su Wan, who had just arrived. I was resentful and felt she wasn't good enough for him, so I gathered a few people to teach her a lesson."
"But do you know what?"
Lin Weiwei smiled, a smile tinged with self-mockery.
"After she was injured, she didn't cry, didn't make a scene, didn't retaliate against me, and even..."
Lin Weiwei looked at Lu Chenyuan and suddenly realized that he was not worthy of hearing the details.
So she skipped it.
"From then on, I considered her my best friend."
Lin Weiwei's tone became exceptionally serious.
"I swore I would protect her for the rest of my life and never let her suffer any more injustice, but this time, I failed to protect her. I let her meet you."
"So, Lu Chenyuan."
Her eyes became incredibly serious, carrying a final ultimatum.
"If you don't love her, or if you've already decided to marry Lin Man and don't intend to try loving anyone in this lifetime, then don't give her any more chances to get close to you; stay away from her."
"Let her go back to her own life, and you go back to your own path. In two years, you'll be transferred, right? By then, everything about her will be irrelevant to you, and everything about you will slowly fade from her memory."
Lin Weiwei looked at him, her tone carrying a subtle hint of pleading and threat.
"Isn't this better for both of you?"
The coldness and domineering aura surging in his eyes is a typical protective stance.
At this moment, what appeared to Lu Chenyuan was no longer as glaring as it had been at the beginning.
He suddenly understood the woman's sharp edge—
That wasn't a baseless provocation, but rather an unbreakable wall built for Su Wan, a genuine expression of kindness towards her.
Lu Chenyuan stopped speaking, the cigarette between his fingers burned down to half, and the ash fell to the ground in a flurry.
He could no longer recall the threatening words Lin Weiwei uttered as she left.
Those warnings that wouldn't make things easy for him sounded somewhat naive and laughable to him.
Given his family background and experience, such a threat is hardly worth mentioning.
But the things she said about Su Wan lingered in his mind, echoing for a long time.
orphan.
Orphaned.
My grandmother passed away.
I've endured this all by myself.
These words weighed on his heart like heavy stones, making it hard for him to breathe.
He finally understood why Su Wan was so crazy.
He was the light she had chosen.
But he, with his indifference, repeatedly burned her, eventually extinguishing her burning desire completely.
He seems... truly unable to bear such deep affection.
He murmured to himself, a wave of helplessness and panic washing over him that he had never experienced before.
Does he deserve it?
Does someone who is used to being calm and restrained, and who is cold and indifferent at heart, deserve such unreserved and all-or-nothing affection?
Lin Weiwei was right. He didn't have that much romantic sentimentality, and it was impossible for him to be so crazy about someone.
His life was already planned out, proceeding step by step with methodical strategy.
Love is never a necessity; it's just an optional item on life's checklist.
Suitability is more important than liking.
Responsibility is more worth upholding than love.
He and Su Wan are indeed from different worlds.
She was like a blazing fire, yearning to burn, yearning for warmth, yearning for love that disregarded everything.
He was like a block of extremely cold ice, accustomed to silence, accustomed to restraint, accustomed to remaining unchanged within a predetermined path.
When fire and ice meet, the final result is either that the fire is extinguished by the ice, or the ice is melted by the fire.
They, however, are clearly the former.
This is the best ending.
But why did his heart feel like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, causing him so much pain that he could barely breathe?
He slowly walked back to the car.
But he didn't get on the bus.
The cigarette between my fingers burned and went out, went out and burned again.
The turbulent waves that arose during my conversation with Lin Weiwei still surged within me.
Those words about Su Wan's lonely and miserable life were etched into my mind like a brand, impossible to erase.
He had planned to drive away after listening to Lin Weiwei's words and go home to put all this chaos behind him.
But my legs felt like they were filled with lead, and I couldn't move them no matter what I did.
The body seemed to have its own will, stubbornly staying in place.
After finishing his cigarette, he stubbed it out hard between his fingers.
The spiciness of nicotine did not alleviate the irritation in my heart.
He looked up at the hospital gate, his gaze anxious yet also carrying a hint of concern that he himself was unaware of.
I wonder how her ankle is?
Has the doctor treated it?
Does it still hurt?
These thoughts kept popping up uncontrollably, making him increasingly uneasy.
He even began to regret why he hadn't insisted on taking her to the doctor's office while he was in the car, and why he hadn't personally checked on her condition.
Just then, a familiar voice came from the hospital gate.
Lu Chenyuan subconsciously straightened up, his gaze instantly locking onto the two figures—
Su Wan, supported by Lin Weiwei, slowly walked out.
Lin Weiwei was the first to see him, and her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes; she clearly hadn't expected him to still be there.
She instinctively gripped Su Wan's arm tightly, as if guarding against something.
On the contrary, Su Wan's face remained completely expressionless the moment she caught sight of him.
There was no surprise, no resentment, no grievance, not even a trace of extra emotion, as if he were just an insignificant sculpture by the roadside, an ordinary tree.
Her gaze was as calm as a deep pool, passing over his figure without lingering for a moment.
I walked straight past his car.