After Breaking the Ice-Beauty's Heart - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: “You can’t leave me again, Zhi Zhi.”

It was another sleepless night.

Zhou Nianzhi sat on the sofa, and through a gap in the curtains, she saw a bright light. She looked at her phone, and it was time to leave.

She changed into her clothes, folded her pajamas, tidied up the sofa, and packed her things neatly. She checked that the most important things—the wedding photo, the letter, and the bottle of medicine—were still there. Then she put on her bag, ready to leave at any moment.

Although she deliberately avoided looking at the room, her gaze would always unconsciously drift in that direction.

Even though the room door was closed, the image of Song Yuli sleeping soundly would always pop into her mind. She worried if Song Yuli was still hot and if her wounds were okay.

Forget it, I should just leave early.

I’ll leave this place and forget everything.

Zhou Nianzhi quietly put the pajamas she had worn into the laundry basket, gently brushed her teeth, and used the toilet, deliberately lowering the volume of the flush.

As soon as she pushed open the bathroom door, Zhou Nianzhi saw that her grandma was already up. Grandma probably saw that Zhou Nianzhi was awake and walked toward the bathroom.

Zhou Nianzhi lowered her voice and asked, “Grandma, why are you up so early?”

“Mhm, I’m old, so I sleep less,” Grandma nodded. “I wanted to make some breakfast for you two… Hey, why are you carrying a bag?”

“I have to go back,” Zhou Nianzhi said, lowering her head a little bashfully. She had planned to leave quietly, but now that she had run into her grandma, no matter how much she hated it, she had to face the parting. “I bought a train ticket, and I have to leave soon.”

Grandma let out an “ah” and quickly said, “You’re leaving now? Then I have to hurry and heat up some buns. You have to eat breakfast before you go.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Grandma immediately walked toward the kitchen.

“Grandma, no, no,” Zhou Nianzhi called out to her. Her voice unconsciously got a little louder. She instinctively looked in Song Yuli’s direction and saw that the room door was still tightly shut. She assumed the person inside was still asleep, which gave her some relief. She turned back to her grandma and said, “Don’t bother. I’m in a hurry, and the train is leaving soon. I have to go—”

She walked out quickly, heading toward the door.

“It’ll be ready in a moment. Can’t you just eat it on the way… Zhi Zhi, walk slowly. Don’t fall,” Grandma said from the kitchen doorway. “You have to eat well even when you’re out there earning money. Look how thin you’ve gotten. I almost didn’t recognize you. Also, if you have any troubles, just tell Grandma. Oh, how long has it been since you called me…”

Zhou Nianzhi’s steps were as quick as her words. Before she could start to choke up, she had to pretend to be relaxed as she said what she wanted to say. “I’ll eat well. It’s just that if I don’t leave now, I’ll miss my train. Otherwise, I would definitely stay for breakfast.”

Grandma replied with an “okay.” Then, she asked the question that Zhou Nianzhi feared the most. “When are you coming back next? I’ll prepare some dishes ahead of time. I didn’t get to treat you well this time.”

Zhou Nianzhi bit her lip and managed to force a smile. Standing at the door, she said something that could have been struck by lightning. “It won’t be long. I’ll be back to see you, Grandma.”

Grandma also smiled and nodded. “Okay, be safe.”

Zhou Nianzhi waved her hand at Grandma and said goodbye. “Bye-bye, Grandma—”

Then, she opened the door and closed it.

It was quick and decisive.

She was afraid that if she hesitated for a second, all of her imperfect pretense would be exposed.

In reality, there was only one door separating them.

But in Zhou Nianzhi’s heart, a thick wall had already been built. Every time she felt Song Yuli’s kindness, the wall wasn’t broken down. Instead, it became thicker and thicker, so thick that it was difficult for her to cross.

Zhou Nianzhi walked down the stairs, her mind filled with Grandma’s words—

“When are you coming back next?”

Grandma’s tone was full of anticipation, wanting to see her again soon.

No matter how long the stairs were, there was still an end.

Zhou Nianzhi might never return to this place.

She remembered Song Yuli asking her if she had forgotten this road.

How could she ever forget it?

Song Yuli…

The moment that name flashed through her mind, Zhou Nianzhi even felt a faint ache in her back.

But it wasn’t Song Yuli’s fault.

After all, just as the mood was getting started last night, nothing had officially happened yet when her back started to ache. Song Yuli then got her some medicine and sprayed it on her back, which did make it feel better.

After that, they slept separately.

Zhou Nianzhi took the initiative to sleep on the sofa, leaving the room to Song Yuli.

And Song Yuli didn’t refuse. She was probably a little tired and just lay down on the bed with her eyes closed, ready to sleep.

At that time, Zhou Nianzhi was still a little surprised. How could Song Yuli fall asleep right after that?

Even though they hadn’t officially done anything, they were ready. Wouldn’t there be a little bit of excitement?

Suddenly, Zhou Nianzhi had a different thought. Or was it just her who would feel…

Forget it, just stop thinking about it.

Zhou Nianzhi shook her head and kept walking forward. The bottle of medicine in her bag swayed with her steps, making a crisp sound behind her.

As she passed a fruit stand, the lychees were displayed outside the door, and Zhou Nianzhi’s attention was drawn to them again.

She stopped and stood in front of the lychees for a while.

This time, no owner came out to tell her how sweet the lychees were, so Zhou Nianzhi could just walk away. No one would know that she had stopped for the lychees.

Zhou Nianzhi wanted to leave. She didn’t like to eat lychees, so why would she buy them?

She took two steps.

She hadn’t completely left the fruit stand’s area yet.

“Boss, how much are the lychees?” Her mouth always followed her heart.

While paying, Zhou Nianzhi’s rationality still hadn’t returned.

Even though she didn’t like to eat lychees, someone must, right?

As she walked back with a pound of lychees, her rationality slowly returned. But since she had already bought them, she kept telling herself, These are for Grandma. Yes, they must be for Grandma.

She started to walk back up the stairs.

With every step she took, her heart beat a little faster.

It’s still early. Song Yuli probably isn’t awake yet, right?

She would just give the lychees to her grandma and then leave immediately. She definitely wouldn’t run into Song Yuli.

This road was really too short.

It was so short that Zhou Nianzhi didn’t have time to plan for all the possible situations before she was back at Song Yuli’s door.

She stood at the door, her fingertips rubbing against her palm. She took a deep breath, slowly let it out, raised her hand, and was ready to knock.

But before she could.

Whoosh—

The door opened.

And it was Song Yuli who opened it.

Zhou Nianzhi had planned for many different scenarios, but how did she not plan for Song Yuli to appear before she even knocked?

Song Yuli had clearly just woken up. She was still wearing slippers and pajamas, and her hair was a mess.

But unlike someone who had just woken up, the current Song Yuli’s eyes weren’t dazed. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her expression was anxious.

“You…”

“I…”

They both spoke at the same time.

Then, there was silence.

“You go first,” Song Yuli said, casually running a hand through her hair.

“Okay,” Zhou Nianzhi’s mind was still fuzzy. She had almost forgotten what she had come back for. Just as she was about to scratch her head awkwardly, she realized she was still holding the lychees. She then said, “I bought these for you.”

Song Yuli was a little in disbelief. “For me?”

“No, I said that wrong,” Zhou Nianzhi quickly corrected herself. “These are for Grandma.”

Before Song Yuli could reply, Zhou Nianzhi heard Grandma’s voice from inside the house. She anxiously handed the lychees to Song Yuli and said, “Okay, that’s all. I have to go catch my train.”

In a flash, Zhou Nianzhi ran down the stairs.

She thought that if she ran fast enough, all the messy thoughts would fail to catch up to her and disappear into time.

They didn’t.

Zhou Nianzhi sat on the train, and all the thoughts in her mind came rushing back, almost drowning her.

She opened her phone, wanting to distract herself.

She remembered she didn’t have much data, so she couldn’t go online. Should she study the structure of her phone instead?

In the end, Zhou Nianzhi could only look out the window, trying to attract her attention with the scenery outside.

It worked.

She could watch the scenery.

Although it flashed by, in those few seconds, she could still appreciate the different views.

She remembered sitting in Song Yuli’s car, where most of the time, she was also looking out the window.

Last night, Song Yuli had asked her, “Don’t you want to know how I bought a car?”

She smiled and replied, “It’s just a car. What’s so special about that?”

It was actually quite special to be able to buy a car two years after graduation.

But Zhou Nianzhi wouldn’t ask. Song Yuli was already outstanding and ambitious, so buying a car was a testament to her capabilities.

Zhou Nianzhi shook her head. Why was she thinking about Song Yuli again? She sat up straight, trying to focus on the scenery.

But it was clear that her mind wasn’t going to let her off the hook. Based on the scenery in front of her, a new thought popped into her head—

Would Song Yuli also sit by the window and watch the scenery outside?

At this moment, they couldn’t see the scenery in each other’s eyes.

But they were under the same sky, and their gazes would eventually meet.

Song Yuli had just returned to the room and changed her clothes. Then, she opened the curtains.

The sunlight immediately pierced her eyes.

Song Yuli squinted, not used to the brightness, and raised a hand to block it.

Today was a beautiful day with a blue sky and white clouds, and the sun was shining brightly.

But Zhou Nianzhi wasn’t by her side.

Since Song Yuli was back, she had to take her grandma for a checkup at the hospital, so she couldn’t take Zhou Nianzhi back.

But she also knew that if Zhou Nianzhi hadn’t failed to get a ticket back, she definitely wouldn’t have gotten in her car.

Song Yuli sat back down at her desk, dejectedly staring at the crumpled piece of paper that hadn’t been touched at all.

She truly didn’t know whether to praise Zhou Nianzhi for respecting others’ privacy or to blame her for always failing to understand her intentions.

Using the sunlight, Song Yuli unfolded the crumpled paper.

“Zhou Nianzhi is a noisy little bird, a howling gale, and the sunshine I crave.”

This was written when she was sixteen.

Many times before, Zhou Nianzhi would ask her what made her fall in love, and she would always smile and reply that she only realized she liked her after graduation.

In reality, she had fallen for her as soon as Zhou Nianzhi sat next to her, sharing stories tirelessly, and continued to approach her even after feeling her constant rejection.

So, after school on that day, she could have gone home early, but she was worried that Zhou Nianzhi was upset after being scolded. So she was willing to stay, silently accompanying Zhou Nianzhi in her own way.

Even when it started to pour, she had no regrets.

Most people loved her for her appearance, but Zhou Nianzhi was the only one who wanted to soothe her soul.

However, this paragraph had already been crossed out by her twenty-two-year-old self.

Below it were two words written by the twenty-two-year-old Song Yuli: “Liar.”

Two years ago, it rained again.

They had gotten close in the rain and separated in the rain.

The heavy rain stopped, but Zhou Nianzhi didn’t. She had put distance between them with a single “Let’s not see each other again.”

How could her years of love not be heartbroken? Therefore, two years ago, Song Yuli wrote those two words with hatred.

She did hate Zhou Nianzhi, hating her for being heartless and careless. Despite this, she still dug the crumpled paper out of the trash can because she truly didn’t want to believe that Zhou Nianzhi had lied to her.

So, she really wanted to find Zhou Nianzhi and ask for a clear explanation. She had gone to her house many times in the past, only to hear that Zhou Nianzhi had already moved to another city with her mother.

So she waited, waited for every holiday, and waited for the Spring Festival.

However, Zhou Nianzhi never came back.

She knew that Zhou Nianzhi was likely in pain after Zhou Chenggang’s death, but why couldn’t they face the hardships together? Why did she have to leave her?

She was truly heartless.

She also hardened her heart, vowing never to look for Zhou Nianzhi again.

She would stay here to work and take care of her grandma.

But fate had a way of turning. Two years later, her grandma’s illness was cured, and she was in better health. After Song Yuli was promoted and went to work in another province, she met Zhou Nianzhi, who lived next door.

All the accumulated grievances from the past few years turned into smoke when she saw how thin Zhou Nianzhi had gotten.

At the end of her twenty-fourth year, when she was sick and Zhou Nianzhi knocked on her door to check on her, she had already forgiven her.

So, that day, she had whispered softly behind Zhou Nianzhi, “I still found you.”

Even though she and Zhou Nianzhi couldn’t go back to the way they were, it was okay. She would personally crush those evil ghosts and make them stay away from the beautiful Zhou Nianzhi.

So in her twenty-fifth year, she used correction fluid to erase the word “liar” on the crumpled paper she had dug out of the trash can. Below it, she wrote: “You can’t leave me again, Zhi Zhi.”

I know you are in darkness.

It’s okay. This time, let me be your light.

When daylight returns to your heart,

You will walk with me again.