He was a mess—his torn clothes stained with blood, his usually carefree demeanor replaced with a cold, furrowed brow. Yu Xiaoying found this change unsettling.
Song Chu silently picked her up. Although she was about to refuse, the insistence in his eyes made her wrap her arms around his neck. He declined the convenience store owner’s offer to drive them back and carried her instead.
The road was empty under the dim yellow streetlight, stretching out infinitely. Both remained silent. Holding Yu Xiaoying, Song Chu wished the path would never end.
Yu Xiaoying looked up at him. His sharp chin and full lips were tightly pressed, with fresh stubble adding a mature charm. His warm breath brushed her hair; his thick eyelashes were envious to behold.
Yu Xiaoying leaned her head on Song Chu’s chest and sighed contentedly.
“I’m sorry!” Song Chu broke the silence. “I gave your number to Ren Jinger.”
“Chu! Don’t say more, this was just an accident!”
Song Chu fell silent.
At midnight, the street and sky were quiet, with only the sounds of his footsteps and heartbeat.
Finally, tired from a long day, Yu Xiaoyao slowly closed her eyes. She felt water droplets on her face and wondered if it was raining.
When she awoke, she found herself in front of an unfamiliar door.
Song Chu looked down at her, a doting smile on his face. “Won’t you get down? My arms are numb.”
Blushing, Yu Xiaoyao jumped down. Song Chu climbed the stairs and turned to see her hesitating. “Hey! What are you waiting for? This is my home, and Aunt Li is usually the only one here!”
Yu Xiaoyao glared at him. “I’ll go, who’s afraid!”
“Wow! Is… Song Chu?” Aunt Li exclaimed, startled by his appearance. She anxiously checked his wounds, making Yu Xiaoyao feel guilty.
“It’s nothing,” Song Chu said, escaping her grip. “Just a minor accident. This is my classmate. It’s late, so we’re staying the night.”
Aunt Li noticed Yu Xiaoyao standing beside her. “Oh, I was focused on Chu Chu. Please come in.”
Yu Xiaoyao suppressed her laughter under Song Chu’s warning gaze. “Wow! Song Chu, you actually have such a cozy nest!”
Although Song Chu’s house wasn’t large, it was arranged warmly, showing thoughtfulness. Yu Xiaoyao spotted a familiar photo of herself in a white dress next to Ji Ran, both looking coldly at the camera. It had been taken after a school evening party before summer vacation in their second year of high school. She looked back at Song Chu, whose face flushed.
“Chu Chu!” Aunt Li called from outside; “The room is ready. You should rest now. I’ve prepared the stomach medicine you wanted.”
Yu Xiaoyao burst out laughing. She might not see the tender gaze Song Chu gave her.
After washing up and feeling tired, Yu Xiaoyao collapsed onto Song Chu’s big bed with a satisfied sigh. Song Chu knocked and entered, holding stomach medicine. He looked at Yu Xiaoyao, nearly asleep, and carefully placed her head in his arm. “Take the medicine before sleeping, okay?”
Yu Xiaoyao heard Song Chu’s gentle voice in a daze, obediently taking the medicine, then fell into a sweet dream.
Song Chu gazed at her porcelain-white face, unable to suppress his fear. What if he hadn’t been by her side tonight? But this carefree girl now slept sweetly, as if nothing had happened. Her flaxen curls cascaded down, long eyelashes lowered, and pink lips subtly smiled, like a princess in slumber…
Song Chu leaned down, hesitating just a centimeter from her lips, before softly placing a feather-light kiss.
Ji Ran felt despicable yet could not stop himself. The intimate posture of the man and woman before him wounded his heart. He involuntarily caressed it, feeling it beat faster than usual.
“Ji Ran, is this what you wanted to see?” he asked himself. Learning Yu Xiaoyao was at X School, he rushed over, fearing for her safety. The scene shattered him: Song Chu held her, both seemingly asleep, with all time and space belonging only to them…
He felt like a voyeur. The woman in his arms was the one he loved…
Ji Ran’s eyes flashed with hurt. He always believed Yu Xiaoyao would be his princess forever.
He was clearly wrong. If he had known, he wouldn’t have let her go, seek happiness, or release his love.
Ji Ran’s pale face showed a self-deprecating, bitter smile.
He turned and walked away…
XXXXXX
Finally escaping Song Chu’s sight, Yu Xiaoyao breathed a sigh of relief. Since the “terrifying night,” Song Chu had watched her closely, restricting her freedom.
She detoured behind the teaching building, passing the music room where familiar piano sounds drew her back.
Dedicated to Alice!!
The piano carried a sorrowful taste. Besides Ji Ran, no one played with such emotion…
Standing at the music room door, Yu Xiaoyao hesitated. It had been a long time since she’d seen him. The semester was almost over, and he would soon return to England. She realized she had been playing hide-and-seek these past months.
She climbed the stairs towards the sound of the piano.
Yu Xiaoyao thought that if the music stopped while climbing, she would turn back. But it continued uninterrupted.
Each step felt heavy, almost as if she was walking towards Ji Ran…
Finally, the door opened…
Sunlight spilled from the window onto the prince’s face beside the piano.
Ji Ran continued to play calmly, his slender fingers moving gracefully over the keys. His gentle eyes and the faint smile at the corner of his mouth captivated Yu Xiaoying. It dawned on her that not every door hides betrayal—his gentleness, gaze, and lips had once belonged to her but had also been shared.
Yu Xiaoying raised her eyes, filled with coldness.
Ji Ran stopped playing and looked at her stubbornness.
“I knew you would come.”
“You seem to know everything,” she replied.
Ji Ran’s wounded expression was plain to see, leaving Yu Xiaoying stunned; she had never witnessed him vulnerable, not even when she left.
“Are you still my little demon?”
Yu Xiaoying turned her face away.
“Once was.”
Ji Ran walked toward her, staring silently for a moment. Finally, she averted her gaze in defeat.
Unable to resist, Ji Ran embraced her, burying his face in her hair as tears fell. Yu Xiaoying wrapped her arms around him, craving his embrace, yet refusing to be false.
“It’s been almost four years,” she choked out.
“Three years and 208 days!”
Three years and 208 days; so many midnight dreams, so many times she dreamed of that door she never had the courage to enter. But this embrace was real.
“Forgive me!”
“……..”
Feeling her silence, Ji Ran looked at her, seeing the cold ice in her eyes.
“I… cannot forgive!”
“Let me explain!” Ji Ran panicked.
“I said, don’t explain, never explain!” Yu Xiaoying shouted.
“What should I do?”
“You, just bear all the consequences!”
A figure suddenly flashed through her mind.
“You fell in love with Song Chu?!”
Yu Xiaoying laughed, mocking him.
“Ji Ran, are you no better?”
Ji Ran pressed her against the wall, a ferocious smile on his face. “I’m no better, huh?”
“Crash!!”
The mirror behind Yu Xiaoying shattered. She turned to look and wailed. Ji Ran’s hand was embedded in the broken glass, blood adding a bright, enchanting red.
“Are you crazy! How will you play piano in the future!”
Ji Ran, with a strange flush, breathed heavily. “Without you listening, what use are they!!”
Then he collapsed.
“Ji Ran!!” Yu Xiaoying couldn’t support the suddenly falling Ji Ran; she was panic-stricken, the cold ice melting in chaos.
In the hospital, Yu Xiaoying sat silently by Ji Ran’s bed, her gaze fixed on his sleeping face, having not looked at him carefully for a long time.
Somehow, he had become so thin and pale. She had always focused on his calm eyes and stubborn mouth, ignoring his fragile heart, which might not survive the next coma.
