Chapter 24: Imposed Love

My Hot-Tempered Girlfriend
Chapter 24: Imposed Love

Watching Li Huixin cry uncontrollably, my sense of guilt grew even stronger. Even though my intuition told me I should keep this hidden, I couldn't just turn and walk away when faced with her reddened eyes.

"To be honest with you... Zhang Chuang's departure might only be temporary. Once he clears his head and thinks things through, he might come back to look for you on his own... Don't be too sad." I sighed, forcibly swallowing the truth that had reached my lips.

"Why did he leave? Did I do something to hurt him?" Li Huixin’s tone gradually softened, and her emotions became much more stable than before.

"You didn't do anything wrong to him, but in your daily life, you put too much pressure on him. Over time, that accumulated pressure had to be released somehow... Perhaps Zhang Chuang just didn't want you to see him in his current state, so he chose to leave. But believe me, this isn't about running away. Once he’s thought it through, he will eventually come back to face you." I explained with an earnest expression, though I felt incredibly miserable inside. That night, Zhang Chuang had sought solace in alcohol; while I didn't know the full extent of their arguments, the reality was that Zhang Chuang had chosen to escape.

The only reason I told Li Huixin things I couldn't even guarantee myself was that I couldn't bear to look into eyes filled with such heartbreak and despair. That emptiness was truly terrifying.

Li Huixin seemed to be hesitating and pondering, while Su Xuefei, standing nearby, stared at me with her bright, clear eyes. She didn't speak, but she pouted slightly. I quickly looked away, not daring to meet a gaze that seemed capable of peering into my very soul.

"Can you let me see him?" Li Huixin asked after a while, her voice frail.

"Actually, I don't know where he is right now, but I can guarantee he is safe, because as a man, I think I understand him better." I wasn't sure how far things had progressed between that punk Zhang Chuang and Sister Kewen, or if something forbidden had already happened. I would have to find Zhang Chuang alone after Li Huixin left to get the answer.

"Heh... how could that be... Even I don't understand him. You’ve only met a few times; how could you possibly understand each other better?" Li Huixin laughed at herself, leaning against the wall and resting her forehead on her arm.

"That’s where you’re wrong. Between men, sometimes a single glance is more communicative than all the time you’ve spent together." Seeing that Li Huixin’s mental state wasn't great, I tried to say it half-jokingly.

"Nonsense..." A weak voice reached my ears. I followed the sound and saw Goddess Su pretending not to look at me, humming a random little tune.

"Don't make trouble," I muttered to the goddess, nudging her. She glanced at me secretly, smiled mischievously, and turned away again.

"Since we’ve said all there is to say, you should go back and get some rest. Don't overthink it. Zhang Chuang isn't the type to abandon someone he’s committed to, and you two are already at the stage of discussing marriage, aren't you?" I didn't intend to waste any more time here, as I knew that in her current state, she was unlikely to listen to reason. It was simpler to let her go back and lie down to reflect on her own than to keep nagging her.

Seeing Li Huixin looking as if she had drifted off, I gently pulled on Su Xuefei, signaling that we should leave.

"Yang Chen... can I ask you one last question?" Li Huixin suddenly stood up straight, looking at me with a calm, unhurried tone.

I looked at her, surprised by her sudden burst of energy, and said, "Go ahead."

"What exactly made Zhang Chuang treat me like this?" Li Huixin's tone carried a hint of resignation. "I want the truth, okay?"

I struggled internally. Should I tell her the truth? Would knowing the ins and outs of the situation be good or bad for the two of them?

"Maybe it’s because he felt the relationship wasn't balanced..." I answered after a long silence.

"Balanced? You mean I didn't give him enough?" Li Huixin suddenly sneered. "You mean he felt that he was the only one loving me, and I didn't love him enough, right?"

Hearing her words, I wanted to slap myself. I should have just kept lying to her. Looking at her expression, it seemed she was making some kind of decision. If their relationship were truly destroyed by my hands, I would be unforgivable.

"It’s not like that. He saw every little thing you did. I mean... the love you gave was too suffocating; it was imposed upon him, and he couldn't quite accept it... Can you understand what I mean?" I was at my wits' end. Conversing with her felt more exhausting than writing a song; one wrong move and it would trigger a storm.

Li Huixin didn't say anything more after hearing this; she simply nodded and turned to walk away slowly.

Watching her leave, I felt both anxious and relieved—anxious that she might do something rash, yet relieved that her reaction had been relatively rational.

"Actually, I think it would have been better if you had just told the truth," Su Xuefei whispered beside me. "Now, when she eventually finds out, who knows what will happen."

I looked at the goddess in surprise. Did she know this couple well? Why did she sound like she knew everything?

"Do you know them?" I asked, confused.

"No, but I know that all relationships are like this—mutual torment, then falling apart, then more torment..."

"Wait!" I quickly cut off Su Xuefei’s circular logic. I laughed and said, "Goddess Su, you seem to have a very deep understanding of relationships. Confess—how many boyfriends have you had over the years to be able to say something so thought-provoking?"

"Just you," Su Xuefei said, sticking out her tongue. She turned her head away, blushing, and whispered.

When I heard her answer, I froze in place. What did she just say?

"Wait, what did you say? I didn't hear you clearly..." I quickly chased after Su Xuefei, who seemed eager to leave.

"I said, you’re the only boyfriend I’ve ever had, so what?" Su Xuefei looked at me with a flushed face before quickly opening the door. Li Xiaoya had already finished drying her hair and walked out, shrouded in a mist of damp air.

As soon as Li Xiaoya came out, I leaned over to the goddess's ear and whispered, "When were we ever boyfriend and girlfriend?"

This time, it was Su Xuefei’s turn to look at me in surprise. She whispered back, "I accepted your confession, didn't I? Aren't we a couple?"

Accepted my confession? When did that happen?

"Goddess Su, think back carefully. When I confessed to you in front of the whole school, you didn't say a word!" I racked my brain, recalling that moment I still couldn't forget, and then nodded firmly. "You definitely didn't answer me; you just turned around and walked away!"

"That's right, I did walk away," Su Xuefei said, walking side-by-side with me toward the elevator. "But I never said I accepted your confession at that time!"

"What does that mean?" I was thoroughly confused. First she said she accepted it, now she says she didn't. Did she or didn't she?

Su Xuefei looked at me, seemingly quite dissatisfied. "Have you forgotten? A few months ago, we exchanged messages!"

"Messages?"

"Exactly!" Su Xuefei looked at me earnestly, then pulled a bewildered Li Xiaoya into the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor.

I searched my memory. We had indeed exchanged messages for a while... what was the content of those messages again? I scratched my head, trying to recall. She seemed to have said something... about accepting my confession...

"Damn it!" I let out a curse under my breath, earning a roll of the eyes from the goddess, which made me quickly shut my mouth.

Was what she told me about accepting my confession actually serious? I stared blankly at the ethereal Su Xuefei and shook my head hard. That’s ridiculous, right? It’s been years; can that still count?

"We..."

Before I could speak, Su Xuefei interrupted: "Let's talk about us when we have time. Let's eat first."

"Fine..." I obediently shut my mouth. What on earth was this? I finally understood why there’s a line in a Stephen Chow movie: "If this love must have a deadline..." because if you don't add a deadline, it stays in effect forever!

I forcibly filled my mind with images of Luo Qing. I hoped to use memories of her to wash away this "unexpected blessing." It wasn't that Su Xuefei wasn't outstanding—on the contrary, she was too perfect in character and appearance. But we lacked the most important thing in a relationship: a shared, heart-wrenching experience. And that experience, the process of getting to know each other, is what they call fate!

After thinking for a while, I realized that reminiscing didn't help much. I decided to let things take their course. Who was I to be worthy of Goddess Su? She was only acting this way because she was so pure and kind that she thought I was decent. Once we spent more time together and she met better men, she would want to stay as far away from me as possible, perhaps even regretting that she ever knew me.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Su Xuefei gently tugged on the corner of my shirt. I was instantly jolted awake, unable to say a word as I looked at her beautiful face.

"I know you have a girlfriend. I was just saying that. Don't overthink it." Her gentle voice reached my heart, and that simple sentence dissipated all my previous turmoil.

Sitting at the round table in the hotel, eating a free meal, I felt an indescribable sense of loss. Was it because the person sitting next to me wasn't Luo Qing? Or was it because of Su Xuefei’s words, "I was just saying that"...