Free Web NovelChapter 198: Chapter 198: What Would You Do?
Cheng Beilin took the handkerchief from Su Qing and cried for a while longer before sniffling and saying, "I’m sorry. I lost my composure today. I’ve made a fool of myself."
"There’s nothing to be foolish about. Everyone needs to cry sometimes. It’s better to let it out when you’re hurting than to keep it bottled up," Su Qing comforted her softly.
"Mm." Cheng Beilin nodded lightly.
"So you two saw each other today. Did he tell you why he left back then?" Su Qing asked after a moment’s thought.
"No," Cheng Beilin said, pressing her lips together. "He wouldn’t say."
Then, she looked up at Su Qing. "Su Qing, why do you think he’d see me again but still refuse to tell me why he left?"
"Maybe he has his reasons—something he can’t talk about." Su Qing couldn’t figure it out either. ’But I never dwell on things I can’t understand. If I can’t figure it out, I just set it aside. It just means the time isn’t right. When the time comes, the answer might reveal itself. And if there’s never an answer, well, it just means it wasn’t meant to be.’
’What do people and things I’m not fated to be with have to do with me, anyway? I can’t waste my wonderful life getting tangled up in them.’
"Hmph. ’Reasons he can’t talk about.’" Cheng Beilin huffed and slapped the side of the bed, accidentally hitting her thumb. "OUCH!" she cried out, then fumed, "Then he can keep it to himself! I don’t care anymore. I’ll just pretend I never even saw him today."
Su Qing could tell Cheng Beilin was just lashing out in anger, but she didn’t say anything. ’Some things you have to figure out on your own. No matter how much others try to persuade you, it’s ultimately as useless as trying to scratch an itch through a boot.’
Outside the door, Du Chaoran stood holding two clean aluminum lunch boxes, not immediately pushing the door open. He had, of course, heard what Su Qing and Cheng Beilin were saying. For a fleeting moment, he had the urge to burst in and tell Cheng Beilin everything about what happened back then, all at once. But reason held him back. With a trace of anguish in his eyes, he squeezed them shut.
When he opened his eyes again, Du Chaoran had successfully concealed the emotion within them. He pushed the door open and smilingly handed the two aluminum lunch boxes to Su Qing. "Thank you. I’ve washed the lunch boxes."
"It was no trouble." Su Qing smiled and took the lunch boxes. She had naturally heard Du Chaoran’s movements outside and knew he had been standing there for quite a while. She didn’t understand what he was thinking, but she had no intention of getting involved in her friend’s romantic affairs. Some things were best left to fate.
Cheng Beilin glanced at Du Chaoran. Seeing he still had no intention of explaining anything to her, she felt even more stifled. Her ankle suddenly didn’t seem to hurt as much. She turned to Su Qing and said huffily, "Su Qing, let’s go home. I don’t want to stay here anymore."
Worried about Cheng Beilin’s ankle, Du Chaoran quickly said, "You should stay in the hospital for observation overnight."
"I don’t need your fake concern," Cheng Beilin retorted, completely unappreciative, and insisted on going home. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Su Qing smiled at Du Chaoran and said, "Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her."
"Alright then. If there are any signs of it getting worse, come back to the hospital immediately." Du Chaoran insisted on checking Cheng Beilin’s ankle one more time. Seeing that it had indeed improved, he agreed to let her go home to rest.
Cheng Beilin huffed loudly.
In the end, Du Chaoran helped escort Cheng Beilin and Su Qing to Grandpa Sun’s oxcart. He watched the cart leave the county town before turning back toward the hospital.
Halfway there, he remembered he was off today. He sighed softly and headed for East County Street instead.
「At the An Family residence on East County Street.」
Hearing a knock, A Feng went to open the door. Seeing Du Chaoran, he smiled. "Mr. Du."
Du Chaoran smiled and said, "I’ve told you before, don’t call me Mr. Du. Just my name is fine."
A Feng chuckled. "How could I do that? You are a friend of our young master, so of course, I must address you as Mr. Du. Please, come in. Our young master is in the study reading."
Du Chaoran nodded and followed A Feng to An Zhihan’s study.
"What brings you here today?" Seeing Du Chaoran, An Zhihan gave a faint smile. He asked A Feng to prepare tea and snacks, then set his book aside and spoke to Du Chaoran with a smile.
Du Chaoran was clearly familiar with An Zhihan’s study, sitting down opposite him without prompting. He gave a wry smile and said, "I ran into her. She’s come to Xiyuan County."
An Zhihan obviously knew who "she" was. He raised an eyebrow. "You ran into her in town?"
"Mhm, she’s here visiting a friend." Du Chaoran didn’t know that An Zhihan and Su Qing were acquainted, so he didn’t mention Su Qing’s name. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
"And? Now that you’ve seen each other..." An Zhihan asked, looking at Du Chaoran.
"I’m the one who wronged her." Thinking of how Cheng Beilin’s eyes had been red from crying, a flash of pain appeared in Du Chaoran’s eyes again. He sighed deeply and shook his head in dejection.
"Aren’t you going to tell her what happened back then?" An Zhihan asked. "Regardless of what happens between you two in the future, I think it’s best to resolve that issue from the past. Otherwise, you’re hiding it from her while she’s left in the dark, which could lead to an even bigger misunderstanding. If you two can’t be together in the end because of this misunderstanding, wouldn’t you regret it?"
Du Chaoran shook his head. "It’s better if I don’t get her involved. She’s supposed to be a carefree young lady from a prestigious family. If I drag her into this, I’m afraid it will only implicate her. Forget it. It’s better to just let her think I’m a coward."
An Zhihan shook his head gently. Just then, A Feng brought in the tea and snacks. An Zhihan poured a cup for Du Chaoran and said, "Since you’ve already made your decision, don’t dwell on it. You’ll only add to your troubles."
Du Chaoran looked at An Zhihan. "Zhi Han, you don’t agree with my approach? If it were you, what would you do?"
"I’ve never been in a relationship," An Zhihan said softly, pouring himself a cup of tea. "I don’t understand how you two think about these things. But if it were me, and one day I met a girl I liked and encountered a situation similar to yours, I would probably be more direct. I’d explain the situation to her clearly and leave the decision to her. I believe that if two people like each other, there shouldn’t be any secrets. If I told her and she was willing to face it with me, that would be wonderful. If not, then we wouldn’t have to keep tormenting each other with worry. In a way, it would be letting each other go."
Hearing An Zhihan’s words, Du Chaoran lowered his head, took a small sip of his tea, and said nothing.
An Zhihan didn’t speak either. His perspective was, after all, his own; he couldn’t force it on others.
After a long pause, Du Chaoran finally sighed. "Let me think about it."
With that, Du Chaoran changed the subject, asking An Zhihan, "Enough about me. How has your health been lately? Is your cough still bad?"
