Even if Zhan Jingrui had forgotten, or was cold and aloof, wouldn't He Yao have been impolite to that extent?
Moreover, she felt that He Yao always seemed evasive when talking to them, her eyes never meeting theirs.
Before, she had naively thought they just weren't close, and felt a bit awkward. Now, looking back, wasn't this guilt?
Zhan Jingrui was so germaphobic; normally, even holding hands or hugging her felt like it could cost him his life.
Yet, that day, when He Yao was covered in blood, he had taken off his clothes for her without a word, carried her to the hospital, and been by her side the entire time.
Realizing everything, Chu Xi felt like an idiot.
The man she had loved painstakingly for seven years, the man who had presented himself as an innocent paper doll for her to read, was deceiving her with the simplest of tactics.
In those seven years, he indeed hadn't contacted He Yao, but He Yao was in his heart, and he hadn't let her go for a single moment!
It was precisely for this reason that he had been unwilling to be intimate with her.
When you truly like someone, many things are beyond your control.
His ability to be so restrained and controlled in front of her was entirely because he didn't like her!
Chu Xi, Chu Xi, what were you thinking?
It took you this long to grasp such a simple truth?
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she felt like she was pierced by ten thousand arrows at that moment.
Zhan Jingrui was her first love, her pride, her honor, even her life.
In these seven years, all her beautiful feelings came from him. Chu Xi had even planned out their entire future together, only to realize it was all an illusion!
Who could endure that?
She couldn't imagine Zhan Jingrui returning tomorrow and confessing his relationship with He Yao to her.
She couldn't imagine the reactions of everyone after they announced the cancellation of their engagement.
He couldn't imagine how her parents and relatives would view her.
Chu Xi felt she couldn't breathe, her mind was about to explode. She needed to go out for a walk, or she wouldn't survive.
"Miss, Miss! Dinner is ready, where are you going?"
Chu Xi didn't want to talk to anyone. She grabbed her car keys and rushed out of the house.
But once she sat in the car, she realized she didn't know where to go.
She was a devoted love-struck person. Ever since she started dating Zhan Jingrui, she had stopped getting close to anyone and had lost all her friends.
Apart from her family, who could she turn to at a critical moment?
There were many properties and real estate owned by her family in this city, many places she could go.
But they were all cold and impersonal, and she didn't want to go to cold buildings.
She took out her phone to find contacts, desperately needing someone to talk to, to distract her.
Then, she saw Liang Bo.
Right.
The only person who could empathize with her and share her feelings was Liang Bo!
Chu Xi made up her mind and called him.
After learning about He Yao and Zhan Jingrui's past, Liang Bo was also distressed.
His love had been stillborn before it could even begin.
But as an entrepreneur with many partners, he wouldn't eat if he didn't work. Despite his sadness, he couldn't stop working.
He was in the workshop, working overtime to produce parts for He Yao, his hands covered in oil, when his phone rang.
He wiped his hands on his pants, pulled out his phone, and saw it was Chu Xi.
What would this rich young lady want with him at this hour?
Liang Bo answered. Chu Xi immediately asked where he was.
"Working at the factory. What's up?"
"Send me the address, I'll come find you."
Sensing something was wrong with Chu Xi's tone, Liang Bo didn't dare to ask further.
"Where are you? Do you need me to pick you up?"
"No. Send it to me."
Liang Bo sent her his location and urged her to be careful. Chu Xi hung up the phone.
Soon, a ice pink Porsche stopped at the factory entrance.
Liang Bo stubbed out his cigarette and walked towards her, wearing his dirty work clothes.
Miss Chu was still in her fuzzy slippers and loungewear, only wearing a coat over it.
Compared to him, a dirty worker, the scene was hilariously mismatched.
"Why did you come out like this? What happened?"
Actually, Liang Bo had a vague idea of what had happened, but he dared not ask directly.
The weather was very cold, close to November. Perhaps because her heart was even colder, Chu Xi was shivering.
"Can you treat me to dinner? I want to drink. I'm cold."
Liang Bo lived and ate in the house behind the factory, sharing it with his partners, one room each.
He ordered some takeout, turned on the air conditioning, and asked Chu Xi to sit down while he grabbed his clothes to go out.
"I'm too dirty, sit down and rest for a bit. I'll go clean up."
The air conditioner hadn't warmed up yet, and Chu Xi's teeth were chattering from the cold.
"Can you find something for me to wear? I'm still cold."
A straightforward man's room was as simple as it could get.
A computer desk, a bed, a wardrobe.
Liang Bo rummaged through his wardrobe and found a coat for her.
"Wear this. If you don't mind, you can sit on the bed. My stool is also oily, and I never have time to wipe it clean."
Chu Xi didn't mind. She grabbed his coat and sat down by the head of the bed.
Liang Bo quickly took a shower and changed into clean clothes before returning.
They looked at each other from a distance. Seeing that Chu Xi seemed to have recovered a bit, he poured her a cup of hot water and handed it to her.
"Drink some water and calm down first. There's no rush to talk."
Chu Xi saw that he seemed quite calm, with no signs of distress, and guessed he probably didn't know about He Yao and Zhan Jingrui yet.
Suddenly, she didn't want to hurt him and didn't know how to start. She lowered her mood and didn't speak.
After finishing the cup of hot water, the takeout arrived, along with a few bottles of liquor.
Liang Bo motioned for her to come over.
"This is the condition for our first meal together, don't find it too simple."
They each opened a bottle of beer. Just as Chu Xi was about to drink, Liang Bo stopped her.
"Are you on your period?"
Chu Xi was already feeling quite depressed, and his question made her chuckle in exasperation.
"You know quite a lot."
Liang Bo said frankly, "I'm a 30-year-old man. Wouldn't it be pretentious to say I don't know? Even though the beer is room temperature, the weather is quite cold now, and your physical condition probably isn't great. How about we drink something stronger, like Baijiu? Or wine is fine too."
Chu Xi said, "It's okay, I'm not on my period. I want to try all kinds of liquor. I've never drunk beer before."
"Oh, so you've come to my place to experience life."
"Something like that. Although we're not close, I feel oddly comfortable with you, and I appreciate it."
"It's I who should thank Miss Chu for not disliking me. Then we won't stand on ceremony. Come, cheers."
They clinked their bottles, gulped down a few mouthfuls each, and started eating and chatting, picking up food with their chopsticks.
Chu Xi didn't know how to start. After thinking for a moment, she asked him if he had a girlfriend before.
Liang Bo pretended to count on his fingers, "Too many to count."
"Ah?"
"Just kidding. Only three."
"Three isn't a lot? What do you mean 'only three'?"
"Sister, I'm thirty this year. Is three a lot?"
"It's still a lot," Chu Xi pouted at him, "You look like a playboy."