"Look! Yet again, there's someone clueless about life and death confessing to Mo Yuqing!"
"Well, this guy is actually quite handsome, just my type."
"You're right, but look who the girl is! She's so beautiful and her family is rich. No need to even hope, it's impossible for him to succeed."
"I heard they knew each other for quite some time, and this guy has been courting her for a while. Alas, like a pitiful puppy chasing after the moon, ending up with nothing in the end."
At this moment, spring just made its entrance to Hangzhou City. Plants have just started to sprout their tender buds and everything around seems a bit bleak. Even so, a crowd has gathered at the seemingly dreary playground to watch the spectacle.
Brushing off the mockery from the crowd, Chen Lu listened in silence, fully aware that he's now the center of entertainment.
Standing in the middle of the playground, clutching a bunch of roses, he watched as the girl who was acknowledged as the prettiest by the entire school, the same girl he had been pursuing for seven whole years, Mo Yuqing, walked towards him.
The weather was still cold, and the chilly wind constantly brushed against Chen Lu's flushing cheeks, also tugging at Mo Yuqing's waterfall-like raven hair and her milk-white long skirt.
Regardless of the weather, her collar revealed an attractive clavicle and smooth, white neck.
With a serene look on her face, her beautiful apricot eyes looked like a calm fall lake under her slightly pursed lips, enchanting those who dare to meet her gaze.
Such an exquisite and aloof beauty generously bestowed upon her by the heavens made her every frown and smile captivating.
Exhaling a breath, Chen Lu slowly stepped forward. He really didn't want to confess his love publicly, feeling like it's some kind of moral coercion.
Yet, he was even less inclined to let Mo Yuqing brush him off again.
Indeed, confessing love publicly like this may create great pressure on the one being confessed to.
But, Mo Yuqing, you won't be able to dodge it this time.
You are the untouchable figure in everyone's heart, the bright moon held aloft by all the stars. Those who you reject can probably form a line that extends out of the school, don't you think?
Regardless of whether the ones whose confessions fail are "worth anything" or not, they will become the stepping-stones for your continued rise in value.
As expected, just like what he had predicted, Mo Yuqing saw an increasing number of onlookers gathering around her but she didn't seem to care one bit. However, there was a slight furrow in her brows this time as the pursuer was he.
"How...long have you been pursuing me?"
Mo Yuqing broke the silence, her chilly voice mixed with the cold wind as it reached Chen Lu's ears.
"Today makes it exactly seven years."
Without waiting for Chen Lu to speak first, Mo Yuqing initiated the conversation. Chen Lu also symbiotically refrained from professing his affection for her out loud because... this was his second confession.
The first time was in high school, when Mo Yuqing had prioritized her studies. Chen Lu expressed his understanding.
Then, he let go of his yearning for other cities to go to the same university as her.
After realizing that their relationship had not changed at all since they started university, Chen Lu had more or less figured out the answer.
If two people truly had mutual feelings for each other, they would quickly end up together. If a man and a woman are both single and have known each other for several years without making any progress, it means that it's basically impossible for them to be together.
Moreover, although he pursued her for seven whole years, the two of them have known each other since they were children.
They are childhood sweethearts.
So now, he just wants to end it all, to put a period at the end of his seven years of humiliation, where like a pitiful dog, he would get overly excited over the tiniest bit of attention.
To be worthy of you, I too, have worked hard for seven years.
"Seven years is simply too long, Miss Mo. I, too, can get tired.
Shouldn't we define our inexplicably perplexing relationship this time?"
Finally, Mo Yuqing's lips part slightly, pulling Chen Lu's thoughts back.
"Indeed... seven years, Chen Lu."
Her appearance is indifferent, her tone ice-cold.
"Has it been so long and you still haven't realized I simply don't like you?
Let's just continue being friends.
If you bring this up again, we can't even be friends."
Chen Lu lifts his head to look at the gloomy sky, unexpectedly calm, "Friends? Then I stay by your side and watch you be with others, see you getting married and having children, right? Mo Yuqing, I like you, but I’m not that pathetic."
Mo Yuqing doesn't say anything more. After a cold glance around herself, she turns and leaves, leaving only an enchanting but utterly heartless silhouette to Chen Lu.
"Mo Yuqing! I like you!! I've liked you for a full seven years!!" Chen Lu watches her departing figure, shouting loudly without consideration for the surrounding gazes.
Just as the surroundings burst into whispers, he slowly starts talking again with a self-mocking smile, "But not anymore…”
Immediately after, he turns around and leaves, facing away from the crowd, a lone figure, utterly forlorn.
Like a gambler who has nothing left, defeated completely.
Chen Lu suddenly realizes that along with his sadness, there's a sense of relief, like a breath finally let go.
"Disliking someone may sound very simple, but in reality, it's a bigger gap to overcome than differences in family background, appearance, or personality.
One can make efforts to change other things, but if you don't like someone, you just don't.
Thinking about this, Chen Lu squeezed out a smile for Jiang Chao, who was waiting for him.
This was his good friend and adopted brother. Because he seemed to possess a certain unexplainable charisma, he was teased by Chen Lu and their friends as the 'Big Brother' since he would go for a morning run every day before bringing breakfast back for his roommates.
"The best is yet to come!" Jiang Chao reassured him, draping an arm over his shoulder. "Did you know we were all prepared to celebrate? Because whether things work out or not, it's not that you're not good enough for her, but she's not good enough for you!"
Chen Lu glanced at the discarded firecracker cases in the trash bin and chuckled, not saying anything. "Let's go out later and distribute these roses to the children on the street. Don't let them go to waste. The young kids should love these."
"Ah, I told you. With your personality, who wouldn't be comfortable around you?" Jiang Chao said with an air of disgust, "Not to mention, your other conditions aren't bad either. Where do you think you fall short? Does she really think being beautiful means not having any problems? Was there ever a time when you weren't there for her with just one call? Isn't it always you who solves her problems? If I were a woman, I'd drag you to get a marriage license."
"Enough, I would have been touched if you hadn't said that last sentence."
Chen Lu surveyed the area, then asked, "Where are the two who disappeared?"
"Those two guys had something come up last minute. Make them pay for drinks later. Come on, I'll take you for a walk to clear your mind." With those words, Jiang Chao started pulling Chen Lu towards the college gate.
By this time, it was getting dark, street lights were gradually coming on, and quite a few vendors had gathered at the school entrance.
Bright little bulbs hung from their converted tricycles, attracting numerous small insects. The smell of delicious food rose from the frying pans.
This wide variety of street food stalls supported countless university students who sneered at the canteen food.
Looking at the desolate expression on Chen Lu's face, Jiang Chao advised in a deep voice, "You two have known each other for so long. If she really liked you, she would have agreed a long time ago... Stop torturing yourself. You are clearly such a brilliant person, Chen Lu."
Why persist in delusion, especially here?
Chen Lu gazed distantly in a daze, a complex smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. "I will stop pursuing her."
These three words took all the strength he had, revealing an endless sorrow beneath his relieved facade.
"So you're really going to stop pursuing her?"
"This enlightenment cost me half my life. If I were to look back even once, I deserve to die."
