Chapter 62

Halfway to the airport, Yu Zhezhi realized she had left something in the car.

Rosa had sent a gift from abroad for Hua Luoyue and asked Yu Zhezhi to deliver it. Due to the incident at the bar the previous day, Yu Zhezhi had momentarily forgotten. It wasn’t until she thought about going through airport security that she remembered the gift was still in the trunk.

Unsure when she would be back in City X, and seeing she still had plenty of time before check-in, she told the driver to head back. The driver asked if they were going back to the residential complex. Yu Zhezhi pinched the bridge of her nose, remembering she didn’t have her keys, and messaged Hua Luoyue to ask if she was still at school.

Hua Luoyue didn’t reply. After a moment, Yu Zhezhi said, “Let’s check the school first.”

In a corner of the campus.

Hua Luoyue looked at Cai Xinyue in silence until a phone ringtone broke the dead air. She ignored the phone.

“You know you shouldn’t say things like that lightly,” Hua Luoyue said in a low voice. “I can pretend I didn’t hear anything.”

“I’m not joking!” Cai Xinyue instinctively reached for her hand.

Hua Luoyue took a step back, and Cai Xinyue’s hand met empty air. Cai Xinyue froze on the spot. Hua Luoyue’s avoidance was clear; there was no need to wonder what her answer would be. She wouldn’t agree.

The only reason she hadn’t rejected her outright was to spare Cai Xinyue the embarrassment, hoping she would claim it was just a joke.

“Did someone say something to you?” Hua Luoyue asked. stolen content “It’s not strange for people to do inexplicable things on impulse…”

Her voice was soft, as if she didn’t want to be overheard, or as if she were afraid of provoking Cai Xinyue. Perhaps Cai Xinyue had heard some rumors lately, felt unsettled, and had been pushed onto this crooked path by an outsider. It shouldn’t be this way.

Hearing this repeated denial, Cai Xinyue felt a surge of nameless fire in her heart. The retreating thought that had just emerged was instantly incinerated. She took a step forward and grabbed Hua Luoyue’s hand.

Hua Luoyue had a tree behind her and nowhere to retreat. Seeing the hurt expression on Cai Xinyue’s face, she couldn’t bring herself to turn and walk away without a word.

“I am not joking,” Cai Xinyue repeated, enunciating every word.

She knew her behavior was impulsive. If she could have truly endured it, she should have waited until Hua Luoyue’s divorce—at least until after graduation. That was the rational way to calculate gains and losses, but feelings are precisely what cannot be governed by logic.

Cai Xinyue didn’t know exactly when she had fallen for Hua Luoyue, but the realization had happened in an instant. It was because of the subconscious romantic delusions that she had misinterpreted the awkward angle between Hua Luoyue and Zhou Chiyu. Though it was only for a second, it was like a bolt of lightning, laying bare the secrets hidden in the shadows.

Realizing it was one thing; admitting and accepting it was another. For a while, Cai Xinyue felt she was a beast—even a rabbit doesn’t eat the grass near its burrow. From any angle, Hua Luoyue’s feelings for her were purely platonic. And she was married. Even if it wasn’t a marriage based on love, Hua Luoyue had done it for her mother’s medical bills.

Cai Xinyue would have preferred to believe she had simply misunderstood friendship and dependence. But once she realized she was constantly and pointedly inquiring about Hua Luoyue’s marital status, she knew it wasn’t normal.

Does a normal friend want to be glued to someone every moment? Does a normal friend get angry if they find their “spot” replaced by someone else for a few minutes?

Maybe—Zhou Chiyu agreed with that sentiment. But even Zhou Chiyu, who cared excessively about her status in a friend’s heart, wouldn’t interfere with a friend’s relationship or husband; she would even proactively make room for their dates.

If it were Hua Luoyue? Just imagining it gave Cai Xinyue the same displeasure she felt when she misunderstood the library scene. She couldn’t stop Hua Luoyue from dating or going ​Read on BaiLianTales​out with others, nor would she say it aloud. But the frustration wasn’t something she could suppress with logic.

When Hua Luoyue left with Yu Zhezhi in public, Cai Xinyue watched them for a long time, realizing they were heading toward Hua Luoyue’s off-campus residence. All the previous guesses about the marriage became clear. Confirmed along with them was the feeling called “love.”

Cai Xinyue chose to accept the fact: she had fallen for Hua Luoyue. The next question was: act like nothing happened, or confess? She thought all night, tossing and turning without finding a reason to speak.

Hua Luoyue was married. Hua Luoyue might not like her back. That spouse might target her because of it…

But for every reason to stay silent, a small voice in her heart whispered back: It’s not a real marriage. Feelings can be cultivated. If that spouse can pay for a shield they don’t love, how much could they really care about her?

Fortunately, those dissenting voices were small. By the time she woke up, Cai Xinyue had mostly recovered her sanity. She wanted to pretend nothing happened, just like before. She would wait for the right moment.

But before she could greet Hua Luoyue by chance, she saw Yu Zhezhi in the car. It was so early; they had most likely come from the same place. Cai Xinyue thought of that closed door at Hua Luoyue’s residence.

She stood neither too close nor too far, seeing Hua Luoyue wave to Yu Zhezhi with a light smile—no hint of annoyance or reluctance, but gentle, even submissive. It was even more tender than how she treated Cai Xinyue. The voices in Cai Xinyue’s heart emerged again, louder than ever. On impulse, she grabbed Hua Luoyue and spoke the feelings she had only just understood.

After a long silence, Hua Luoyue finally spoke: “You know I’m married.”

“That’s not real,” Cai Xinyue said.

“But I have a license,” Hua Luoyue replied. “Aside from you, the number of people who know the truth can be counted on one hand. From any perspective, I am married, and I need to fulfill those duties and obligations.”

In other words, she couldn’t respond to Cai Xinyue in this situation. But Cai ​read the original at bailiantales.com​Xinyue had already thought about these issues.

“I can wait for you,” she said.

Hua Luoyue gave a laugh, one filled with helplessness and self-deprecation. “Do you know how long the wait will be? Don’t waste your time on me.”

“I’ll wait as long as it takes!”

“What if you can’t wait a lifetime?”

Cai Xinyue said without thinking, “Then I’ll wait a lifetime!”

Hua Luoyue looked at her, a hint of regret in her expression. Her voice was soft but resolute: “You won’t.”

“I…” Cai Xinyue wanted to argue, but seeing the smile on Hua Luoyue’s face, she couldn’t find the words.

“How old are you? How long have you known me? Don’t say things like ‘a lifetime’ so easily; maybe tomorrow you’ll change your mind,” Hua Luoyue said slowly. “I don’t deny that so-called love can lead to a lifelong partner, but most of the time it’s nowhere near as stable and lasting as friendship or kinship. Do you want to gamble with this?”

She pulled Cai Xinyue’s hand away, looking her directly in the eye. “Even if my marriage is fake, it’s impossible for me to fall in love with you. But you are an important friend to me—I hope you always will be.”

And ideally, only an important friend.

At this moment, Cai Xinyue saw an unfamiliar side [bailiantales.com]of Hua Luoyue—the harder, colder part. It was still the same gentle voice, a tone like a discussion, yet it carried an underlying sense of finality.

Either take the words back and retreat quietly into the role of a friend, and she might pretend nothing happened and treat her as usual. Or… Cai Xinyue didn’t know what the latter result would be.

Logic told her to choose the former, yet the impulsive confession had evolved into an invisible battlefield, and Hua Luoyue was firmly in the lead. Though it was meant with kindness, Cai Xinyue instinctively refused the offer.

A true twenty-year-old is at a peak of hot-blooded passion and head-on collisions; they haven’t learned the worldly smoothness of adults. Words spoken are like water spilled; there is no taking them back. A confession is the same; once it’s out, there’s no way to paint over it and pretend to retreat to the start. That wasn’t just giving up halfway; it was losing without a fight.

Moreover, Hua Luoyue had personally admitted she was special and important.

“How would you know if you haven’t tried?” Cai Xinyue said stubbornly. “Just like I never thought I’d fall for you. But I’m sincere. Since there are no feelings between you two anyway, I won’t do anything to you before the divorce. I just… I just want you to look at me, to know my true feelings, and to consider me.”

She didn’t understand why Hua Luoyue wouldn’t give her even a single chance. Love is love; she wasn’t demanding a response right now, she just didn’t want to be trapped in the “friend zone” forever. If she waited until Hua Luoyue was completely used to this “friendship,” she might not have a single chance left.

Hua Luoyue was never short of admirers. Cai Xinyue just wanted to jump the queue.

At this point, she didn’t realize that it was precisely because of her importance as a friend that it was even more impossible for Hua Luoyue to accept her, let alone leave her a shred of hope. The remaining tenderness was only to give her a logical reason.

“You will meet someone more suitable. I already have someone I like,” Hua Luoyue said. “But that person isn’t you. I’m sorry.”

“Who?” Cai Xinyue’s expression went blank for a second.

Over these two semesters, she had been inseparable from Hua Luoyue. Even during breaks when they couldn’t meet, they were always in communication, occupying most of each other’s time. If Hua Luoyue had fallen for someone, Cai Xinyue should have noticed immediately. But no matter how she searched her memory, she couldn’t think of such a person.

Just as she began to suspect Hua Luoyue was making up an excuse to brush her off, a flash of insight hit her.

“The person you like… is the one you’re married to?” Cai Xinyue asked with a trembling voice. She looked shocked and incredulous, yet as if she had already confirmed the fact.

Who else could it be? Someone Hua Luoyue liked, yet completely unnoticed by Cai Xinyue—it could only be on the other side that she couldn’t reach. Cai Xinyue would have preferred to be wrong, hoping Hua Luoyue would argue.

Hua Luoyue didn’t want to nod, but seeing Cai Xinyue’s dazed state, she said clearly: “Yes. The person I like is her.”

Cai Xinyue’s face went white.

No one noticed someone standing on the other side of the fence.

When Yu Zhezhi reached the school gate with the gift bag, she happened to run into one of Hua Luoyue’s classmates. The girl said she had just seen Hua Luoyue leaving the library and pointed Yu Zhezhi in the right direction. Yu Zhezhi planned to take a look; if she couldn’t find her, she’d head back.

Whether her luck was good or bad was debatable. Before reaching the library, she passed that shaded path. Hearing a familiar voice, she instinctively walked over. Unfortunately, it was a terrible time. She overheard Cai Xinyue’s confession.

Logic told her she should leave the two young people to their private space. But perhaps due to human curiosity, or some other reason, Yu Zhezhi stopped. There was lawn on both sides of the iron fence, with weeds and vines climbing the bars, making the perfect cover.

Yu Zhezhi didn’t expect that a rare moment of eavesdropping would result in the fire being turned back on herself.

She heard Cai Xinyue ask: “Then do you want to stay by her side forever?”

Hua Luoyue replied: “I don’t…”

She said that because it was something they had agreed upon from the start—they would separate eventually. But liking someone and separating were two completely different things for her. She would eventually divorce Yu Zhezhi, but she wouldn’t necessarily stop liking her, and she certainly wouldn’t fall for Cai Xinyue instead. She told Cai Xinyue not to have hope.

Yu Zhezhi only heard up to there. By the time she snapped out of it, she had already quietly slipped away.

The driver looked at her curiously as she returned with the gift bag. Yu Zhezhi had no intention of explaining. She tossed the gift onto the seat beside her, leaned back, closed her eyes, and said to the driver, “Drive…”

The information load was too high. She needed a moment.

Yu Zhezhi didn’t know how Cai Xinyue’s confession ended. But the words Hua Luoyue said that day wouldn’t leave her head. She thought it might just be an excuse Hua Luoyue used to brush off Cai Xinyue. But sometimes, a different voice popped into her head: What if it’s true?

This question bothered her for a while. Her only confidant, Assistant Li, became the one to help analyze. Assistant Li also felt it was likely just an excuse to reject Cai Xinyue.

Yu Zhezhi couldn’t help but play devil’s advocate: “Then why didn’t she mention someone else? That classmate seems to know we’re not truly married. What’s the use of using me? Saying she hit it off with someone else around her would be more believable.”

As she spoke, she glanced at Assistant Li. “Like you. You’ve visited her plenty of times, haven’t you?”

Assistant Li shuddered, rubbing the goosebumps on her arms. “Let’s not. I don’t have that kind of luck.” She certainly had no special hobby of stealing her boss’s partner.

Yu Zhezhi finally stopped that line of thought and said, “What ​unauthorized copy​if… what if she really did fall for me? What then?”

Assistant Li suggested without much sincerity, “Then… divorce early?”

Yu Zhezhi looked at her in surprise. “Are you crazy? Right now?”

Assistant Li knew she was worried about rumors. After all, not long ago she had been “raging in anger for her beauty”; a divorce right now wouldn’t look good. But Assistant Li had considered this.

“We can push the blame onto Hua Luoyue—infidelity, a change of heart, suddenly seeing through the vanity of the world and wanting to become a nun… Our original agreement included this clause; we can sacrifice a bit of reputation if necessary,” Assistant Li said calmly. “She signed off on it herself. At worst, we can give her more compensation—enough for her to live worry-free abroad for the rest of her life.”

These were problems they had considered when drafting the marriage agreement; backup plans were already set.

Yu Zhezhi was currently reluctant, appearing quite hesitant. “But she hasn’t done anything…”

Assistant Li sighed inwardly. Yu Zhezhi was usually a decisive person; if she was hesitating, it meant she was truly unwilling. Assistant Li changed her approach: “Otherwise, you could find someone to set up Hua Luoyue and that classmate. If she falls for someone else, she naturally won’t be reluctant to divorce you in the end.”

Yu Zhezhi hesitated even more. “But Hua Luoyue doesn’t like her.”

“Feelings can be cultivated,” Assistant Li said. “She’s probably just afraid of affecting her job with you because of the contract. But since you two are fake, if you don’t mind, she might be willing to consider the other party.”

Yu Zhezhi didn’t reply, but she didn’t look like she was seriously considering the proposal. Every point Assistant Li made was logical, yet none of it sounded right to Yu Zhezhi. She was particularly dissatisfied with the last suggestion.

It wasn’t that she minded Hua Luoyue falling for someone else; the necessary public displays were mostly done, and they didn’t bailiantales.comhave to avoid suspicion as much as at the start. And a young university girl having a close female friend wouldn’t raise many eyebrows.

But…

“I think that classmate isn’t right for her,” Yu Zhezhi said. “Impulsive, inconsistent, and not very sharp. She knows Hua Luoyue has a license, yet she couldn’t even manage a moment of patience; she only cares about expressing herself and hasn’t a clue about being considerate of others. I doubt she even likes her that much…”

In short, the person was unreliable.

Assistant Li barely suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She reminded her, “She’s just a student, from a good family, never suffered, and never been in love. Did you expect her to be mature?”

Yu Zhezhi was self-righteous: “Falling in love isn’t raising a child. Why would someone intentionally find trouble for themselves?”

Assistant Li: “…”

Whether Cai Xinyue was “trouble” was debatable, but Yu Zhezhi looked like she was deliberately finding fault. They were supposed to be brainstorming, but by this point, even the blunt Assistant Li saw something fishy.

“President Yu, are you actually worried that Hua Luoyue will fall for you, or are you bothered by the fact that Cai Xinyue confessed to her?”