Appearing on a Marriage Show Before Getting Divorced - Chapter 29

“—Do you want it?”

When these words came from Chu Nian’s mouth, they carried an endless, enchanting allure.

A person who was usually accustomed to being cold and aloof was now saying something like this, with a spark of fire still dancing in her eyes.

Ruan Youran’s heart skipped a beat. She remained silent for a moment, looking at Chu Nian. “Chu Nian, what are you doing?”

Her icy voice carried a clear note of resistance.

Chu Nian smiled faintly and pulled back. “Applying lipstick for you. What were you thinking?”

Ruan Youran: “…”

She already had her exit strategy planned.

In all their years together, a scene like this had almost never happened. On the surface, Youran remained unfazed, but ripples of emotion shimmered in her eyes as she stared at Chu Nian.

Everything was ready. Ruan Youran and Chu Nian headed out.

Originally, Youran wanted to drive her own car, but Chu Nian looked into her eyes. “Can we take one car?”

Youran didn’t speak. Chu Nian lowered her head and whispered piteously, “I’m a little tired.”

Those words… In the past, Youran would exert every effort just to get Chu Nian to act spoiled once. Now, hearing it, her heart raced.

How much time had passed? Enough to thin out many feelings. Enough to separate what she once thought would last forever. But Youran had underestimated her own resistance; she thought she could face Chu Nian with a heart as still as water.

It was just her “thinking.” One sentence, one expression, or even a casual glance from Chu Nian could throw her heart into chaos.

The weather was nice, with a comfortable, gentle breeze. Chu Nian, fearing that being too pushy would cause Youran to recoil, sat in the back. At first, Youran didn’t pay much attention while driving, but later, glancing casually in the rearview mirror, she caught Chu Nian looking at her.

Their eyes met. Chu Nian immediately looked away.

Youran’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. She began to observe intentionally, and sure enough… whenever she looked, Chu Nian was watching her. Her gaze was full of lingering reluctance, even a trace of… bitterness.

Youran felt uncomfortable. It wasn’t because of the staring, but because she felt a faint sense of “finality” in that look—as if Chu Nian were looking at her for the last time.

Because she was peeking, Chu Nian naturally saw Youran frown. She pursed her lips, not daring to look again, and pulled Youran’s coat from the back seat to cover herself. Breathing in the familiar scent, with the person she loved to the bone right in front of her…

So close, yet the attitude was as cold as ice. Chu Nian hid under the coat, her eyes reddening. She didn’t want to rush, but time was precious… she was afraid that before she left, she wouldn’t even get to have a real embrace.

The drive was long, as the school was in the Changping suburbs. After two hours, Youran parked the car. She looked back to find that Chu Nian had fallen asleep at some point.

She leaned weakly against the seat, draped in Youran’s coat. Even in sleep, her brow was furrowed, and her hand was habitually resting over her chest. Seeing this pained expression and familiar gesture, Youran remained silent for a moment before calling out softly, “Chu Nian.”

Chu Nian was a light sleeper. She moved, opened her eyes, and smiled at Youran.

That look, that smile… it made Youran’s heart ache. Since childhood, she had been used to pampering Chu Nian as the center of her world. When a person first wakes up, their eyes are naturally misty and vulnerable. Chu Nian, seemingly unable to control herself, let her gaze rest on Youran’s face again. She looked earnestly, carefully, in a way that hurt to watch.

Youran turned her head, her voice slightly choked. “Get up. It’s almost time.”

Chu Nian nodded. She habitually reached out her hand, but Youran didn’t take it, simply turning away.

“AAAAHHHH!!! Nian Nian!!!”

Fortunately, Big Flower’s bomb-like scream broke the gloom. Youran and Chu Nian looked up to see Big Flower dressed up in a frilly pink dress, sprinting toward them somewhat comically while lifting her skirts.

Faced with an old classmate, Youran was also excited. She was about to speak when Big Flower shoved her aside and gave Chu Nian a fierce hug. Aside from Youran, Big Flower was the person with the most history with Chu Nian.

Being hugged, Chu Nian felt a warmth in her eyes. She gently patted Big Flower’s back. “Alright, you’re still like a child.”

Big Flower clung to her. Though they had seen each other over the years and called occasionally, it wasn’t like their youth when they were always together. Big Flower knew how busy Chu Nian’s work was; sometimes, when she missed her, she’d just sneak over to Youran and Chu Nian’s home just to chat.

“Where on earth have you been?” Big Flower burst into tears. She had a fiery personality but a delicate appearance—a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” as Youran once put it. Her crying looked quite pitiable. Chu Nian’s eyes also turned red as she held her.

Youran watched the other classmates approaching with smiles from a distance, shook her head slightly, and walked away.

“Nian Nian, what’s really going on?” Big Flower sensed something was wrong. Her emotions stabilized as she stared into Chu Nian’s eyes. “Youran didn’t even scold me.”

In the past, if she had dared to hug Chu Nian for this long, Youran would have been whining and complaining from the sidelines.

Chu Nian was silent for a while before saying slowly, “I did something wrong. She doesn’t want me anymore.” She lowered her head, her eyes rimmed with red.

What??!!

Big Flower was shocked. “Impossible!” Without even thinking, she denied it. “Impossible. How could she not want you?” Big Flower knew how hard their journey had been. Back in university, they had turned the world upside down. No matter how many times Youran swore she was letting go, they only ended up more in love. How could they truly separate?

Chu Nian said no more, resting her chin on Big Flower’s shoulder to steady herself. After a moment, she smiled. “Alright, let’s go over. We shouldn’t be sad today.”

Big Flower looked at her eyes with worry. “Nian Nian, your complexion is poor. You look exhausted. Is work too much for you?”

Chu Nian didn’t want to discuss such heavy topics, so she looked at Big Flower. “How are things with you and Susu?”

Big Flower and Susu had been a pair of “frenemies” since university. They were even better at enduring than Chu Nian; they had been in a tortured, ambiguous state for ten years without actually getting together.

Big Flower bit her lip. “I heard she followed her family’s wishes and went on a blind date.” She took a deep breath. “Maybe it’s for the best. She’s from an elite family, not like a commoner like me. Doesn’t everything have to be about ‘matching social status’?”

Big Flower looked ready to cry. Chu Nian squeezed her hand. “Be good, don’t lose your temper. Life is so short, and you’ve been at this for so long. You should cherish it.”

Big Flower looked at her in surprise. “Nian Nian, you…” Her Nian Nian actually knew how to comfort people now.

Chu Nian didn’t speak further. She watched Youran, who was already laughing and joking with friends in the distance. She said softly, “If I could return to the past… I would give anything.”

The reunion was filled with laughter. Youran felt more relaxed than she had in a long time. She had always been a popular figure at school, and now she was surrounded by people reminiscing.

Chu Nian sat in the distance, smiling. Though she spoke with classmates, her gaze remained softly fixed on Youran. For a moment, it felt like they were back in their youth.

Li Feifei arrived last, out of breath and apologetic. “Sorry everyone, I late! I had to drop my kid off at her grandma’s.”

The crowd erupted in teasing. “Quick, three penalty drinks! Feifei, you’re married with a kid?! What does the husband do? Why didn’t you bring him?”

Feifei was straightforward, draining her glass in one go. “Ha, I got divorced the year before last, so I didn’t have a chance to bring him.”

She spoke casually, without a trace of sadness. Everyone froze. After a brief silence, the class monitor stood up and hugged her. “Alright, it’s rare for us all to be here. No sad talk. To friendship!”

“To friendship!”

A toast to yesterday, a toast to the past.

Everyone was singing and laughing. Youran was having a great time, eventually drumming on a bowl with chopsticks to accompany the class monitor’s singing. Chu Nian watched from afar, her heart feeling soothed.

Big Flower leaned in. “See? You said you broke up, but look at the light in her eyes when she’s here.”

As the party went on, the talk inevitably turned to family and children. Liangzi, who had a crush on Youran in school, was now a business owner. He sat there with a red face, staring at Youran.

The class monitor asked Youran, “Youran, do you have kids?”

Normally, this wouldn’t be asked. But everyone was a bit drunk and had forgotten their filters.

Children? Youran subconsciously looked at Chu Nian in the distance. She gave a bitter smile and shook her head. “No.”

People like her could never have their own children. She often wondered if she was being punished for something in a past life. She loved kids, but she and Chu Nian couldn’t have them. She loved Chu Nian, but Chu Nian had left.

Liangzi, emboldened by alcohol, toasted her. “Youran, I know it’s a pipe dream, but I just want to say I hope you’re well.”

“Thanks.” Youran drained her glass. Not seeing Chu Nian in her seat, she stood up to go outside.

In a bamboo grove outside, she saw Chu Nian standing alone. Before Youran could speak, Li Feifei walked up to Chu Nian.

Chu Nian sensed Feifei’s approach and moved aside slightly. Feifei noticed the distance and gave a helpless smile. “I thought you two broke up.”

Chu Nian was silent.

“Actually, Nian Nian, I can understand you,” Feifei said, looking at the sky. “I once thought love from youth was indestructible. That’s why I married him at the peak of my career. But in the end, it was just a dream. No amount of feeling can withstand the trivialities of daily life. Over the years, we both got busy, and the love died.”

Feifei shook her head. “We both made mistakes, but the child suffers most.”

Chu Nian remained quiet. Feifei tilted her head. “And you? How is your child doing?”

Having seen Chu Nian’s practiced way of handling Ruoruo on the plane, Feifei guessed she had a child of her own. These words made Youran’s heart jump in the shadows. A child? How could she have a child?!

Chu Nian turned and looked at Feifei expressionlessly. “What you want, I can’t give. I have a wife.”

Feifei nodded. “But she doesn’t love you anymore, does she? You’ve been staring at her all night, but she won’t look at you. You two don’t fit.” Feifei, now a powerful woman in her own right, continued, “She was born into a family that’s out of reach. She won’t understand people like us who had to fight for our careers. If we were together, I wouldn’t let you be sad. I understand you.”

Chu Nian didn’t even feel like arguing. She shook her head. Feifei’s “love” couldn’t compare to hers and Youran’s. As she turned to leave, she saw Youran standing behind a pillar.

Li Feifei saw her too, her expression unchanged as she walked away. As she passed Youran, there was a hint of mockery in her gaze. They don’t fit. Youran is too childish.

Youran didn’t react. The old Youran would have exploded, but now she just looked at Chu Nian. “Actually, she has a point.”

Chu Nian’s heart, which had been glad to see Youran, felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over it. “What do you mean?”

“We’re not kids anymore,” Youran said, looking past her at the bamboo. “Since we’ve separated, we should plan for the future.”

Chu Nian’s eyes turned red instantly.

“It might hurt at first,” Youran murmured, “but you’ll find someone who loves you more. And so will I…”

Chu Nian’s breathing grew heavy with anger. She stepped forward. “Do you have to say such things to hurt me?”

Youran shook her head and turned to leave. Behind her, Chu Nian said, every word dripping with intent: “Love whomever you want, Ruan Youran. But in this life, I will never love anyone but you.”

Youran sat alone in a dark, empty room. She wanted a cigarette but realized she didn’t have any. She sat in the dark, hugging herself against the mountain chill.

With a creak, the door opened, bringing a familiar scent. Chu Nian walked in and, even in the dark, found her way to the corner to drape a coat over Youran.

Youran was silent. Chu Nian knelt down, looking up at her. “Don’t be like this, Youran. Please?”

In the darkness, Youran couldn’t see her, but she felt Chu Nian’s tears fall.

“Even if you hate me, or you’re angry, or you don’t love me anymore…” Chu Nian murmured, “Don’t be like this.”

She missed the Youran who laughed all day. She missed the “pesky” Jianjian who never spoke a serious word.

Chu Nian took Youran’s hand and placed it over her own heart. “It hurts here. A lot.”

Before Youran could speak, the door creaked again. They both froze as familiar voices entered.

“What are you doing?” It was Big Flower. It sounded like she had been pushed into a chair.

Susu’s voice followed: “Have you no shame? You drink whatever she gives you?” “What right do you have to judge me?” Big Flower shot back. “You left with just a text. Did you expect me to stay a widow for you?” “You promised to trust me!” Susu sounded frantic. “I needed time to handle things so I could stand before you cleanly. Are you that impatient?” “Clean?” Big Flower’s voice was tearful. “You’re filthy now. Get away from me.” “Filthy? I’ll show you who’s filthy.”

Then came sounds of clothes being torn and a different kind of noise. Youran was going crazy—of all the rooms, why did they pick this one? She remembered there was a back door. Her hand was still being held against Chu Nian’s chest, the sounds from the room becoming more intense. Youran tried to pull her hand back.

Taking a breath, Youran prepared to slip out the back door, but Chu Nian suddenly hooked her arm around Youran’s neck. In the dark, Chu Nian’s scent enveloped her, and her warm breath hit Youran’s ear. She whispered, her voice barely a vibration: “Don’t move. Big Flower has had it hard.”

The breath made Youran’s heart itch. Then, Chu Nian pressed her body against Youran, as if to prevent her from escaping. “And don’t make a sound. We’ll disturb them.”