Seeing Xiang Yutang like this, Zhu Zhengchu felt bad himself.
"I didn't mean to play with you. I just didn't know how to tell you."
"I told you from the very beginning that I wanted a long - term relationship. You could have told me then that you didn't share the same thought! Why didn't you say it?"
Zhu Zhengchu bit his lip and said nothing.
Xiang Yutang leaned against the wall and slowly sat down. Zhu Zhengchu wanted to go over and hug her, but she pushed him away forcefully.
"Don't touch me!"
Zhu Zhengchu stood still, his hands involuntarily clenching into fists.
Xiang Yutang buried her head in her knees and cried as she said, "I was just too stupid. I thought all boys in the world would be like Ying Zikui." Ying Zikui had the same view on love as her since childhood, which gave Xiang Yutang the illusion that everyone thought the same way.
Hearing her mention Ying Zikui's name, Zhu Zhengchu felt an inexplicable surge of anger.
Xiang Yutang added, "I should have listened to Zikui from the start and cut things off with you in time." Then, Zhuo Ziyu wouldn't be lying in the hospital now.
But Zhu Zhengchu misunderstood her. He thought she wanted to break up with him and then be with Ying Zikui.
Zhu Zhengchu's anger reached its peak, and his attitude turned bad. "I really didn't expect that in this day and age, there would still be people with such old - fashioned ideas."
"Falling in love and acting like you have to get married or else it's like I've wronged someone. Please understand that it's no longer the feudal era. What 'being with one person for life'? Can't I give up if it's not right? Since you and that Ying Zikui are so compatible, why didn't you just be with him from the start? Why did you agree to be with me?"
Xiang Yutang looked up at him. "Ying Zikui and I are just friends!"
"Yeah, just friends. You two have been more intimate than you've been with me. It's okay for you to be so close to him, but when I touch you, you act like a chaste and fierce woman. You're really loyal to your so - called principles. How 'loyal' you are to your lover." Zhu Zhengchu's rationality was burned away by anger, and his tone when confronting Xiang Yutang was extremely bad.
Xiang Yutang never expected him to say such things. She looked at him in disbelief. "We just sit close to each other. There's no other physical contact."
Zhu Zhengchu scoffed. "Who knows if there's anything else? Aren't you two so 'mentally compatible'? Who knows if you've tried to see if you're physically compatible too. Maybe you've refused to let me touch you for so long because you've already given your first time to him and are afraid I'll find out?"
Xiang Yutang stood up and slapped him hard across the face. "Zhu Zhengchu! You bastard!" She never thought Zhu Zhengchu could say such despicable things. Was this really the gentle master who used to treat her well?
Zhu Zhengchu took the slap. Seeing her crying like this, he felt a bit regretful. But the words had already been said, and there was no turning back.
The two were silent for God knows how long. Finally, Xiang Yutang wiped the tears from her face. "Zhu Zhengchu, let's break up."
Zhu Zhengchu looked at her face and said coldly, "Break up then."
Even though she was the one who proposed the break - up, at the moment when Zhu Zhengchu agreed, Xiang Yutang felt as if her heart was splitting apart. She couldn't hold back her tears.
Xiang Yutang took out the ring from her pocket and threw it back at him. "Big liar. I never want to see you again! Bastard!"
How ridiculous. When she first received the ring, she treasured it so much and thought about it day and night. Now she just threw it on the ground. The ring didn't belong to her anymore, and neither did Zhu Zhengchu. The sweet relationship of the past few months had finally come to an end.
Zhu Zhengchu left. Xiang Yutang didn't know how long she cried there. Finally, Ying Zikui came and hugged her.
"It's okay. It's all over. We'll meet better people in the future."
Zhuo Ziyu woke up. It was just a mild concussion, and there was no major problem. Ying Zikui helped Xiang Yutang terminate the contract with Zhu Zhengchu's company. They didn't pay a single cent in liquidated damages, and Zhu Zhengchu didn't ask for it either.
Xiang Yutang threw away all the things related to Zhu Zhengchu. She announced to the outside world that she and Zhuo Ziyu were sick and they both took a month off to recuperate.
After the break - up, Zhu Zhengchu went abroad and cut off contact with people in the country.
They went their separate ways and had no more contact.
One month later.
"Our Ziyu is getting discharged from the hospital today! Let's go eat at Haidilao!" Xiang Yutang said as she picked out clothes for Zhuo Ziyu to wear for their outing.
Zhuo Ziyu hugged her from behind and said gently, "Tangtang."
Xiang Yutang turned around. "What's wrong, baby? Does your head still hurt?" Actually, Zhuo Ziyu could have been discharged earlier, but they just wanted to make sure there were no after - effects.
Zhuo Ziyu shook her head. "No, I've been fine for days."
"Tangtang, you've really let it go, right?" Zhuo Ziyu looked at her worriedly.
In the past few days, Xiang Yutang had gone from being silent at first to suddenly returning to normal one day. She laughed and talked with everyone as if nothing had happened. But it was this that worried Zhuo Ziyu the most.
Xiang Yutang smiled, looking very relaxed. "I've really let it go. Don't worry. It's all in the past. In one's life, who hasn't met a scumbag? Do I have to be depressed forever because of him? There's really no need."
Zhuo Ziyu saw that her expression was natural and didn't seem to be faking it. The big stone in her heart finally dropped.
"Okay, let's just think we stepped on dog shit. We'll never think about him again!"
"Yeah."
"Hey, are you two done yet? You said you were okay half an hour ago, and you still haven't come down." Ying Zikui, who had been waiting impatiently, walked in.
Xiang Yutang rolled her eyes. "You don't even have this much patience. You're so weak, Ying Zikui."
"You're the weak one!"
"Zikui, didn't you say you got a new drama a few days ago? When are you going to start shooting?" Zhuo Ziyu looked at Ying Zikui.
Ying Zikui stretched. "I'm not taking on new dramas anymore. I'll just follow you two. Whatever variety shows you two take on, I'll join. From now on, no man will ever get close to you two!" Ying Zikui had reflected on this incident for many days. He felt that it was because he hadn't protected his childhood friends well. He must prevent such things from happening in the future.
The three of them got together, laughing and chatting, just like in the old days.
After they got ready and went out to play, Xiang Yutang opened her phone and found that there was still a photo of Zhu Zhengchu in the hidden album that she hadn't deleted.
Xiang Yutang didn't hesitate to press the delete button.
Goodbye, scumbag!