Chapter 41: The Unconcealable True Heart

  "Alright, never mind about me, what are you doing here all alone? Didn't your boss ask you to prepare something? Hiding here and slacking off, you won't be able to hand it in later! Don't get caught by your superior again, or you'll get scolded!" I quickly changed the subject. Big literary work.

  "You're now talking about Yuge all the time, don't you think I'm useless? Everything is not as good as Yuge, must listen to his orders, even speaking up for you is useless." He looked gloomy, suddenly slapped himself hard, still sulking about what happened before.

  I hastily stopped him from continuing to rave, firmly grasping his arm: "What are you doing? If you're not satisfied with something, you can't self-destruct! Later on, go out and find someone who doesn't look good, stare at them and beat them up to vent your anger!" A punch landed on his shoulder, consoling him in a slightly playful tone, "You've already done enough for me, I haven't even properly thanked you yet! Don't get my hero injured! Be careful or I'll settle the score with you!"

  He slightly curled up the corners of his mouth, but between his eyebrows, there was a hint of bitterness. He self-mockingly said: "I can't make any decisions on my own, everything is according to Yǔ Gē's orders. I've already sincerely repented, so why won't he let you go? If he didn't keep bothering you, you wouldn't always be in danger... If that thing had never happened, our reunion this time also wouldn't have brought disaster to you. Now, I can't even protect you by your side!"

  I gently patted him on the shoulder, comforting his still downcast mood, and forced a smile: "Don't blame yourself, this has nothing to do with you! It was my own decision to stay by his side, no matter how dangerous it is, I'm not afraid. If I couldn't overcome such a small difficulty, how could I help you untie the knot? Believe me, if I were that simple and gave up easily, I wouldn't be the Lumimi you know!"

  "It's just that I see your stubbornness, how can I be at ease? You don't understand, this matter is related to me! Brother Yu knows that I've liked you since childhood, so he would take advantage of you! He was facing me, his eyebrows furrowed, both hands grasping my shoulders, fingers exerting slight force. "I thought that if I shifted the target, he might spare you, but... I couldn't even deceive myself, how could I deceive him? Is he still tormenting you? Thinking of the suffering you've endured because of me, I really hate myself to death!"

  "What did you say... can't deceive, what does it mean?" I vaguely felt that something was off, could it be that Ji Dong still had feelings for me?

  His clear eyes surged with undercurrents, his facial expression was heavy, as if he was desperately suppressing his emotions: "Yes! I won't lie to you anymore, nor do I want to pretend anything else. The truth is, you've always been living here! You never left!" He pointed to his own chest, his voice exceptionally firm.

  Listening to him, it seems like he struggled for a long time before confessing his true feelings. Thinking about his unnatural behavior in the past, everything became clear as if washed clean by rainwater. He still has feelings for me, how could he let go so easily and quickly accept Yifeng? It's too late now that I've finally understood, but this is unfair to Yifeng! Suddenly, the image of Yifeng crying her heart out after a lost love appeared in my mind. If she finds out about this, she'll definitely collapse!

  I was shocked, almost losing my balance, and took a step back, staring at him in disbelief: "You can't... If Ruoxi knew, she would be heartbroken! Why did you have to do this? Why did you treat Ruoxi like a test subject? You clearly know how much she likes you... Why are you only telling the truth now? Do you know how many people will get hurt because of this?"

  His expression was also abnormally painful, slowly shaking his head: "I didn't want to either, at that time I really wanted to be serious with her, but I couldn't do it, I couldn't forget you, I couldn't give you to Yu Ge, and I couldn't let you suffer again!"

  "You've already accepted Ruoxi, you're just getting started, and you want to abandon her? What will Ruoxi think? If you dare hurt Ruoxi, I'll never forgive you for the rest of my life! A man should stand by his choices, do you also want to follow in your father's footsteps?" I shouted out of control, not caring about his feelings at this moment. Our group had already been drawn into a whirlpool of love, hate, and vendetta, unclear and restless, one misstep could lead to an irreversible tragedy. I didn't want to hurt anyone, but couldn't take everything into consideration.

  "You don't have to worry about me anymore, Yu has not been tormenting me, I am willing to stay now, even if you use a hundred cows to pull me away, it's impossible. And can you really bear to hurt Ruo Xi? You can feel her affection for you too, and she only has you to protect her. As for me, I've experienced a lot and I'm not afraid of them coming after me again, Yu may seem unreliable, but having him is enough, so don't feel guilty or worried about me anymore, just take care of Ruo Xi for me, don't give me any more trouble, and I'll be eternally grateful!" His eyes were filled with complex emotions and heartache again, I could only try to handle it peacefully and not let him get too agitated.

  He lowered his head, walked over and tightly grasped my hand, placing it on his chest. His face was filled with deep sorrow, clearly still hurt by my words. His voice trembled slightly: "I can explain to her, I'm willing to be her friend, but my heart... if we keep going like this, it's just deceiving her, and one day I'll have to tell her the truth, won't I?"

  "No! Still not going to work! Even if I have to deceive her, I won't let her be hurt by you again! And I've decided to stay by Ji Yu's side and help him get out of his hatred... So now I don't have any more energy to deal with other things."

  I quickly interrupted his words and struggled free from his grasp. He was stunned, intimidated by the decisiveness of my tone.

  I admit I was selfish and didn't consider his feelings. Maybe I'm just like Semu, trying to control him from behind the scenes, forcing him to respond to Yifeng's emotions, forcing him to give up on me... Even I want to slap myself, what can I do? How should I explain it to him? It's not just Yifeng, I also can't accept his feelings... My heart is in conflict, I really don't want to hurt him, but if he decides so, I'm afraid I won't be able to stop him. Won't this make things even more complicated?

  But emotional matters can't be forced!

  I already have someone in my heart, and it's even more impossible for me to develop anything with Ji Dong. Since it's impossible, I shouldn't let him hold onto hope. But he has given Ruoxi hope, letting her taste the sweetness. There are already enough people suffering from love in this world; there's no need to add another one.

  "Was I the least important person in your heart all along? Brother Yu, Ruo Xi, they're all more important than me! Mimi, I really don't understand you anymore. Am I not your real fiancé? Yet you let another man take you away, and that person is someone I couldn't resist... do you know how long my heart has been tormented? I've been holding on with difficulty, for whom? And now you're also thinking of abandoning me?"

  Abandon? He used two desperate words.

  "No! I didn't mean it that way! I like you just the same, it's just...I really wasn't trying to hurt you on purpose, but, as for Ruo Xi...Uh~my head is all muddled now and I don't even understand myself..." Being misunderstood by a close friend is the most unbearable thing. I'm anxious to the point where my eyes are starting to redden, looking at him pleadingly, "Let me think again, please don't tell Ruo Xi for now, okay?"

  Seeing me at a loss, he suppressed his emotions and looked like a child who had misspoken, filled with regret.

  "Mei Mei, I...I'm sorry! I'll listen to you, I'll do whatever you say, whenever you want me to. Don't cry!" His strong arms suddenly wrapped around me gently, his large hands attached to my head and pulled it into his chest, a remorseful voice echoing above my head.

  He gently held me in his arms, but I didn't feel my heart beating faster. Indeed, the heart doesn't lie... Ji Dong is still devoted to me, and I couldn't bear to hurt him again and again. If Yu Xi hadn't been involved, maybe I would have had fewer worries? It seems that no matter how this is handled, someone will inevitably get hurt, and it's not something I want to see happen to anyone. My mind was a jumbled mess, and tears fell involuntarily.

  He felt my body trembling with sobs, and he held me even tighter, his warm breath blowing onto the top of my head. I had my hands between us, slightly shrinking back, but still didn't continue to struggle. If this could make him feel a bit better, then it was fine, even if it meant I owed him an apology for my own selfishness.