“Li Zizi, can I borrow some money from you?”
The once high-spirited woman stood before Li Zi, her brow drooping despondently.
“How much? I’ll transfer it to you directly,” Li Zi replied without asking for details, pulling out her phone.
“Thank you. I just need enough to pay this quarter’s rent. I promise I’ll pay you back soon.”
It was rare to see Yu Tianwu so embarrassed. After returning home and having a massive row with her family, they had cut off all her financial resources. She had endured countless cold remarks and threats, but in the end, she had successfully broken free.
Though she was now nearly penniless, she felt an extraordinary sense of freedom.
The only problem was that she didn't want to leave the place where she had lived side-by-side with Liu Yan. Thus, for the first time in her life, she had to ask someone for a loan. Having left her family with nothing and having always lived a lavish lifestyle, she surprisingly didn't have a single cent in savings.
At this moment, Yu Tianwu began to reflect on herself, realizing how immature her past actions had been.
“What about meals? I’ll be eating at home from now on, and there’s still plenty of money on my meal card. Take it if you need it,” Li Zi added, understanding her friend’s character.
“No need, I can manage,” Yu Tianwu declined with a smile, her expression exceptionally bright.
Though she was essentially starting from zero, she already had a few ideas.
Lately, aside from burying herself in her competition entries at the studio and her rented apartment, she spent her time at a park in the city center with her paper and pens, setting up a small stall. This was a business opportunity she had spotted a few days ago while passing through a commercial street.
*Who says I have nothing without my family! At least I can make a living with this paintbrush.*
She happily chewed on her sketching pencil, wearing a T-shirt and jeans that Liu Yan had forgotten in the washing machine, waiting for customers to arrive.
Generally, street artists would display their finished works to attract passersby. However, Yu Tianwu was truly a lucky person; her looks were far too striking. Before she had been sitting there long, blushing young men and women began approaching her to ask for her prices.
Though their interest lay more in the artist than the art, she at least earned enough for basic living expenses. She could even afford to buy some modest art supplies.
As she sketched for people with a beaming smile, she thought to herself:
*Brother Yan, just wait for me a little longer. Once I can stand proudly before you, once I can love you without any burdens, and once I have the capital to talk about a future with you, I’ll come racing back to you like a rocket!*
Regarding this, Hua Yi asked the others a question: “Hasn't she thought about hurrying over to explain things to Liu Yan? What if he gives up on her completely?”
Xie Bing replied helplessly, “Who knows what’s going on in her head.”
“Let her make her own arrangements. It’s only right that she suffers a bit more for now,” Li Zi said, not particularly worried. She knew Liu Yan well, and she knew that in their past life, the two had found it impossible to forget their old feelings.
As long as no fundamental lines were crossed, and as long as Yu Tianwu remained persistent—even if she had to throw a tantrum or roll on the ground—Liu Yan’s soft heart would eventually accept her again.
However, the three of them never expected that Yu Tianwu would wait a full three months. It wasn't until their junior year had begun that she suddenly appeared at Liu Yan’s doorstep.
Unsurprisingly, she was given the cold shoulder.
She didn't lose heart, of course. After sending over a dozen apologetic and coquettish messages to Liu Yan only to be blocked, she pivoted to a "pity offensive."
During the day, she kept watch at Liu Yan’s door, following him to the auto repair shop even as he refused to look back. Then, she would linger outside the shop, refusing to leave.
Tang Jiu nudged Liu Yan. “Brother Yan, who’s that girl at the door?”
“Don’t know. Never met her,” Liu Yan said, his face set in a stern mask.
“Oh—”
*Who are you kidding? I see you stealing glances at her every few minutes,* Tang Jiu grumbled internally. *Is this habit of saying the opposite of what you feel hereditary? Brother Li was like this, and now Brother Yan is too.*
At noon, Yu Tianwu followed him to a noodle shop. She sat at the adjacent table and ordered a bowl of plain noodles. At night, she was as noisy as a summer cicada, calling his name softly beneath his window, hoping for a response.
This continued for three days until Liu Yan couldn't take it anymore—mostly because he was afraid his neighbors wouldn't be able to take it.
“You’re really annoying. Didn't we break up a long time ago? Can you please stop coming to find me?”
He had finally managed to move on slightly, pushing the memories of Zhennan City to the back of his mind. Why did she suddenly reappear as if nothing had happened, acting like this?
Didn't she like Omegas? Wasn't she going to marry someone else?
Liu Yan truly didn't want to lose too pathetically, so he only wanted this person—who threw his emotions into turmoil at every turn—to leave his sight.
“Brother Yan, I won’t! I’m never leaving you again!”
Treated so harshly by Liu Yan for the first time, Yu Tianwu swallowed her grievances and continued to shout toward the window.
“Everything I said before wasn't from the heart! It was all a lie because of my family... it’s complicated to explain, but I’ve never liked anyone else. I only like you! No one can stop us now, I’m going to be with you!”
“Yu Tianwu, do you still not understand? It was never other people who caused our breakup.”
Liu Yan looked at her with disappointment, ignored her, and shut the window tightly.
Turning around, he met the worried gazes of his family.
“Dad, Sis, don't worry. I’m fine,” he said, forcing a small smile. “I won’t be impulsive again.”
Liu Yan thought that after saying all that, the prideful Yu Tianwu would surely leave. He didn't want to admit his own expectations, but when he opened the door the next morning, he still nervously scanned the surroundings.
Yu Tianwu was nowhere to be seen.
Liu Yan shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh. *What was I fantasizing about?*
He gently pulled the door shut, his eyes filled with a loneliness he hadn't even noticed himself.
As he turned, a bag of fried dough sticks and soy milk was suddenly thrust before his eyes.
“Brother Yan! I brought you breakfast!”
Yu Tianwu had heavy dark circles under her eyes, yet her face was as bright as ever, as if she wasn't the one who had been rejected the night before.
Liu Yan was stunned. “You didn't leave?”
“Why would I leave? I told you, I’m never leaving you again.”
She spoke firmly, but the hand holding the breakfast was trembling with nerves.
“Brother Yan, eat quickly, or it’ll get cold.”
Liu Yan looked at the golden-brown dough sticks. Ultimately, he couldn't withstand the internal struggle and took the bag.
Opposite him, Yu Tianwu’s face instantly lit up with joy. Thinking Liu Yan was about to accept her, she moved to throw herself at him the next second.
“Brother Yan—”
“How much was the breakfast? I’ll transfer it to you.”
What she received instead was Liu Yan’s distant politeness. Her smile froze on her face.
“It’s just a little bit of money, no need,” she whispered, lowering her head.
Seeing her dejected look, like a puppy abandoned by its master, Liu Yan almost couldn't stop himself from reaching out to pat her head and comfort her.
*But no! Liu Yan! Are you really that spineless? You’re bought off by a single breakfast?*
“Suit yourself then. You certainly aren't lacking for this small amount of money anyway.”
He gripped the bag tightly and walked away abruptly.
Liu Yan, his mind in a mess, failed to notice that Yu Tianwu—who usually followed every trend and placed great importance on her appearance—had been wearing the same clothes for two days. Even her hair wasn't properly combed, looking exactly as it had the night before.
Yu Tianwu silently followed Liu Yan for half a month. No matter what he said or did, she was like an unkillable cockroach that simply wouldn't be driven away.
Just as Liu Yan’s psychological defenses were about to crumble and his family had begun to advise him to have a proper talk with her, a new day arrived without the steaming breakfast at his door.
Liu Yan felt a sense of daze. He walked out a few steps and looked around, but that familiar figure was nowhere to be found.
Where... was she?
In that moment, a sense of panic and loss far exceeding Liu Yan’s imagination surged into his heart. *She left? She just left like that? Didn't she say just yesterday that she was happy even just following behind me? Was my attitude too much?*
“Brother, there’s a letter on the ground!” his sister called out from behind him.
Following her gesture, Liu Yan quickly picked up the envelope lying by the door. It was a cheap yellow envelope that could be bought at any neighborhood shop. He pulled out the white sheet of paper and unfolded it with trembling hands.
*“Brother Yan:*
*You blocked me, and I didn't want to disturb your rest, so I can only leave you a message this way.*
*I’m so sorry. I originally intended to leave only after you were willing to forgive me. But last night, my teacher pressed me, saying I must go abroad to find him today, or he’ll revoke my qualification.*
*I entered a competition before and was lucky enough to gain the appreciation of a painter I admire (it was also because you gave me inspiration). He stipulated that we must study at his studio for at least six months. He’s in France, so I have no choice but to go abroad.*
*I know you must be very angry reading this. Please, please don't be angry, because only by doing this will I have the right to come back to you and be with you. I can't lose this chance.*
*Brother Yan, you must wait for me. You must, must, must, must wait for me! Don't fall for anyone else, or I’ll cry to death. T-T*
*Signed: Yu Tianwu, who loves Brother Yan the most.”*
“Brother, what does it say?” his sister asked worriedly, seeing his pale face.
“She’s going abroad. I have to go find her.” Liu Yan’s lips trembled, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at his sister. “Sis, I have to find her. She’s going abroad.”
He rushed into the house, intending to find his ID and other documents.
But his sister pulled him back. “Brother, don't rush. We don't know when this letter was left. What if she’s been gone for a long time? And you don't even know which flight she’s on. How are you going to find her?”
“Call her first. See if you can get through.”
*Right, call her.*
Liu Yan scrambled to pull out his phone, removed Yu Tianwu from his blacklist, and immediately dialed a video call.
*“Beep—Beep—Beep—”*
She didn't pick up.
Liu Yan was now consumed by regret—regret for putting on airs when he clearly couldn't let her go, yet still insisting on being petty about the past. Tianwu had already come to find him, hadn't she?
Yu Tianwu’s side eventually became unreachable.
It seemed she was already on the plane...
Liu Yan sat on the sofa, his spirit crushed. He held his head in his hands, feeling as though he had suddenly returned to that night when he was first left behind, sitting alone on the sofa of their rented apartment, waiting for a miracle.
Last time, he hadn't waited long enough.
Would there be no miracle this time either?
Five minutes later, his phone suddenly rang.
Liu Yan’s eyes lit up, but it was a call from Li Zi. The light in his eyes dimmed instantly.
“Hello, Sister Li Zi,” he said, his voice low.
“Xiao Liu, you already know about Tianwu, right? She wasn't at peace before she left, so she asked me to contact you.”
“She gave me a thousand instructions to make sure you don't change your mind. She’ll be back very soon.”
“Is that so?” Liu Yan’s mood remained low.
“Xiao Liu, I think there are some things about her you should know.”
On the other end of the line, Li Zi began to slowly recount the decisions Yu Tianwu had made and the things she had experienced after their breakup. Although Li Zi avoided dwelling on her hardships, Liu Yan quickly recalled the details he had ignored during this period.
Yu Tianwu had consistently ordered only the cheapest dishes at the restaurants. She had been rotating between two sets of old clothes, living very simply—completely unlike her usual self.
The exquisite accessories she used to wear were all gone. Sometimes she hadn't even put on makeup, rushing over just to bring him breakfast.
The elegant, pleasure-seeking, and languid Yu Tianwu—the one who would pester him for days complaining about an uncomfortable sofa cushion and insisting it be replaced—had actually gone through so many upheavals without him knowing?
Even so, she hadn't said a word, hadn't complained about anything, and had simply endured his coldness.
This was never what he wanted. He would rather she remained that pampered young lady who loved ease and hated work, living in luxury and knowing nothing of suffering, always acting spoiled and crying to him over trivial matters. He didn't want her to suddenly fall into the mundane, struggling world because of him.
Especially not without him knowing.
When Yu Tianwu suffered and felt wronged, who else could she have turned to?
***
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