"So, you agreed without thinking?"
Guan Yue jumped up from the bed, her eyes wide open, as exaggerated as a kangaroo.
"It's not a blind promise." I sighed, lying on the bed looking at the ceiling of her house, "It's like being forced into a desperate situation."
"After he said those words in the study, his parents came over and asked us to go downstairs to eat. Then during the meal, he solemnly introduced to his parents that from now on, Su Jingan is my girlfriend." I imitated Qiao Nuo's tone and made Guan Yue laugh out loud.
She rolled on the bed laughing. I looked at her helplessly with sidelong glances, my heart filled with deep contempt.
"Stop pretending, you must be so happy that you want to set off firecrackers!"
She came over and pinched my face, I continued to glare at her, then narrowed my eyes and smiled. Now she could say anything, because in her eyes, I was the most arrogant "fangirl" of Qiao Nuo's life.
"Honestly, you have done a great deed, after all, your boyfriend is Qiao Nuo! Did you know that when this news came out, the entire school forum was blown up! Oh, I didn't expect that the most powerful little goblin is right next to me!" She danced exaggeratedly, "Teach me, how can I 'trick' my boyfriend!"
I rolled my eyes at her. It was obviously me who was tricked.
That day, Qiao Nuo and I went downstairs to have dinner together, and before I could recover from his words, he took my hand.
Okay, I admit that at that second, I felt like my heart almost jumped out of my chest, and then, countless little people lined up in neat rows, beating drums and gongs in my chest.
Fine sweat seeped out of my palms, and the skin-to-skin contact at that moment was unforgettable.
He solemnly brought me in front of everyone and announced my relationship with him. I will always remember the expressions of those people that day.
Su Yuan was overjoyed, as if Chen Pei had given him a big fat boy. Qiao Nuo's parents were relieved and happily opened a bottle of very expensive foreign wine. Only Chen Pei's face was not very good, but she had to maintain the superficial courtesy.
Qiao Nuo's cooking skills are very good. I blushed and kept eating the dishes Qiao Nuo put on the plate for me. Qiao Nuo, who rarely drinks, drank with Su Yuan. The atmosphere at the table was full of joy, and it looked like the New Year.
It was not until the family dinner was over and Qiao Nuo sent me to the car and his lips were really imprinted on my forehead that I realized a fact: it turned out that I really became his girlfriend.
It seemed as if a flower bloomed at the tip of my heart, trembling gently with the refreshing night breeze.
Lin Fang once said in a fit of anger that I was born to be ruthless, and being like this, probably no one would ever truly love me in my life, and I would never experience the taste of love.
At that time, it was the fifth time she was dumped by a man after her divorce and she gave up on herself. I really couldn't bear it, so I told her many things that were buried deep in my heart and I shouldn't say to my own mother.
She got so angry that she scolded me like that.
I couldn't help but think of her face, which had been ruthlessly weathered by the years but still looked a little immature and ignorant.
Because of my mother's failed love and marriage, I never understood why women could do so many hysterical and stupid things for men, and why women must find a good home. Now, when I was forced to confirm my relationship with Qiao Nuo, I found that love actually has a kind of magic that makes people unable to control themselves.
When you keep missing someone and can't help but laugh when you miss him, you have already lost to it.
It was almost nine o'clock when I came out of Guan Yue's apartment.
I was planning to walk to the subway station by myself, but the weather was bad and it started to rain heavily. Guan Yue ran downstairs and stuffed her expensive British custom-made umbrella into my hand. She didn't go back until she sent me to the taxi. It rained heavily all the way and didn't stop until we reached the door of my house.
After giving the master the money and opening the umbrella, I was just about to sigh that expensive things are good, and that the umbrella was fine even in such heavy rain, but when I looked up, I saw Dong Mingyang, who was standing at the door of my house, soaked under the street light that was always on at night.
His eyes were red and he stared straight at me with unspeakable sadness in his eyes.
"Why are you here? Are you crazy? It's raining so hard without an umbrella?" I didn't care about anything else and rushed over to cover him with the umbrella, but he was much taller than me, so I had to hold my umbrella very high to cover him. As a result, the heavy rain fell fiercely on my back, wet and cold, making my whole body numb.
Dong Mingyang stretched out his arms and switched my position with him, so that the rain would not fall so fiercely on me. He locked me tightly and did not intend to let me leave.
"Is it true?" His voice was trembling unconcealably.
"What is true? It's raining so heavily. Let's go to my house and talk first!" I pulled him to leave, but he didn't move.
"You and that Jono are really together, right?"
His voice sounded more desperate than the torrential rain in the dark night.
When he asked me this, I was speechless for a moment.
It all happened too suddenly, and those boring media exposed the affair between me and Qiao Nuo. I hadn't even thought about how to explain it to the people around me, and he found me.
At this moment, how should I tell the person in front of me?
He appeared in my life at a specific time, like a big tree that will never fall down, protecting me from wind and rain, and dispelling the haze for me. He is my brother, my relative, and a part of my life that can never be ignored. I can give him back any good he has given me, but I can't give back his love for me, the love of a boy for his beloved girl.
I am selfish, and I know it.
So, here I was, standing before him, feeling lost and at a loss, and not even the pouring rain could distract me.
After a moment's silence, I heard a hoarse "hmm" from my voice.
At the same moment, his eyes dimmed rapidly and lost focus. I can't describe how much I wanted to escape the moment I saw his expression. I only know that I felt the same pain as he did, my chest felt stuffy as if I was suffocating, and I wanted to escape from this world immediately.
I had to face this moment eventually, and I sighed.
"Do you really like him?" he asked persistently.
Like? What is like? I don't know how to do it. It's not because we like to be together, but because of my assessment of the situation in my life and Qiao Nuo's guidance. He took the lead and told me with facts that he and I were going to be lovers, and we were going to study the science of love together.
"For someone like me, this may be the best outcome." I laughed in silence and wanted to cry, but I couldn't cry at all.
Yeah, why should I be so pretentious? It’s not my turn to cry.
But even so, I still feel very sad, very sad.
If I could fall in love with Dong Mingyang, then I wouldn't be suffering from the overwhelming guilt at this moment.
"What is the best outcome for you?" His tears mixed with the raindrops fell down, "I waited for you for so long, why could he take you away so easily?"
He seemed to be asking me, but also seemed to be asking himself.
"Qiao Nuo can change my life. Su Yuan will no longer target me. I can also take my mother away from that man and live a good life again. Qiao Nuo is a good man, and he will treat me well." My eyes were filled with mist. "I'm sorry, Dong Mingyang, I'm sorry. I can't repay the love you gave me."
"I don't want to hear you say sorry!" he almost yelled.
I shook my head and said lightly but cruelly, "But I can't like you."
At this moment, the arm holding the umbrella loosened its strength.
The umbrella fell to the ground, causing quite a splash of water. He and I were completely exposed to the rain, like a scene from a cheesy drama script.
"Dong Mingyang, don't let Guan Yue down, she is really the most suitable for you--" Before I could finish my words, Dong Mingyang interrupted me harshly.
He pointed at his chest and said with all his might: "Su Jingan, there will always be only one person in my chest. There is no room for another person!"
"Whether you don't like me or are with someone else, I won't blame you, but please don't impose feelings that have nothing to do with me on me!"
"I like you, and I only like you from the beginning to the end. You'd better understand that I will never like anyone else in my life! Since you have chosen Qiao Nuo, I respect you and wish you the best! At the same time, I will never regret my promise. I will still guard and protect you for the rest of my life!"
"Dong Mingyang, I beg you to stop talking!" I covered my eyes, not wanting him to see the hot tears that were bursting out of guilt.
"Su Jingan, this is the happiness you want, I will fulfill it."
He said these words with a smile, and then the sound of footsteps in the bubbles gradually faded away, and I removed my hands from covering my eyes.
The rain was so heavy that I couldn't open my eyes and could only vaguely see his back as he left.
He left, unwillingly but desperately.
I was left alone, carrying all kinds of complicated emotions, crying loudly in the rain.
I'm sorry, Dong Mingyang, I don't deserve your protection.