Chapter 78: Would You Like to Talk?

Cheng Xingye drove back to his apartment.

The elevator doors had barely opened when a fist slammed into him, pinning him hard against the cold wall.

The metallic taste of blood spread in his mouth. He inhaled sharply in pain; before he could even raise his head, Lu Yi struck him across the face again.

Two blows in quick succession left bruises blooming on Cheng Xingye’s face, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his left lip.

Lu Yi, still unsatisfied, waited until Cheng Xingye managed to stand upright, then landed another unexpected punch right into his abdomen.

The corridor’s sensor lights glowed pale and cold. The sounds of fists hitting flesh, mingled with muffled grunts, echoed with stark clarity in the quiet.

“Cheng Xingye! You’re nothing but a beast!”

Lu Yi, furious, grabbed his collar and pressed him against the wall, his eyes bloodshot as he stared him down.

Cheng Xingye lifted a hand, carelessly wiped the blood from his lips, and asked with weary laziness,

“Are you done yet?”

No sooner had he spoken than another vicious punch landed in his lower abdomen.

Lu Yi showed no mercy, every blow precise, targeting his most vulnerable spots.

Though Cheng Xingye’s athletic frame was usually resilient, the force of Lu Yi’s assault left him gasping, barely able to withstand the pain.

He bent forward, breathing heavily to ease the ache. Before he could recover, Lu Yi hauled him up again.

“I must have been blind to ever consider you a brother! You knew you were to be married, yet you dared to mess with my sister…”

Lu Yi clenched his collar, gritting his teeth as he slammed him harder against the wall, as if wishing to tear him apart.

Cheng Xingye still held a small umbrella in his hand, but he made no move to resist. He hung his head, letting the blows rain down.

Lu Yi hated his silence, and raised his fist to strike again.

But before he could land another punch, the elevator doors opened. Two security guards rushed over,

“Stop! No fighting here…!”

With security cameras in the corridor, the commotion had naturally alerted the monitoring room.

The guards grabbed at Lu Yi’s arms, pulling him away after several attempts.

Lu Yi was shoved aside, and the two guards watched warily, afraid the fight might erupt again.

One noticed Cheng Xingye’s battered face and kindly offered,

“Do you need us to call the police?”

Cheng Xingye lazily wiped his mouth, and even now, he managed a polite reply,

“No need, thank you.”

Only then did he look at Lu Yi.

Lu Yi’s face was dark with rage, barely containing his fury as he spat,

“If you dare bother Diandian again, I’ll beat you every time I see you.”

.....

The sensor light in the corridor stayed on for a long time before finally extinguishing.

In the darkness, Cheng Xingye gripped his phone, closed his eyes in silence, and slowly slid down to sit against the wall.

The messages he sent her turned into red exclamation marks, and his calls were instantly disconnected. It was clear the girl had blocked all his contact.

She had cut him off, giving him no chance to explain or make amends.

Who could have imagined that such a bright, innocent girl could cling to him so tightly when in love, yet leave so decisively and thoroughly when it was over?

Lu Diandian…

Cheng Xingye gazed at her pinned ID name in WeChat, let out a self-mocking laugh, and felt his eyes burn with heat.

His back was icy, his throat tightened again and again, and his heart ached with a scorching pain.

He sat alone in the darkness, suddenly remembering that today was her seventeenth birthday.

He reached for his pocket, and a small box fell out.

With a soft click, the sensor light flicked on, the sudden brightness stinging his eyes.

He forced himself past the sting and opened the box in defeat.

Inside lay a delicate necklace. Its pendant was a crescent moon, surrounded by tiny stars.

The stars sparkled, the night sky forever awaiting the moon’s rise.

She was the little moon he had cherished in his palm, but in a single night, he had lost her.

.....

Lu Yi returned home after the fight.

Upon entering, he sensed the tense atmosphere—Xi Yu and Lu Jiachen sat in the living room, faces clouded with worry, glancing anxiously upstairs.

Seeing him, Xi Yu quickly gestured for him to come over.

Lu Yi approached and asked in a low voice,

“How is Diandian?”

Xi Yu’s face was full of concern. She signaled him to sit, then lowered her voice,

“Your friend came looking for her just now. I don’t know what they talked about, but when she came back, her eyes were red, and she locked herself in her room.”

Lu Jiachen also looked at him solemnly, asking gravely,

“Do you know what happened?”

Lu Yi glanced upstairs at the tightly shut door, then replied coolly,

“Yes, I’ve already dealt with him and made things clear. If he dares come again, just call the police.”

Hearing this, Lu Jiachen and Xi Yu felt their suspicions confirmed.

Still unsure, Xi Yu couldn’t help but ask outright,

“Is Diandian dating him?”

Although as parents they didn’t want to interfere too much in their children’s lives, Lu Qingyue was still underage. If she really was in a relationship, of course they worried she might get hurt.

Lu Yi snorted indifferently, his tone lazy and dismissive,

“No. He’s not nearly good enough for her.”

The girl seemed ordinary now, just a child, but what was Cheng Xingye?

With a marriage arranged by his family, yet daring to seduce innocent girls outside?

Lu Yi felt he hadn’t hit him hard enough.

Lu Jiachen cleared his throat and lowered his voice,

“That’s enough. Let’s leave it at that. No one brings it up again.”

Heartbreak always takes time to heal. Unless she was willing to move on herself, more comfort would only be futile.

Lu Yi agreed, saying nothing more.

......

In Jiangcheng, August had grown unbearably hot. The plane tree leaves outside hung limp in the sun, cicadas droning in broken, hoarse waves.

Lu Qingyue still rose early each day for breakfast, then retreated to her room to do homework.

Most of her time was spent alone in her bedroom. With her final year of high school about to begin, the pressure of studies weighed heavily.

Sometimes she remembered that summer, wild and brazen, and the sound of cicadas mingled with his embraces, again and again. That honeyed, cloud-walking sweetness became a secret hidden in her youth, and finally, she had soberly parted ways with her former self.

Life in the Lu family passed quietly for several days.

Everyone knew what had happened, but no one brought it up.

Until one day, Lu Yi pushed open her bedroom door, seeing her at the desk with a pen in hand, staring blankly out the window. Only then did he realize she hadn’t truly moved on.

Lu Yi stood by the door and knocked softly, breaking her reverie.

“Diandian.”

She took a few seconds to respond, turning back in confusion, her face devoid of its usual liveliness.

Perhaps from staring outside too long, her eyes were rimmed with red, her nose flushed, making her look heartbreakingly fragile.

Lu Yi walked in, sat on the edge of her bed, bent forward slightly, and quietly watched her,

“Do you want to talk?”

That sudden concern easily broke down her emotional defenses.

Lu Qingyue’s eyes grew hot, and tears rolled down. Her voice trembled with sobs as she said,

“Brother…”