Chapter 88: Enough Is Enough

After hearing the whole story, Cheng Xingye was so exasperated he almost laughed.

He pulled a visitor’s chair over and sat beside the bed, stretching out his long legs a little, his dark eyes fixed on her.

“So you really hate me that much?”

Lu Qingyue was sitting up in bed. She nodded honestly.

“I did back then. But I don’t anymore.”

Mostly because she no longer had the heart to care so much.

Some people dazzle you for a brief season, and once you part on good terms, you should each keep walking forward.

Lu Qingyue’s thoughts were actually very simple.

She was still young. There was no need to cry and cling to one tree until she withered there. Even if she never met anyone better than him in the future, could she really not go on living by herself?

Who could not live without whom?

But if Cheng Xingye knew she thought this way, he probably would not agree.

During this time, he had stolen many chances to go see her during gym class and morning exercises. If it had been anyone else, he might also have been able to say goodbye so freely. But not Lu Qingyue.

He truly believed that in this lifetime, he was destined to lose to her.

Cheng Xingye studied her thoughtfully. His sharp brows were faintly furrowed, and the sour ache he had only just managed to suppress rose back up to his heart in countless tiny threads, like little insects swarming in to bite at him.

After a long while, he finally said hoarsely, “Dian Dian.”

“Mm?”

Lu Qingyue lifted her face. Her black eyes looked as if they had been rinsed with water, bright and clear enough to make a person’s pulse quicken at a glance.

Cheng Xingye’s throat moved.

Holding back the tremor in his chest, he looked at her quietly and asked in a low voice, “After your college entrance exams, can we talk properly? Is that okay?”

There was actually a great deal he wanted to tell her right now.

He wanted to tell her he had already cut off all contact with Ye Zixuan.

He wanted to win her back properly all over again.

He wanted to promise her that this time, he would never lose her again.

But for now, there were things far more important to the girl than love.

The college entrance exam was a narrow bridge crowded with a thousand troops, and everyone faced tens of thousands of competitors. Any tiny disturbance could lead to an entirely different outcome.

Cheng Xingye did not dare disrupt her thoughts at a time like this. Even for the past two nights, he had only dared sneak over to see her. If she had not accidentally discovered him tonight, he would have kept hiding it from her.

Lu Qingyue roughly knew what he wanted to say.

After a few seconds of silence, she nodded. “Okay.”

Cheng Xingye let out a breath.

He stared into her clear, dark eyes for a while, and suddenly realized they had not sat together and spoken so calmly in a very long time.

The last time she had laughed so freely in front of him was probably months ago. Back then, she truly loved to laugh; even a corny joke could set her off.

Thinking of the past, Cheng Xingye quietly looked away and tilted his head toward the bedside cabinet.

“Can I borrow your phone?”

Lu Qingyue’s phone was charging there. At his words, she froze, assuming he wanted to make a call, and without thinking too much, she unplugged the charger, unlocked it, and handed it over.

Cheng Xingye took it, opened WeChat, and brought up the blacklist in her contacts.

Her WeChat contacts were actually very simple. After all these years, the blacklist contained only him.

Seeing his own profile picture sitting all alone in there, Cheng Xingye suddenly found it a little jarring.

His jaw tightened. He stared at it for a moment, then handed the phone back and asked in a low voice, “How long were you planning to keep me out?”

Lu Qingyue gave a small “ah,” looking slightly embarrassed. She hurriedly took the phone and, under his blazing gaze, removed him from the blacklist.

When she finished, Cheng Xingye blinked lightly and, growing more and more shameless, made another request.

“Before your exams are over, don’t black me out again.”

Lu Qingyue nodded quickly. “Got it.”

After all, this young master was not only her former crush, but also her lifesaver.

How could she refuse the lifesaver?

Cheng Xingye did not know what she was thinking, only saw how obedient and well-behaved she looked, and his heart softened to the point of uselessness.

He resisted the urge to pinch her cheek, leaned down slightly, and smiled as he looked at her.

“So obedient now?”

Lu Qingyue blinked and said very properly, “I’m always polite and courteous to my lifesaver.”

Cheng Xingye: “....”

He did not want to be treated as some lifesaver. She never needed to feel indebted to him. Because as long as she stood there, she was already worth every best thing in the world being placed into her hands.

Outside, the light of dawn had begun to brighten. The pale morning glow gave the dense clouds a soft, downy edge.

Cheng Xingye glanced at the wall clock. It was already past five.

He stood up, pulled back the blanket for her, and motioned for her to lie down.

“Sleep a little longer. I should go.”

Lu Qingyue hummed and obediently lay down, not forgetting to say politely,

“Have a safe trip.”

To show her respect and gratitude, she even used an honorific again.

Cheng Xingye looked down at her expressionlessly, then could not resist lightly pinching the tip of her nose.

“You’re enough.”

The moment he said it, both of them froze.

The exchange was far too familiar.

In the past, whenever she teased him verbally, he would always be this helpless and indulgent, and in the end could only say to her, “You’re enough.”

Lu Qingyue blinked and said nothing more, curling herself quietly into the covers.

Cheng Xingye tucked the blanket around her properly. Only after she closed her eyes did he turn and leave softly.

As soon as he opened the door, Lu Yi was leaning against the wall beside it. Seeing him come out, he mocked him with a strange, drawling tone.

“Why didn’t you carry her out tonight?”

He was still laughing at him for having secretly hugged the girl in his family last night with ill intentions!

Cheng Xingye did not mind the teasing. He closed the door gently, then curled his lips lazily and answered with exaggerated nonchalance,

“No rush.”

Lu Yi gave a little “oh,” then imitated his tone and asked back,

“Then why were you in such a rush last night?”

Cheng Xingye shot him a look.

He thought to himself that the courtesy in the Lu family must be hereditary.

With a helpless laugh, he could not be bothered to argue, and turned toward the elevator.

After going downstairs, just as he was about to get into the car, something came to mind and he paused.

He looked up at the hospital building. The room Lu Qingyue was staying in was still dark; by now she was probably asleep.

He took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, tossed it into the nearby trash can, and only then turned back, opened the car door, and got in.

...

When May arrived, the candidates for the college entrance exam officially entered the final sprint.

As soon as Lu Qingyue left the hospital, she hurried straight back to school and joined the army of students preparing for the exam.

This year, the number of applicants broke ten million. To put it without exaggeration, every single point could mean leaving several thousand people behind.

As one of the provinces where the college entrance exam was fiercest, the pressure in Jiangcheng can be imagined.

Lu Qingyue’s class, as one of the key classes, was even more heavily expected of. Every evening, teachers stayed with them in night study hall until ten.

Ever since she pulled Cheng Xingye out of the blacklist, he almost never sought her out either.

Only when she occasionally posted some silly, motivational moments would he show up and manually leave her a like underneath.

At first, her style was still fairly normal. But later it gradually became a little outrageous.

For example—

Lu DianDian: The halfway point is always the most crowded. We have to get to the summit and take a look.

Hoshino: Like.

Lu DianDian: We test all day long. Either you’re taking the test, or I’m taking the test. What the hell are we even testing for? (Not my words, Xi Murong’s.)

Hoshino: Like.

Lu DianDian: Study one minute more every day, and an A-list idol will pick a husband. (Brother, choose me, I’m super sweet.)

Hoshino: ???

Lu DianDian: Work hard one more bit today, and get eight more male models tomorrow. (Full of motivation.)

Hoshino: .....